Ashy Knees

“The Rossellinis are to the Mahonnas what the Montagues are to the Capulets, sworn enemies bound by years of feud that fuels hatred and bitter rivalry. In summary, the man standing beside me, the man who I just said my vows to, is my father’s archenemy.” *** When Marco Rossellini, a ruthless Mafia boss, feared and respected in the underground world kidnaps Vienna’s husband-to-be on her wedding day, and forces her to marry him as an act of revenge against her father, she is trapped under the painful existence of being married to a man as cold as ice. As they navigate through the stormy waters of hate and the treacherous landscape of mafia politics, Vienna is torn between loyalty to her father and the growing feelings for the man who married her as an act of revenge. But can she trust Marco, or will his vendetta against her family shatter her into a thousand broken pieces beyond repair? *** All his life, Marco has only wanted one thing - vengeance against the man who wronged his family. What better way to get back at Daniello Mahonnas than taking away his most prized treasure, right underneath his nose in one calculated move? Marriage to the beautiful Vienna was supposed to be an act of revenge, a genius move that will bring the Mahonnas down on their knees, pleading for his mercy. But with every banter, with every smile she sends his way, every heated kiss and stolen passion, she chips away at his icy exterior, leaving him bare, vulnerable and worst – in love. Will he be able to move past his vendetta and love her the way his heart wants or will those eyes staring back at him remind him more of his past than he ever wanted?

The remnants of the pack gathering had barely faded when my whole world changed. My best friend, Hallie Richmond, vanished, snatched away by rogues. Only for her to reappear the next day, found bruised and bitten near the pack borders. My heart ached for her, so I went to her with her favourite apple pie. But the solace I intended to offer shattered into a million pieces the moment I heard the words of my boyfriend, Camilo White, our pack's beta. "...Hallie's family will destroy her if they learn of this. I have no choice but to mark her first.” "What about me, Camilo? I'm your girlfriend!" The words tumbled out. "You can be my secondary mate, Violet. It's just a small favor. Surely, if you truly loved me, you wouldn't hesitate to help?" Camilo's words ripped my heart out, breaking up with me and replacing me with Hallie for the marking ceremony we had both anticipated with such joy. From that moment forward, I became a shadow. The pack whispered words of how I was deflowered before my true mate could claim me. My family now regarded me with disappointment. My father's anger was a physical force, driving me to my knees beneath the icy waterfall. Then, the following day, a figure emerged from the mist. Alex Skye, the Alpha's son, pulled me from the water. He leaned close, his sky-blue eyes holding mine, and whispered the words that offered home: "I'm your true mate, Violet. Break up with that vile, idiotic boyfriend of yours. I believe you will be the perfect future Luna."

"You don't say no to me, Lilian. You're my property. You belong to me!" His voice was calm, yet the scariest she ever heard. She shivered on the spot as she stared at the dangerous and scary man in front of her. How she suddenly ended up here in a lion's den and there was no hope of escaping, was what she never imagined. She knew her stepmom hated her so much, but if there was one thing she never imagined, it was the fact that she could go to the extreme length of selling her off to a stranger. "Re... Ren... Don't touch me..." Her voice quivered as she pressed her back further into the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. She wished she could disappear into the wall, but was that even possible in reality? "I beg you, please... Leave me alone," She suddenly fell to her knees when her legs couldn't carry her anymore, and he rolled his eyes momentarily. "I'll spare you tonight, Lilian... Not because of your pleas, but because I am in a good mood. When next I want you..." He paused then squatted in front of her and smirk "I will torture you until you can't take it anymore and beg me to f*ck you so hard, Lilian. I'll make you hit orgasms five times in a row, and I promise that by the time I'm done with you, you'll never remain the same again," He whispered against her ear as a dirty smirk played at the corner of his lips, and her heart sank into her stomach. Will she ever get out of this?

