Coarse Crackles

Sarah HAYES has worked too hard to let a single mistake derail her career. She’s finally secured her dream job as an executive assistant at Vance Holdings, a world ruled by spreadsheets, silence, and the ruthless, ice-cold CEO, ALEXANDER VANCE. ​Alexander is gorgeous, untouchable, and utterly terrifying. Their worlds collide when Elara literally crashes into him, earning a verbal lashing that should have ended her career before it even began. But instead of being fired, Elara is given the impossible: she's reassigned as Alexander Vance’s personal, 24/7 assistant. ​Now, she is trapped. ​One moment, he treats her like an annoying distraction—a clumsy obstacle beneath his notice. The next, his eyes hold an unsettling intensity, his voice lowers, and the air crackles with an electric current that screams forbidden desire.

My boyfriend, Christopher Linden, was short of 20 thousand dollars for his medical treatment. To get the money as soon as possible, I participated in a rich man's game onboard a lavish cruise. I didn't bat an eye as I jumped into the ocean to search for a bracelet one of their female companions had dropped in the water. As I choked on the ocean water, I heard the man in the lead mock me, saying, "I've seen plenty of the dirty things people are willing to do for money, but you take the cake. You're even willing to give up your life for it." Someone teased, "Your girlfriend doesn't like money and is willing to forgo everything to care for you. Do you love her?" He snorted. "She's just a peasant from the countryside; I'm only fooling around with her. You have no idea how coarse her hands are—they disgust me whenever she touches me. How could I possibly fall for her?" I turned ashen at his words. He was Christopher, who was supposed to be wheelchair-bound. He was also supposed to be too broke for surgery. The peasant from the countryside he was talking about was me.

When Nayla lost everything she thought mattered — her mate, her future, her place in the pack — she vowed to survive on her own terms. Orphaned, heartbroken, and fighting to rebuild her life, she never expected to cross paths with Dominic Gray — the powerful Alpha who rules the Neutral Zone of the city with a quiet, deadly strength. One accidental meeting ignites something neither of them can deny. Dominic lives by control. By rules. By distance. But Nayla pulls at him in ways he can’t explain — or resist. As Nayla struggles to heal from the betrayal that shattered her trust, Dominic fights a battle he’s never lost before: the one against his own instincts. Their bond crackles between them, raw and magnetic, but secrets from Nayla’s past are rising — including an ex who isn’t willing to let her go. In a world where loyalty is survival and power is everything, love could be the most dangerous weakness of all. Tethered by fate, torn by choices — can two broken souls find a way to heal, or will the past consume them both?

Sonia Martinez, 20, has eyes that have seen too much and a heart armored by a childhood scarred by domestic warfare. Screams, slammed doors, and broken promises defined her early years, teaching her that love is a dangerous illusion. Emotional walls weren't a choice—they were survival. While others dreamed of romance, Sonia became a fortress, determined never to fall victim to heartbreak. Then comes Alex Rodriguez—charming, persistent, and exactly the kind of man she’s sworn to avoid. Their first meeting crackles with tension; the second ignites a chemistry too intense to ignore. But Sonia is no easy conquest. To her, relationships are emotional landmines, and she’s not about to let her guard down. Yet Alex isn’t easily shaken. With a shadowed past and secrets of his own, he’s determined to prove that not all love stories end in pain. As danger looms and old wounds resurface, Sonia faces a pivotal choice: cling to the safety of her walls or risk everything for a chance at healing. Their story isn’t just about falling in love—it’s about surviving it.

The day my mom was beaten up for being a mistress, I slammed the family crest into my dad’s face. I had been studying abroad, and on my return flight, I came across a video. The title read, [Richest Family’s Heirs Defend Their Mom and Beat Up Mistress.] In the video, my mother was wearing coarse linen clothes while my brothers surrounded her. They were punching and kicking her. They even tore her clothes and cussed her out as a shameless mistress. Her eyes were teary as she desperately tried to explain. However, she was only met with mocking laughter. A stranger in haute couture stood shielded behind them, and she sweetly said, “Alright, I know you’re doing this for me, but we don’t need to waste our time on ungrateful people.” The surrounding guests showered her with birthday wishes and praised her for her graciousness. “This is the grace befitting Mrs. Roth! Do some people really not own a mirror at home?” “A mistress dares to call herself Mrs. Roth? Doesn’t she know the entire Roth family was built on her assets? Which part of her looks like a lady?” Hearing them call her “Mrs. Roth,” I clenched my phone, and the screen reflected my icy expression. I had only been away from home for three years. How did I not know that I had acquired such a despicable “mother”?

