Carpathian Mountains

On a stormy night during the apocalypse, my own mother threw me out of the house while I was burning with fever, along with my husky, so my little brother would have a better chance of surviving. She shouted through the crack in the door, “Take that useless mutt and go die somewhere. Stop wasting your brother’s food!” I huddled in a pile of trash with my dog in my arms, convinced I was going to die. Then my husky suddenly spoke. “Host’s vital signs critically low. Infinite Supply Search System activated.” “Supermarket warehouse one hundred meters ahead. Three thousand freeze-dried meals detected.” “Pharmacy five hundred meters to the left. Five hundred boxes of antibiotics detected.” Three days later, I’d built a fortress with packs of dogs and mountains of supplies. I sat inside eating steak and watching the show. Outside the barbed wire, my mother and brother were on their knees, fighting each other over half a piece of moldy bread. I smiled. “Mom, even dogs wouldn’t eat that. Better savor it.”

When Prince Aric returns to his kingdom, he discovers that his betrothed, Lady Danika, is plotting to usurp the throne from his mother, Queen Eira, who is seriously ill. Aric sets out on a perilous quest to locate the fabled Sapphire Crown, a potent artifact that is said to have the power to heal any disease, in an effort to save his mother and defend his realm. Aric battles dangerous jungles, abrasive mountains, and deadly traps in the remains of the Sapphire City with the help of the fearsome warrior Kaida. As they proceed, they come across Lady Danika's own group of warriors looking for the Crown, heightening the urgency of their quest. Aric and Kaida place their developing romance on hold in order to concentrate on their mission as they get closer to the Sapphire Crown. However, they discover their feelings for one another are stronger than they had anticipated when they eventually find the Crown and use it to heal Queen Eira. However, it is impossible to ignore Lady Danika's treachery, and Aric swears to find her and bring her to justice. Will Aric and Kaida be successful in prosecuting Lady Danika and defending their realm from harm? Learn the answer in this heart-pounding story of adventure, passion, and betrayal.

Even though I've been with Eric Blackclaw, the heir to the Alpha title, for three years, he's still unwilling to mark me. Later, he falls in love at first sight with my stepsister, Layla Talbot. Thus, he begins courting her in a grand manner in the pack. This time, I no longer throw a tantrum, nor do I question Eric like I did before. Instead, I just burn all the gifts he's given me and rip my gown for our marking ceremony into shreds. On Eric's birthday, I leave Northpine Woods on my own. Before I board the private jet bound for another continent, Eric sends me a message via the mind-link. "Avril, why aren't you here yet? Everyone's waiting for you." I don't respond to Eric at all. This time, I just sever my mind-link with Eric. What he doesn't know is that I've already accepted Alpha Marcus Howler's mating proposal to me half a month ago. Once the private jet lands in the new territory located in Frosthill Mountains, Marcus and I will become mates with the Moon Goddess as our witness.

Sharon McKinzie's husband's first love was dying. He often said to Sharon, "Sharon, Kelly doesn't have much time left. Don't be petty and hold things against her." To make up for the regrets of his past, he traveled with Kelly—through mountains and rivers, beneath starlit skies and over distant seas. He even handed over the wedding they had planned—his and Sharon's—to Kelly Walt, without shame or hesitation. Even their five-year-old son clung to Kelly. "Mommy isn't even half as pretty as Kelly," he said. "Kelly's pretty. Why can't Kelly be my mommy?" Sharon decided to grant them their wish. She left behind the divorce papers and walked away without a word. Later, her ex-husband and son knelt before her—her ex-husband full of regret, her son's cheeks streaked with tears. "Honey… please come back to us." "Mommy… do you really not want us anymore?" Just then, a handsome man wrapped his arm around Sharon's waist. "There you are, honey," he said gently. "Our son's still at home, waiting for you to feed him."

On the day my boyfriend and I moved into our new home, his ex-girlfriend gave us a mysterious gift. The moment I opened the front door, a swarm of hornets came flying out. I screamed in fright as I felt seven or eight stings from them. His ex, Erica Loft, jumped out from behind the door with a giggle. She shouted, "Surprise! "I went up the mountains to visit a master craftsman. I wanted to get you this specially brewed hornet wine, and I even brought back a hornet's nest for you to decorate your new house with! "Isn't this a great gift?" Erica made a face at us. She was gleeful at the messy predicament I was in. My boyfriend, Joe Fulham, clenched his teeth. He rushed forward to grab Erica by the wrist as he shouted angrily at her. "Are you crazy? Don't you know that hornets are venomous?! Is this really a surprise, or are you trying to hurt us?" I listened to another one of their huge arguments from behind the door, feeling like an outsider in my own relationship. As I felt the stinging pain in my arm, I knew this wedding was about to fall through.

