Bookish Box Onyx Storm

His eyes darkened as he rose them to me. “You won't be able to escape me now, Maeve,” he said, the fire in my veins trembling. “There’s no out. You fucking chose this, so you’re going to be a good girl and fucking take it.” Maeve, a young lawyer, tries to start a new life after having her obsessive and psycho-ex-boyfriend under restriction, but her life takes a more dark turn when she accepts a proposal— a new dangerous obsession burns, and is caught up in a storm of deceit. TRIGGER WARNINGS

I've planned seven wedding ceremonies in total, and not once has my fiance, Zachary Gardner, ever shown up for it. The first time, his adopted younger sister, Louise Foster, bursts into tears because she lost her passport at the airport. It was the dead of winter, but he dumped me by the side of the road and left me. The second time, Louise's dog sprained its ankle. Zachary stuffed the ring back into its box and rushed to the animal hospital to accompany her. Every time I argue with him about it, he declares nonchalantly, "We can get married anytime, but I can't let Louise be upset." Everyone around us agrees with him, saying that we're all family anyway, so I shouldn't be so petty. None of them has seen Zachary and Louise kissing fiercely on the dance floor. Today is the seventh wedding ceremony. Once again, he turns to leave after getting a call. I grab the corner of his shirt and say in a choked voice, "If you leave this time, Zachary, I won't marry you anymore." He stops in his tracks and peels off my fingers. "Wait for me," he says before rushing off. What he doesn't know is that this time, I won't be waiting for him any longer.

"No matter the price," I said calmly to the witch across from me, "I will buy the scroll that severs a mate bond." I am Jean Thompson, Luna of the Crescent Pack in name only, and mate—also in name only—to Alpha Felix Frost. In the five years I carried this title, I endured Felix's indifference, my in-laws' scorn, and the pack's cold neglect. All because I loved Felix. I believed, with a devotion that consumed me, that one day my sincerity would move his heart. But on the very day of our fifth anniversary—when I discovered I was carrying twins—I stumbled upon him leading the entire pack of warriors to the airport… to welcome his childhood sweetheart, Mary Lockwood. That moment shattered the last of my hope. When he returned, I hid the bond-severing scroll among a stack of business documents and set it in front of him. "What's this? If it's important, give it to me later—" Before he could finish, Mary's syrup-sweet voice slipped in between us, "Alpha, our reservation is about to begin." Felix didn't even bother to look. He pressed his handprint casually on the scroll, ending five years of our bond. Just like that, our mate bond was severed. But I walked away with more than freedom. I carried with me a secret that could shake the entire pack—two lives growing inside me. Twins, foretold to become kings of the werewolves: the Alpha heirs. Later, in a place far beyond his reach, I gained everything I had once longed for—respect, trust, and love. But Felix came back like a storm I could not escape. His eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling with fury as he trapped me against the wall. "I never agreed to sever our bond," he growled. "Where do you think you're going with my pups?"

My name is Christian Thompson, and once upon a time, I was the best striker in European football. That was until he came along—Ashford Ryder, young and carefree, 10 years my junior and the new shining star. I hate him. At least that's what I tell myself. Not just because he's taken my spot, but because he's everything I've struggled all my life to be, and not to be. He's vibrant, he's happy, and the worst of all, he's openly gay. I'm not homophobic, quite the opposite—I've lived in the closet all my life. All my life, I've had to hide who I am to please the people around me. European football hasn't always been this accepting of gay men, and I'd squeezed myself into a box to fit in with what they wanted of me. It isn’t that hard when you think about my family who'd rather disown me than have an openly gay son. So imagine how I feel when the world decides to be more accommodating to people like Ashford Ryder when they shoved me in a box. It's not so easy to hate the happy-go-lucky striker, when he does everything to get close to me, despite my insistent hatred for him. He's like a thorn in my side—a hot, sexy, blonde, 5ft9 thorn I can't stop thinking about. But when one day I lose my cool around the popular striker and land myself in bad press, I end up needing his help. It's supposed to be easy. Spend some time with Ashford Ryder, and show our fans that we can work together—it's what I need to do to save my career. But no one tells you how hard it is to hate someone you spend every waking hour dreaming about.

I receive a mysterious parcel on my fifth wedding anniversary. Inside the box are photos of my husband, Luke Madden, being intimate with his assistant. The photos go back a long time—they seem to start from over five years ago. The latest one was taken half a month ago. He, his assistant, and their daughter are playing by the seaside. They smile brightly in the photo and look like a happy family of three. I suppress my devastation and take medication to terminate my pregnancy. Then, I pull out my phone to text my mother. "I'll do as you say and get a divorce, Mom. I'll be back next month to take over the company."

