Ash Of War: Sacred Blade

Elena had once believed that silence could mean safety. That a gentle hand and a warm cup of tea placed quietly on her desk every morning could be a form of love. Lucien was never cruel—not in the obvious ways. He remembered how she liked her eggs, noticed when she swapped her perfume, and sent flowers on days he knew she wouldn’t expect them. He raised her like one would raise a pet—softly, without question. And Elena, foolish in the way only the very lonely can be, mistook his quiet affection for devotion. She told herself he was reserved. Mysterious. That love didn’t always wear its heart on its sleeve. But when the old flame returned—the one who spoke his language without needing to try—Elena saw it. The difference. He looked at her like a man who had found his lost religion. And Elena? She had simply been convenient. No tears, no scene. Just papers on the breakfast table, beside the eggs he cooked perfectly. She didn’t accuse or beg. She only asked for freedom. He didn’t sign. He chuckled. A soft, dismissive sound. “A cat raised indoors doesn’t know how to survive on the street, Elena. You’ll come back." But she didn’t. She disappeared, like smoke—except she didn’t vanish, not really. She lived. She wore colour again. Laughed at bad jokes. Let strange men hand her coffee and ask for her number. Lucien? He watched. He watched her become someone without him. And it drove him mad. The night he cornered her outside the gallery, rain in his hair and desperation in his eyes, he looked like a man undone. "Elena," he breathed, "please. Look at me. Just once." She did. Calm as ever, and her love already gone.

I was the Alpha's lost bloodline, raised far from home. I was thin, pale, and covered in ugly scars no one wanted to look at. Lucia Abbott was the pack's jewel, carefully raised and fiercely protected. She was beautiful, powerful, and loved by everyone. Before she fell from the cliff, her soul scream tore through the entire pack. "Lyla joined the enemy! She tried to kill me!" No one questioned it. After all, who would believe a filthy lone wolf over someone as pure as moonlight? My fiancé chained me to the ritual altar. My father lit the Moonfire Trial fire with his own hands. The flames burned through my wolf spirit, ripping my memories apart and forcing them into the sky for everyone to witness. It was a public execution offered to the entire pack. But the truth was worse than death. It was slow destruction, carved piece by piece.

As I head to see my boyfriend, Howard Schultz, who is working late, I get into a car accident. I call him dozens of times for help, but he doesn't answer a single one. Staring at his brightly lit office building not far away, I sink into despair. When I wake up in the hospital, I see a post from his subordinate. It's a picture showing the reflection of the two of them in the glass door, standing far closer than they should, with the caption, "What do I do when my boss is scolding me late at night?" Unwilling to believe it, I call him again. This time, he finally answers. My voice trembles. "Howard, I got into a car accident…" "Celine, I'm still working. I'll send my assistant to take care of it, okay? Be good. I'll see you after I come back from my business trip." I try to say more, but his angry shout suddenly cuts through the line. "Crystal Jennings! You're only allowed to bring one suitcase for this trip. Why do you have three? Do you think we're going on vacation?" Crystal Jennings—the new intern Howard just hired. I stare at the disconnected call, tears drying on my cheeks. I then call my parents instead. "I agree to the engagement you arranged."

When Aria Thorn returns to her pack after a year in exile, she expects nothing but whispers of shame and Damien Blackthorn’s cold rejection still haunting her. Instead, she steps into a battlefield of power and betrayal. The once-proud Shadowfang pack now belongs to Alpha Riven Cade—a ruthless warrior who rebuilt it from ruin, feared for his iron control and merciless command. Damien, her former lover and childhood friend, has risen to power as a cunning strategist. His ambition burns brighter than ever—claim the Alpha seat, claim the pack, and claim Aria as his Luna, no matter the cost. But destiny has other plans. On the night of Aria’s return, under the blazing eyes of the Moonlight Ceremony, she is branded with a mate bond before the entire pack. Not with Damien. With Riven. What begins as survival spirals into a war of love and power. Riven demands her loyalty but offers no warmth, every clash between them simmering with fury and forbidden desire. Damien manipulates allies, whispering poison into ears until the pack itself begins to fracture. And as betrayal seeps through the ranks, Aria’s buried Shadowfang bloodline awakens—its power tied to a prophecy that could unite the Alphas or destroy them all. Her grandmother’s dying visions warn her: one Alpha she loves must die. Allies vanish. Missions are sabotaged. Blood spills beneath the full moon. Caught between her cold, fated Alpha and her dangerous ex-lover, Aria must choose: save her people beside Riven—or surrender to vengeance and risk becoming the storm that ends them all. Every heartbeat brings her closer to the truth: love is war, destiny is betrayal, and her Shadowfang bloodline is both her greatest weapon—and her deadliest curse.

