Bewitched Branch

She was backed up against the tree and I took a branch, breaking it in half to reveal a sharp end, and going straight for his neck. It might not do much, or at least that's what I thought, but it should be enough to get him away from her.To my surprise, he plummeted to the floor. I looked at Illyria and walked towards her like a predator. With my bloodied hands, not sure if it was mine or his blood, I put them on Illyria's collarbone while dragging it up to her neck and ending up in her face, painting it just like the red rose in her hand, while she looked at me with panic in her eyes.“Don't fear me, little rose. I won't hurt you, but next time you decide to run away, make sure you do it without anyone noticing. I have eyes everywhere” I said in a low growl, that sounded even more dangerous than what I usually sound. ~~~~~~Illyria Abbot was meant to choose a husband on her 21st birthday. When her mansion is attacked by rebellious vampires, she barely escapes with her life. Lost in the woods she’s found by Kieran Moore, a brute vampire who will make her life hard while falling in love with her. But there are secrets who will keep testing them and their love. Will they be able to overcome it, or will it be their doom? Author’s Note: This story contains Latin Language. I am using a program that might not be accurate on the translation, so I apologize in advance if the translation is wrong. Thank you for reading this story and enjoy.

Leila, a young Austrian aristocrat and student in Classics, is drawn into a world of conspiracy and danger when her aunt is involved in a suspicious car accident. Leila travels to her aunt’s chalet to take care of her husky, but soon discovers a body in the drawing room. Terrified, she runs out and bumps into Dick, a nosy English banker who becomes entangled in the mystery. When they return to the drawing room, the body has disappeared. Leila takes the husky for a walk and discovers that the body has been moved to a house recently purchased by another branch of her family. She finds a notebook with encrypted entries in the drawing room and uses her linguistic skills to decode them. She discovers the initials, address, and phone number of someone involved in the plot. Leila calls the number and is warned against getting involved. Undeterred, she discovers a bizarre research center where a conference on German mystical past is taking place.She suspects that there is a bizarre cult operating underground. Leila learns about their plan to topple every democracy in Europe. The cult is after an artifact that may be hidden in her aunt’s chalet. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Leila discovers that the aristocratic cult members are pawns in a larger game. They are unknowingly being manipulated to cause disruption in the European banking system using an AI virus.The chaos will cause turmoil in the Euro zone. As Leila and her aunt race against time to stop the virus from being unleashed, they uncover an even more shocking truth: Leila’s own family members are part of the conspiracy. With betrayal and danger at every turn, Leila must use all of her wit to outsmart the cult.

"We should just kill her, Kathrina. I can sense she has a wolf counterpart," My father, Alpha Fredrick, quietly demanded so that the other wolves wouldn't hear. "What the fuck are you saying!? No! She is still our daughter, Fred. Your own flesh and blood!" Mother defended and shielded herself in front of me. Alpha Fredrick gripped her arm. His claws elongated as it dug into her skin while he sneered, "We are always going circles, Kathrina!" Alpha Fredrick yanked his mate towards him to furiously whisper those words. He then stared at me as he spoke, "Well, since it has come to this, we might as well kill her now and just deal with her mate later on." He growled ferociously and was about to slash me with his thick claws. I instantly braced for impact and defended myself with my arms out front, but then I felt warm hands wrapping me up in a tight embrace and jumped from the ground to the branch at once. "Why don't you just deal with me right now?" A low and deep voice loomed over the forest. I can feel his breath and his sweet, intoxicating scent. It made my heart pound so loudly, and I felt shivers and tingles all over my body. In that instant, I knew I was already his. "MATE!" Kath yipped, and I felt her happily rolling around in my head. "Mate," I whispered, and our eyes met. I gasped when I saw how beautiful his eyes were.

