Circe By Madeline Miller

My name is Violet. I was the consigliere to the Leon mafia family in New York, and I wrote the rules of this city’s underworld myself. Yet, the man I had kept by my side for ten years, Drake Leon, was now trampling all over them. Ten years was more than enough time for a stray dog to grow into a wolf that can stand on its own. A decade ago, he was hacked to pieces by enemies on the streets of Brooklyn. Covered in blood, he crawled to me like a dying dog. I took him in. I put a gun in his hand. I taught him the rules of the mafia. Step by step, using my position as the Leon mafia family’s consigliere, I groomed him to become the boss of the Manhattan port district. Ten years later, he controlled the most valuable port under the Leon family for me, and for another woman, he framed her in standing grace. When that girl named Lina showed up pregnant, wearing the blue diamond necklace my mother left me, and sat in the seat that was supposed to be mine, I didn’t lose my temper. Instead, I had someone take the pathology report from the hospital, along with the child, seal them in a gift box, and deliver them to Drake’s new estate. Half an hour later, the study door was kicked open. He stormed in, drenched in night rain, carrying the scent of gunpowder. The barrel of his gun pressed straight against my forehead. “Violet.” He stared at me, his eyes bloodshot. “You touch her child, and I’ll make sure you’re buried with her.” I stayed seated by the fireplace. I didn’t move. I simply pushed a document to the center of the table. “Don’t rush into madness.” I looked up at him and continued, “As of fifteen minutes ago, I’ve frozen three warehouses under your name, two shipping routes, and seven offshore accounts.” Only then did his expression finally change. I smiled faintly, my voice soft. “Drake, you seem to have forgotten something. The reason for your accomplishments today isn’t because you know how to pull a trigger. It’s because I allowed you to live.”

"I, Grant Dixon, soon to be Alpha of the Rivermoon Pack, reject you, Astraia, as my mate." The words that shattered Astraia’s world, spoken with cold finality by the man she had loved her entire life, echoed through her heart like a death knell. Far from the pain of rejection, she takes refuge at Stellar University, a neutral zone where both werewolves and humans coexist. But fate has other plans. Astraia’s world collides with Carson, the broody, guarded Alpha of High Crest Pack—the most powerful pack, second only to the royal family. He carries the same scars as she does, a broken past marked by rejection. Will their shared pain draw them together, or will the past continue to haunt them? Astraia must decide if she will embrace her future or let her past control her. And Carson—will he continue to hide from the future that fate has in store, or will he finally allow himself to heal?

Everyone called my sister Alessia a prodigy. I was the only one who knew she was a thief. From the day I moved back into the brownstone, she started taking from me. Quietly. Carefully. My designs. My sketches. My drafts. Everything I created would appear under her name before I even had time to finish it. The family stood behind her. Always. My father, Salvatore Lucchese, head of the family, his word law itself, said he believed Alessia. So I became the liar. The plagiarist. The disgrace. They threw me out of the outfit's front shop. Blacklisted me from the industry. Erased my name. Then one of her loyal admirers ran me down in the street. That was the end. Or it should have been. When I opened my eyes again, it was the day before the national jewelry competition. This time, I didn't draw a single line. Let's see what my darling sister delivers… when the well has run dry.

They know what this is. A relationship? They can’t even call it that. The only time they can stand each other is when they’re breathless, tangled in sheets, lost in the heat of the moment. But when a dark history begins to unravel between them, threatening the fragile balance they’ve built, one misstep could change everything. What happens when one of them crosses the line?

Two powerful Alphas. One forced alliance. And a dangerous attraction that could destroy them both. In a world ruled by dominance, falling for each other may be the deadliest sin of all.

During a mission overseas, I shielded my younger brother from an explosion—only to wake up months later, my body broken, my mind trapped in the void of a coma. Grateful for my sacrifice, he repaid me by marrying my wife. When I finally clawed my way back to consciousness and rushed home, I found my son kneeling on the ground, sobbing as his college acceptance letter lay shredded in his fists. My nephew loomed over him, slamming a steel pipe into his back. "Lick my shoes clean," he sneered. "Who are you to think you deserve an education?" And there was my wife clapping in delight, dabbing the sweat from my nephew’s brow like a doting servant. "You’re just like your deadbeat father," My wife spat. "Born to be my stepping stone." My eyes bloodshot, I tightened my fists. Every last one of them would pay for this dearly.

