Carefully Picked

My seven-year-old daughter stole my carefully crafted The Mystical Bracelet, just to help my husband's childhood friend win an award at the Milaney Jewelry Exhibition. I exposed her in front of everyone, but my husband accused me of falsely accusing her. ''You're just a country woman. How could you possibly make such an expensive piece like The Mystical Bracelet?'' The daughter I had cherished for years looked at me with contempt. ''You're so cruel, not even close to Ms. Elaine in any way.'' They let countless malicious words drown me, and in the process, all my feelings for them—the father and daughter—were completely erased. I left without hesitation, my heart calm and unshaken. From then on, there was no more Mrs. Shaw in Capital City—only Becca, the Pearl Diver.

The Vale family was the most powerful mafia syndicate in the New York City. And I—along with a few other carefully chosen girls—had been handpicked to join their ranks, trained from the ground up so that the next head of the family could choose his wife from among us. Wife. That was the kinder word for it. The truth was whoever got picked would become his shield, his weapon, his most loyal protector. Someone who would kill for him. Die for him. Years passed. One by one, the others fell away. In the end, only Elara Quinn and I remained. And then, Elara died—killed on a secret mission. After that, there were no more choices left. I became Adrian Vale’s wife by default. I had given everything to Adrian. And I loved him. I thought he loved me too until I took a bullet to the chest—meant for him. As I lay there, barely breathing, I heard Adrian talking to his assistant, “Don’t bury her in the Vale cemetery. My half is reserved for Elara.” That was it. Elara—who had never even lived long enough to marry him—still had a space carved beside him in death. I? I had taken the hit that should have ended him… and yet I wasn’t even good enough to be buried near him. I slowly closed my eyes. And when I opened them again, I was back on the day the Vale family formally announced Adrian as their new head. The day everything began.

Summer’s RoadMy name is Ian Memmer, and I've been keeping something from my best friend Summer Quinn for years. I'm in love with her. She breaks my heart over and over, day after day, but I love her. We grew up next door to one another. She's kind and beautifully broken, and she has no idea how I feel. Because of her depression, and since she never showed any signs she felt the same, I've kept silent. Tormented. Wanting her. Becoming the playboy everyone views. I'm her rock. She needs me. I fear she's keeping secrets from me, too. Then a passionate moment between us changes everything, gives me hope. Yet the guy she's been dating wants to take their relationship to the next level.Winter’s PathMy name is Matt Holcomb, and I'm the good guy. The boy next door. I'm the safe bet and I always do the right thing. Then one night two years ago, I made a terrible mistake that caused irreparable damage, and the guilt is killing me. If I'm ever to make the leap and find love again, the woman would have to be perfect. She can't disrupt my carefully constructed control. I met my best friend Jenny Winter as a teenager and have loved her ever since. She's gorgeous and talented. Her voice could make angels weep. Yet she chose someone else and I swore I'd never fall for her again. Until something happens between us and passion ignites.Seasmoke Friends is created by Kelly Moran, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

At the Mating Ceremony, my mate Alexander rejected our mate bond in front of the entire pack, then turned around and marked Sarah instead. While I endured the excruciating pain of rejection and the pack's vicious gossip, Alexander's brother Ethan walked into our ceremonial grounds. He presented me with nine hundred and ninety-nine Moonflowers, confessing he had secretly loved me for years. His wolf had recognized me as his mate, and he'd dreamed of making me his. I was shocked to discover he was my second chance mate, and touched that he saved me from humiliation. I immediately nodded in agreement. Five years into our marriage, I had miscarried five times, and had finally managed to conceive again. Ethan held me carefully, spinning me around with joy, promising to take good care of me and the baby, even if it cost him his life. Four months into my pregnancy, I overheard him talking with the pack healer: "Alpha Ethan, just like the previous five times, the miscarriage drugs have been added to your wife's pregnancy supplements." "I don't understand. Sarah was able to bear your child, so why not your wife?" Ethan laughed bitterly: "Only those who produce an heir can inherit the Alpha position. Alexander is infertile, and I want Sarah to fulfill her wish of becoming the pack's Alpha Female." Alexander and Ethan were the children of our pack's Alpha. The Alpha had declared that whoever produced an heir first would become the next Alpha of the pack. All those passionate vows and promises were nothing but lies. The brothers, Alexander and Ethan, both loved Sarah. If that was how things stood, I would leave. I returned to our bedroom and secretly took out my phone, dialing a number I thought I would never contact again: "I agree to return and inherit the Shadow Pack. But I need you to do me a favor."

