Another Year Another

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian, kissing him deeply. My fingers fumbled in the pocket of my expensive silk dress, searching for the pregnancy test I'd hidden there. I wanted to save the news of my unexpected pregnancy for the end of the evening. Lucian's right-hand man, Marco, asked with a suggestive smile in Italian: "Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?" Lucian's mocking laughter vibrated through my chest, sending a chill down my spine. He replied, also in Italian: "Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender." His hand was still caressing my waist, but his gaze was distant. "Just keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man." His men chuckled knowingly, raising their glasses and swearing their silence. The warmth in my blood turned to ice, inch by inch. The one thing they didn’t know was that my grandmother was from Sicily, so I understood every word. I forced myself to remain calm, keeping the perfect smile of a Donna fixed in place, but the hand holding my champagne flute trembled. Instead of making a scene, I opened my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days ago for a private international medical research project, and tapped "Accept." In three days, I would disappear from Lucian's world completely.

This Christmas was actually one of my favorite and hilarious Xmas celebrations with uncle Gabriel here with us. It was fun and  embarrassing too which made everything much of a sweet memory later on. How many can I remember? It began with little Josh's scandal, grandpa's embarrassment in the mall that day when he actually and mistakenly took his voter's card to the mall instead of his payment card. That day,I wouldn't dare wish anyone else the kind of embarrassment I felt under the unusual gaze of my classmates. I had to endure it all because my siblings and aunt ran away when they sensed what was happening. What if I tell you about aunt Caroline's argument with the pastor right there in the church on the twenty fifth of Christmas in the presence of everyone and with the pastor still standing in front of hundreds of people or is it uncle Gabriel's mischief which got us in trouble with the police, making us to sleep in the snowy woods with crazy imaginative ghosts hunting us down.

When I returned from a mission, I found my Alpha mate, Wyatt, had tattooed his Beta's sigil next to our sacred mating mark. I cut my mission short, stormed back to the pack, and publicly declared my intent to Reject him. The mating mark is sacred, a symbol of two souls eternally bound. Desecrating it is the gravest insult to the Moon Goddess. Wyatt tore the rejection papers to shreds, casting them to the ground. Fury blazed in his wolfish eyes. "Over a sigil? You're tearing us apart over a meaningless symbol. Are you insane?" "Do I look like I'm kidding?" I sneered. "Fine. Let the Moon Goddess be your judge." The color drained from his face. "Faye, if you dare go through with this, I'll strip Rory of his birthright. He'll never be Alpha." "How could I be cursed with a mother like you? You're ruining my future as Alpha! I hate you!"My son, Rory, snarled from the side, his eyes burning with hatred. I looked at this father and son, who was now both strangers to me, and my heart turned to ash. My fingers tightened on my herb pouch. "The moment your father desecrated our mark," I said, my voice eerily calm, "I was already done with you."

Cursed from birth. Marked by sorrow. Cast aside by the one fated to love her. Elena of Nightfang has known nothing but cruelty. Her parents were slain by rogues. Her pack calls her a burden and when the Moon finally reveals her mate, he humiliates her before the clans and claims another as his Luna. Broken, sick, and stripped of dignity, Elena began to believe her life will end in silence. But the Moon is not finished with her. Another Alpha arrives, one whose wolf stirs at her scent, yet fate toys with them both. A loyal friend carries a bloodline no one remembers. And when Elena’s body betrays her with a secret she cannot hide, her world shatters all over again. War brews between packs. Prophecy whispers of children born in sorrow. Enemies sharpen blades in the dark. Three Alphas reach for her heart, but only one truth remains: To rise, Elena must walk through misery itself and decide whether love is salvation, or the deadliest curse of all.