Someone pushes me off a cliff when I'm eight months pregnant before taking their life on the spot. Meanwhile, blood pools underneath me as I'm rushed to the hospital. As despair washes over me, I hear Jacob Langley's voice come from outside my hospital ward. "Are you sure it'll work this time?" "Yes, Mr. Langley. Mrs. Langley has taken good care of herself during her pregnancy, but the branch pierced her belly. There's no chance of the baby surviving this, and she won't ever be able to conceive again." "Good. Make sure the culprit's family has been sent away. I won't let anything go wrong before the Adkins agree to adopt Clara." "Yes, sir. Still… why did you need to push Mrs. Langley off a cliff if you wanted to adopt Ms. Jennings' daughter? Mrs. Langley is kind; I'm sure she would've treated the child well." Jacob snorts. "What do you know? Why would Selene agree to adopt Clara if she had her own child? She'll only treat Clara as her own once she can't have children and leave everything she has to Clara. I couldn't marry Kaia back then; this is all I can do to make it up to her." The voices slowly fade away, but they reverberate loud and clear in my mind. I've spent six years by Jacob's side, yet all I've gotten in return are lies and betrayal. His so-called love for me is nothing but a trick to steal my inheritance for someone else. Since this is what he wants, I'll make his wish come true.

SECRET WIFE'S TEMPTATION MATURE RATING!! Reverie de Gracia has all that it takes to be a perfect bachelorette, a tough woman and so admirable. Tinitingala ng mga kababaihan at hinahangaan ng mga kalalakihan. Ani nga ng karamihan na siya raw ay ipinanganak na perpekto at may ginintuang kutsara sa bibig. Her life is so full of blessings. She has a perfect family, a very loving parents, a strict but caring brother and of course an intact relationship with her long time boyfriend who adores her so much na kulang na lang ay sambahin pati lupang dadaanan niya. Ganoon kalugod ng tadhana sa kanya kaso sa labis na galak ng tadhana ay nagawa rin nitong paglaruan ang kapalaran niya. Larong magdudulot ng malaking pagbabago sa buhay niya. Her boyfriend, Nigel proposed to her a marriage and then married another woman the next morning. Gumuho ang mundo niya sa kaganapang iyon. Gawa ng galit ay pinaranas niya rin sa taong may kagagawan ng lahat kung gaano kasaklap ang naging buhay niya dahil sa kapangahasang ginawa nito sa kanila ng kanyang kasintahan. To get even with that cruel man, she kidnapped him and forced him to get married to her legally and left him after her impromptu act. Her original plan was to slowly destroy his life ngunit ang hindi niya napaghandaan ay may taglay din pa lang kahenyohan ang taong pinakasalan niya. Cause what she didn't know is her husband is engaged to another woman. A woman who she doesn't want to be hurt by. And now the Secret Wife's Temptation is to make things right for the sake of everyone even though her heart is already bewitched with the man who happens to be her legal husband but in love with another woman.

**They wanted to choose my husband. So I bought one instead.** --- "You'll be meeting your soon-to-be husband at the next family dinner." Aunt Melissa's words hit like poison. I choked, shock stealing my breath. Family dinners at my grandparents' estate were already hell—arguments shattering crystal, curses wrapped in concern, smiles hiding knives. But this? This crossed every line. Who the hell did they think they were, choosing my husband like I was some pawn in their twisted game? *That's never happening.* I built Phias Empire from the wreckage of my inheritance, clawed my way up from the car crash that killed my parents twenty years ago. I survived being trapped underwater, survived my family's hatred, survived my cousin Sophie's lifetime of cruelty—always my shadow, desperate to eclipse me. I didn't survive all that to let them control who I marry. Then I saw him. David Kane. Six-foot-three of devastating perfection, commanding my manufacturing floor like he was born for it. Dark hair, ice-blue eyes, a body that made me forget how to breathe. A contractor. The branch manager's son. Nobody important. *Perfect.* My family wanted to force a husband on me? Fine. I'd bring them one—on my terms. A contract so airtight no one could question it. And God, I wanted him. I couldn't wait to see Sophie's face. Couldn't wait to watch their plans crumble. They forgot who I am. I'm Sophia Ashford. I don't play by their rules. And I'm about to make the most dangerous deal of my life.

