Banter Knife

"What do you want?" Leo said angrily. "I just want to go back to sleep," Alana replied, winking. "And?" "I want to sleep in your arms. Not difficult, right?" "No way." "Come on, we've been sleeping apart all this time; I feel so cold," Alana exaggerated. "But if you refuse, that's okay. I'll gladly do what I wanted to do earlier," Alana replied, making Leo rub his face roughly. "Come here," but the next moment, Alana grinned widely as Leo opened his arms and told her to come closer. Without wasting time, Alana tumbled into Leo's embrace, resting her head on Leo's arm, and hugging Leo's waist tightly. "Comfortable and warm," murmured Alana while continuing to nestle deeper into Leo's embrace. "Stop moving, or I'll push you away." "Yes, yes, fine, but can you stroke my hair?" Alana said while tilting her face up, immediately getting a sharp look from Leo. "Tsk, I'm just—," Alana's banter was cut off when Leo moved his hand on the top of her head gently. "It seems I'm going to have sweet dreams," Alana murmured, tilting her face up even more. From this close distance, Leo could clearly see Alana's face, and for some reason, his heart beat faster. Leo was sure Alana could hear it this time. "Hurry up and sleep," Leo said while shifting his gaze, choosing to look at the ceiling of the room. However, instead of stopping the teasing, Alana made Leo more flustered.

I waited for Alex for over five years. I endured the whispers of the clan, the mocking gazes, the judgment from his family who never thought I was good enough. Still, I waited—because I loved him. I believed in him. I trusted that he would choose me in the end. But the truth shattered me. One evening, I saw his laptop left open. And on the screen—countless photos of Elsa. His childhood sweetheart. His first love. It felt like a knife twisting in my chest. While I was drowning in problems, silently begging for his support, he was smiling by her side. All those years I gave him... all that waiting… I got nothing. So I left. Broken. Exhausted. Done pretending I was okay. I traveled far from our pack, seeking solitude under the excuse of pack relocation. But the truth was, I was trying to stitch myself back together—one breath, one step, one bitter tear at a time.But now… he’s gone mad looking for me. Why, Alex? Why do you search for me now, after crushing me so completely? When I stood by you, you looked past me. Now that I’ve finally let go… Why do you care?

The Mafia circle in New York City was a tangled web, where power shifted in the blink of an eye. The Dusk family, once a powerful force in the underworld, was now reduced to nothing more than a pawn in the game. Their only hope for survival was to marry off their daughters, securing the support they so desperately needed. I, Seraphina Dusk, was sadly one of those daughters. In my past life, I had managed to secure myself a powerful marriage. I married Silas Vane, the head of the most influential mafia family in the country. My sister, Lila, was less fortunate, ending up with Jaxon Westmore—whom she believed would save her. I gave Silas a son and a daughter, and in return, my family was gifted wealth and power. But my sister? She was not so lucky. Jaxon wasn’t the man she thought he was. Instead of honoring the marriage or alliance, he squandered his time on models and strippers, leaving Lila discarded by both him and our father. One seemingly ordinary day, Lila invited me to lunch—never did I expect that she would kill me, drove a knife into my heart. Then she killed herself. And now here I was, reborn, back when our father first told us that Lila and I have to marry for the family. And this time, Lila called her shots on Silas Vane. That’s when I knew. She was reborn as well. Let her have him, then. She had no idea what kind of man he really was.

" You're mine, little bird." My blood thrummed loudly in my ears as I crawled away from him on the floor. With long strides, he was already standing above me. He pulled me up and covered my mouth with his palm. Panic set in, my limbs shaking in terror. "You need a reminder of who you belong to." His mismatched eyes boring into mine. I shook my head, violently, tears wetting his hand over my mouth. He brought the knife to my face." Tell your lover, Zayden, not to get involved. I already graced you with the wedding. Marry him, but 7 days after the wedding, come back to Denver, where you belong." I nodded desperately, hoping he wouldn't hurt me. " I'll leave a souvenir." He chuckled and then dug the pocket knife into my side. **** Lillain's life is a delicate mess. Having survived her traumatic childhood by suppressing her memories, she has to do everything to survive, which includes agreeing to a contract marriage with her boss to have access to his wealth. Engage to Enigmatic and wealthy Zayden, she hides a dark secret. She's been threatened by a mysterious figure from her past. Her past was coming back to haunt her. Zayden eventually discovers her secrets and confronts her. But Lillian can't confide in him - she's trapped in a web of fear and trauma, leaving Zayden devastated with the fear of losing her. The biggest shock comes when the mysterious figure appears, his menacing presence threatening to destroy Lillian's carefully constructed plans. With her world spinning out of control, Lillian must make a choice: confront her demons or risk losing everything including the man she had fallen in love with. But Little did she know that she wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Zayden had secrets, secrets darker than hers.

Sweet girl hurt and sad, Trapped in her own mind, driving her mad. Solace in her exotic friends and treasured haven, Hope for something sweet, settle deep in her cravings. He watches lovingly with the help of a friend, In hopes to put her poison life to an end. A story told full of passion and life, Ending in a dance with a knife and a wife. There's more to meet the eye. A journey she doesn't have to face alone. Whether its in her head or a forever present being in her life, Raelynn will get through it.

