Bracing Myself Meaning

As the full moon hangs above the masquerade, Apollo Cadwell shows up with Bella Lohart. One is my Beta mate, the other his childhood sweetheart. Since she doesn't have a gown for the ball, he gives her my dress instead. It's a one-of-a-kind piece I've handmade myself—priceless, even—that I'm supposed to wear for our mating ceremony. "Bella has never been to a masquerade before," he says. "A beautiful dress will help her feel more confident." I calmly hand the dress over and watch Bella slip into the gown I've designed stitch by stitch. She clings to Apollo's arm, acting sweet. "You're the best, Apollo. Can I borrow the ring on your hand as well? That moonstone is too dazzling to miss." One of our friends can no longer stand it and speaks up. "Nora spent an entire month making that ring by hand. Are you just going to give it away like that? Have you even considered Nora's feelings?" He patiently slides the ring onto Bella's finger, then replies casually, "I'm just letting her wear it for a night. Nora won't mind. I'll just soothe her afterward, and she'll be fine." He's right about one thing. I will be fine. Slowly, I began erasing myself from his world. Before leaving, I keep my promise to the Elder that I'll personally travel to The Spine of the World on the Faron Continent to continue my research on the Moonshadow Herb Alchemy Research. From that night on, Apollo and I might never cross paths again.

“Kneel, Little thing,” he orders, his breath running down my neck. I find myself kneeling. It’s not like I have a choice. He’s going to hurt me if I don’t. And I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ll enjoy every bit of it. My core throbs, and my mouth water hungrily as he frees his cock from his briefs. “You want it, don’t you?” He fists himself and my eyes follow the movement. I can feel the wetness dripping down my legs despite my position. The room is dark, and there’s no means of escape for me. Not that I want to. “Yes,” I whisper, my face coloring in shame. “Louder, Little thing. Don’t you hate me? Don’t you want to kill me—the man who killed your only brother?” He taunts. I don’t reply. The next moment, he grips my hair hard, and I gasp. “I want to.” I force myself to say. His face lifts up in a mocking smirk. “Good girl. Now, suck my cock like my pretty little toy.” He demands, slamming himself into my mouth and stealing my breath with one hard thrust. * Her life faces a brutal turn when a cruel Mafia Don breaks into her home, demanding the stash of diamonds that her brother supposedly stole. She tries to pick herself up and avenge her brother’s death, but falls instead into the trap Don Luca set for her. What is meant to be vengeance changes into something irresistible. Something dangerous. Something that might kill her if she gives in…

Three years ago, on the day I married Luca Moretti, he personally handed me a marriage contract with a fixed term of three years. His tone was casual, indifferent, as if he were discussing an ordinary business deal. "This marriage exists solely to serve the alliance of interests between the Morettis and the Vitales. Sign this agreement. After three years, the marriage will automatically dissolve. When that time comes, you can go and pursue your true love." I barely hesitated before signing. Ten years earlier, at an inter-family business gala, when I was ten and Luca was sixteen, I had already fallen hopelessly in love with him. What looked like a strategic alliance was, in truth, the outcome of my decade-long unrequited love. During the three years of our marriage, Luca was attentive and gentle toward me. Over time, I began to believe I was loved. I sank into that illusion, unable to pull myself out, forgetting entirely about the agreement. That illusion was shattered completely on the night of our third wedding anniversary. That evening, Luca arrived with Elena, who had just returned to New York, and attended what was supposed to be our third anniversary celebration together. She stood beside him with ease and composure, smoothly engaging with business partners. People praised her, saying she looked more like the Donna of the Moretti family. In that moment, even though Luca never mentioned the agreement again, I understood clearly that it was time for me to step aside. After breaking free from his control, crossing an ocean to rebuild myself, and becoming a brilliant leader in my industry, I would no longer wait for his love.

"A week ago, if you had told me that the world as I knew it was all a lie, that all of the fairy tales that my father used to tell me at bed time were actually not fairy tales and that all these supernatural beings, such as vampires, shapeshifters, fairies and dragons, were actually real, I would have laughed at you until I had peed myself and then called the men in white coats to come and get you. Now, a week later, as I am in the middle of a forest standing by the most beautiful lake I have ever seen, surrounded by wolves in various sizes and colours, and a number of very large, very muscular and very, very naked men, I am starting to think that maybe it is I, who is in need of the straight jacket and padded room and a hell of a lot of medication and sedatives as i am pretty certain i have completely lost the use of all my faculties and you are soon going to find me sat in a corner, rocking back and forth and talking to myself as none of this is making any sense to my primitive brain." Kari Has grown up alone, Her father disappeared when she was 5 and her mother killed herself when she was 8. After a string of Foster homes, she finds her self working as a Research Scientist where her boss and Best Friend sends her to Norway to work for The Nordic Research Corporation. When she gets there she finds that she is in for a shock. Not only does she find out she does have a family, but everything she ever knew is going to change. Her life becomes more complicated than she could ever have thought it would.

