Calm Before A Storm

Elena dreams of becoming a world-class chef. On the day she sets out to pursue her passion, her father, Jon Nolan, sells her in marriage to Brad, who paid off Jon's debts just to have Elena - and win a bet. For two years, she plans her escape from the hellish marriage. Suddenly faced with an external danger that threatened her life and that of her unborn child, she flees prematurely into Boston, carrying a secret that could bring down the most ruthless crime family in Massachusetts and her husband. Now, these men searched the city for her. Elena finds shelter in the Banks’ Family Center, where she hides until her child, Sky is born. Ary Banks, a reclusive billionaire with zero interest in love, walks into Elena's life. The first woman he ever finds intriguing! Ary soon learns that beyond her enchanting laughter is a world of storm, too enormous for her to survive. That same storm now poses a threat to his empire and everyone he cares about. To save his empire, he must protect Elena and Sky. But this means he must be willing to battle not only the external enemies but his estranged mother who has ruthless ambitions and also welcome disruption in his controlled world. Obsessed with controlling his life, Ary's mother will stop at nothing to tear away those closest to him - especially the woman he’s beginning to love - until she is the only anchor he has left, until she could rule his empire and life. Thrusted on each other by fate, Elena and Ary realize their growing connection and dare to trust again. As old wounds resurface, new enemies arise. They must decide if their fragile love is worth the fight - or if it’ll be destroyed before it could ever bloom.

Toby’s childhood friend got pregnant before forming a mate bond. To keep her from being ridiculed by the pack, Toby decided to bond with her. I could not accept it. I cried as I asked him, “What about me? What about the pup I am carrying?” However, Toby remained calm as he replied, “Stacy, Tammy is different from you. I am all she has. If the other wolves find out she got pregnant without a mate bond, the rumors and judgment would destroy her.” Still, Toby forgot that I had no one else either. I also got pregnant without a mate bond, and it was his pup. Soon, the entire pack was mocking me, calling me promiscuous, claiming that I was carrying some illegitimate child whose father was a mystery. Toby just stood there, supporting his pregnant childhood friend, watching with everyone else. That was when I realized love came with priorities. As the one Toby placed at the bottom, I made the heartbreaking choice to end the pregnancy, so he and Tammy could have the love he chose to protect first.

Johanna Thorne and her sister, Allison Thorne, marry into the Silverplume family, the most prestigious werewolf family in the Northern Wolflands, on the same day. Their husbands are the only pair of pureblood Alpha twins in the family—Carlin Silverplume and Uriel Silverplume. Throughout the continent's long history, fewer than ten such twin pairs have ever been born. They are seen as blessings from the Moon Goddess herself, a source of pride for the entire family. Johanna is wed to the calm and stoic younger brother, Carlin. Her sister becomes the mate of the elder twin, Uriel, the family's strongest warrior Alpha. But during a mission to hunt down rebel wolves, Uriel is tragically killed. His body is never recovered. With his death, his bloodline ends. The news devastates the matriarch. She weeps before the altar, crying that this is punishment for the Silverplume family. With Uriel gone and no heir left behind, one of the family's two remaining pureblood lines is now severed. The future of their legacy hangs by a thread. Three days later, the matriarch summons Carlin and Johanna to the council hall. Before the gathered elders and priests, she solemnly proposes a solution. "Carlin shares the same blood and bone as Uriel... In the name of our ancestral spirits, I ask that Carlin form a breeding pact with Allison to fulfill Uriel's unfinished duty." Johanna's hands clench tightly. She turns to look at Carlin. In that moment, she doesn't know whether she's still his Luna or just a sacrifice offered up to preserve the family's bloodline.

As my murderer's claws tear into my abdomen inch by inch, my father and brother are seated in our family's banquet hall. They're celebrating Carly's 18th birthday and coming-of-age. "You'll always be my little girl." "Happy birthday, Carly." They light 18 pink candles for her. On top of the exquisite red velvet cake is a wolf figurine that they carved for her, and there are well wishes and laughter all around. Meanwhile, I'm curled up in a sewer filled with liquid silver as I bleed to death. My phone has been crushed, and I can't get out. I can only cry for help. A few days later, my father and brother show up together at the autopsy room. My brother stands by the operating table with a scalpel. He slices open the body and sews it back up like it's nothing. My father just covers his nose as he shoots a disgusted glance at my body. He urges my brother to hurry up with the autopsy report. "The victim is a young female wolf presumed to be of pure lineage. Before her death, she was subjected to prolonged captivity and torture. Her throat is nearly severed, her cervical spine is dislocated, and her chest cavity has collapsed. She was also injected with liquid silver before death." Hearing the report, my father looks so calm that it's just like a case study of no consequence. Neither of them can recognize that the body belongs to me—their daughter and sister!

📖 Full Synopsis (Professional, 30-Chapter Summary) In a realm where the abyss bleeds whispers into men’s hearts, Aria, a gifted warrior bound to light, finds herself tethered to Lucien, a man scarred by an ancient mark. Their alliance begins in unease but quickly deepens into fragile trust, even as shadows stir within him. As armies clash and kingdoms fracture, Rowan, the enigmatic elder, and Kael, a fierce commander, fight to keep their ranks united. Yet Lucien’s mark grows restless, seeding betrayal, suspicion, and fear. Aria stands at his side, convinced that his humanity can be preserved, while others believe the abyss has already claimed him. The march to war spirals. Battles scar the land, alliances fray, and Lucien’s struggle becomes the fulcrum of fate. In the Breaking Storm, shadow and flame engulf the battlefield. Lucien teeters on the edge of becoming a weapon of the abyss. Aria refuses to yield, her voice anchoring him even as his blade rises against her. Kael’s blood is spilled in defiance, Rowan binds the storm in desperate runes, and Aria steps into the abyss itself, whispering her vow. In the climax, Lucien shatters his own blade, breaking free from the darkness—but not without scars. The storm collapses, leaving silence in its wake. In the aftermath, enemies bury their dead side by side. Kael rebuilds broken ranks, Rowan warns that the abyss never releases its scars, and Aria tends to Lucien’s healing—both body and soul. Though the mark lingers faintly beneath his skin, her vow holds stronger: never again will the abyss take him. The book closes on dawn: the storm passed, the stars returned, and two hands held fast against the dark.

