Awkward Silence

“I don’t negotiate, I take. But just this once… name it.” Ryker’s voice was low, commanding. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.” Serena’s heart pounded. He had taken everything from her, her freedom, her choices, her life. And now, he was acting like he could grant her a wish? “Huh?” “Yes, speak your desire and I will make it a command.” “Anything?” He nodded, his grip firm around her waist, his golden eyes locked on her. “Then I want your life. I want you dead!” Silence filled the room. Serena braced herself for his anger. But instead, Ryker smiled. “Alright.” Before she could react, he turned and said, “Bring me a knife.” The blade was cold in her hands, her fingers shaking as she clutched it. This was her chance, her revenge. The moment she had dreamed of. She didn’t hesitate. The knife plunged into his chest. His body fell. His blood spilled. And yet, moments later… he was standing right in front of her. Serena’s breath caught in her throat. She looked down, his lifeless body was still on the floor. But he… he was alive. Watching her. Smirking. “You got what you wanted,” he said. “Now, it’s my turn.” She had tried to kill the monster who killed her father right in front of her. But monsters don’t die so easily. And now, she was his. “Welcome to my world.”

He runs a hand through his hair, the weight of it all pressing on his shoulders. “You think I married you out of pity? You think I hate your silence? No. I hate that your silence keeps me locked out. That I love you… and you’ll never hear it.” To the world, Maria is the perfect silent wife, beautiful, obedient, and deaf. But behind closed doors, she hears everything… Including the love her cold billionaire husband swears he’ll never confess. When she secretly trades places with her troubled twin, a web of lies, danger, and forbidden truths explodes. He thinks he’s lost the only woman he’s ever loved. She may never make it back to him alive. A marriage built on silence. A love louder than words. And a secret that could destroy them both.

WARNING!!! Contains sucide, strong words, etc please proceed with caution Take off your clothes," he ordered, breaking the silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Honestly, that was the last thing I expected to hear. I had prepared myself for many possibilities, but this request caught me off guard. Did this mean I had unintentionally seduced him? And if I had, did it also mean I was now to be intimate with him? He was undeniably attractive, but did I truly want to become intimate with this strange king? The answer was a resounding no; I did not. With trembling hands, I cautiously reached for the straps of my attire, ready to peel it away from my skin. Yet, something held me back, a hesitation I could not explain. I nervously bit my lower lip and then blurted out without thinking, as I often did, "I am not a harlot," I lied. I noticed the somewhat puzzled look on his face as soon as the words left my lips. "I don't engage in such activities. I'm here to serve you wine, but I accidentally spilled it, and I deeply apologize for that," I hastily added, bowing before making my quick exit from the room. In her darkest moment, a woman named Moon decides to end her life by falling off a bridge. However, the universe grants her a second chance when she mysteriously finds herself in a strange new world, vastly different from Earth. There, she encounters a powerful king who selects her as his mistress, unaware of his dark secret - he's a werewolf and his usually dormant wolf has a strong desire to consume her. As their story unfolds, she must confront her fears, torn between her attraction to the king and the need to protect herself.

“Tell me Margaux, How will I know if I can trust you again? Do I even have to invite your man here and make him spill the tea?” I am very furious. I can’t even describe how many times do I want to punch him in the face. How eager my hands are when it comes to hearing your name. “I have told you a lot of times that I don’t want you mentioning his name” Seems like the silence break every single spot in the room. How am I going to tell everyone about that. I am not yet ready to let everyone know that I haven’t seen you for weeks now. I am doing the best. The very best. Everyone knows that. “What’s the matter? I smell something different in your aura.” “Since when did you become a psychic huh?” I sighed. I will sell everything that I had just to see you again. To let you hear me apologize one more time.

It had been ten years since Julliane was cast out by the very people she once called family. Her own mother and stepbrother had driven her away from Magnolia Manor-the grand estate owned by the Dankworth family. Now, after a decade of silence, Lance Dankworth, the eldest son of the man her mother had married, stood at her door. He came bearing grim news, her mother had been in a tragic accident. An event serious enough to require Julliane's return to the manor she had long left behind. Julliane couldn't forget how Lance used to see her. He'd branded her a troublemaker, a slut, even when she was just a girl. To him, she had brought nothing but shame and pain to his family. And yet, here he was, asking her to come back with him. She knew he despised her. So why, after all these years, was he suddenly asking her to stay-and worse, to marry him?

