Books And Lights Novels & Stories

After two years abroad in seclusion as I recovered, I received a selfie from my daughter, Lila Ashford. She was sitting on a bike, dressed in a work uniform. "Mom, you’ll be home soon, right? I miss you so much." My heart softened as I thought about how my girl had grown up. She understood that she needed to start from the bottom and work her way up. I was about to praise her when I noticed her skin seemed tanner, and her fitted shirt was the same one I’d bought her three years ago. It was frayed and worn thin, yet she still hadn’t thrown it away. As a child of the wealthiest family, Lila shouldn’t have to live like this, not even for "life experience". I zoomed in on the picture again. Her shoes were falling apart, the front gaping wide open. The more I looked, the more uneasy I became. The next second, I stumbled across Serena Ashford, my adopted daughter’s posts on social media. She was showing off male models, luxury cars, and on her wrist, the global limited-edition diamond bracelet I had given Lila. What shocked me most was the car that appeared in nearly every photo, the very one I had gifted Lila for her college graduation. How the hell had it ended up with her instead?!

On the day I was supposed to register the marriage with my girlfriend, the CEO of Whitmore Group, her scheming male assistant stepped in first and handed over his ID. Just like that, the marriage certificate that should have belonged to me and my girlfriend became his and hers instead. All I did was ask a couple of questions. The assistant dropped to his knees in front of me, looking as if his world had ended. “Nathan, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t needed to get my child registered for school, I never would have resorted to something like this and entered a fake marriage with Claire.” Then he started sobbing and tried to slam his head into the wall as if he had to die to make up for it. Claire Whitmore had always been sharp and levelheaded, but this time, instead of saying a word for me, she slapped me across the face in front of everyone. “Ryan is a single father. Everything he did was for his child. Do you really have to be this petty? “It’s just a certificate. Once Ryan’s child is enrolled, I’ll divorce him. What difference does it make if you get yours a little later? Did you really have to push him to the edge? “Get on your knees and apologize to Ryan. Then give him half your salary as compensation. If you behave, I might let you borrow our certificate, take a picture of it, and show it off in your family group chat. Otherwise, don’t even think about getting one with me.” I gave a cold laugh. “Then forget it.” And I did not mean only the certificate. I was done with her, too.

Ruth’s life shatters on Valentine’s Day when she walks in on her boyfriend in bed with her sister . Heartbroken and humiliated she cried so bitterly,Promising never to love again. Months later, billionaire Leonard Williams cold, powerful, and untouchable is drugged at a business gala and wakes beside a stranger with no memory of the night. The scandal threatens to destroy his empire, and his search for the truth leads him straight to Ruth the quiet woman whose name is tangled in the mystery. But as they dig deeper, it becomes clear they were both set up. Someone wants them ruined… or dead. Bound together by danger, suspicion, and a night neither can remember, Ruth and Leonard are forced into a reluctant alliance that quickly becomes something more. Just as the truth begins to surface, Ruth collapses revealing a secret that change everything. She carrying his child.

Lyria Voss was born into a legacy of betrayal. Her parents were falsely accused of treason and executed, leaving her to be sold into slavery to the ruthless Ironclaw Pack. She learned to survive by hardening her heart, vowing never to trust an Alpha—but fate bound her to Kael Raventhorn, a ruthless alpha king, feared and respected in equal measure. When kael discovers Lyria is his mate, he refuses to accept the bond, unwilling to be shackled to an Omega with a past that could threaten his reign. But destiny is relentless. As long-buried secrets resurface and an ancient bloodline emerges from the shadows, Lyria and Kael find themselves at the heart of a war that could reshape the werewolf world. With enemies lurking in the shadows, betrayals cutting deeper than fangs, and a love that defies destiny, Kael and Lyria must decide whether to fight for each other or become the very weapons that destroy everything. In a world where power is everything, can love rewrite fate?

Eve never believed in fate...until three ruthless alphas claimed her as theirs. Desperate to save her dying mother, Eve works as a masked dancer at Eclipse, the city's most exclusive club, where anonymity is her only protection. When the infamous Blackwood triplets—Damian, Damon, and Silas, offer her an obscene amount of money for a six-month exclusive contract, she accepts despite the terrifying rumors. Girls whisper about their brutality, their insatiable appetites, and the way they share everything... including women. The first night, Eve discovers the rumors don't do them justice. Together, they overwhelm her....three predators claiming their prey in the most primal way possible. But something is different about Eve. While other women break under the brothers' dark desires, she endures. She matches their intensity, craves their brutality, returns night after night hungry for more. The brothers don't understand why they can't stay away from her. Why her scent drives them to the edge of madness. Why the mate bond...something they never believed they'd find...pulls them to this masked human with increasing, undeniable force. Then Eve's body begins to change. After three days without them, she collapses, her body shutting down from a hunger no food can satisfy. When Damian touches her fevered skin, her eyes glow amber and an ancient binding spell shatters. The truth explodes between them in a wave of desperate, consuming need: Eve isn't human. She's a succubi—a creature who feeds on sexual energy to survive. And they are her fated mates. Suddenly, Eve's nightly visits become her lifeline. She needs them...needs their touch, their dominance, their insatiable desire....or she'll die. A dark paranormal romance of fated mates, brutal alphas, and a queen who was born to rule them all.