"I can do anything for you please don't do this." Her voice trembling now as she taps a finger on her lap. "Fine,"  I said, looking at her. Her jaw drops. She couldn't believe it. Then I give her the kicker before she gets ahead of herself. "Only if your body doesn't respond to my magical touch." My voice is calm and full of confidence. ****** Dove Baldini’s life takes a devastating turn when her gambling-addicted father sells her to the mafia to settle a debt. Kidnapped by Ricco Morretti the city’s most feared crime boss she’s thrust into a world where obedience is demanded, and defiance comes at a price. But Dove isn’t one to break easily. As she fights for survival, Ricco finds himself drawn to her fire, even as her father’s past betrayal threatens to destroy them both. In a world ruled by blood and power, Dove must choose between escape and the unexpected pull of a man she should fear who's touch is as deadly as his ruthlessness.

On the surface, Aurora Steele lived every woman’s dream, married to the powerful Xavier Steele, mother to a beautiful daughter, her life seemed perfect. But behind closed doors, warmth turned to cold distance, and shadows crept into her home. Her twin sister, Lilith, returned with a son who carried Xavier’s eyes, weaving herself into their lives until Aurora’s world shattered. Poison claimed her daughter. Betrayal silenced her pleas. And just when Aurora thought she had found the cure, death struck her down. But fate was not done with her. Reborn one year earlier before everything went to hell, Aurora steels her heart. No longer the loving wife waiting for scraps of affection, she vows to protect her daughter and expose the lies that once destroyed her. Bound by a contract marriage for one final year, she hides her pain behind a calm smile, even as Xavier grows unsettled by the woman he thought he knew. This time, the betrayed wife will not beg. This time, the forsaken mother will not forgive. And this time, the sister who stole everything… will pay it all back in blood.

One day, after getting rear-ended outside my office, I, Maeve Dahlman, call out for help, but Austin Cooper, who is simply passing by with Carmen Holt, merely glances at me impatiently, annoyed that I've disrupted their lunch plans. Instead of helping, he has his assistant take me to his private club and lock me in a room, accusing me of being paranoid and dramatic. "I'll give you three days to calm down," he says before walking away and leaving me in isolation. Eventually, I escape and call the police. An ambulance rushes me to the hospital, where doctors diagnose me with a brain injury that requires immediate surgery. I keep calling Austin, only to realize that he has blocked my number. Then, I see Carmen's latest post online, gushing about a romantic luxurious dinner with him. After I'm discharged, I cancel the wedding, destroy all the invitations, and finally call my mother. "Mom," I say, "I've made up my mind. I'm ready to meet him."

"Dean, calm down." she said softly. "Calm down? The day I find you, you have a human boyfriend and almost reject me. They you're kidnapped that night, then your brother and I track you only to find that you are running from us. We finally find you to see you kissing some other dude that you just met. Sure, I'll calm down as soon as you have MY mark on your neck and your screaming my name in OUR bed!" I snarled as I leaned closer to her. Willow is happy in her unusual pack. She's the Alpha's daughter with a protective brother, a loving family, great friends and a loving human boyfriend. She decided long ago not to look for her mate. She was satisfied with her life and more importantly, she was safe. Willow is a rare type of wolf and her family and pack protect her secret from the rest of the werewolf world. If others found out what she is, they would never stop hunting her and no pack would be safe with her in it.Everything changes when Alpha to be Dean comes to visit. Of course, he's her mate and of course, drama follows.His pack is known to be ruthless, heartless even.Just when things start to look up for the couple, her secret is slipped and Willow must make choices that she never wanted to.

"I'm a mess, trying to fix what I became and for your own good maybe you should walk away." — Zayn Cole Santiago. On the surface Zayn Santiago has everything. A powerful name, a prestigious law degree within reach and a father who runs the country's most influential firm. But beneath the surface is a man held together by anger and adrenaline, spending his nights in underground fighting rings and illegal street races, chasing the only feeling that drowns out the silence his mother left behind when she took her life. By day he's the son of the prospective president. By night he's a completely different kind of dangerous. He bleeds for fun and calls it living. Aliya Martinez is a 21-year-old pre-law student with an ambition to become one of the best lawyers in the world. She’s the calm to his storm, The light to his darkness, The peace he never knew he needed, And the perfection in his ruin. Like fire and gasoline, they were never supposed to cross paths, but one night was all it took to turn everything upside down. When Zayn saves a drunk girl from a club, he thinks that’s the end of it—until a photograph surfaces of him carrying an unconscious girl into his penthouse at 2 a.m. With his father, Eduardo Santiago, running for the presidency, the scandal threatens everything. The solution is simple. An arranged engagement between Zayn and the girl. For two years. What starts as a fake relationship turns into something far more complicated as real feelings surface and buried secrets threaten to destroy everything they’ve built. Some secrets don't stay buried. Some feelings don't stay fake. Some pasts should never collide. But some ruins are far too beautiful to walk away from.