Ao3 Jinx Lux

"Your father is the reason for my mother's suffering, her death." His red-speckled eyes were bright with fury as the tears streamed down her face. He leaned closer, "But somehow, even still, I'd rather die than give you up." •• She was without a wolf. He was born damned with one. Their bond was never meant to exist. Zorina Edgemont, the daughter of a very strict Alpha, has lived her life shadowed by shame. Her wolf never emerged, she had never been able to successfully shift, and the world branded her broken. When her father forces her into a marriage with a power-hungry brat, she makes a desperate escape, only to land herself in forbidden territory, a place where monsters hunt and no one ever comes back to relay the tales. She nearly doesn't. Until he finds her. Lux Argevent is everything she should withhold from, he is half-demon, half-werewolf, and wholly dangerous. He is a rogue, a supposed myth, and a threat. But when their eyes lock, everything changes. Now hunted by her own father and tangled in a bloodline war deeper than either of them envisaged, Zorina stands ready to be ruined by his passion.

I knew my husband, Josh Perkins, had faked his death and taken on his younger twin brother's identity—but I never said a word. Instead, I went straight to the commander of the military district and filed an official report of my husband's death, requesting his name be permanently removed from the service rolls. In my last life, my brother-in-law died in an accident. Josh gave up his rank as regimental commander, abandoned his own name, and stepped into his brother's shoes—all to spare his fragile sister-in-law from becoming a widow. Back then, I recognized him immediately. I confronted him and demanded to know why he was pretending to be a dead man. But Josh just looked through me, cold as a winter morning. "Riley, I know you're grieving Josh. But I'm not him. Don't mistake me for my brother." He shielded that delicate sister-in-law of his behind him, then shoved me into the icy river and warned me not to harbor delusions. Later, our five-year-old daughter cried, asking why her daddy didn't want her anymore. For that, she was dragged to the cowshed for "reflection"—left there, starving, for three days and nights. My mother-in-law called me a curse, a jinx who'd killed her son, and threw my daughter and me out with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Josh made sure everyone knew I'd "gone mad"—that I was lusting after my brother-in-law before my husband was even cold in the ground. The whole town turned their backs on us. That last winter, I wandered the streets with my girl, dazed and numb, until the cold finally took us both. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the very day Josh buried his old life and stole his brother's.

Being the only daughter of the Calhoun family, a mafia family in Merovia, I am doted on like a princess. This changes when I turn 18, when Mom dies. On the way back from a family meeting, the car blows up, and Mom shields me beneath her. Even as she lies in a pool of blood, her gaze is tender as she says to me, "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. I love you." Still, after Mom's death, everyone in the family starts blaming me for what happened, including Dad and my older brother, William Calhoun. I go from being the princess of the family to the jinx that everyone hates. Soon after that, Dad brings home a new adopted daughter, Juliet Calhoun. William favors her and detests me. Even my childhood sweetheart, Shawn Kramer, takes a liking to her and ignores me. Dad says his new adopted daughter is way better than his biological one. They all agree to attend my college graduation ceremony. But on the day, they end up taking Juliet onto our family's yacht and holding a cocktail party out on the water to celebrate the official addition of a new family heir. This is the 100th time they ditch me for her. Unable to stop myself from an emotional breakdown, I cry out, "I'm the one who's related to you by blood!" Dad shields Juliet, who backs away from me out of fear. Then, he slaps me on the face. "I wish I'd never had you." "Who wants to have a younger sister like you? I wish you'd died with Mom!" William roars in contempt. This time, I've decided to let it all go. I call Aunt Marissa, Mom's sister. She's the founder and a therapist at MindCare Treatment Center. "Come here. This is your home now." I know that Mom's death was a conspiracy. This isn't just me leaving, but withdrawing myself from the family entirely. I hope that the next time I meet the Calhouns, there won't be tears on my end. Instead, judgment will befall them.

THE BILLIONAIRE'S MISTRESS _From sharing his bed to sharing his heart_ SYNOPSIS/BLURB "I thought so too. You don't remember the safe word." Jaxon had a tone of mischief in his voice. His Hazel Green eyes burned her down to her soul. Roxanne kept moving backwards till her back was against the wall. "Please, I don't want to do this." She begs. Jaxon is already very much aroused and the beast in his groin begs for release. Her begging only turns him on more. So innocent! Roxanne knows she can't do anything now, so she decides to give in to him. "Now that's what I want to see. Less struggle, more obedience. You're now my Pet. " Now get on your knees." Jaxon orders. Roxanne, a 24-year-old gymnast with heavy financial burdens, steps into the world of Club D'Lux, as an exotic pole dancer. Her first performance sparks a connection with Jaxon Hearst, the owner. When a fan gets too close, Jaxon helps her , revealing his true identity and making a shocking proposal as he's drawn to her beautiful and subtle nature. The hunger to possess her burns inside of him. He offers Roxanne a risky deal; become his mistress, and he'll take care of her financial worries and cover her father's medical bills. But as she enters Jaxon's life, shedding his layers, she discovers his dark secrets and desires that push her boundaries. As they engage in this consuming relationship, Roxanne finds herself trapped between her desire for Jaxon and her fear of his control. Can she tame his wild heart, or will their passion leave her in ruins?