Bubbling In Chest

"Why..." April stuttered. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Like what?" "Like you want to eat me." "I do want to eat you" Mateo smirked, then his face turned serious as he cornered her by the wall, his muscular body hovering above hers. "But before that..." He paused, his voice hoarse and deep. "Before that?" April tilted her head to the side to have a better view of him. "I'd hold your waist against mine and kiss you" He whispered against her ear and his hot breath fanned her sending chills down her spine. "I'd kiss you so passionately till you open up for me and when you do, I'll explore your mouth with my tongue till we're both breathless and aroused. Then my kisses will trail to your neck and then to your breasts." His voice came out as a ragged, painful whisper. April placed her hands on his chest to stop him as his words were doing things to her she couldn't understand. "W-what about the contract?" She said in a breathy voice. "Damn that stupid contract!" Mateo said and captured her lips in his. ************ April, an intern of an event planning firm was offered the biggest opportunity of her career; to plan the marriage of London's youngest billionaire, Mateo Hades. On the day of the wedding, Mateo's bride mysteriously disappeared leaving April with no choice but to step in as the new bride. Read to find out how their love story unfolds.

Ava is the daughter of Alpha Jack of the Blood Moon Pack. She had always been living the life of a princess until her mother died, and her father remarried. Life became a daily torture for her, and things grew worse when she got a weak wolf after shifting for the first time. Ava stopped from being a princess to a slave in her father's pack, but what happens when the moon goddess decided to smile on her by blessing her with a mate, not just one but three? And what happens when she's forced to choose between them? ——— “Wait, did I hear you guys address my mate as yours?” He turned to his brothers, who didn't bother taking their eyes away from me. “We are mated to her brother too, so chill, please.” His eyes landed on my chest, and I felt crimson washing over my face. “There's no way that is happening!” “I'm sorry brother, but we can't do anything about this. It's either you are in or you are out. Choose one, the choice is yours.” The one who was quite broader than the rest uttered in a boring tone. “I'm sure she might want to choose whom to be her mate between us. Because I saw how affected she was when she realized you three were also her mates.” Alpha Dawson said coldly, and fear gripped me, realizing what he meant.

（Sequel of Pregnant and rejected by my alpha mate. Can be read alone. ）Today I had my first kiss. It wasn’t planned. It was also with a complete stranger. As I walked through the halls of my school, Higala Shifter Academy, I paused when a familiar sense washed over me. My boyfriend, Scott, was nearby, and he wasn’t alone. “You are so naughty, Scott,” the she-wolf Sarah chuckled. “Only for you, babe,” he replied, muffled as her lips closed around his. At that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. “Oh, Scott. Stop it. You know we can’t be seen together. What if your girlfriend finds us?” “She’s in class. She’s never late. You don’t need to worry.” My heart was heavy in my chest, but also a wave of fury and resentment crossed me.“Lila?” Scott breathed, staring at me in shock “What are you—” Before he could get the entire question out, I turned to the gentleman beside me, placing my hands on his shoulders and pulling him toward me. He went easily, though his eyes showed nothing but confusion. I closed my eyes tightly so I wouldn’t have to see his expression any longer. Then, our lips touched. Later, I walked into my class but found,It was him… The man I kissed only moments ago in the hallway. The man I had given my first kiss to, was my professor.

I never believed in second chances. Not after Cynthia. She was my confidant… until death tore her from me and left this mansion echoing with ghosts. Inilibing ko na rin ang puso ko kasabay ng pakamatay ni Cynthia . She was my wife. My peace. My mistake. Then her daughter moved in. Liza. The forbidden reminder of everything I shouldn’t want—young, alive, reckless in ways her mother never was. She looks at me like she sees through the monster I’ve become. Sa tuwing ngingiti siya,  the ache in my chest returns—violent, dangerous, hungry. Every brush of her skin ignites something I can’t bury anymore. I tell myself it’s guilt. I tell myself I’m just protecting her. Pero ang totoo? I want her. Hindi bilang stepdaughter. Not as Cynthia’s child. I want her as mine—completely, ruinously, irredeemably mine. They’ll call me a sinner. A man who crossed the line. Ngunit sa tuwing tinitingnan ako ni Liza, trembling, wanting... I knew I’d already crossed it. I tell myself I’m protecting her, but each night, the lie weakens. Because when she looks at me, it isn’t fear I see—it’s want. And God help me... I want her too. This isn’t love. It’s a beautiful disaster. And I’d burn the world just to feel her breathe my name again.

In the final year of my bond with vampire lord Saul, the curse of our pact struck, and I was overwhelmed by agony, but my lord was nowhere to be found. He had gone out. He left me to suffer. Alone. When the door finally creaked open the next morning, I looked up through bloodshot eyes—hope flickering like a dying candle. But he wasn't alone. He carried an unconscious woman in his arms, her head resting against his chest like she belonged there. Ignoring me as I curled up on the floor in pain, he first carried the woman to his room and called the old butler anxiously. "Jacinda's passed out. Hurry! Check if she's all right!" The old butler cautiously pleaded on my behalf, hoping our lord could save me first, but Saul frowned and interrupted: "Jacinda is in danger, and I have no mind to drink her blood now. She just needs to pull through herself. Believe me, she won't die. Right now, the priority is to save Jacinda." A frown and a glance in my direction was his only response to the old butler's desperate plea. With my only hope shattered, I clenched my teeth and slashed several long wounds on my arms and hands to drain blood for self-rescue. After a long period of weak convulsions, the curse of the pact finally ended. I lay in a pool of blood, sending a message with my last faint consciousness. "I promise I will leave him."

