Bargaining Synonym

As the daughter of the Silvermane Pack's strongest Alpha, I was born with two enviable protectors. My brother, Adrian, couldn't bear to see me get a single scratch, and my mate, Liam, couldn't stand to see me shed a single tear. But at my transformation ceremony, Iris, an exile's daughter, stole the Moon Goddess Potion that was meant for me. She shifted first, becoming a rare, pure white wolf and capturing the awe of the entire pack. I only confronted her about it, yet my brother handed me over to enemy rogues as a bargaining chip for a truce. And my mate used wolfsbane to block my transformation, stealing my last chance to fight back. With their silent consent, I was tortured by my enemies until death was a mercy. Before I died, one of the rogues gloated, "So what if your father exiled me? My daughter, Iris, will soon be their Luna. The entire Silvermane Pack will be mine!" I died, consumed by hatred. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the day of my transformation ceremony. Eyeing the preening white wolf before me, I sneered. "Guards! Shave all her fur!"

Framed and betrayed by her mate, shamed by her Pack, and abused by her own family, Anora’s life takes a painful turn. She’s traded to replace another as the betrothed wife to the formidable Alpha King, Alpha Dane of Blackburn—a man with a dreadful reputation. Forced under a false identity, Anora is bound to a stranger every other Alpha fears. To be his bride, a bargaining chip in an arranged, loveless marriage, Anora is warned by Dane of the cold consequences of their union. Alpha Dane, inhumanely handsome yet cold-hearted, wants neither marriage nor affection. Yet, by duty, he’s bound as Alpha to a political marriage for power and an heir. He gives her a chance to call it off, but trapped in an impossible situation by her ex-mate, Alpha Liam’s blackmail (with her mother’s life hanging in the balance), Anora has no choice but to live the lie, even if it means sacrificing her happiness forever. But in the forced proximity between two opposite souls, what happens when a desperate beauty clashes with a heart of stone? When affection, a forbidden attribute, begins to burn? What happens when Alpha Dane finds the truth about his bride’s true identity and the lies she’s tricked him into believing? In the end, does Anora’s story explode in her face? Can love, a bond, be born out of deception, or is their destined bond doomed to crumble?

After her father’s death leaves behind nothing but a ten-million-euro blood debt, Graziella is dragged into the world of the Vitale brothers, men who rule the city’s underworld with violence, power, and a loyalty that has no room for mercy, and who, by law and history, are also her stepbrothers. In their hands, debt is not something to be repaid but something to be owned, and because her father failed them, Graziella becomes the collateral they inherit, allowed to exist only as long as she remains useful and silent. For months, she survives by making herself small, enduring cruelty and indifference alike, learning that in a house built on fear, silence is not submission but survival. To the Vitale brothers, she is temporary, a problem that will eventually disappear once its value is exhausted. Everything changes when the eldest announces his political marriage, a union meant to secure alliances and erase liabilities, and Graziella realizes how easily she will be discarded. Instead of begging, she makes a single request: thirty days as their wife and queen, not as property but as a recognized presence, after which she will vanish forever. They believe she is desperate. They believe she wants protection or love. What they fail to see is that Graziella is not bargaining for affection, but for access. Because in those thirty days, she watches, listens, and learns, and by the time they understand what she has become, the quiet debt they ignored will be ready to rule them all.

Louisa Forge didn’t choose this. She was handed over like a bargaining chip — marked by an Alpha she despises, installed in a pack house that doesn’t want her, bound to a man who locks her in her room and calls it mercy. Kaelen is everything a wolf shouldn’t be: cruel, reckless, and hungry for a power he hasn’t earned. But the pack house has another occupant. Julian — former Alpha, widower, a man who has been quietly starving himself to death since the loss of his mate — is supposed to be irrelevant. A ghost in the east wing. Instead he’s the one who checks on her in the night, who brings her sedatives for the pain, who laughs with her over terrible soup until the whole dining room forgets to be miserable. He’s also the one who tells her, very clearly, that what happened between them during her heat meant nothing. He’s lying. They both know it. Caught between a mate bond she never consented to and a connection she can’t name, Louisa is doing what she does best — surviving. She’s building alliances in quiet corners, winning loyalty one small kindness at a time, and carrying a secret that could burn everything to the ground. Because the heir Kaelen is so desperate to claim? It isn’t his.

My mother married the ruthless Alpha King, but my fairytale ended the exact second his three monstrous, breathtaking sons cornered me in the dark. I was destined to become a proud Luna who would rule over her domain. Instead, I became a secret captive in my own home. My stepbrothers who want to use my family danger as bargaining power to take my rightful title from me. They hate my ancestry yet they have developed a complete obsession with controlling my behavior which forces me to participate in their twisted survival game where I must meet their deepest needs to survive till morning. The eldest brother—my own fated mate—looks me in the eye and publicly rejects me in front of the entire pack just to break my spirit. They think I am completely ruined. They believe that I exist as a delicate, shattered object who has become ensnared in their seductive, perilous net. But they are dead wrong. Every time I face rejection, every time I get ordered to do something humiliating, and every time someone touches me in secret, these experiences awaken the ancient power of my inner wolf. They believed that by breaking a Luna they could take her crown, but I will rise from the ashes and make all three of my tormentors bow at my feet.

