Caressing Cheek

“Noo!!! This can't be happening!!” I screamed silently, my eyes shut tight, praying that the nightmare would dissipate when I opened them. But the cruel reality remained. Asher, my husband, held Theresa, my best friend, in his arms, his hands tenderly caressing her swollen belly. I felt my world shattering, my mind reeling in shock. Minutes ticked by like an eternity as I lay there, unconscious, but Asher's concern wasn't for me – it was for his unborn child. The word "barren" still echoed in my mind, a painful reminder of how he saw me. I had been blind to his desperation for a child, oblivious to the fact that I was just a means to an end. As I struggled to stand, my body felt weak, my mind racing with the betrayal. The memories of our three-year relationship, the two and a half years of supposed love, and the six months of deceit flooded my mind. It was too cruel to be true. * Alexandra's perfect life crumbles when she catches her husband, Asher, cheating on her with her best friend, Theresa. Labeled as barren and discarded, she later discovers she's pregnant – but Asher refuses to believe her. Seeking refuge with her parents, she faces heartbreak when her baby dies. Years later, Alexandra rebuilds her life, unknowingly falling for Asher's rival, Ethan Blackwood. But just as things start to look up, dark secrets begin to surface, threatening to destroy her newfound happiness.

“You’re trembling, Zarelia,” he murmured, his breath fanning my face. I hate this—how my body reacted to this monster. “I’m not. I hate you!” “Hate?” He chuckled, his eyes caressing my body. “You say one thing and your body says another.” My breath hitched. “You’re crazy.” “For your body? Yes, Zarelia. I am.” ~ ~ ~ What's worse than being branded as an adulteress, rejected by your mate and stripped of your title as Luna? Death? Wrong answer. Worse is being offered as a tribute to HIM. Kaelric Ashvyr Greythorne III The King of Alphas. A monster feared by all and hated by many. No one dared cross his path. Many hadn't seen his face but there were rumors. Some said he was half-human, half-beast. Others say he was the devil himself, with horns, and fangs long enough to drain an elephant in seconds. He'd killed an army of rebels by himself. Captured the Orc King himself… They say his immense strength and dark powers comes from the heart of people he eats every fortnight. Others say it is from eating the virgin womb of young maidens. I want nothing to do with him. I'd rather die. But my life was no longer in my hands. I must submit to survive this demon king. Only… submitting isn't easy. Not when he HATES the very sight of me. The feeling is mutual. And yet, behind those cold, hateful eyes… is a secret I was never meant to find out.

"I despise you as much as I love you," Raphael confessed to Winter, his voice laced with bitterness and tenderness all at once. "This connection between us is both a blessing and a curse. It torments us both. Don't you think?" Winter asked him. "That's what I regret. I could not kill you that night because you are my mate," Raphael affirmed. He approached her in a blink of an eye and gripped her throat. "Winter, why are you the daughter of my enemy?" Raphael growled, his head ducked to bury in her neck. He kissed her followed by a lick, which made Winter's knees go weak. "Shall we mate?" Raphael murmured, his breath caressing her ear, igniting a sensual response within Winter. The conflict between their hatred and desire blurred as the allure of their fate became undeniable. ~~~~~~~ Winter, the Princess of the Uriel Kingdom, had endured a lifetime of torment and lacked the love she deserved. However, her life took an unexpected turn when she discovered Raphael Kingston as her mate on her 18th birthday. She hoped that this newfound connection would bring an end to her suffering, but fate had other plans. Raphael, the lone survivor of his pack, had always sought vengeance against the King and his daughter. However, his purpose faltered when he realized Winter was his destined mate. The battle between his hatred and love for her led him to imprison Winter, torn between the desire to protect her and the weight of his animosity. Thus, began a tale of Hate to Love!

Seven months pregnant with our heir, I was on the front lines, fighting for my Alpha mate, Ethan. I’d just secured a thirty-million-dollar territory for our pack and rushed home, eager to surprise him with the news. But as I neared the council room, the broken sobs of his adopted sister, Tessa, stopped me cold. "A low-born Silver Wolf like Sophia... she's not worthy of being our pack's Luna." "Ethan, we're the ones who are fated to be together. Mark me... please?" My blood ran cold. I expected Ethan to shove her away, to defend my honor. Instead, he caressed her cheek, his voice a soft, gentle murmur that cut me deeper than any blade. "Just give me a little more time, Tessa. On the next blood moon, I'll sever my bond with Sophia." My world shattered. I fled, only to be cornered and brutally murdered by Tessa. She framed my death as an attack by a rogue wolf before tossing my body from a cliff. It wasn’t until the news of my death reached him that Ethan finally broke. He fell to his knees at the edge of that same cliff, his agonized howl echoing into the night. "Sophia… I was wrong. Please, just come back to me."

"You should be scared," I whispered, brushing my fingertips along her spine, slow and teasing, then down over the swell of her ass. My palm lingered, gripping one cheek possessively. "Because you've just given yourself to the devil." I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear. “And the devil? He doesn’t believe in mercy." .... I should have known better than to sign his contract. My new husband was never meant to be real. He was supposed to be a name on paper, a shield against the vultures circling my late husband's empire. An arrangement with an expiration date. But Killian Cross doesn't let go. He's ruthless, obsessive, and dangerously possessive. The kind of man who doesn't just own his empire. He owns everything in his grasp. And now, that includes me. I thought I could play his game and walk away unscathed. I was wrong. Because my contract husband has made one thing clear. I belong to him now. But what happens when the shadows surrounding him become my prison? What if love isn’t enough for the hell awaiting us? Will I be able to save him when he needs me? Or will we both drown in the raging tempest?