My name is Katia, and I am just trying to survive until my fated mate arrives. Which may be easier said than done. Rejectection is the last straw. Whispering my acceptance of his rejection. I run through the pack house, out across the manicured lawn into the forest. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl," I say to my wolf. I'm sorry you have been stuck with me and have had to suffer everything I have. She whispers, "it's not your fault, Katia. " We came to a cliff with a waterfall. The hurt keeps pounding at me. I need it to stop. My sweet girl, and I just want peace, I keep running and leap off the cliff. Spreading my arms wide, with tears streaming down my face, I fall, not making a sound... *** The Snow Moon pack is having their last barbecue of the summer next to the waterfall on their land. The adults are laughing and joking while watching the pups play. Someone yells, “Oh my goddess, someone just jumped over the waterfall!" Everyone is frozen as they watch what looks to be a child falling arms spread wide, no one makes a sound. The alpha, beta, and gamma, spring into action, swimming towards the area the person went under. The alpha is screaming his wolf is going crazy repeating, “Find her. Find her...find her!" They dive and the beta surfaces with a small person in his arms. Alpha takes the girl from his beta, laying her on the ground. The men are shocked by what they see. She is covered in scars and injuries. Her body is twisted and broken. The Beta asks, "Who could have done this to someone so defenseless?" Alpha drops to his knees, repeating, "MATE...MATE...MATE!"

"I want you to be our personal stripper," declared Killian, his voice deep and cold, slicing through the air and quickening her heartbeat. The intensity in their gaze made her knees weaken, a sensation hard to ignore. Nervously, she gulped, managing to stammer, "S-Sir..." Atlas, positioned behind her, added, "We'll pay you thrice what you earn in this club, sweetheart." His warm breath teased the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She instinctively closed her thighs, aware of their eyes lingering on her nearly naked form. The offer was undeniably tempting, almost too good to be true. Killian Knight and Atlas De Luca, both successful bachelors in the city, were her employers in which she worked as their assistant, and the unexpected sight of them in the strip club where she worked as a dancer was nothing short of a shock. What added to the surprise was the outrageous proposal they were making! But, being the sole provider of her family, Claire find it hard to decline their offer. For her, money is everything, especially because of their family condition. Being with a sick mother and a brother battling with leukemia, Claire shouldered everything, and she in desperate to make a living. And so, Claire found herself agreeing. Be their stripper? That’s a piece of cake for her. Or so she thought. Fate takes an unexpected turn for Claire when she finds herself falling for the men she promised not to get attached to. However, avoiding two drop-dead hot bachelors proves to be a challenge, especially when fate seems to favor their presence. Becoming the personal stripper for the affluent and influential Killian Knight and Atlas De Luca, Claire finds herself entangled in a web of emotions she never anticipated...

***** “Just get it over with. Reject her. Your parents are waiting” My knees buckled, my legs threatening to give way, Tears blurred my vision but I kept shaking my head at him. I’m willing to forget this ever happened and move on, if he won’t reject me. “A-Alex -A-Alex, you won’t do that to me, right?!” I stuttered whispering the last part, he chuckled, Low and cruel, he closed the distance between us in two long strides, towering over me. His eyes sharp and cold. “Why?!” He snorted staring down at me intimidatingly. “You actually thought you’ll be my Luna?!” “You don’t even have a wolf!” he added his eyes depicting clear irritation. I couldn't stop the tears now-they flowed freely, hot streaks running down my cheeks. Alex's smirk deepened as he leaned down, so close I could feel his breath on my face. "I was bored," he said softly, his words dripping with mockery. "And you? You were easy." “And you know what?” He grinned, his breath warm against my skin. “I’ve always wondered what you'd taste like.” His lips brushed my ear. “What do mere humans taste like?” ****** After being painfully rejected by her mate in public. Scarlett thinks it’s best to leave her pack and start all over else where. What becomes her fate when she ventures into WILLOW BROOKE the forbidden pack?!

I've been married to the prince of the underworld for ten years and have endured countless life-or-death situations by his side. My hands, once trained to play the piano, are covered in calluses from holding guns and stained with blood. But at 28, my husband ends up falling for a young woman from the slums. She's as delicate and pure as a chamomile. She's his well-kept little secret—until I run into them at the woman's prenatal appointment one day. I storm up to him, demanding an explanation, only for him to nonchalantly hand me divorce papers. "Sonia is a devout follower of the church and can't have a child before marriage. I must make an honest woman out of her. Sign these, and you'll get 40% of the company's shares." I refuse to do as told, so he corners me. In the end, he has my crippled younger brother tied up and forced under a hydraulic compression machine. "Sign the papers, Maeve, or watch your brother become a human mince pie. The choice is yours." I fall on my knees and beg him to stop. As the machine turns on, my hands fly to my aching lower belly, and I scream as I lose consciousness. When I wake up again, I'm back in the hospital, in the same spot where I ran into my husband and his mistress at her prenatal appointment. This time, I don't confront him. Overnight, I make arrangements with a sanatorium abroad, get divorced, and run away from home. Yet the moment I truly disappear, my husband loses his mind.

