Chapter 53 Great Expectations

Isabella was a promising young girl, but after a tragic accident claimed her father's life, she was never the same. Leaving behind her small town and its haunting memories, she set out on a quest for a fresh start. Along the way, Isabella made new friends and landed an unexpected job as a dancer. However, her path soon crossed with a ruthless Mafia, an encounter that would change her life forever. Xander Diaz, better known as Draco, is a feared Mafia boss who controls the city with an iron fist, accustomed to getting everything he desires. But when he meets Isabella, a captivating dancer who defies all his expectations, he realizes he must have her at any cost.

What exactly does it mean to be his bride? *** Every year, in each of the seven villages that made up the great Kingdom of Ignas, a Choosing Ritual was conducted. During this Chosing Ritual, one of the ladies in the village would be chosen to be the dreaded Dragon King's Bride. No one knew exactly why the ritual was being performed every year or what happened to the brides that had been chosen in the past. Was he turning them into slaves? Feeding them to his dragon? Or was he... feeding on them? That couldn't be ruled out. After all, there were rumours that the king wasn't like them, that he wasn't human. Yet the question relentlessly troubled the people's heart. What was he using them for?! But they dared not question the King, afraid of what fate daring to go against him would be. Anyways, none of these was Belladonna's business. Although it was her village's turn to produce a bride this year, she was certain she wouldn't get chosen. Why? Well, because she had a plan and she was absolutely certain it wouldn't fail her... or would it?

‘MATE,’ my wolf Jax bellowed when he first saw the 10-year-old girl hiding behind my Beta's legs. I couldn't believe my ears, I'm most certainly no pervert, but how could a pup be my mate? But Jax was determined. Little Mercedes of the Silver Moon pack is the little Luna of our pack. After Alpha Zane of Midnight Moon convinced her parents and the Alpha of Silver Moon that little Mercedes was his fated mate, they were allowed to meet in each other's packs. But he knows he can't claim Mercedes until she's eighteen, and she recognizes him as her mate as well. The two grow a close platonic bond, are inseparable until the Alpha's jealous son falls in love with the beautiful Mercedes. Glary goes to great lengths to seduce Mercedes, even promising to make her his Luna. Alpha Ahri teams up with his son and forbids the couple from seeing each other anymore. To make matters worse, they falsely accuse Mercedes' father, the Beta of Silver Moon, of fraud and treason and sentence him to death. Mercedes must then choose: mate with the Alpha's son, Glary, or have her father executed. But then it turns out that Silver Moon has seriously underestimated Alpha Zane....

From dodging airborne slot machines to an unplanned swim in the fountain of a luxury hotel, it's safe to say that a trip to Las Vegas doesn't go as Carrie Blair had planned it to. A part-time teacher by day and an artist by night, Carrie thought that a fun, relaxing weekend in Vegas with her best friend was exactly what the two of them needed to unwind. Instead, her presence in the city of lights attracts the attention of a rival Alpha. Luca Ronan thunders into Carrie's life with plenty of demands and expectations of his new mate. Unfortunately for him, Carrie isn't one to fold under pressure-even when it's applied by the most intimidating Alpha in the country. Stubborn and determined, Carrie puts as much space between her and Luca as she can. But how long can she remain ill-willed against the charm and passion that comes with the formidable Alpha she has been destined to love?

I fucked the daughter of my best buddy. Now I have to safeguard her. Skye needs to learn how to swim in my infinity pool. That sounds like a great deal. And I know precisely what my malicious purpose is. Take her in the water with my hands on her curves. I know it's terrible, but she's as desperate as I am. Our affair will be our little secret. My former business partner, on the other hand, is out for vengeance. He's threatening to go public and reveal our identities. It'll wreck us both. So I'll be one step ahead of him. I'll protect her... even if it means marrying her.

*Book 2* Mei Liu learned suffering from an early age. After experiencing great loss, she spent years enduring abuse at the hands of a sadistic pack of wolves, while hiding her identity. All until the day she was saved by her fated soulmate arriving at her doorstep. Mei was finally free, loved and accepted, with her happily ever after on the horizon. But an unknown enemy has been searching for her and once he finds her he has no intentions of letting her go. Dark secrets will be revealed, and she will be pushed beyond her limits. Can she rise up and fight back and become the strong woman she was destined to be? Or will it all be too much for her to handle? A Queen Among Snakes is the second book in the Queen Among series. Each story is set up in the previous book, so reading the books in order is recommended. Here are the books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7

Xiao Chen was once an abandoned disciple of an Immortals’ sect after being framed up by people. Thousands of years later, he was reborn, only to seek all that remained, to find his master, and to cultivate again. However, he was involved in a battle of the six realms from the Annihilation Times without knowing it.After his rebirth in the Human World, he was a loser who could not even cultivate. He was mocked and lived a miserable life. When a cultivator happened to pass by his home, he managed to fight against his fate and started his life as a cultivator.He was once banished by the gods, and his soul was sealed. Now, with an invincible Divine Soul, he stirred things up in the world, obtained the great fortune of heaven and earth, and commanded the power of life and death. He dominated the nine realms and the gods held him in awe.How powerful was his Fuxi Zither? Would he ascend to Heaven and become an Immortal? Would he find his master and solve all those mysteries? Let’s take the journey with Xiao Chen and enjoy a wonderful, dangerous adventure!

Passionate hatred can bring great meaning into an empty life. While trying to get her life back on track as a bartender after being released from prison, Samantha Logan is saddled with the responsibility of her father's irresponsibility. She must take the fall for his actions if she wants him to live.. They say the sins of the father shall be bestowed upon the children.. She got sold to a ruthless and cold blooded Mafia boss who doesn't think twice before killing anyone and became his play thing and would do anything and everything to stay alive...

Jackson is an heir to the fortune built on the suffering of enslaved werewolves. Angry at the injustice of it all, he has no choice but to play along with his father's wishes and bend to the society's pressure. Until one day he is ordered to purchase a werewolf 'worthy of standing by his side' at the market. So, maybe he obeyed his father's wishes, but to him it's the first step in his one-man rebellion, a spark that will kindle the flames, when he chooses a werewolf who is needier than the rest. Now Jackson must stoke those flames, while nurturing the traumatized wolf to health, before the world crushes his soul for good. Check out the artwork from chapter ‘Date’ on my Instagram (willowwrites1994) here - https://www.instagram.com/p/CIgP2PQFF8W/

Rebecca was finally ready to start her life. She had just graduated from college, had a great at the hospital in the city, and a gorgeous apartment that was across the hall from her best friends. Everything was falling into place. When she goes out to celebrate and ends up drunker than she ever had been before, she is saved by the handsome and extremely Vincent, son of the Capo, who takes her home. What will happen when she wakes up alone the next day? Will this be the typical one-night stand?