The rivalry between the vampires and the werewolves was long overdue. This all started when Hailey Lockwood, the only heir to the Moonshade clan, had an encounter with the only bloodsucker, Jace Liester. At the ages of 4 and 5, both got into a fight, leading both sides to retaliate to save their children, but this was all saved by witches. A treaty was made, and all sides went to rest on their own side. The children grew to be the most intelligent and strong supernatural beings and the war was long over. But the vampire queen had other plans. She could not forget what the Moonshade Clan’s only heir did to her son. A scar right across his cheek made his gaze weaker. Althea Liester waits till the time is right and sends her son to a boarding school for supernatural beings, where, surprisingly, Hailey Lockwood is studying, too. Taking advantage, Althea guides Jace to cause her pain and torture and finally bring her son justice. Does Jace get everything in him to do what his mother wants? Will Jace be able to suppress his feelings and break Hailey’s heart? Leaving her at her worst and making sure she doesn’t ‘feel’ what Love is? Or will he do the exact opposite of what his mother’s asking him to do?

London was from a pack that was killed by an enemy pack. She was only seventeen when it happened. She was the only one to escape except for a small boy named Aaron. London rescues Aaron and runs from the scene of the corpses of her pack. She lives peacefully with Aaron as rogues before she stumbles into another pack's territory. Both London and Aaron are taken to the alpha of the pack. But once London and Alpha Mason meet, they realize they have found their mate. But it will be difficult to care for Aaron who is not Alpha Mason's blood. Can London be a good Luna? SNEAK PEAK "Don't you touch my pup." I snarled. "Your pup? I don't think so." The alpha chuckled. I growled and faced this alpha. Once I saw his face, I lost my breath and my words. I heard pounding footsteps behind me but I couldn't tear my eyes away. A hand wrapped around my chin and head, about to snap my neck but the alpha roared. The man who had my head stopped. "Take your hands off her. Now." He growled, making his way toward me. The man immediately removed his hands. He glared at the man as he made his way to me. "Beautiful. He whispered, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

"But all these scars, they will always remind you of the beast that I am." He said in a hushed tones, caressing the scars on her face. "Not when they can be turned into beautiful scars." Her response echoed with confusion and incredulity to him. How could all the pain he had inflicted on her turn into something good? A broken and desperate, depressed Billionaire, and the poorest of all naive girl who just lost everything in a blink of an eye, and her mother just traded her like a piece of trash. They are to be bound together by a contract as husband and wife for just five months. Everything seems to be under control, until one night of total madness that complicates everything. She had done and sacrificed so much for him, asking nothing in return or ever complaining. In return, he asked for one night to treat her like the loving wife she is supposed to be. One night they surrendered and lost their souls to each other, marking the beginning of their unquenchable thirsts for each other. In the short run, a bond is formed. What happens if the two of them break the major rule of the contract? Who will bear the blame? What's the punishment for such an offense? When feelings arise, can they embrace them? But what happens when his real love returns? His crush. His first love. The one he once went insane for. She doesn't return empty-handed. She is seven months pregnant with the son he thought she lost. What will he do? Wait... His passionate nights with his contract wife bore fruits too. She is expecting his child. Will he marry both of them, or who will he choose?

The first thing the fake heiress did when she saw me was imitate me. I loved fishtail dresses. Hence, she immediately bought all the fishtail dresses in the city. I loved roses. Thus, she made the entire rose garden hers. I thought she was only jealous that my family had brought me home. Unexpectedly, my elder brother mistook her for me when he saw her from the back when she was wearing a fishtail dress. He gave me forty-nine lashes as punishment that night. She was carrying roses in her arms when my father saw her cheek and mistook her for me. Then, my father immediately drove me out of the house. Before I could investigate the matter, I died of acute renal failure. After my death, I saw her marry my fiance with my family’s blessing. She made a remark on the night of her wedding. “System, I’ve got to thank you for letting me change people’s memories. As long as others mistake me for her, I can casually change their memories.” Enlightenment gripped me, but it was too late. It did not occur to me that I would return to the moment when she had just purchased the fishtail dresses.

"Why do you keep appearing before me then?" Kenzie shouted, a tear rolled down her left cheek and she sniffled. "Why are you acting hot and cold? You keep confusing me with your actions!" She clenched her fists beside her and continued through gritted teeth, "Why do you keep making my heart waver? Do I love you or do I hate you?" She asked in between sobs. Killian didn't respond but turned and walked out of the building."I'll hate you then." She mumbled then stood up. She walked over to her desk and removed the flashdrive from the computer on her desk. "And I have to be the spy again." ***** Within the werewolves, there's commandments they must follow to keep their identity and one of the commandments is 'Any werewolf that discovers that he has a human mate must immediately reject him/her, this is the pack's law to keep humans away and their secret safe.' But Killian is an Alpha with not only a human mate but with the dangerous hound bloodline that can cause doom for both the werewolves and humans. What will Alpha Killian do with his dangerous and forbidden love? And what will he do once he realized the mysterious beastly murders in town might be his doing, will he keep his mate or let her go to protect her.