I should have been walking down the aisle. Instead, I was running through the woods in my wedding dress. The white fabric caught on every branch, tearing apart like my life. My name is Camela Siegel. My father is the Mayor, and he sold me to save himself. Vincent Castellano was supposed to be my husband. They call him the Mad Prince, but I learned he’s so much worse than that. His hands trembled when he touched me—sometimes gentle, like I might break, and sometimes rough, like he wanted to overpower me. “You’re mine now,” he’d whisper in the dark corners of that house. “No one else gets to touch you. No one else gets to hurt you but me.” I tried the door handle every day for three months. It only turned from the outside. When help finally came, I thought it was over. I thought I could go home and pretend none of it ever happened. I was wrong. Vincent found my journal—the one where I wrote about him, about what he did to me, and about who he truly is. Now he’s not just keeping me locked up. He’s hunting me. They call him “The Fox” for a reason. He’s patient and waits. When he catches what he’s after, he never lets it go. I can feel him watching me even now—through my bedroom window, from across the street, in the shadows where I can’t see him but I know he’s there. My father thinks making that deal saved his life. He doesn’t realize it destroyed mine. Vincent said he’d keep me until the last day of my life. I’m starting to think that day is coming soon.

On our wedding day, my boyfriend, Hayden Grant, had me thrown out of the chapel. Instead, he walked down the aisle hand-in-hand with his childhood sweetheart. I went back in and collapsed at the side of the aisle. The bouquet slipped from my hands, and scattered petals fell everywhere. However, his eyes did not linger on me for even half a second. "Selena's child needs a dad. Once that's taken care of, I'll marry you." Everyone thought I, the lovesick fool, would willingly wait another month. After all, I had already waited for him for seven years. However, that night, I did something no one expected. I agreed to my parents' arranged marriage and left the country. Three years later, I returned home to visit my parents. My husband, William Fields, was the CEO of a multinational corporation. When an unexpected, important meeting came up, he asked me to head to the company's branch back home ahead of him, where his subordinates would take care of me. To my surprise, one of those subordinates turned out to be Hayden, the man I had not seen in three years. His eyes went straight to the sparkling diamond on my ring finger. "Is this a knockoff of that pink diamond Mr. Fields bought for his wife that's worth five million dollars? I didn't expect you to become so vain after all these years. "You've stirred up enough drama. Come home. Selena's kid is in school now, so it's the perfect chance for you to take care of his lunches." I did not say a word and just traced the ring with my fingertips. He had no idea that this was the cheapest of all the gems William had ever given me.

On the day we were supposed to get engaged, my fiance, Christopher Vittorino, slid the ring—that was supposed to be mine—onto Lina Sorenzo, my stepsister's finger, right in front of the entire family. Christopher's uncle, Don Mark Vittorino, was the one who had specifically ordered his subordinates to deliver the ring that symbolizes the wearer's status as the future Donna of the Vittorino family to Christopher himself. I could only stare at Christopher's deep blue eyes in disbelief. Just as I was about to question him, he just gazed at me with a stony expression. Even his tone was cold and rigid. "The Don intends to send me to Maravena for the next five years to develop my own business there. Once I return, I'll take over the family business. "You don't have any skills at all, Isla. If you stay with me, you'll just be a hindrance to me and cause me unwanted trouble. "Lina, on the other hand, is fluent in Maravenese. Not to mention, she knows how to expand the family business overseas. She will serve as a brilliant assistant for me." After that, Christopher took Lina's hand and left the venue with her, not caring about the fact that the leaders of the other branch families as well as the elders kept murmuring among themselves. Because of that, I ended up becoming the laughingstock of the entire family. Five years later, Christopher and Lina return to the country. When he spots me showing up at a family gathering held by Mark with a ruby ring that signifies my status as the Donna on my finger, his expression changes instantly. "I can't believe you learned to steal, Isla!" I just ignore Christopher's accusations in favor of looking for the Black Rose Medal that my son, Toby Vittorino, has lost. That medal is a gift he received on his fourth birthday from Mark. Poor Toby has been sobbing for a long time because of its disappearance. I need to hurry up and find it as soon as possible.