Kidnapped? In a foreign country?? By a Mafia boss??? What else could possibly go wrong???? Hazel Bae had been looking for something for years but, before finding it, she ended up in a strange situation where she got caught after trying to steal from one of the biggest mafia clan's boss, Valek Vincenzo. *** "Hey!" I yelled but that was all I could say before he slammed his hands on the wall behind me and trapped me between them. "Since you think my kiss sucks." He looked down at me, "Let me show you how good I am at it." "Uh- that." I began to panic. What the hell! That was not the plan. Valek moved his face closer to mine and crashed his lips onto mine. I tried moving him away with my hands but he grabbed my wrists and slammed them on the wall next to my head and continued his act. At first, I was angry and wanted to just pull away but I couldn't. My legs started getting weak and butterflies churned in my stomach as he kissed me deeper. His lips moved artistically, such that it was captivating me. His slow-to-fast movements were perfect to lure any woman into the act. I was wrong. Very wrong. He was amazing at it. His kiss was so good I ended up giving in and kissing back. He let my arms go and placed his hands on my cheeks while I grabbed his wrists. He explored my mouth with his tongue, in places that felt so good I felt my knees go weak. Oh, God... This is bad... This is very bad.

"Take off your clothes, Carissa. I want to see what I've bought." Nico commanded calmly. Carissa's eyes flashed with defiance. "I am not your pet! I'll die before I submit to you!" "Oh, but you are mine," he growled against her skin. "And I'll make sure you learn to obey me...on your knees, begging for my touch." CARISSA I never thought I'd be in this situation with Nico Demonio. The guy I liked when I was younger now stands in front of me, his eyes full of anger and a desire for revenge. My father sold me to this ruthless mafia boss, and now I'm trapped. Nico hates my family because he thinks we're responsible for his parents' death. He also believes my brother betrayed him and put him in prison. Now, I'm stuck in Nico's twisted world, feeling both hate and attraction for him. One minute I want to spit in his face, the next I find myself dizzy and aching for him. NICO That fool, Carissa's father, thinks he can erase his debts by auctioning off his own daughter. Little does he know I’m back for my perfect revenge. Now, Carissa is in my grasp, and I'll use every tool to break her. She will be my pet, forced to submit to my every desire. I'll push her to her limits, seeing how far I can bend her before she shatters. In the end, she will surrender to me completely...or learn the true cost of defying the Mafia Boss.

I am the white wolf princess of the Coyote Pack. By the Moon Goddess’s decree, Barry was meant to be my fated mate. But during the peace negotiations, he gave me away—to Bayport’s crippled warrior, Colin—as a “hostage bride.” Barry smiled carelessly, his voice cruelly tender. “Emily, let me complete the bond with Evelyn first. This is just a deal. You are still my true Luna.” My nails bit into my palms, pain hollowing out my chest. Evelyn was nothing but a low-blood she-wolf he had rescued from the border. Yet for her, he used a truce marriage alliance to force me into surrender. Later, when I sought him out, I found him tending Evelyn’s wounds, wrapping her with gentle hands. He looked up, his tone light as if it cost him nothing. “If you let Evelyn be my mate alongside you, and divide half of your inheritance for her, I will withdraw the marriage alliance order.” I took off the bone pendant he once risked his life to give me and held it out to him. But he let it slip from his hand, shattering it against the floor. “If you don’t want it,” he said coldly, “then throw it away.” On the eve of the wedding alliance, Evelyn fell to her knees before the pack, sobbing as she accused me of hiding the Alpha’s Contract Stone—to help Colin breach our borders. The crowd erupted in whispers. Barry admitted it was he who had gifted me the stone, yet still turned on me, demanding: “If I ask for it back, will you return it?” At that moment, I finally let every hope die.