I had been diagnosed with a structural abnormality. The doctor had told me my condition was extremely rare, the kind that had no cure. It was not exactly dangerous. I was just… different from other men in that regard. More intense. Far beyond normal. It had been a constant problem. Every time I brought a woman home, things fell apart the moment clothes started coming off. One look at me, and they panicked and ran like they had seen something they could not handle. My good buddy Gavin Cobb knew how long I had been going without, and he finally decided to help. He told me about a cycling club and suggested I check it out. At first, I did not take it seriously. Riding bikes? What was supposed to be exciting about that? Then he said, "You're underestimating it. The club was full of women. You'd ride up into the mountains at night, and once it was dark, no one could see anything. That was your opportunity. Make them feel good, and they wouldn't push you away. After that, your life would be easy." The idea got to me immediately. I did not think twice. I agreed on the spot.

Crystal is a dragon queen and the Guardian of the portals to other realms. She has been forced by her duties to protect this world to leave her mate behind. Finding him in prison, she had no choice to complete the mate bond and then she was forced to leave him. She had kept his existence a secret to protect him. Now duty is calling and it is putting her straight in the arms of her mate. Can she finally be the mate he needs or will her duties and the secret she carries destroy them both. Alpha Rook of the Moonfall Mountains pack discovered his mate in the war. Having successfully completed the mating bond he is forced to let her go. He is patient only for her. His family and pack don’t believe he has found his mate as none of them have ever seen her. As he battles the women they are forcing onto him, he is loosing control and wonders if he will ever have his mate by his side again. When her duties bring her back into his arms. He will do everything in his power to keep her by his side forever. But can his family and pack accept that a dragon is his true mate and their Luna or will their differences and the secret she is hiding destroy them as they battle evil that wants to destroy the whole world.

Caked in mud, her eyes bloodshot, my mother grabbed me by the shoulders. "Elliot, the company's collapsed. I… I killed a competitor. It was an accident. There's no way out now. You're the only one who can come with me." I believed her. I swallowed my fear and followed her into the mountains, deeper and deeper until there was nothing left of the world I knew. To keep her alive, I searched for food, forcing down insects, drinking whatever murky water I could find. When a pack of wolves began circling our shelter, my first instinct was to step in front of her. "Mom, I'll lead them away. You go." I glanced back at her one last time…and made my choice. I would give up my life for hers. However, when I leapt from the cliff and my body shattered against the rocks below… I still saw her. She was inside a descending helicopter, calm and composed, lifting a glass of champagne. Celebrating. That was when it finally clicked. The desperate escape that had driven me to sacrifice myself… was nothing more than a carefully staged show. She had been acting the entire time. I…was the only one who had actually died.

On the road, I met a woman unlike anyone I had ever seen before. Her name was Janet Smith. She seemed slow and almost childlike, yet she had been wandering alone for two years without ever going home. Even with one leg crippled, she had forced herself to climb the Highveil Mountains. This time, however, she was caught in a blizzard. Injured and stranded, she could no longer make her way down. As her vision blurred and her strength slipped away, tears covered her face. She placed a pair of small handmade clay dolls in my hands. "I'm probably going to die here," she murmured. "Please give these to my adoptive brother, Chester Graham." She was clearly at death's door, yet her smile was soft and unexpectedly serene. "Tell him I've seen enough of the world. I don't love him anymore. And tell him he doesn't need to worry. I'm not so foolish now. I won't cause trouble for anyone again." Chester? At the sound of his name, I stood rooted to the spot. In Riverton City, everyone who worked at the harbor knew him, the so-called Ship King. Right before I left for the mountains, news of his engagement had been everywhere.

Aria could never imagine herself walking down the aisle, flashing a smile, and wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. Never had ever crossed her mind to get married. She's sure and knew it better than anyone. As cliché as it is, Aria's meant to marry the son of her mother's best friend, Ashton. Aside from the fear of commitment, she also doesn't want to be with someone she doesn't even love. After all, she is just a woman who never experienced true love before. Months passed when the preparation for her wedding came. She met Easton, a famous fashion designer in the Philippines. As Easton was taking measures for her gown, he accidentally clasped her two little mountains resulting for Aria to act instinctively and greeting him with a powerful uppercut that made his nose bleed with ketchup. There's no doubt that their expected first encounter was a total disaster. The day of her wedding came, and she finally decided to run away before she could even set foot in the sacred church and taint her soul. At that time, all that she could think of was to run and before she knew it, she finally arrived at her desired destination. . . unknowingly at Easton's wounded heart.