Common Expression

Ella Navarro had one plan: become a mother on her own terms. No partner, no complications, no one to let her down. After years of heartbreak and a betrayal she never saw coming, she walked into a fertility clinic alone and chose the cleanest, most controlled version of a fresh start possible. She got Dominic Sinclair's DNA instead. Cold, powerful, and campaigning to become Alpha King of the North American wolf packs, Dominic is the last man on earth Ella would have chosen. He is also, apparently, the father of her unborn child. When the clinic's devastating mix-up comes to light, two people from completely different worlds are forced into each other's lives with nothing in common except the baby growing between them. Ella expects a legal battle. She gets something far more complicated. Because Dominic can't stop watching her like she's something he wasn't prepared for. And Ella can't stop noticing that behind all that money and control is a man still bleeding from a wound he never talks about. She didn't come here to fall for anyone. But some things, it turns out, were never hers to control. A dark, slow-burn werewolf romance about the wreckage we build lives from.

After two years of development, my game finally launched successfully. My wife had promised me a $75,000 bonus, but instead, she gave the entire $750,000 payout to her male secretary, Wayne. All she tossed me was a $50 grocery coupon. "You're just a stay-at-home husband," she said casually. "You don't spend much. Go buy some groceries and cook dinner." I stared at her in disbelief. "That money is for our son's transplant surgery," I said. "If it's delayed for even a few days, he'll die." Her expression did not change. "He's weak. If he dies, he dies," she said flatly. "At least you won't bring any more bad luck into the office and pass it on to Wayne." She turned away, her tone instantly brightening as she talked about taking Wayne out that night to celebrate with a lavish dinner worth tens of thousands of dollars. In that instant, my heart froze. She had forgotten one thing. The game might be registered under her name, but I still held the core encryption key. I picked up the phone and called a rival company. "You've been trying to get Genyxis's core technology for a long time, haven't you?" I asked calmly. "All I want is $75,000, and it’ll be yours.”

Her only sin was having a killer body and innocent face which made the dreaded mafia lord, Lord Cassano obsessed with her. Shaking him off was impossible, he was everywhere. And he must have her, whether she liked it or not. It doesn't matter if he needed to cripple her boyfriend, or threaten her with the lives of her parents to make it happen. All he knew was that Aurora was his, and he was determined to keep her, no matter the cost or consequence. **** “Is this what you call love? You psycho! Every other day, I get kidnapped or threatened by your rivals and numerous enemies, get caught in a gun fire and witness your brutality. You have taken away my freedom and molded me into something I don't recognize. Yes, money is good. But this is not the kind of life I want for myself. I can't bear the curse of being your woman, set me free.” I roared, my eyes blazing with fury. I was past caring at this point, I can't survive this mad man. He hated being challenged, he might as well kill me. But to my surprise, psycho cupped my face and placed his forehead on mine with the most tender expression I have ever seen in his eyes. “I'm sorry, baby love. You have underestimated the degree of my selfishness. I will never let you go—unless you kill me.”

I was sold as sex slave by my parents! My mom broke down in tears at this point as she shook her head as she murmured while sobbing. "I'm sorry, my dear... I'm sorry." Her expression looked as if she was truly guilty of me, but her backward steps betrayed her. I shuddered uncontrollably as I watched this unfold before me, desperately shaking my head as I struggled to deny it all. "No, no… I don't want this…" I looked at those men who were looking at me with excitement, as they had already removed their clothes. When I tried to move my thin body and escape from what they were trying to do, the two of them held both of my arms and my legs, trying to stop me from moving, as one of them was already on top of me. One of them sneered as he looked at me with arrogance. "Alpha King has other sex slaves anyway, so there's no harm in us enjoying this bitch first!" Tears broke out of my eyes as I begged them to stop what they were doing. "Stop… no… please don't…" Despite my hoarse voice and I could barely even speak, I pleaded for mercy. I plead that they won't do what they were planning to do. I am saving myself for my future mate. I… I hate this… But what the hell am I supposed to do!

