Author Margaret Way

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!” The moment I closed my eyes for that first kiss, I suddenly remembered how I fantasized about marrying Lucas Sandoval. I recalled when I aimed to have a complete and a happy family and how willing I am to spend a lifetime with him. I felt a tear fell from my eyes as I felt his lips against mine, as I have realized that I just rather want to die right now in front of everyone than to live with him. Before, I was dying just to be with him. Now, I am literally dying for being with him. I dreamt about walking down the aisle to be with my love. Now, I just want to run away from him and never come back. I once prayed to be part of his life. Now I am— his battered wife.

During a long holiday, my husband booked flights for a family vacation. On the way to the airport, I suddenly saw numbers appearing on everyone’s head. The numbers on my husband’s head indicated sixty years, but my parents and I had only six hours indicated on our heads. While I was puzzled over the meaning of those numbers, I noticed that the driver next to us only had six seconds indicated over his head through the car window. Five… Four… Three… Two… One. When the number turned zero, a massive truck immediately rammed into the car next to us. I saw flickers of fire, flesh and blood exploding before my eyes. People were screaming for help, but I could not hear anything. I trembled as cold sweat drenched my entire body. It was because my flight would be taking off in six hours.

After I register my marriage with Gabriella Archer behind everyone's backs, whenever she unlocks a new bedroom position with her childhood sweetheart, Nathaniel Taylor, she tells me that she'll throw a wedding to make it up to me. In three years, Gabriella has brought the wedding up 33 times. Of course, she has broken her promise 33 times as well. The first time she did, it was because Nathaniel's dog had died. In order to pay respects to it, Gabriella told me that she couldn't host any auspicious events for three months. I was still clad in a tux as I kept apologizing and making amends to all of our family, friends, and relatives beneath the stage. The second time Gabriella flaked out on me, it was thanks to Nathaniel's stomachache. She had the wedding car turned around so that she could buy medicine for Nathaniel and take care of him. In every wedding after that, Nathaniel would get into all sorts of troubles and ailments. I fought with Gabriella, and I lost my temper multiple times. But Gabriella often hit me with, "Nate and I are just friends with benefits. You're my actual husband here, so don't be petty." After Gabriella breaks her promise for the 33rd time, I'm finally done with her. So, I slide a divorce agreement in her direction. "The cooling-off period is over, so let's just finalize the divorce."

Ever since my mom gave birth to her second child, everything in the household is tied to drawing lots. Everyone has to draw lots in order to decide whose favorite food will be served for each meal. We have to draw lots to see who among us gets a hug from our parents. Every time, I end up drawing the short end of the stick, so everyone automatically assumes that my younger sister, Anabelle Madden, gets the better lot. She easily reaps my parents' love without having to do anything at all. Whenever I feel like crying because of the injustice, Mom will scold me instantly. "I bought the lottery box because I was worried that you might feel upset about this. I'm doing this just to be fair to both of you. "If you want something, you have to be the one deciding who gets what. Your father and I won't interfere with your decision at all. Since you can't draw the better lot, that just means you have bad luck." Hence, I keep practicing my lot-drawing skills every day, hoping that I can eventually draw the better lot in order to obtain my parents' love. But for ten years, I never get to draw the better lot. Not even once. On my birthday, Anabelle wants to go to the amusement park, so Mom tells us to draw lots once again. I secretly glue two short lots together before giving it to Mom in an attempt to get her to stay with me. Instead, she slaps me and berates me for being a disobedient child who cheats in lot-drawing. Then, she leaves the house with Anabelle. When I fall to the floor, I feel the short sticks piercing through my neck.

Kaiser Volkov is the 27-year-old Alpha of the Viperthorn pack, known for being everything an Alpha shouldn't be—brash, strategic, and a notorious playboy. He's the life of the party, admired by women and envied by men, but no one truly knows the secrets buried beneath his charming exterior. Kaiser has successfully hidden his past from his new pack, until a pregnant woman collapses at the pack's gates, calling his name before passing out. To his shock, the woman is Esmarie Cruz, his childhood best friend and the wife of the very man who drove Kaiser away from his old pack. Esmarie's life spiraled into chaos when Kaiser vanished in the middle of the night when they were eighteen after kissing her. Forced to marry his brother, she has endured relentless suffering at the hands of his family. Now pregnant and fearing for her children's lives, Esmarie escapes, desperate and uncertain, and finds herself at the gates of Kaiser's pack. Though unsure of why she sought him out, he's her only hope to hide from his brother. The Kaiser Esmarie once knew is gone, replaced by a man unprepared to shoulder responsibilities. Burdened by the past, both struggle with the baggage they carry. Yet, amidst their turmoil, old feelings flicker—a testament to the saying that first love never truly fades. When Kaiser's brother resurfaces, threatening Esmarie and her children, Kaiser must decide: run away again or confront his past and family to protect Esmarie and avenge the wrongs done to him years ago. As old flames reignite, Kaiser and Esmarie are forced to confront their shared history and the love that never really went away.