Anateya Berretta had her entire life mapped out. Get good grades, get her MBA, and take over her papi's security company as his sole heir. However, papi messed up and now she was a bargaining chip held hostage by New York's No. 1 Mafia Lord. It certainly didn't help that she'd met the man before, and yearned for him like no other. Romero Bartolone was at the peak of his rule when he lost his favorite casino in an organized attack. Now he was out one billion, with countless elitists jonesing for the returns on their backdoor investment. She was only supposed to be a hostage, but he couldn't stay away from the alluring light inside her that called to his darkness. First things first, a debt was owed-- and if someone had to pay-- why not her? Besides, she was entangled in the game of the underground now, and he was the only monster who could keep her safe. Still, with dangers lurking all around, they remain vulnerable in the most high-stakes game of all, the game of hearts. And he'd burn the world... so as long as he didn't lose. [Nb: This is a dark romance book intended for mature audiences. Reader's discretion is advised.] No. of Chapters To Be Released: ~50

THE ALPHA KING AND HIS PRISONER Ashina never thought she would be captured by the rival pack, let alone become a bargaining chip in their alpha's quest for power. As the daughter of her own pack's alpha, Ashina was raised to be strong and independent, but now she finds herself at the mercy of her captors. However, Ashina soon discovers that the rival pack's alpha, Draco, is not what she expected. He's not the ruthless and heartless leader she imagined, but rather a complex and conflicted man with a troubled past. As Ashina spends more time with Draco, she begins to see him in a different light, and a forbidden attraction starts to grow between them. Caught between loyalty to her own pack and her growing feelings for Draco, Ashina must navigate a dangerous and unpredictable world of werewolf politics and power struggles. But as she gets closer to Draco, she realizes that he may hold the key to ending the conflict between their packs and bringing peace to their World. As the tension between their packs reaches a boiling point, Ashina and Draco must decide whether to follow their hearts or their loyalties. But when a common enemy threatens them both, they'll have to rely on each other if they want to survive. Will their love be enough to overcome the odds stacked against them, or will they be forced to choose between their families and their happiness?

After my father died, my mother remarried and took my younger sister and me with her. But her new husband had one condition—she could only bring one child. From people who used to hang around my dad, I later learned that my grandfather was actually a wealthy antique collector. My sister clung to him for her own future, refusing to let go. But in his eyes, her only job was to get straight A's; everything else—her clothes, her meals, her allowance—was kept to the bare minimum. I went with my stepfather instead. His business took off, and we eventually moved into a huge mansion. He even set me up with an engagement to the heir of a powerful, wealthy family. My sister was eaten up with jealousy. One day, she doused me in gasoline and dragged us both back in time to that day we had to choose our futures. This time, she lunged for my stepfather's hand and held on tight. "I want to stay with Mom and Dad," she announced. I didn't miss a beat. I immediately ducked behind my grandfather. 'Fine, Phoebe. You're the one who chose a life as a bargaining chip. Don't blame me for it. You can have it.'

Crystal Blues, a young woman from a low-class family, endured the tragic loss of her parents when she was just twelve years old. Left with the weighty responsibility of caring for her younger sisters, she faced a challenging path ahead. Fortune smiled upon her when her path crossed with an archangel in the name of Mervin Brooklyn who offered his assistance, thus lightening the burden she bore. As fate would have it, Crystal eventually obtained evidence pointing to her parents' murderers, only to discover that they were part of a formidable and powerful family. Life took an even more complicated turn when she found herself entangled in a complex love triangle. Her affections were torn between Mervin, her guardian archangel, and the daughter of the family responsible for her parents' demise. Fuelled by a burning desire to bring the responsible family to justice, Crystal made the bold decision to reveal the damning evidence she held against them. However, the tables quickly turned, and Crystal's loved ones were thrust into jeopardy, becoming bargaining chips in exchange for the proof of the family's wrongdoing. Now, she stands at a harrowing crossroads, forced to make a life-altering choice that could either rescue her from impending tragedy or condemn her to a painful repetition of history.

Seven years ago, I ignored my girlfriend's heart-wrenching pleas and ruthlessly severed our relationship. Now, after seven long years, she had risen to the top—and she was back, ready for her wedding. She didn't come home for mere celebration, though. She came for revenge. She obliterated the company my father had spent his entire life building and did not stop until she shattered his leg, forcing him to endure unimaginable pain. It was all so I'd be forced to go to her wedding and beg for forgiveness. But that wasn't enough. She wanted more. She hissed, brandishing a blade, "If Matthew's not here in ten minutes, I'll slice off a finger for every minute he's late." My autistic brother's fingers, the only way he could create art, became a bargaining chip in her sadistic game. Dad's anguished cries filled the air as he pleaded for mercy, but she was not done. She wanted to tear my family apart piece by piece. My mom, fragile and trapped in the haze of Alzheimer's, was next. Her mind, already slipping, crumbled under the relentless torment. She cracked, completely lost to the madness. With tears streaming down his face, Dad said, "My son died the day you left for abroad."