It is a time when all supernatural beings are believed to be extinct. After the Raven war between supernatural creatures and humans - wherein humans won the war - what was left of the supernatural community went into deep hiding, using any means necessary to blend into the shadows - which was why when Nate decided to save a soft human girl in danger, he didn't bargain for the shit storm that was about to hit him and his pack brothers. When trouble comes knocking at Nate Bane and his pack of four, they didn't know their little underground world was about to be upended by the girl Nate saved, who is also the only daughter of General Reid - the most powerful supernatural hunter in the state - and has fate would have it, Nate's Mate. Follow the Bane pack as they try to survive a world set against them while fighting for their fate, their mates, and a place in the world again.

Two formidable Lycans are hot on our trail, determined to claim us as their mates. Crescent Moon cowardly slaughtered the Eclipse Howlers, when I found my dying Luna-mother, she made me promise to deliver the mysterious box in her hand to the King and Queen of the Royal Kingdom of Werewolves when I turned eighteen. Xanne, the Beta's hybrid daughter, and me, still minors, are the only survivors of the massacre. But the desperate Lycans, who have searched for their mates for years, sensed us early on, leaving us no choice but to flee from their grasp. Until we deliver the box, we have no time for anything else, and the mates will need to wait until we are of age. But the chase intensifies, and they do everything in their power to catch up with us on our way to the Kingdom. In the end, we have to submit to this powerful divine race. Four fated mates arrive at the Palace, where Eon, a rebel and son of the Royal Chief Warrior, awaits us. When we meet him, the mate bond kicks in again, creating a new bond that baffles us, leading to unprecedented challenges in our relationships. Deception and intrigue tear us apart, pups are traded for power, until we are forced to reveal the secrets that take place between the Palace walls...

Fake it 'til you make it has been the motto I live by since my mother died. I'm also doing a really bad job at the making it part. The night we met, I was at my lowest. But you gave me a reason to feel happy again. For the first time in over a year, I was optimistic. You and I? We're the same. Don't form attachments. Follow the rules. Don't dream of a future. Too bad our hearts wouldn't listen. And this storm we're going through? The one that threatens to rip us apart? It doesn't care that I'm falling for you. Falling for You is created by Jennifer Van Wyk, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

Rated 18 Contains possessive, obsessive, and arrogant ML. Heavy on smút. A lot of explicit content. Please proceed with caution. EXCERPT; "Will you think me a monster if I do what you are afraid of?" He whispered, his eyes never leaving mine. "Sei un mostro(You're a monster)," I spat at Matteo. "Nothing can change that." "I've always cared for you, but you chose to betray me by running away with my child. Did you know how my reputation dropped because of that? I become a laughing stock BECAUSE of you. A man who can't keep his woman in check." His hand gripped my neck, cutting off my air supply. I gasped, pounding his chest as he smirked. "Go on, scream, darling," he taunted. "I love the sound of your screams." Gasping for breath as he released me, I saw the bulge in his pants and shook my head in disgust. "You don't care for me, Matteo. Your idea of caring is twisted, controlling, possessive, and obsessive....!" _________ Deirdre faced a heart-wrenching choice: surrender her child or endure a bitter court battle. The mere thought of another woman in her child's life, especially one of Matteo's passing fancies, was unbearable. Their journey began coerced onto a cruise, tossed astray by a raging storm, mirroring the turmoil in their hearts. Amid nature's fury, both were entangled in their tempest - a fiery passion reigniting into deep love. Yet, family disapproval marred their brief happiness, threatening to tear them apart. A lethal secret emerged, endangering both her and her child's lives. Compelled to hide this truth, Deirdre knew silence couldn't last. When Matteo discovered her secret, he presented an ultimatum: risk everything and reveal it or bear lifelong consequences in silence.

The human world had been taken over by vampires and werewolves. My noble parents wanted to please them, so they married me and their adopted daughter, Sophie, to them separately. In my last life, Sophie chose the strong and loyal werewolf. I chose the graceful and noble vampire. But on a full moon night, the werewolf in heat tore Sophie apart. Meanwhile, I gained eternal life after going through the vampire's Embrace. My parents wanted revenge for Sophie, so they drugged me and sent me to the werewolf's bed, where I was bitten and died. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day we drew lots for marriage. This time, Sophie knocked over the lot box and sweetly said she wanted to marry the vampire. "Anna, it's my turn to live forever." I didn't object and accepted the vicious werewolf. In this new life, Sophie was still so foolish. She thought she could be happy by relying on a man. However, what I wanted was to save all of humanity.