They thought he was just another runaway. They never knew she was a storm waiting to rise. After the tragic death of her parents, Alex a girl mistaken for a boy all her life was one step away from being dumped into a foster home. But instead of surrendering to the system, she ran. That night on the streets, she didn’t find safety. She found the mafia. Dragged into the brutal underground world of Vegas, Alex was forced to train like a soldier, live like a ghost, and survive like a killer. No one ever questioned her identity not when she could fight better, bleed harder, and keep her mouth shut longer than anyone else. They called her a boy. She didn’t correct them. Not when being seen as male was the only thing keeping her alive. Sent to Base Two, the deadliest tier of training, Alex learned to fight, spy, kill and to hide her real self behind layers of silence, steel, and scars. Years later, she walks the streets of New York, not as the scared runaway girl from the past, but as The Rival. A faceless vigilante by night. A silent infiltrator by day. And a weapon forged for one purpose: revenge. Alex isn’t just hunting criminals. She’s chasing the truth behind her father’s deathand every masked figure connected to it. But the deeper she digs, the more twisted the game becomes. Hidden enemies, familiar faces, and a web of betrayal that leads right back to the organization that made her. How long can she keep the mask on... before her real identity shatters everything?

When Rachel's father falls ill and a mountain of debt stares her family in the face, she is thrown at her wit's end. To save her father's life, she succumbs to the shocking proposal of her cold, powerful boss, Noah Sinclair. Noah needs a wife to silence his family's demands, while Rachel needs his riches to pay for her father's hospital bills. But the shocking part is: He wants a marriage based on business only-no feelings, no romance, and no expectations.

Olivia’s POV The moment Armando left, the dam broke. I sobbed into the silence, my chest heaving with the weight of everything I’d pushed down for so long. I wanted to hold him tight. To kiss him and to tell him how much I loved him and how much I wanted his protection but I just couldn’t because I didn’t trust anyone else and because I never wanted anything to do with love after James. I hated myself for pushing him away. But more than that, I hated that I felt anything for him at all. I sat there, drowning in the storm of my own heart, knowing that love was a battlefield I might never cross again, and yet, for the first time, I wished I had the courage to try. Armando’s POV Back in my study, I poured myself a glass of whiskey, my hand trembling as I lit a cigarette. The tears came slowly at first, hot and unfamiliar against my skin. I hadn’t cried since I was ten years old. But tonight, I wept. For her. For me. For everything we could never be.

Conan Moss never asked to belong-least of all to Levi Dunham, the future pack leader raised to rule with silence and strength. But when a long-forgotten ritual binds them together, Conan finds himself thrust into the very heart of the political and emotional chaos he spent his life trying to escape. As Levi ascends to power, Conan is forced to navigate a world of expectation, control, and hidden agendas-where affection can be a weapon, and trust is the rarest form of power. But Conan isn't the same boy the pack once ignored. He's sharper now. Colder. And as the pressure mounts, he'll have to decide what kind of Luna he wants to be: obedient, ornamental... or something the pack has never seen before.

“I won’t be one of your choices, Logan.” A hand around her neck and the other holding her chin up, he declares, “You were never an option, little mouse. It was you from the start.” ----- Hanna Going back home is like visiting a museum of shame. Worse, beyond that ugly feeling are harsh reality checks—parents don’t live forever, Evergreen is in danger, and the man who broke my heart five years ago is offering the position of Luna, co-guardian of the pack, in a silver platter. He’s desperate to tear my walls down even if it means breaking us in the process so he can rebuild us from the dust. But we can’t afford destruction when death tolls are on the rise and the dead starts walking. -- Logan When I learned that she left, I expected a swift return. But her shadow never once graced Evergreen’s borders, until now—when it’s the most dangerous. Her presence is the warmest comfort wrapped in a wall of thorns. I bleed for her with every push and pull, battering it down so I can meet the girl who fell for me at sixteen and start over. But something lurks in the shadows seeking to destroy our lands before we can even begin. As whispers of a curse dance in the hopeless silence, I find salvation in the unlikeliest of places—a journal from my ancestor, and a woman who’s been guarding secrets.