"I can't do this anymore!" Easton cried, trying to break free from the man who had him pinned to the bed by his throat. ''It's been six years, Ilya! Six fucking years of abuse. When am I going to be free from you?" "Does it look like you have any choice?" Ilya smirked coldly. He produced his knife, wanting to carve his name into Easton's heart, so that every time Easton looked in the mirror, he'd know who he belonged to. "You either obey my every command, or watch as I ruin every last bit of the reputation you've toiled tirelessly to build. Don't push me too hard, East, or I'll unleash a storm that will render you breathless and begging for mercy and it won't be cute." As a pop star, Easton Reese had everything he had always hoped for: money, luxurious lifestyle, fame, and fans all across the globe who worshipped him like the idol that he was. But despite all this, Easton felt empty inside. Behind the happy smile he always wore on his face during the day, there was an excess of pain that he had to endure every night, in secret, where no one must know. Being punished for the crime his father had committed wasn't exactly what hurt him most; it was the fact that he was being punished by his childhood sweetheart, the same man he had once loved with all his heart.

Albert Roosevelt was the crush I was never meant to have. Like an idiot, I believed loving someone meant giving them everything, even if they didn't care about you. So, I trailed after him like a desperate puppy, bending over backward to meet his every whim. When he couldn't afford tuition, I begged Dad to fund him, sending him to the best schools. When his worn-out clothes made him a laughingstock, I pitied him and showered him with designer labels. And what did he do? He used what I gave him to chase after a gold-digging campus belle. To keep up appearances, he blew through money like it grew on trees. He even spread rumors that he was the real heir to the Roosevelts. To him, I was just an ATM. "Your family's loaded. It's not like you'll miss a few hundred grand. If you're gonna be stingy, maybe you should stop following me around," he said when his wallet ran dry. And like a fool, I believed that if I kept paying, someday, he'd love me back. After graduation, I funded his startup. The second it took off, he married the campus belle. He had the nerve to claim he earned everything through nothing but hard work. So, I crashed his wedding, and he buried a knife in my chest. "Only when you're dead, Eve Roosevelt. Only then will my pathetic past stay buried." When I opened my eyes again, I was face-to-face with a scowling Albert. "You can't scrape together a few hundred thousand dollars? It's Bianca's birthday. Are you trying to humiliate me?" I looked around the room and rolled my eyes. "Sure, I'll pay. But first? Kneel. You look pretty enough. Consider it charity, peasant."

Xavier is on the verge of giving up and settling for what his life is -grueling, onerous, and insipid. Sierra is a woman with dreams as big as the sun but a heart as rigid as a rocky mountain. She is constantly facing obstacles and has a hard time letting go and healing from events of her past. These two are least likely to make a match but when the odds are in favor, hope blossoms for them. On the other hand, Xander is an accomplished man with the power kings crave and intellect that the world envies atop a slight maniacal charm. Between the two underground kings, Xavier and Xander, lies the only queen left- Sierra -she has to choose between a mysterious love full of surprises or love that she could only dream of. In this compelling novel, we take a new approach to whimsical romance, banter, and the grim side of reality. Find out how the story unfolds, twists, and turns in this revolutionary book - My Altered Mate. by Lothaire.

She loved him. He humiliated her. Now she’s walking away—for good! Lily gave up everything for her husband, William Aldridge—the man she believed was her forever. But on their anniversary, the night she planned to share the news of her long-awaited pregnancy, she walked in on him tangled in the arms of her best friend. With betrayal cutting deeper than any knife and humiliation turning her heart to ash, Lily makes a choice. No more tears. No more waiting to be loved. If not for her shattered dignity, then for the sake of her unborn child, she will return to her true self—Lilian Arkwright, the hidden heiress of the powerful Arkwright Conglomerate. But just as she begins to rebuild her shattered world, she catches the attention of Aaron Aldridge—the devilishly handsome, younger tycoon brother of William, with secrets of his own and a desire to win her heart, no matter the cost. Now torn between the father of her unborn child, the man who broke her... and the man who would do anything to love her, Lilian must decide: Forgiveness or freedom? Past or future? ~•~•~ Pa! Lily threw the stack of documents on the table in front of him. Without waiting for him to question, she said. "Divorce papers, sign them." William stared at the documents like they were a foreign language. “Divorce papers? You’re not serious,” he said, his voice low, disbelieving. Lily remained seated across from him, her expression unreadable. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.” Leaning forward, she slid the pen across the table toward him and repeated. “Sign it.”

Right after my bonding ceremony with Alpha Carlo, his first love, Olivia, died unexpectedly. For fifty years after that, I gave everything I had for Carlo and the Shadowmoon pack. We had five pups, and the pack thrived. But then, on the 50th anniversary of me becoming Luna, Carlo dragged me to the Moonlit Platform. He was going to break our mate bond himself. And after he brutally severed it, he drained all my soul power. He said he was going to use an ancient ritual to bring Olivia back to life. And I, the Luna who’d been by his side for half a century, was the perfect vessel. My desperate cries brought our children running, but they just stood behind Carlo, watching me with cold eyes. “Bringing Aunt Olivia back is the only thing Father has wanted for years,” one said. “If you hadn’t been jealous of Aunt Olivia, if you’d used your healing on her, you wouldn’t be our mother!” another spat. The children I’d poured my heart and soul into raising now just wanted me to die. I felt my soul shatter, my heart ache as if pierced by a knife, and then, nothing. I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the day of my bonding ceremony with Carlo. In my last life, Carlo chose me, his Head Healer. Olivia, though, was devoured by a venom-fang spider and died from its poison. Her death had nothing to do with me, but Carlo blamed me for all of it. This time, looking into Carlo's eyes, I saw the deep disgust there, and any hope I had left died. He was back too.