Bracing Myself Meaning

I've always lived in the shadow of my husband's ex because he is still in love with her. Things get to a head when he divorces me without warning not long after she comes back into his life and he gets her pregnant. Heartbroken, I decide to put myself first for once in my life, but not long after I make that decision, I find that I'm pregnant with his child as well. Five years later, our paths cross again, and this time around, the tables have turned. Not long after, secrets from five years ago begin to unravel themselves and I find out that things are not what they seemed back then after all.

Sheer fate was what turned our bittersweet love into a happy ever after. Fate? I myself erased and rewrote our love story to give it the happy ending we deserved. I was promised to Matteo Giuseppe, the youngest son of the most powerful family in the Chicago Outfit but I was given away to Salvatore Berlusconi, the Capo dei Capi of the New York Famiglia. I was sold to him as an object marking the end of the Great War, or rather, it was me atoning for the sins of my father. A wedding solely about duty, honour and atonement. ••••••••••••••• “ If you told me about the darkness inside of you, I'd still look at you like you are the sun.” Book one of A Mafia's Love Chronicles.

One night, One mistake, And now Vaughn acts like he owns parts of me I never meant to give. When Vaughn walked in on me touching myself, I should have screamed, pushed him out, anything to get rid of him, but instead? I spread my legs and did everything he asked of me. It was supposed to be one night, one reckless encounter, but when I let him fuck me he couldn't walk away. Now I have to see him every day on campus, I have to run without getting caught in his trap, but it appears to be too late for that, and I might like this cage I'm in.

On our wedding night, my wife demanded that I wear a blindfold. She said her body was meant only for her true love. The words hit me like a bucket of ice water, and I snapped, "Are you my wife or his?" She shot back even louder, defiance blazing in her eyes. "I married you. Does that mean I have to show you my body? Coercion is still coercion, even in marriage. My body is only for Matt to see because you simply don't deserve it." Later, she said she wanted to truly be my wife. I found myself thinking she wasn't worthy anymore.

The night my boyfriend and I celebrate our first anniversary, we get into an accident. My soul travels through time and ends up ten years in the future. Here, I see that my boyfriend and I have married and started a family. It's the future I've dreamed of. However, it seems that I'm out of a job, and I've given up on my dream. I struggle to make it through endless days of my boyfriend's ice-cold treatment. Ultimately, I see myself sitting on the edge of a building's roof after falling deep into postpartum depression. When I open my eyes again, I see my boyfriend's panicked face…

Anna got a job to work for one of the biggest companies in New York without knowing that she will be working with one of the most dangerous men in New York. Without knowing about this ,Anna slowly fell for her boss and found herself in a world full of danger. Anna you belong to me and no else christiano said . say you belong to me ,i want to hear you say you are mine , but I refuse to talk which made him choke me , I wrapped my hands on his struggling while I felt air leave my body . i-i-i am y-y-yours i croaked out and he released me. what have I gotten myself ?into I thought

It's the final round of this year's Pack Pup Tournament. I can't take my eyes off my pup, Patrick Grant, as he wins the title. When the host calls Patrick's parents onstage to celebrate, I leap up, thrilled. But then I see Nicholas Grant, my Alpha mate, walk up with his secretary, Natalia Lawson. They stand side by side under the spotlight, kissing Patrick on both cheeks. It's as if Natalia is the mother, as if she's the Luna of our pack, as if they're the perfect family. I can only stand there in the audience, feeling the weight of countless startled stares, too ashamed to lift my head. Later, Nicholas brushes the incident off. "You were seated farther back. It was easier to bring Natalia up on stage," he explains. Easier? I swallow the humiliation and force myself to believe it was just an unfortunate coincidence—until today, that is. I sense through our blood bond that something's wrong with Patrick, so I drop everything and race to the pack hospital. But when I arrive, Patrick is lying in Natalia's lap, whining to her in a soft voice. I step forward to introduce myself, but the healer only looks surprised. "The emergency contact form lists Natalia as his mom, though." It turns out Patrick himself had stripped me of my role as his mother. And Nicholas didn't stop him. I finally understand. I don't belong in this family anymore. That night, I tell Nicholas I want to dissolve the mate bond between us. He doesn't even look up as he says, "Don't be dramatic. You'd dissolve our bond over a single name on a form?" "Yes."