**Book 2 to The Moon's Descendant ** ** Mature content 18+ ** Contains graphic sex scenes, violence, death and coarse language ** ‐-------------------------------------------------------- Although Zelena survived the attack on her pack, a lot has changed in the Were world. Secrets are being kept and lies are being told. Someone close has betrayed them. With more Weres seeking out the Triple Goddess, new threats and allies are appearing from all over. Zelena grows more powerful by the day. As her powers manifest, so to do the dangers. As Zelena struggles to find her way, one Were is seeking to use the Triple Goddess to realise his own dreams and desires. Zelena is forced to make a choice, will she lead Were kind to untold heights of power, or will she keep the peace that they have always known. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The sound of a wailing child filled the air, piercing the inner corners of my ears. I couldn't move, it was like my body was concreted to the ground. Everything hurt. The intense pain burned through my veins, paralysing me. I lay helpless on the ground, dying slowly. My eyes gazing, at the retreating legs before me. I watched on powerlessly, until they were gone from my sight, vanishing between the snow-covered trees. Helplessness consumed me and I couldn't fight it any longer. The faint cries slipped away, until only the sound of the wind was left. My heavy eyelids slowly blinked closed and darkness fell over me. ----------------------------------------- Book 1 - The Moon's Descendant - Told by Zelena and Gunner. Book 2 - Mother of the Moon - Told By Zelena and Lunaya. Book 3 - Twin Moon - Told by Zelena and Whiskey.

In a world engulfed in blazing desires and searing conflicts, Rachel becomes a pawn in the hands of her ruthless father, sold to the fiery Alpha King, Brandon. Bound by marriage but consumed by despair, Rachel's world ignites with unexpected flames when she discovers her pregnancy. Determined to escape Brandon's fiery grip, she flees Pack Manowi, knowing she is just a breeding tool to him—a mere flicker in his blazing ambitions. Months later, as Brandon's regret scorches his soul, he realizes the inferno of memories with Rachel has sparked a love he cannot extinguish. Desperate to reclaim what he lost, he searches relentlessly, flames of remorse licking at his every step. It is under the scorching gaze of the full moon that fate fans the flames of their reunion. But as the embers of their love smolder, a new inferno rises. Kennedy, a captivating Alpha intertwined with Rachel's destiny, emerges from the flames, declaring his claim over her. "Rachel, I'm here to claim you as my mate!" his voice crackles with intensity, promising a different kind of blaze. Defying the scorching challenge, Brandon's voice cuts through the air, a defiant inferno in its own right. "No, Rachel! I am your mate. Not him! You're my fate!" His fiery determination reveals a depth of love that can't be extinguished.

New SYNOPSIS – QUEENS AND MONSTERS – Mafia/cartel, arranged marriage, forbidden, love triangle, dangerous romance Reinaldo Roríguez Emiliano Ruiz Both are dangerous, deadly, and powerful. Both are second-generation soldiers proving themselves in the Roríguez cartel. Both want me. Of course, I wasn’t told until it was too late. That’s the way things work in the famiglia. My fate is up to Dario Luciano, my guardian. He doesn’t care the way the men make me feel. How when I’m near them, the air crackles and my skin warms with stinging electricity, stirring something deep inside me that never before existed. One fills me with desire, twisting my insides. The other recognizes my need to be loved, filling me with a comfortable warmth. By the time I learn that both have requested my hand, a deal has been brokered. Neither man from the Roríguez cartel will have me. I’ve been promised to another, the son of Dario’s sworn enemy. Will I have any say in my future? What will happen to the alliance between the Luciano famiglia and the Roríguez cartel when tragedy strikes? Have you been Aleatha’d?

He is everything she despises arrogant, brutal, and worshipped for the violence he delivers on the ice. Atticus Finch is the league’s most feared hockey star, a man who wins games with clenched fists and a heart carved from ice. Sheila Feint wants nothing to do with him. She sees the ego behind the fame, the rage behind the smile, the destruction he leaves in his wake. And Atticus? He can’t stand her defiance, her sharp tongue, the way she looks at him like he’s nothing more than a headline waiting to implode. Forced into close proximity by fate and circumstance, their hatred burns hotter than rivalry. Every argument crackles with tension. Every glare lingers too long. Somewhere between verbal wars, bruised pride, and moments they refuse to name, the line between enemy and something far more dangerous begins to blur. But loving your enemy comes at a price. Because if Atticus lets her in, he risks exposing the darkness he’s spent years hiding. And if Sheila gives in, she might fall for the one man capable of destroying everything she believes in. On the ice, Atticus Finch never loses. But with Sheila Feint… love might be the most brutal game he’s ever played.

I'm a nationally certified animal trainer running the Lion King, Caesar's final assessment. I've barely stepped into the enclosure corridor when the steel guillotine door slams down behind me. My wife's laughter crackles over the loudspeaker. "Everyone, we're doing the ultimate challenge today! We're locking the so-called number-one animal trainer in the Lion King's enclosure and taking bets on whether he wets himself in ten minutes!" Caesar crouches low and rumbles a warning. I reach for my tranquilizer gun but stop cold. The liquid isn't the right color. In a phony sing-song voice, the veterinarian, Hugh Archer, says, "Lucian, I forgot to mention, I swapped your tranquilizer darts for pepper spray so you won't hurt Caesar by mistake. "You two are so close. Just win him over with love!" I look at Caesar, his eyes bloodshot from the stimulant, and it clicks. Hugh still resents that I stopped him from touching a tiger with his bare hands a few days ago. I tune out the trash blaring over the loudspeaker, pull a remote from my pocket, and hit the button. It's the master switch for the electric fence gates around every predator enclosure in the zoo. If I don't make it out, no one does.