Bittersweet Panic

Ean's face twisted with anger as he grabbed me by the arm, dragging me toward the old, rusted freezer in the corner of the warehouse. "You're going to feel what Helen felt," he spat. "Maybe that'll teach you not to mess with her." I struggled against him, panic rising in my chest. "Ean, this is insane! It was an accident! Let me explain—" He wasn’t listening. He shoved me inside the freezing metal box and slammed the door shut. The echo of the lock clicking into place made my heart pound in my ears. I banged on the door with my fists. "Ean, please! You can’t do this!" I screamed, but the sound of his footsteps grew fainter as he walked away. He left me with nothing but a single bowl of water, like I was some kind of prisoner. I slumped against the cold metal, shivering. The temperature plummeted almost instantly. The hum of the freezer kicked in, and I realized too late—it wasn’t broken like he thought. It was working, and I was trapped. My body shook uncontrollably as the cold seeped into my bones. I screamed for help until my throat was raw, clawing at the walls in desperation. My bloody handprints smeared across the icy surface, a silent plea for mercy that no one would hear. Seven days passed. When Ean finally returned, the look on his face was one of smug satisfaction. He had expected me to beg, to apologize. But when they pried open the freezer, all they found was my frozen body, stiff and silent, my suffering long over.

THE PHOENIX’S REBIRTH AND REVENGE Two years ago, Alina Verma had everything—a successful career, a future filled with love, and a wedding just days away. But in a single night, it all ended. Betrayed. Drugged. Drowned in a bathtub. Her engagement ring left beside her as a cruel joke. Her last memory? Rafael Moretti, the man she was supposed to marry, calling her name in panic as everything went black. Now, she’s back. But Alina is gone. In her place stands Natalia De Luca—the long-lost heiress of a powerful crime family. Cold. Calculated. Deadly. She has been given a second chance, and she knows exactly how to use it. The people who stole her life will suffer. And at the top of her list? Rafael. She will make him trust her. Crave her. Break for her. And when he’s at his most vulnerable, she’ll destroy him. But the more time she spends in his world, the more she realizes things aren’t as simple as they seem. The man she once loved is tormented, searching for answers about her death—answers that might reveal the real enemy. And the worst part? He feels it. The pull toward her. The familiarity he can’t explain. Natalia came back for revenge, but the closer she gets, the more dangerous the game becomes. Because if she isn’t careful, she might lose herself to the one thing stronger than her fury. The love that refuses to die.

When I stepped aside and handed the starting spot on the esports team to the guy Zara Moody had always loved, she saw how obedient I had been and moved our wedding up as a reward. But at the ceremony, the man she could never forget suddenly pulled out a knife and cut himself, jealousy burning in his eyes. "Please don't marry him!" Zara, who was usually so calm, instantly lost her composure. She turned to me, panic written all over her face as she begged me to help save him. Every guest in the room was watching, waiting to see how I would react. I didn't argue or cause a scene. Instead, I quietly stepped aside and gave up the groom's place. When Zara saw how reasonable I was, just like always, her eyes reddened at the corners. "I promise this is the last time I'll ever put you through something like this. After the ceremony, we'll go register our marriage." What she forgot was that this was the 96th time she had hurt me. And I had no intention of spending the rest of my life with her. I was only waiting for three more promises. Once I repaid the debt I owed her for saving my grandmother's life all those years ago, I would walk away from her for good. After that, we would never see each other again.