I poured out my heart to him, telling him everything and not leaving a single part out of it. "Please, Don Xander, I will be grateful if you could grant me just this one wish" I begged desperately, my voice cracking at the end, even though I tried so hard to stay strong. He tilted his head to one side and smirked. "I can do that for you" he said, and my eyes beam with happiness immediately. "But..." He trailed off, swirling his drink in his hand. "What do I get in return for helping you? After all, it's all about give and take" My jaw dropped instantly. His playboy attitude playing in my head. "I... I can't... I mean, I'm sorry Don Xander but I'm not the type of girl who sleeps around with men. If it's okay with you, I can work for you instead" I suggested. He wave his index finger, shaking his head. "No, Bella" he said in a low, husky voice. Then, he rose from his seat and walked towards to me, his movement graceful and deliberate. I shivered, still seated as he crouched beside me. He leaned closer to my face and I tilted my head to look at him in the eyes. "If I will help you..." he whispered, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. "You must give me something in return" "What do you want?" I asked in a low voice. His eyes gleamed with intensity. "I want you, Isabella" he whispered, his lips grazing my ear. I jerked back, shocked by his request. "Don Xander!" I exclaimed, my voice trembling.

Past thirty, my usually serious husband suddenly developed a fascination with pink. The dark-colored furniture that had stayed the same for ten years was replaced with pink; even the utensils he picked up casually were pink. I stared at the line of pink pajamas, pink bow ties, and pink underwear hanging out to dry on the balcony, feeling something was off. "I thought you said you hated pink—that it was a color only women liked?" He was unpacking a new pink bed set and didn't even look up. "Oh, Jack and I made a bet. If I can replace everything in the house with pink, he'll give me his seaside villa for free. Honestly, after looking at it for a while, pink isn't that bad, don't you think?" I neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, I called Jack, who blurted out, "What seaside villa? I don't remember ever buying one!"

My mate Theo's puppy love, Elena, and I both got pregnant at the same time. To protect Elena's reputation, he claimed her child as his and made my child, who was actually his, illegitimate. When I confronted him, he said, ‘Elena doesn’t have a mate yet. If the Wolf Council finds out she’s pregnant out of wedlock, she’ll be banished from the Black Rose Pack! I have to help her!’ Later, while Theo accompanied Elena overseas to give birth, his parents forced me to have an abortion. By the time he returned, I had disappeared.

"A Year to Heal: The Nurse and the Millionaire" tells the story of Amelia Jones, a woman who has always had bad luck as a faithful companion. After an offer she can't refuse to take care of a rich man in a wheelchair, she sees the opportunity to change her life and fulfill her dream of studying Literature in Europe. But taking care of Alexander Alderidge, a controlling, cynical and arrogant man, will not be an easy task. As Amelia deals with the daily problems of caring for a patient, she also has to face the painful past that haunts her. Alexander, in turn, also has his wounds opened by time, and both need to heal not only his legs, but also their own souls. Over the course of a year, these two characters who are so different, but so similar in their pain, will discover that life can be unpredictable and that love can arise in the most unlikely places. An exciting story about overcoming, maturing and the pursuit of happiness.

This book contains hot mature explicit scenes. Read at your own risk! . Twenty-five years old and the only provider for her struggling, poor-class family. Angela had no other choice. Saying “yes” to Antonio, was the only way to save her two little nieces. Antonio Montero. An untouchable name! An insatiable monster! The dangerously handsome idol, young billionaire, and media’s obsession—crowned the sexiest man of his generation. A toxic playboy with a trail of scandals, rumors, and broken hearts. Poor Angela. She just signed a deal with the devil. Her world is about to spiral into chaos. And she has no idea the wicked, sleepless nights this monster has planned for her. This wasn’t just a contract. It was a cage. And the monster holding the key? He didn’t plan to let her go.

At the New Year's party, my pineapple juice is swapped for beer. To make things worse, I've just taken cephalexin, which shouldn't be mixed with alcohol. After barely surviving the ordeal, I am shocked to see my husband, Harry Grant, defending Sally Lane, who was responsible for the mix-up. "Can we please just let it go? She didn't do it on purpose," Harry pleads. However, I'm not about to forgive Sally, especially given how sketchy her relationship with my husband has always been. But Harry cuts me off with a scowl, "Enough! She's just graduated and doesn't know any better. "What's the point of holding a grudge? Do you really want to ruin her life to feel better?" he asks, clearly trying to protect her. As I watch him stand by her, my heart sinks. "Fine then, go live with her."