Bitter Criticism Crossword Clue

"I, Hailey Moreno, reject you, Jude Castellan, as my mate." The words tasted like poison, but not as bitter as finding him in bed with my twin sister. Hailey's world shattered when her mate betrayed her with the one person who should have protected her—her own twin, Lucy. The broken mate bond nearly destroyed her wolf, but from the ashes of that pain, something darker was born: revenge. Her plan is simple and ruthless—seduce Alpha Lucian, Jude's powerful father, and make her ex-mate watch as she takes everything from him. But Hailey doesn't know that the lonely Alpha has been watching her, wanting her, for far longer than she realizes. What starts as revenge becomes something neither of them expected. Now Hailey must decide: Is she strong enough to want something real again? Or will her thirst for vengeance destroy the only chance she has at true happiness? In a world where wolves mate for life, some bonds are meant to be broken—and others are worth fighting for.

Delicate Freakn' Flower – Naomi doesn’t want to follow tradition and settle down with a shapeshifter. When fate makes her meet not one, but two mates, Naomi digs her heels in and refuses to give in without a fight. Jealous and Freakn' – For a long time now, Mitchell’s been avoiding Francine, his bratty sister’s friend. However, the girl who tortured him in his youth is all grown up, and when he sees her in the arms of another, a need to claim her overrides all his common sense. Already Freakn' Mated – Meeting the woman of his dreams would have worked a lot better if she didn’t already belong to another man. He’ll do anything to win his mate, including throwing his attractive cousin at the pesky husband.Freakn Out - Derrick is angry, and bitter, but with good reason. As if that wasn’t bad enough, fate just has to kick a wolf when he is down and send him the curvy and luscious Janine. Freakn’ Shifters is created by Eve Langlais, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author.

I suffer from a hereditary form of amnesia. By the time I found out, I had only seven days left. On the first day, I found my boyfriend had fallen for my younger twin sister. With a bitter smile, I suggested we break up. On the second day, my most treasured Lego set was smashed by my sister. Everyone laughed at me, saying I was disgraceful, unworthy of being a daughter of the Fleming family. On the fourth day, I forgot that my sister was allergic to mangoes. She ended up in the hospital, and my parents glared at me with resentment. Even my ex-boyfriend accused me of being heartless. On the seventh day, I woke up in a hospital bed to see my father walking in with a stern expression. He demanded that I quit my job and devote myself entirely to taking care of the family, as nothing more than a housekeeper. But I only looked at them in confusion and asked softly, “Who are you?” When they realized I had truly lost my memory, they lost their minds.

My husband had just ducked into the bathroom when his phone started ringing. I glanced at the screen and saw it was his brother calling. A frown creased my brow, but I answered anyway. "George, why haven't you sent the $10,000 to Mom and Dad this month?" Ross Serrano said. "Mom just asked me about it." I hung up without a word, but a rush of fury surged through me. My husband stood at the bathroom door, his hands still dripping wet. I forced a bitter smile. "You make $8,000 a month, right? $3,000 goes to the mortgage, $2,000 to me, and you pocket $1,000 for yourself. You told me you sent $2,000 to your parents, so how did that magically turn into $10,000?" His lips quivered, his face draining of color. My heart sank, and my hands trembled uncontrollably. We'd been married for five years, and I'd never once laid eyes on his bank card. What other secrets was he keeping from me?

Starting over is hard to do, especially when you plan on spending a couple of forevers with your childhood sweetheart. Devyn Parks has to do just that when the love of her life, Sterling, is killed in Afghanistan, leaving her to raise their five children on her own. Resolved to pick up the pieces to her broken future, Devyn packs her life in Arlington up and moves her family back to her hometown of New Orleans. Fresh off the heels of a contentious divorce, Kadeer is just trying to provide for his five daughters and maintain the peace with his ex-wife, Skylar. The only problem is that Skylar makes it next to impossible. Between his ex turning his girls against him and trying to get his own construction company off the ground, Kadeer doesn't have time for love, or does he? With the help of their friends, Devyn and Kadeer are on a collision course that will flip any expectations they had for their future on its head. Will they be able to find their way to each other, or will a bitter ex and a healing heart keep them apart? Only time will tell where their love lies.