She has always been in love with him. He has always been in love with her. They always thought that they will always be together. Forever. Then an unexpected accident separated them forever. And the hands of fate once again reconnected them. But she couldn't remember him. While he remembers everything about her. Will she find him once again in her heart to remember him? Shane Anderson just proposed to his girlfriend Katarina Sebastian inside Central Park when a female stranger happened to pass by, dropped something on the pavement, picked it up, and turned to look at him. Enara. He was caught transfixed by the sight looking back at him. She looked like Enara-his childhood friend back when he was still in Lunara City of the Moon-before he disappeared there and fell from the sky twenty years ago and landed himself in New York City. Rana Fielders. As far as anyone knows she's just like any regular New Yorker working in the city managing her A&V Shop selling antiques and vintages. Except she doesn't remember anything before she was eighteen. Then, she crosses the path of a golden hair stranger calling him Enara. Do they know each other? Because clearly, she doesn't. But he might just know how to unlock her past.

The fifth time we went to the courthouse, James Ceasar and I still weren’t officially married. We had picked a good day for it, but right before it was our turn, he got a call and rushed off in a hurry. With my eyes turning red, I pointed at the screen showing the waiting numbers, trying to stop him. “We're next. It won't take more than ten minutes. We can get it done fast. Once we’re officially married, you can go and deal with whatever’s so urgent. It won’t take long.” James was the CEO of his company, so he had full control over his schedule. That was why I said it like that, not thinking it would be a big deal. However, he just glanced at the screen, handed me the ticket with our number on it, and looked annoyed. “I can marry you anytime,” he said. “But right now, I’ve got something I need to take care of. Don’t make a fuss.”

Rune Leeder has been demoted to a servant since her father was declared a traitor. Her family was taken away from her, and she has to suffer constant bullying from other pack members. She’s sure she’ll live her life like that until she takes her last breath, but the Moon Goddess has something in store for her. Alpha Kane is the most feared Alpha in all the packs; he’s strict, ruthless, and far from happy that his mate is a servant who was demoted for her family’s involvement in treason. He swears she won’t be the Luna of the pack as it poses a threat should her father come out of hiding and decide to destroy the pack his ancestors arrived to build, but he can’t get her out of his mind, neither can he keep his hands to himself when she’s close. **** “Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?” Huskiness lingered in his tone. Zarah growled, and I picked up a faint musky scent, earthy and masculine, that became stronger with each passing second. Alpha Kane smirked. Zarah growled again, this time louder. I sniffed and unconsciously pulled Alpha Kane closer to me. The scent rolled off him effortlessly. I shut my eyes and buried my nose in the crook of his neck, sniffing uncontrollably as though my body had a mind of its own. It did. “MATE,” Zarah growled, and my eyes flew open. “Alright, that’s enough,” Alpha Kane peeled my hands off him, an amused smile on his lips.

Elena stifled a smile, but he already saw her mouth start to curve upwards and he grinned at her. She ignored him. "I'm serious, Chandler." His smile was instantaneous. "Noted." She licked her lips. Her eyes were wide and nervous, and she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "And you can't me." Chandler tilted his head to the side and studied her. Pushing away from the car, he took a step closer to her. She held her ground, lifting her chin at his approach. "What if you ask me to you?" he said quietly. "Then can I?" Elena exhaled shakily. "I won't do that." "No?" Carefully, he touched his thumb to the curve of her chin. She shook her head, and his hand fell away. "Maybe you won't," he told her. "But hear me right now, love, I'd love it if you asked me for a ." —------ When Elena Davis decided to move to Vacaville, she had just one thing in mind — to start her business over after she'd failed the first time she tried. It'd be nice to live in the same city as her twin sister, and getting reunited with her university crush, Elijah Kendrick doesn't seem like a bad idea. But fate, however, has its own plans and she finds herself drawn to someone else—his brother, Chandler Kendrick.

Belle Rose has to put up with being told to do things that she doesn't want to do and she doesn't want to marry the man that her parents have picked, Ayers as she wants to marry the man that she wants to be with. Her parents treat her like a 16-year-old girl instead of 22-year-old women and Belle Rose wants to show her parents that she is in charge of her life instead of them. Belle Rose goes on a school trip to Hohenzollern castle as she never has been on a school trip because her parents won't allow her. Belle Rose prays and hopes that Ayers will marry someone else instead of her. She met Prince Willem Maxilion Alfonso Sven of the Netherlands and she risked her own life to save Prince Willem as Luke was about to stab Prince Willem. Prince Willem asks one of the teachers if Belle Rose can stay with him so she can recover from the injury and he was told that Belle Rose can stay with him. However, they have no idea that something huge will happens and Belle Rose knows that she has to do something for Prince Willem.

Desperate to survive from the people whom her dad owed, Entice found herself joining the secret selection ball of silver bloods—the immortal rulers lurking in the dark, dominating the world without most people even knowing. Little did Entice know that as she watched the other girls get picked, someone had already chosen her. Someone way more powerful than those she danced with. Someone she never knew was capable of loving anyone but himself.