Alessa found herself in the unexpected role of replacing her older sister as wife, after the latter refused to marry a man who had supposedly suffered burns to ninety percent of his body during a terrible accident. However, Alessa's adoptive father's motivation was purely financial, as he wanted to take advantage of the fortune the deformed man had. So Alessa was pressured into marrying this billionaire tycoon. Once she arrived at the mansion, her life became a daily challenge, as she had to deal with a superficial and appearance-obsessed husband, while facing personal insecurities due to her own body. The pressure to live up to the physical standards imposed by society aggravated her self-image, especially as she didn't fit the traditional standards of beauty. However, behind the billionaire's façade was a secret that escaped everyone's notice: a supernatural dimension that encompassed his entire family lineage. This mysterious secret was about to unite Alessa's fate with that of the billionaire in unimaginable ways. Thus, Alessa's life became a complex labyrinth, intertwining relationships, superficial appearances and hidden secrets. She would have to navigate these challenges to discover the true meaning of this unusual relationship and unravel the mysteries surrounding the family of the man who became her husband.

I’m Vicky Eaton, a bondless Kindred. Meaning, I don’t have a Blood Bond mate--the only human you can drink from according to the Kindred law. I’ve done my best to stick to the rule, until I realized that my new boss just smells too darn delicious for me to resist and fits every criteria to be my mate. However, I have made a vow long ago to stay bondless for eternity.**As he spoke, he licked my ear. My heart began to race again. The aroma of his Blood Perfume mixed with his natural body fragrance, stimulated my every nerve. He kissed my neck. I groaned against his touch as he removed my clothing for the third time in under 12 hours."Whatever you do…” I said breathlessly, “Don’t stop.” My words hit him hard and his moves intensified. Suddenly, he broke apart and turned his neck to me, revealing his glorious skin. I froze. Should I stay true to my past, or do I take a leap of faith and fall into the world of the Blood Bond?

Meet Phoebe Collins, one look at her and you'd call her the perfect girl. You know, the girl who's effortlessly pretty, gets the best grades and probably has the perfect family, or so you'd think.. The only unusual thing about this 'perfect girl' is that she doesn't socialize with her peers. At least not anymore. She prefers the little world she makes up in her head. But will a confrontation change her life for the better and will she actually be willing to come out of her fantasy world and focus on reality when she meets the troublesome transfer student Cole Reese. ............................................................................... Meet Cole Reese, he's known everywhere as the bad boy, everywhere meaning all around the schools in the country of Philly.. The boy who you don't want to have a fight with. The boy who's not afraid to get his hand dirty. The boy who every boy envys or hates and every girl wants to date or to be friends with at least. As if, the formers always the case. He's been moving from school to school his whole life because of his endless scandals and shenanigans. See, A typical bad boy.. But Will he actually want to stay in this school when he meets the weird but interesting girl Phoebe Collins. And the big question, Is everything really as it seems??

" I should kill you. Shoot right in that head," Damiano stopped letting the cold metal drag along her temple. " which betrayed me." he hissed, fixing the barrel of gun on her forehead. Raging blue clashed with guilty green ones. " then do it." ------------------------------------ One rule that was clear to Damiano Pietro that the punishment of traitor is only death. But what will happen when he will fell in love with the one. One rule that was clear to Claudia Riddle that she shouldn't fell in love with the one she was sent to destroy but what will happen when her target become the centre of her world... He was the cold hearted and ruthless person and he lived up to his tittle but then SHE dared the only one to crumble his wall which surrounded his cold heart and cocoon it with the warmth of her love yet She was the one who clawed at it mercilessly and let it bleed without a single remorse... She was brave and cunning who would have embraced death with a mocking smile gracing her lips but then HE was the only one who made her flinch by the mere look in his eyes yet he was the one who made her feel safe just by being beside her........... "OPPOSITE ATTRACKS" they both altered the meaning of these two words by all means .... Secrets will expose, hearts will break and war will definitely happen.

I’m indebted to the richest man in Dravilsberg. Aziz Mustafa–the country’s darling offered me a way to pay back my father’s debt and get my family’s company back on its feet: be his mistress. I plan on avoiding him for as long as it takes to make him get over his obsession until I find him standing on the doorstep of my soon-to-be stepfather and realize the man I have been insanely attracted to will be my stepbrother in a few days. who will finally take everything that he’s ever wanted… **** Between dealing with her father’s bankrupt company, trying to find meaning in her life, and dealing with the news of her mother’s engagement, Lexi cannot afford to get her heart broken by the most powerful man in the country. Her only hope and prayer is to find someone who would invest in her company. But when the only person who is willing to risk investing in her wants to do so at a price, Lexi struggles to choose between fighting off her attraction for him and letting him show her just how much pleasure her body can take. What will Lexi choose? Nine Months With My Stepbrother is a step-sibling romance and the first book in the STEPBROTHER SERIES of stand-alones. This series does not have to be read in order.

I'd rather die. That's what Lauresse San Forte words. She was taken to a prison cell and had not eaten for days. She was taken with the other girls as a means of a business, bought with a price in a life she did not know. Ashton Sid Del Aveiro was in pursuit of finding his only sister when Lauresse met him in a situation they didn't expect. In a world Lauresse has never been, she was brought with a price for the price. The price that needed her to act as his wife in the eyes of his rivalry, elite families, the organization, and his business associate. For Lauresse's safety. He had a goal, and she had her to be free again. But it won't make an easy way when she needs to dive into his world and into his life. In a game she joined, they were dancing in the system that Ashton would surely be his greatest fall if he let feelings rule him over his mind. His life was nothing but about the organization and as part of the family. He needs to keep it safe even if it's too risky. Life has one meaning, his family. His only sister. His father's happiness. His mother's sanity. But her, his greatest mistake yet his most significant happiness.