My heart clenched painfully in my chest as I thought of what I was about to say. It was the only way to save him, I chanted over again. "I'm rejec-ct..." I stuttered and then cleared my throat. "I'm rejecting you, Slade Hall as my mate. Whatever bond you feel between us is null and void from today. And I am getting married to prince Damien Cord of MoonStone pack." Slade roared, and his eyes flashed goldenly. He shoved me away and fell to the floor, groaning in pain. I fell to my knees, sobbing. It wasn't because I did the right thing to save him; I had lost my mate forever and wouldn't be getting him again... . Winter was an Omega and switched at birth. After living a difficult life and almost getting used to it, she was revealed to be the Alpha's daughter due to her striking resemblance to the Luna of the Royal Moon Pack. Winter thought her life had changed for the better and decided to make do with what was before her; however, it was only the beginning of her predicament. When she believed she wouldn't get to live the life she wanted, her wolf came forth, and her mate was revealed. However, it was her brother whom the moon goddess had mated to her. What was worse was she wanted it. Many challenges lie ahead; how would Winter overcome each when most were from the people she assumed would watch out for her?

"Should I take off my clothes now?" she added while staring at me from head to toe. Shit. Why would she ask that in front of me? Wasn't taking off her clothes my job like I always do to the rest of my customers? "No. Just put them on, please." I respectfully retorted before I slid to the bed. Put my backpack on the floor and applied a bit of my wolf's aggression rushing at her. Before I jumped on the bed, I shortly took off my clothes until nothing was left but my undies. "Wait." She quickly muttered partly mixed with regrets. To my surprise, she moved her face and pushed my chest a few inches away from her. "Why?" could not help but ask. "Wasn't this what I am here for? To please you?" I said in an embarrassing tone. It was at this moment I sensed her uncomfortable and regretful expression. I did not come here to get embarrassed. My job was to please her. Unless there was something Joseph forgot to inform me. Never expected this to happen. "No... no! It's just…" she suddenly dropped her gaze from me. "It's just. I'm still a virgin. Please, don't get mad at me." I don't know if it was a perfect opportunity for me to burst out laughing when she almost got me on that note. A virgin wanted to have sex with me. Who on earth would sell her virginity to a person wearing a black facemask?

The morning after their night together, Harper Sullivan froze with a sudden, sickening realization—Ryan Delgado hadn't used protection. Fear coiled tight in her chest, sharp and suffocating. But Ryan just smirked, his voice smooth, teasing, as if this were some kind of game. "Our families are enemies. A baby changes that. Your father would have to accept me. Then I could marry you—properly." Heat rushed to her cheeks. She should have pushed him away, should have demanded answers—but his touch still burned through her resistance, and she gave in to him. Then, like a knife to the ribs, she heard his friend's voice from the next room, laced with cruel amusement. "Ryan, that's genius. Get her pregnant, then dump her. Harper would never recover from the scandal. And her family? Total disgrace." Ryan let out a cold, satisfied laugh. "Serves her right. She stole Olivia's spot as valedictorian, broke her heart, drove her overseas. I'll make sure she pays—this is for Olivia." Harper's body went rigid. Three years. Three years of stolen moments, swallowed secrets, letting him touch her in the dark while her family believed her loyal. And it had all been a lie. Rage and humiliation crashed over her, so violent she nearly choked on it. Her phone buzzed in her trembling hand. Fighting back tears, she answered. "Dad… I'll take the engagement."

Eight years into our bond, I spotted a child at the kindergarten who looked uncannily like Malcolm—my mate. Malcolm had told me he was away on a business trip. However then he was holding that child in his arms, gently coaxing him. "Be good, sweetheart. In a few days, I'll bring you and your mom home. You're my only child. I'll never abandon you." The child smiled, content and trusting. I stood hidden around the corner, unable to breathe from the pain gripping my chest. Eight years ago, I had taken a silver blade to the stomach to save Malcolm. I lost my wolf that day—and with it, the ability to ever carry a pup. Back then, Malcolm had sat beside my hospital bed and made a promise: "You are the only mate I will ever choose. Whether or not we have a pup doesn't change that." However, what I saw now felt like a brutal slap—a reality too sharp to ignore. What value would Luna have if she'd lost her wolf and could no longer bear heirs? How could I possibly compare to someone who could give him a child, and the pack, a future? Choking back the pain swelling in my chest, I picked up the phone and called my father. "Dad… would you still want a daughter who's lost her wolf?" His voice came through, steady and sure. "Of course. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."

"I like her," I said as I sat across from my mother unable to keep the frustration from boiling over. "Like who?" "Callie," I admitted, my chest tightening as I said her name. Her expression froze for a moment before she set the papers aside and leaned forward. "You’re joking, right? Callie is your brother’s girlfriend." "I don’t care," I snapped. "I can’t stand seeing him with her. She should be mine, and I’m not going to just sit back and watch them together." "Well, well. This is interesting." She sat back, steepling her fingers. "You really want her all to yourself?" "More than anything," I confessed. A slow smile crept across her face, and it sent a chill down my spine. "Don’t worry. I have a plan.” Whatever she had in mind, I knew it wouldn’t be simple. But if it meant having Callie… I was willing to do whatever it took. **************** Callie was given a choice by her new boss: either lose her job or act as his escort for his family’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, pretending to be his girlfriend. Left with no other option, she reluctantly agrees to be his escort but what she doesn’t realize is that she’s walking straight into a trap. Dive into a story of love, betrayal, romance, suspense, and a Christmas miracle. Second Chances Under the Tree is a gripping and intriguing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.