Love at first sight they say, but these two had a very bad first time meeting. It was a hate at first sight. The unexpected meeting of Arietta Blake and Michelle Grande was not really memorable to the both of them. But love to turn to hate and hate also do turn to love. Swore that she wouldn't fall in love with him but who was she kidding? She fell, but she didn't really know how dark Michelle is. Michelle doesn't want her in his dark and dangerous world but Arietta has always been stubborn. She dived into his world and explored. "No matter what you are, nothing can change my feelings towards you." That particular sentence was what she said to him before she journeyed into his life.

Clara entrusted Lucas with her heart—literally and figuratively. But when he betrayed her trust because of his family, snatching away the one thing that could save her life, Clara lost everything—including her beloved mother. Now, she has nothing left to lose. With a powerful new heiress identity and the backing of a man she never expected, she returns, no longer the weak, heartbroken woman Lucas betrayed. He wants her back now, determined to fight for her, no matter what it takes. Too bad for him—Clara didn’t return for love. She came back for revenge.

Seventeen-year-old Trixie has always believed she’s just a normal teen, adopted into a loving middle-class family and never curious about her biological roots. That all changes just weeks before her eighteenth birthday when a night out using a fake ID brings her to a nightclub—and directly into the path of Trevor, Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack. Unknowingly, Trixie has stepped into the heart of a werewolf territory, setting off a chain of events that will change her life forever. As the events following that night unfolds, she begins to discover that she is far more special than she ever imagined. Destined to join the pack, Trixie is fated to shift for the very first time on her 18th birthday. But she has no idea what’s coming—or how much her world is about to be turned upside down.

Ezekiel Richard Wright is not only charismatic, handsome, clever, and a world-class architect, but his characteristics and achievements make him more alluring. The CEO, who suffers from sleeplessness, is arrogant, cold, and distant. Chen Xiu Ying, also known as Bella Chen, is a mixed-race woman with an American mother and a Chinese father. Her family is one of China's wealthiest, owning four mansions in Peking and three in Shanghai. She is the daughter of the CEO of Chen Entertainment. She is also the brilliant, stubborn, and acrophobic president of La Bella Fashion Threads Co. What if the worlds of these two CEOs collided as a result of their parents' arrangement? Can they figure out what's behind their phobias and cure each other, or will they trigger each other's fears and end their marriage?

"You are one stubborn lady, you know that?." His raspy tone sounded close to her ear, sending gooseflesh up her arms. And her emotions must have been closer to the surface than she'd wanted to admit, because she could feel the sting of tears behind her lids. She hid her face in his shoulder and laughed. It sounded a little wobbly, but it was the best she could produce. "You hardly know me, David. And you already made it clear to me that you don't want to" "Well, you are making it difficult for me to stick to that" "It wouldn't be so bad if you let yourself. Forget about whatever reason brought us together. Let go... live in the moment" David groaned, and then his hand was beneath her chin, tilting her face up. Bonnie smiled, thinking he had a few more questions for her, when his mouth closed over hers and she couldn't think at all. —---------- Bonnie Rimmer is in danger, and David Stewart knows that it's all his fault. He had made more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker kidnapping the woman he was meant to protect is an entirely different matter. All of this could have been avoided if he had kept to one rule: don’t protect anyone you want to screw. Don't get emotionally involved with your client. But with Bonnie, he’s caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. The woman is way out of his league, but David wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in his hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she’s at his complete mercy. She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose…

As I bent over to do the laundry, a man suddenly pressed himself against me from behind, thrusting me forward into the washing machine. My hips were left exposed to the open air, held firmly in the grasp of his hands. I was trapped, unable to move. His large hands roamed freely over my body, sending waves of heat coursing through me against my will. Pleasure shuddered through my limbs, making my legs tremble uncontrollably. When I finally managed to look back, I saw—to my shock—that the man behind me was my father-in-law.