Elara thought she was inheriting a cottage. Instead, she inherited a debt, and three Alpha Kings who claim she belongs to them. Kieran, Caspian, and Alaric are triplet werewolf rulers bound by an ancient deal: Elara's grandmother traded her granddaughter for protection twenty-three years ago. Now the debt has come due, and the bond that snaps into place the moment Elara touches Kieran's fur changes everything. She's not just payment. She's their mate, the one woman destined for all three of them. But Elara is hiding a secret even she doesn't know: she's not human. She's a dormant Fae-wolf hybrid, the first Breeder in three hundred years, and the only woman who can give the Alpha Kings their heirs. Her grandmother's binding spell kept her hidden from the Fae Court that wants her dead and the rival packs that would kill to possess her. Now the spell is breaking. As the mate bond intensifies with every full moon, Elara's powers awaken, and so does the attention of enemies who will stop at nothing to get to be the one to bred the breeder or destroy her. Caught between three possessive Alphas who refuse to let her go and a world that wants her extinct, Elara must accept the truth: She was never meant to be human. She was born to be claimed, bred and worshipped. And the Alpha Kings will burn down both realms to keep her.

During the long holiday, to accommodate the travel plans of my hospital director wife, I—someone who hadn't taken a single day off all year—begged and groveled, burning through every last bit of goodwill in my department just to scrape together seven days of comp time so I could go with her. But I waited at the airport from morning until night. After a hundred ignored calls, she finally rang me back, her voice totally casual. "The signal's a nightmare out at the scenic area. I forgot to mention—Julian booked the tickets a day early by accident, so we're already at Tamoe Mount! Since you missed your flight anyway, just go back to the hospital and cover some shifts. It's the hospital's busiest time. Didn't you say everyone in your department was upset about you taking time off? Go make it up to them." On the other end of the line, the wind was howling. Her young colleague, laughing brightly, jumped in. "Hey, Rita, I had no problem switching my shifts. I guess he just slacks off too much—no wonder nobody likes him." Not only did she not stand up for me, she actually agreed. "You hear that, Kevin? Learn to play nicer with your coworkers. Stop obsessing over fun all the time. Then later, it'll be easier for me to push through your raise and promotion." I didn't argue or make a scene. I just said "Got it," hung up, and walked straight to the hospital run by her biggest competitor. "Are you still looking for a vice director? I work hard, I don't need weekends off, and as long as I get normal comp time, I'm good."

At 20, I became known for two things. First, I weighed over 200 pounds, yet I still ended up dating Christian Fairmont, the coldest and most unattainable man in our circle. Second, I turned down Christian's proposal, changed my name, left the country, and became the one woman no one dared mention around him—the forbidden, unattainable love he could never let go. For the next five years, Christian shut himself away in a church and refused to see anyone. Just when everyone thought he was about to become a priest, he suddenly announced his engagement. He made such a spectacle of it that even I heard about it all the way in Goldridge. That alone showed how much he valued his bride-to-be. I booked the first flight home that same night. Everyone who saw me reacted the same way. First, they stared at how completely I had changed, how much weight I had lost, how I looked like a different person. Then they sighed. "Juliana, you came back too late." Even Christian looked at me with cold, distant eyes. "When you walked away and left me behind, did you ever think that five years later, you'd regret it?" Regret? I shook my head. "I don't regret it." I was already married and had a child.

For seven years, my CEO girlfriend never once came home with me to see my parents. She told me that she hated social obligations, and that she didn't want to deal with the gossip and hassle that came with meeting my parents and relatives. Even in daily life, she treated me with cold professionalism, never spending any anniversaries with me in favor of working overtime. I'd always thought that it was just a simple matter of her being too rational and prideful, and I was fine with slowly teaching her how to nurture a relationship. That was, until Thanksgiving arrived. Once again, she stressed that holidays were just a capitalistic norm, and that she was going to work overtime instead of coming home with me. By chance, however, I accidentally stumbled upon my intern's social media. Inside a private room at a five-star hotel, he and his family sat at a table as my girlfriend sat beside him, carefully serving him food. [Yo, my boss secretly brought my parents into the city for Thanksgiving, and even gave me gifts! She told me that I was worth special gestures, too. Where can you even find a boss this romantic? My parents even told me to marry her as soon as I could! LOL!] So she knew better than anyone how to make people feel cherished. I just wasn't worth any of it. I commented: [How romantic.] Then, I messaged my girlfriend. [Let's break up.]

In order to prevent the employees from slacking off at their jobs, the HR department of my company has established a strict check-in policy. We're requested to check-in with the company once per ten minutes. On top of that, we have to follow the HR employee, Felicia Lane's instructions in striking poses. Otherwise, the system will list us to have skipped work for the day. After failing to check-in with the company for the eighth time, I head to the HR department immediately. "Ms. Lane, your check-in policy is far too strict to the sales department! We have to travel everywhere just to make sales and strike business deals with clients! There's no way we can keep returning to the company!" But Felicia just scowls at me disdainfully. "Since you're working at the company, you're meant to follow the company's rules. Why else are you even here, in the first place? If checking in with the company affects your sales performance that much, that just means you don't have any capabilities to begin with. You should reflect on your own work performance instead!" When I recall the number of contributions I've made for the company, I try to seek out my boss to take my side. But he just tells me, "Since this is a rule, you might as well follow it. What's the use in seeking me out?" Later on, I choose not to do anything related to my job just so I can follow the check-in policy very strictly. But the rest of the company flies into a state of panic because of me.