‌She was ne‌⁠ver meant‌ to be hi⁠‌s Arya V​itale, t​he da⁠ughter of​ his sw​o​r‍​n enem​y was supp​osed t‌o be a bar​g⁠aining⁠ chip A p‍awn i​n a bloo‍d w‌a‌r. But‌ from‌ the mome‍nt Giova​nni D‍e-Sa‌ntis laid ey‍es​ on her​, he didn’t see a p‌awn… h​e saw hi So he too‌k her S​t⁠o⁠le⁠ her from her wed​d‍ing, force​d her into⁠ a cont‍r‌act marr‍⁠iage⁠,⁠ and br‍an‍d‍ed her w⁠ith his n​ame in ever​y way th‌at m⁠attered‌ To t⁠he wo‌rld, i⁠t was a b⁠us‍in‍ess stra⁠​tegy to him,​ it was an obsession. But sh⁠‍e is‍n‌’t t‍he f⁠ragile pri‍nces⁠s h⁠e‌ expect​ed‌. She’‌s sma​rt, sha‍r​p, hot-head​ed⁠, sassy, and far too goo⁠d a‌t ma​king hi‍m fee‍l things​‍ he buried long​ ago And when she runs‍‍ away he h​unts h‌er Becau‌s​e Giovanni doesn’‍t​ lose ​Not h​is em‌pire N​ot‌ hi⁠s‌ war ‍And never t‌he wo​m⁠an h‌e​‍’s‌ marked​ as his own. But some war​s ca​n’t be w‍on with bullets⁠. Some secrets⁠ re⁠fuse to stay buried And the dead‌l‌iest betrayal may not come from his enemies at a​ll… What happens when the​ one thing he can’t cont‌rol is the only th‌ing that co‍uld destroy him‍? And​ a w​ar that demand‍s blood… ev‌en if i‌t’‍s hers⁠.⁠ ⁠

Dorian’s eyes darkened with something dangerous as he watched her reaction. “You think you can stand on your own?” he whispered, his voice low and thick with intent. “ If you think is possible then, Prove it, little hybrid.” Before she could respond, his lips descended on hers. The kiss was fierce, almost punishing, as though he was trying to dominate her through sheer force. But what surprised Irwin more was her own response. Her body acted on its own, her lips moving against his, her hands gripping his arms as if she couldn’t bear to let go. Dorian groaned softly as his hands roamed down her body, pulling her closer. His touch was rough, possessive, and yet it ignited something deep within her that she had never felt before. Irwin gasped as he kissed her harder, his hands sliding under her clothes, brushing against her skin.

His family was like Messiah in her life. Everything in her life she achieved was because of them. Otherwise how a maid's daughter can study in the best college in New York? She was returning to Italy with a heart filled with respect and gratefulness only if she knew what awaited her. Leonardo Rossi was a terror in the Italian business world. Any deal he wants he would achieve it. But only one thing that his heart wanted to achieve. A sweet innocent girl Isabella Beth. This was forbidden in many ways. But when did he care? Her Innocence was the thing he wanted to possess.

I was only an Omega. Never meant to be seen. Never meant to be chosen. And definitely never meant to be fought over. When my pack is destroyed, I’m taken into the territory of the Vaelor twins, two Alphas feared for their power and known for their brutality. Noah Vaelor is cold, controlled, and lethal. He says I belong under his protection. Cassian Vaelor is ruthless, and smiling when he bleeds. He says I belong to the pack. I don’t belong to either of them. But when an ancient law awakens and my blood is revealed to carry the future of their legacy, their protection turns into possession and the rivalry between the twins becomes deadly. Bound by blood. Trapped by fate. And caught between two Alphas who would tear the world apart to claim what they believe is theirs. One will protect me. The other will destroy everything to take me.