Barely Surviving Meaning

After surviving heartbreak, war, and loss, Catriona thought peace had finally found her. She and Alpha Jayden are bonded mates, raising their son Abriel after the tragic loss of their twins. But the happiness is short-lived. As Abriel turns four, Jayden grows cold and distant again—emotionally shut off from both his mate and child. Catriona holds their family together alone, aching for the man who once protected her heart with fire. Then Abriel speaks for the first time… and calls another man “Daddy.” With that one word, the past Catriona buried comes roaring back. Gabriel—the man whose blood may run through Abriel’s veins—returns. And so do the old spirits, haunting dreams, and ancestral forces that once nearly tore them all apart. As Jayden spirals and Abriel’s dormant powers awaken, Catriona is forced into an impossible position. Protect her mate and the fragile love they’ve rebuilt? Or uncover the truth that could destroy it all? When the pack faces a new threat tied to Abriel’s powers, only one thing is certain: this time, love alone may not be enough.

I was auctioned like an object. Sold to the highest bidder. I thought the worst was behind me—until I met them. The infamous Alpha twins, Zarek and Zade. One was cold and ruthless. The other watched in silence, but his dark eyes burned just the same. “A human? This is going to be interesting.” Zarek’s mocking laugh rang out in the open space. “She’s not fit to be our mate.” Zade’s voice was calmer, but no less cruel. They didn’t want me, yet they refused to let me go. Trapped in their world, I became nothing more than their possession. Their personal maid. Their plaything. But I wasn’t weak. I had spent my entire life surviving, and I wouldn’t stop now. I would escape. Even if the price was my heart. But the deeper I fell into their dangerous world, the more secrets unraveled. The twin alphas weren’t just drawn to me by chance. There was something buried in our past—something that made them obsessed with keeping me. And when the truth finally comes to light… I may wish I had never been sold at all.

“I want a divorce, Elodie, and you have just 30 days to respond to the petition. If not, it will be granted automatically.” His words echoed like it's the easiest thing to say. And just like that, Elodie’s world shatters. Five years later, she rebuilds her life but fate strikes again when her son is nearly killed in a tragic accident by Travis Milton, a billionaire CEO. Haunted by what could’ve been, Travis covers the hospital bills and brings Elodie and her son into his home. What begins as a gesture of responsibility slowly turns into something deeper, and passion ignites. But the walls between them crumble, and long-buried secrets resurface, truths that could ruin everything. Will Elodie risk her heart again for a man she barely knows? Or walk away to protect the only thing that matters…her son?

Charlotte was nine years old when she witnessed the brutal murder of her mother and her three friends. Barely escaping death, she went on the run. For years, she avoided all male relationships, built a career for herself as an architect but always lived out of a go-bag in case she was ever found. When Charlotte's first major client turns out to be her mate, she had no choice but to work with him. Alpha Waylon was just about to take a chosen mate but Charlotte turned his world upside down. He had every intention on ignoring the mate bond. It wasn't until he found out Charlotte's deepest secret that he decided he wanted her. Charlotte is wanted for the murders of her parents, the King and Queen. Can Waylon save her before it's too late?

"Say that again," he smirks, his hand gently grasping my jaw. "My dear husband," I manage to say, my voice barely a whisper as I struggle to meet his intense gaze. "Oh, I love it when you call me that," he murmurs, before claiming my parted lips in a searing kiss. His hands slide down my thighs, spreading my legs wider, and in one swift motion, he plunges his length inside me. *** Alice's world crumbles when she discovers her husband's affair with her step-sister. The betrayal cuts deeper when he leaves her for his mistress. Desperate to escape the pain, Alice gets involved in a reckless one-night stand with a mysterious stranger, an event that could lead to something even more dangerous.

Aria Douglas, always liberal and explosive, finally found the fit of her shoes. She never believed that she could trust a man again until she realized that she was falling in love with that man. The one she met in a bar, the one with blonde hair that looked dyed-cropped, intense blue eyes, a hooked nose, and lips created by a bloody sex god. Samme got into her skin. And between her legs. She, who did not want to be with anyone, suddenly wanted to be with that man she barely knew. What had she seen in him? There were things she didn't understand about him and she wasn't sure she wanted to answer them either. The only thing that was absolutely clear to her was that she fell in love with a man who was a mystery and an enigma to her.

"Didn't you ask me to marry you? I permit you to wed me," said the raven-haired woman with a straight, blank face. "...Pardon?" "Let's get married." "...Weren't you the one who repeatedly rejected my proposal last night?" "Can't a woman play hard to get?" The man's face twitched. He could barely keep up with her, "Look, once you—" "So, you won't marry me?" A strange glint passed through the man's amber orbs which disappeared quickly just as it came by. "Who's to say I won't?" — In which a commander of a special unit under the PSIA found himself in a contractual marriage with his strange and mysterious neighbor. Little did he know that she's one heck of a little assassin.

Colter Giordano, my fiancé of six years, heir to the Giordano family, took a bullet for a dancer named Mia. He didn't take one for me. A bullet tore through my shoulder. Blood bloomed across my dress, hot and sticky. But my heart hurt worse. He asked if I was okay. Just once. Then he rushed Mia to the hospital, leaving me bleeding on the floor. The next day, Mia's picture popped up on my Instagram feed. There she was, in a luxury hospital suite. Colter was fussing over a scratch on her arm that was barely there. The caption was just two words: "My Hero." I liked the post. Then I made an encrypted call. "The Falcone family's offer," I said. "I'm taking it. Get me on a plane to Sicily. Three days."

At Ryder Quinn’s kindergarten parent-child sports day, I expected my husband, Michael Quinn, to be away on a business trip. Instead, I found Michael on stage, dressed in a ballet tutu, dancing as one of the "little swans" in the fathers’ performance. I had barely taken a step forward when a little girl in a floral dress darted into his arms, calling out to him in the sweetest voice, "Daddy!" There they stood: Michael, his assistant, Janine Carter, and her daughter—all in matching family outfits. The moment our eyes met, Michael quickly pulled away from her, fumbling for an excuse. "Janine’s a single mom. It isn’t easy for her. I was just helping out." I smiled, cold and steady, and handed him the divorce papers. "Then, do me a favor too, Michael. Stop wasting my youth."

I was never supposed to be his bride, I was the mistake he couldn’t erase. Killian hated me for breathing and for simply existing. His eyes burned with anger every time they landed on me. There was so much hate and heat between us, I could barely breathe. Then there was Nolan, his brother. Quiet, but dangerous. He didn’t look at me like I was broken. He looked at me like he wanted to take everything I had—body and soul. I didn’t mean for this to happen. But guilt tastes a lot like desire when you’re starving for something real. And now I’m caught between two brothers…one who wants to hurt me, and one who already has. This isn’t just a love triangle. It’s a war. And I’m the weapon.