I am Elias Vance, and my life is a well-oiled lie. I don’t build empires; I dismantle them. For years, I’ve served the shadowy organization known only as The Syndicate, trained to be their most effective weapon—a corporate ghost who infiltrates, exploits, and destroys. My latest target is Thorne Corp, a multi-billion-dollar tech conglomerate, and the man at its helm: Julian Thorne. Julian is everything I despise on principle: cold, impossibly wealthy, and guarded by a fortress of privilege. He is also the key to The Syndicate’s grand prize, and my mission is simple: get close, expose his vulnerabilities, and trigger a catastrophic failure that leaves Thorne Corp in ashes. The plan was airtight until I saw the cracks in his perfect facade. The closer I get, the more I realize the aloof CEO is carrying a burden heavier than his fortune—a legacy steeped in secrets and a profound, aching loneliness that mirrors my own. Every late night in his office, every accidental touch, every shared secret drags me deeper into the man I’m supposed to hate. The line between my duty and my desire doesn't just blur; it dissolves entirely. Now, The Syndicate is closing in, demanding the destruction I promised. I have access codes, damning information, and a clear shot to finish the mission. But completing it means condemning Julian and myself to a future where trust is impossible. To save him, I have to betray my masters. To save myself, I have to risk everything I know. In this game of corporate war, I am the obsidian proxy, caught between two powerful forces, and my only way out is a choice that will either end a dynasty or cost me my life.

I’m trapped, trapped in a mate bond I hate. Will I ever escape its hold on me? “I, Than Sable, Alpha of the Amber Desert Pack, reject you Kaia Glace as my Luna.” I remember his cruel cutting words as if they were only yesterday. Our mate bond is non-existent. That’s a lie, it exists but Than doesn’t allow himself to get close to me…to be alone in a room with me. It’s as if I disgust him. He has reduced me to nothing. A shadow of a mate and I hate him for it. I can’t keep living like this, waiting… I am Kaia Glace, the rightful Luna of the Amber Desert pack. Yet my mate, Alpha Than, refuses to let me rule by his side. I feel cheated by the mate bond, unwanted by my own mate. Years I’ve spent trying to get him to love me…to see me…but how can I? When he has another…. I can’t stay, it isn’t safe for me anymore or my unborn child. A child created by force. I have to leave…to runaway and find my Father. He is the only lifeline I have. However, he was last seen at the enemy pack, the Dark Phantom pack. A notorious pack with a cold and scheming Alpha, who doesn’t take kindly to outsiders. It is said, those who enter the pack are never seen again. But I have no choice…into the enemy pack I must go to rid myself of my mate bond. Only, I myself find another. Another that dooms me to the same trickery of the mate bond.

Wulver Pack Series: 1 (standalone) I run. It’s just who I am. Whenever things get tough, I bail. Every new situation I find myself in, I have an exit strategy. Because I know what could happen if I don’t. Things are about to get bad, and I don’t understand how or why. I’ve developed a life for myself where no one could suspect a thing out of the ordinary. I fit in - or at least try to. But here I am, ready to run. Let’s just hope I do so in time. *** I didn’t ask to be in these shoes. In fact, I was thoroughly looking forward to a life of little more than personal responsibility. I never saw my future tied to this place, no matter how much it is a part of me. The position was thrust upon me, though, and with no one else to step up, I had no choice. I do love it here. These are my people - my family - and this is my home. I couldn’t turn my back, even if I wanted to. That’s a type of betrayal I would never be able to stomach. If things had gone how they were supposed to, none of this would have fallen in my lap. Now that we’ve made it through the adjustment of transition of power, I am happy this is how my life has ended up, and my people are, too. Any semblance of my plans years ago have fallen by the wayside, but that’s just the nature of the beast - and I am the beast. Times are changing. I can feel it in my bones. I just hope we are ready, and I am capable of protecting those that are relying on me.