An 18-year wait. A forbidden bond. A love he refuses to claim. What if your niece turned out to be your mate? Seventeen-year-old Zara, a rare Dragon-Were-Vamp hybrid, never expected to fall for the one man she shouldn't: her cold, ruthless uncle — Alpha Jax Stone, the most feared Alpha of the Diamond Heart Pack. But fate doesn’t care about bloodlines. For 18 years, Jax has fought the pull of the mate bond, trying to suppress his wolf’s obsession with the girl he swore to protect. In his desperate attempt to deny destiny, he wounds not only his fated mate—but himself. As the bond tightens and the wait comes to an end, bitter pasts resurface. A rising wave of supernatural drug trafficking, kidnappings of teenage dragons, and the dark secrets of Alpha Kai Stone pull them into a deadly mission where love might not survive. Now, Jax and Zara must face the greatest threat of all—not just a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows, but the impossible love they can no longer run from. Uncle by Blood. Mate by Moon. Monster by Choice.

Ryleigh didn’t remember being taken—only the cold bite of night and the blur of snarling shadows. Now she was locked in a cell beneath an unfamiliar pack house, her wrists sore, her memories foggy, and her heart pounding with questions. Her parents were dead, she’d just learned she was adopted, and now this—kidnapped by creatures that shouldn’t exist. Werewolves. Real ones. And someone with the initial D had left her a single note: You’re safe. Trust me. – D But safety felt like a lie. Especially after she witnessed a man shift before her eyes. Especially when the Alpha of the pack, Damien—arrogant, powerful, and dangerously charming—claimed ownership of her fate. Her only comfort came from Dr. Derek Blackthorn, the Alpha’s estranged brother, a healer with kind eyes and secrets of his own. In a house ruled by strict laws, bloodlines, and bitter alliances, Ryleigh must survive a world she was never meant to know. One where love could be her only weapon—or her greatest downfall.

Sera Nerva is a rare female Alpha determined to prove her abilities and strengthen her pack to defend against its enemies. She is determined to remain mate-less and protect her pack and family. Her bitter experiences with her previous mate killed her parents and brother and almost destroyed her pack. Draco Macer is a scarred and jaded Alpha, feared and respected by all. He rose through to power as Alpha on the blood of countless wolves. He is certain that he would remain mate-less because of a grave mistake of his past, in which his mate lost her life. A twist of fate brings these two together as second-chance mates, and they forge a strong bond- the rare double-alpha mating. Sera is determined to run from this bond to protect her pack and family, but Draco insists on holding on to this second chance at love. What happens when the consequences of the mating persist? Will Sera take the leap of fate and decide to give this second chance mating a chance? What happens when various obstacles come between their love and old enemies try to destroy their bond? Find out in this compelling story of second chances!

The sour taste of not being able to shift and not being loved had driven Vera into marrying a ruthless Alpha. Vera's life wasn't easy before the marriage but she didn't expect to be married to the Alpha Phil of BlackDiamond Pack. Alpha Phil Hammerstock was rejected by his first mate and it had been two years since Phil took a glassful of rejection but he still had the bitter aftertaste of that night. Every night since that night, the words seemed to re-echo as he shifted. But Lucy’s words weren’t the only words that ached his physique every time he shifted. There were also the words of the Grand Pack Committee, an ultimatum to find a Luna for himself or risk forfeiting the title of Alpha to someone more capable. Alpha Phil had wooed Vera into marrying him but a few months after their marriage, Phil signed a non-disclosure agreement with his first mate to be his breeder because Vera was unable to give him an heir. Does Vera stand a chance to maintain the Luna title or forfeit it to Lucy, Phil's first mate?

On the day of Lucas' engagement, he managed to get a few lackeys to keep me occupied, and by the time I stepped out the police station, done with questioning, it was already dark outside. Arriving home, I stood there on the doorstep and eavesdropped on Lucas and his friends talking about me. "I was afraid she'd cause trouble, so I got her to spend the whole day at the police station. I made sure that everything would be set in stone by the time she got out." Shaking my head with a bitter laugh, I blocked all of Lucas' contacts and went overseas without any hesitation. That night, Lucas lost all his composure, kicking over a table and smashing a bottle of liquor, sending glass shards flying all over the floor. "She's just throwing a tantrum because she's jealous… She'll come back once she gets over it…" What he didn't realize, then, was that this wasn't just a fit of anger or a petty tantrum. This time, I truly didn't want him anymore.