Bella Murphy always thought her ex-boyfriend was a sweet, innocent boy who couldn't even hurt a fly. But imagine, Bella's surprise when she bumped into her ex-boyfriend after seven long years to find the sweet, innocent and submissive boy changing into a dark, dangerous and dominant Mafia Leader. Silas Kingsley, a man who shoots a person before thinking was not always a dangerous man. But now he is anything but innocent and weak. And now he is not ready to go to his ex-girlfriend, who is engaged to another person? How will Bella deal with this new possessive side of hex ex-boyfriend, Silas Kingsley, the Mafia Don. ... "Next time I find that so-called fiance of yours anywhere near you, Bella, that will be his last day on earth." Silas said, his fingers holding me from my neck, and my breath hitched at his words. "You.... you won't do it, Silas!" I cried out in panic, but he only smiled at me. "I am no longer the sweet, innocent boy you left seven years ago, Bella. This Silas Kingsley will burn every single man who even dares to look at what's mine." He said, kissing my neck, and my eyes clenched shut at the warmth pooling my stomach. "He is my fiance, Silas." "And you're mine!" He said possessively, and I could only wonder one thing. How the hell did my sweet, innocent and submissive ex-boyfriend changed into a strong, dangerous and dominating mafia boss? And now he is obsessed with me.

To take care of my paralyzed mother-in-law, I quit my job and spent three years as a full-time househusband. That day, after cleaning up her waste, I hid in the bathroom with a cigarette between my fingers and came across a post on my wife’s boss’ Instagram. [You’re meant to be with me in the end. Since that freeloader can’t give you happiness, let me take you to the paradise of Maldev.] Above the caption were two plane tickets. Someone commented below. [That homemaker husband of hers is definitely clinging onto her. After all, she’s his meal ticket.] The boss replied. [Don’t worry. Tonight she’ll go home and come clean. She’ll say the company was caught falsifying accounts and is facing massive fines, and that she might need to serve jail time. [To keep that guy from getting dragged into it, the only option is divorce. He’s as timid as a mouse and will take any chance to flee.] I stared at the screen, stunned, until the cigarette burned my fingers. Ten minutes later, my wife rushed home, panic written all over her face. She dropped her bag on the floor. “Honey, something’s gone wrong with the company’s finances. They’re accusing us of falsifying accounts. I was solely responsible for the accounts. I might need to serve 10 years in prison, plus fines of more than ten thousand dollars. “We need to sign the papers before they seize our house. I don’t want to drag you and mom into this.”

Rebel King has spent her whole life being controlled—first by parents who hid and abused her, then by the fear they left behind. Rescued as a child by her uncle Fang, president of a ruthless wolf-shifter motorcycle club, Rebel finally learned what freedom tasted like. But when her parents resurface demanding she be mated off to a pack of their choosing, Rebel refuses to be owned ever again. Their revenge is brutal: Fang’s entire club is arrested in a police raid, leaving Rebel hiding in the panic room he built for her… alone, terrified, and furious. Then the engines roar. A new motorcycle gang arrives—summoned by Fang before he was taken. The Rogue Legion: a lethal, mixed-shifter crew led by Ruin, an alpha wolf whose presence hits Rebel like a punch to the soul. His men—Reaper, Asmodeus, and Viking—radiate power, danger, and something else she’s not ready for: desire. Rebel has always been told she’s nothing. But Ruin’s pack can sense exactly what she is. A rare omega. Untouched. Unclaimed. And theirs to protect. As Rebel is pulled into their world of dominance, heat, and undeniable chemistry, she must face a truth she’s never dared to believe—she isn’t meant to submit. She’s meant to choose. And the Rogue Legion is ready to tear the world apart if anyone tries to take that choice from her. Her past wants to cage her. Her future wants to claim her. And Rebel King is about to discover just how dangerous an omega can be when she finally finds a pack worth fighting for.

When my mind-link request had been ignored by my parents for the twentieth time, I went to the Werewolf Council, clutching the report on silver dust corrosion in my hand. “Hello. I’d like to renounce my pack identity—effective immediately.” Ten minutes later, my parents burst in, dragging my adoptive younger sister, Elsa, with them, panic written all over their faces. The door burst open with a bang, and my Beta father charged in like a storm. His fangs bared, claws twitching. “You’re nothing but a spoiled brat craving attention! Stop this pathetic act. You’re an embarrassment to a Beta’s name!” My mother, a forensic specialist for the pack, immediately snatched the report from my hand. After a brief glance, she let out a cold sneer. “You faked this report just to get our attention? You’ve been a liar since you were a pup.” Elsa clung to both of them, tears in her eyes as she sobbed, “I’m sorry, Jenifer. It’s my fault for holding the shifting ritual. But please... don’t lie to our parents just to make them feel guilty!” Blood was still pouring from my nose, but I wiped it away calmly and stood tall before the werewolf councilors once more. “I haven’t had a real family for a long time. Please—remove all my personal records from the pack. I just don’t want my funeral—scheduled for three days from now—to be delayed.”