I made a desperate choice to marry a Bratva boss to protect my mother. From the moment I met Asher Volkov, my life turned upside down. Pulled into a world of lies and danger, I agreed to his fake marriage plan to keep my mother safe. I walked down the aisle, pretending to be brave, but inside I was terrified. Nothing could have prepared me for the shock of becoming pregnant with his child—or the dark secrets of our shared past. The closer I got to Asher, the more dangerous things became. When I discovered the truth, I had to run. Now, he won't stop until he finds me. He wants me back in his life and in his bed. The line between love and obsession blurs as he hunts me down. But I hold a secret I can never tell him. A secret that could destroy him if he never finds out. A secret he will do anything to erase if he does. A secret that could break me if I lose it. In this dangerous game of love and lies, can I keep my secret safe? Or will the dark truths of our past consume us both?

Maria Dela Vega, a bright and resilient young woman, takes a housekeeping job at the lavish Montemayor Estate to help pay for her brother’s medical bills. With dreams buried under the weight of responsibility, she never expected her quiet life to be disrupted by the enigmatic and cold-hearted billionaire, Sebastian Montemayor, who returns from abroad to take over his family's crumbling empire. When Sebastian catches Maria in what seems like a compromising situation, sparks fly—and not the good kind. He’s infuriatingly arrogant. She’s stubborn and unafraid to talk back. Yet beneath their clashes, an undeniable tension brews. As Maria uncovers the cracks behind Sebastian’s icy persona, she learns that wealth doesn’t shield one from loneliness. Meanwhile, Sebastian finds himself drawn to Maria’s warmth, honesty, and courage—qualities he never knew he craved. But their growing connection faces powerful enemies: class divides, secrets from the past, and a scandal that could ruin them both. Will love be enough to bridge the gap between their two worlds, or will their story end before it truly begins?

He kept her captive time and time again. He gave her enough freedom to protect her in the name of love. She only felt that he was a tyrant, always in charge of her life, her studies, her business, and had to take his punishment every time she made a mistake, which always made her arse hurt for days. She went from trying everything she could to build up her strength to escape, to trying so hard to stay and stay by his side. She couldn't stay away from him anymore.

Blurb. Our passion burned hot and bright, at least that is what I thought until I realized I was his second option. The one he really wanted was my sister and since she couldn’t have children I was used as the sacrificial lamb to bear him an heir. So when it became painfully clear, I was just a surrogate, I made myself disappear. But now he is haunting me down after he realized I left with his child in my womb..

I push through my Gamma warrior training ahead of schedule just to get back to the pack sooner. All I want is to stand beside my Alpha, Kyle Faucher, and finally complete our mate-bonding ceremony. But when I step into our house, scarred and feeling hopeful, I see 100 old boarding passes to the Darkmoon pack littering the floor. That pack is only a mile from my training grounds. Kyle's been that close for two years, and still, he never came. I sprint to the place where we were supposed to have our mate-bonding ceremony, clinging to the desperate hope that there's an explanation. But the moment I burst through the doors, I stopped cold. Kyle is down on one knee, dressed in a tailored suit, his eyes locked on someone with a softness I've never seen in him before. Standing across from him, smiling through her tears, is my stepsister, Vivian Blackwell. "Vivian, I haven't completed the mate-bonding ceremony with Serene. Say the word, and I'll reject her and mark you right now." At that moment, the world goes still, and I even forgot how to breathe. So this is what he's been doing while I was gone, chasing the woman he never let go of. Meanwhile, I spent those two years giving everything I had, trying to become someone worthy of standing by his side. I don't ask why or shed a tear. I just turn around and walk away. If she's what he wants, then so be it. The mate-bonding ceremony I dreamed of will be theirs instead. But the second I'm gone, he loses it and sends every warrior looking for me.