04:00 AM. JFK International Airport. I switched off airplane mode, and my phone lit up. The first notification was an Instagram story from my husband, Donovan Valentino, Don of the Valentino family, posted at 3:30 AM: a photo of Seraphina Moretti’s back, captioned, “Run 50 completed. Package delivered safe.” An hour before that, my flight had hit catastrophic clear-air turbulence, dropping two thousand feet in seconds. I’d clung to my seatbelt until my knuckles turned white, the crumpled threat letter from a rival crew pressed like a blade against my ribs. In those blind, falling seconds, one thought burned through the panic: If I live through this—if Donovan is waiting at arrivals—I’ll tear up my transfer papers to Dubai and stay. But there were no missed calls. No messages. He’d been too busy collecting Seraphina. He knew my flight details. He just didn’t care. Four years of marriage. 50 fully armed security details for Seraphina. For my 112 long-haul flights over those same four years? The most I ever got was a driver in an unmarked sedan. Even the night Gambino’s crew tailed me from Manhattan, and I spent six hours locked in a diner bathroom. He didn’t pick up until dawn, after the twelfth try. My transfer to Dubai was confirmed. The signed divorce settlement was in my bag. This was the last time I’d ever come back for him.

For ten years, I was a peace offering to Alpha Kane. And he chose his adopted sister, Fiona, over me 77 times. He planned my birthday around her tastes. At the Hunter’s Moon festival, she stood beside him in the Luna’s ceremonial gown. My gown. Even on our mating night, he left me. Fiona faked a panic attack, claiming her wolf was losing control. He spent the night coddling her. I forgave him the first 76 times. Because he’d saved my life once, even if he didn’t remember. But when I was kidnapped, he had to choose: trade the pack's sacred artifact for my life, or stay with Fiona and her latest self-made drama. He chose her. The kidnappers injected me with a lethal dose of wolfsbane. I felt it tearing my wolf apart, devouring my life force from the inside out. The 77th time. I was finally ready to give up. But I was saved. By Drake, Alpha of the Nightfall Pack. The one who'd been watching over me for fifteen years.. That’s when I learned the truth. I’d been thanking the wrong man. The one who saved me was always Drake. Never Kane. So I went back. I filed to sever our mate bond with the Elders. In four days, I'll be free. And Kane can be with his precious Fiona forever. So why, now that it’s all over, is he on his knees, begging for me back and crying that he always loved me?

Rachel Lloyd had been by William Lewis' side since she was eighteen. One day, after an accident, she finally regained her hearing, which she had previously lost while saving his life. She couldn't wait to share the good news with him. But when she arrived, she found him holding his first love in his arms and whispering sweet nothings to her. William always knew Rachel loved him deeply—to the point she would give her life for him. She never got angry and never asked for much. But this time, instead of quietly staying by his side, she simply signed a non-disclosure agreement. And when the time came, she completely disappeared from his world. When William first heard that Rachel had vanished, he laughed it off. "She'll be back within a week." But a week passed. Then, a month. Then, three months. And still, Rachel didn't return. Now, as panic set in, William searched for her like a madman. For the first time in his proud, arrogant life, he humbled himself and begged, "Rachel, stop this. It's been long enough." Later, he added, "Come home. I'll give you whatever you want." And finally, he said, "If I were dying… would you at least come say goodbye?" When they met again, he was on his knees. His eyes were red-rimmed as he held out a teacup. "Please have some tea... Aunt Rachel."