At the dinner table, my wife's best friend suddenly speaks to her in Lytian. "Three years ago, you married Julian in a grand wedding just to help Jace get Julian's letter of forgiveness. Over the years, I've seen Julian fall more and more deeply in love with you. Yet, you're still lying to him. "You gave him sterilization pills but passed them off as his depression medication. Aren't you afraid that he'll fall apart if he finds out the truth?" My wife, Erica Inman, briefly shows a conflicted expression on her face. She then gives a bitter smile and says, "A child unwanted by their mother has no reason to be born. As long as Julian doesn't stand in the way of Jace's happiness, I will keep my promise and stay by his side for the rest of his life." No one knows that I've learned Lytian to keep up with Erica. I stand in the living room and look at the fresh kiss mark on my neck. As I glance at the medication I take regularly for my depression, my whole body turns cold. It turns out that all of Erica's affection toward me was fake. What I thought was my salvation turns out to be nothing but a carefully planned deception. Since that's the case, I'll do my part to make sure they all get what they want.

Today I had my first kiss. It wasn’t planned. It was also with a complete stranger. As I walked through the crowded halls of Crestwood High, my heart light with excitement, I felt it before I saw it—a familiar presence, sharp and wrong. My boyfriend, Mark, was nearby and he wasn’t alone. “You’re a bad boy,” the cheerleader laughed softly. “Only for you,” Mark replied before his lips closed over hers. At that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. “Oh, Mark. Stop it. You know we can’t be seen together. What if your girlfriend finds us?” “She’s in class. She’s never late. You don’t need to worry.” My heart was heavy in my chest, but also a wave of fury and resentment crossed me. “Bethany?” Mark breathed, staring at me in shock “What are you—” Before he could get the entire question out, I turned to the gentleman beside me, placing my hands on his shoulders and pulling him toward me. He went easily, though his eyes showed nothing but confusion. I closed my eyes tightly so I wouldn’t have to see his expression any longer. Then, our lips touched. Later, I walked into my class but found,It was him… The man I kissed only moments ago in the hallway. The man I had given my first kiss to, was my professor.

The day after I gave birth to Alpha Albert’s pup, while our son was still fragile and my own wounds still fresh, he demanded I give up the Luna Suite. For his old flame, Chloe, and her unborn child. His reason? Chloe was close to her due date, and the suite’s unique moonlight energy was known to soothe expectant mothers and their pups. I stared at him in disbelief. "But that's the Luna's suite. And our son? Doesn't he need that energy?" Albert’s expression was hard as stone. "I owe her." His voice was ice. "If I hadn't been forced into this mating with you, she never would have married that abusive bastard out of spite. You're the Luna. A small sacrifice won't kill you." A small sacrifice. He’d used that excuse to hurt me countless times since our union. He missed our anniversary to play nursemaid to a sick Chloe. He forced me to give up my position as the pack's Head Healer for her… This time, I didn't scream or fight. I just looked at him, my voice eerily calm. "Fine. I'll move." Then I sent a message to my father, the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack: Father, come get me. I'm rejecting my mate bond with Albert.

He pinned her on the wall, sniffing in her fresh scent. What was he trying to do? Trying to rain insults on her again? "I don't know why..." He hesitated before using his right hand to remove a strand of her hair. Her heartbeat accelerated. "...you're this tempting." She gulped harder, and her eyes widened in surprise because she couldn't believe her ears. He leaned closer as he could hear her heartbeat racing. He niches his lips on her ears and whispers certain words to her enough to send shivers down her spine. "You thought I was blind...but let me tell you, I was blinded by your beauty!" Diana's breath was seized. He knew what her expression would be, his lips curved into a smile. "I want to devour you like the beast that I am. I'm no angel, an insatiable wolf in sheep's clothing...that's what I am." ______________ A Kingdom whereby suitors are chosen by the father when the woman clocks eighteen, she would be married off to the man her father chose for her. Rejection means she was inviting death. Diana was not exceptional. Her father married her off into the Royal family...married off to the blind prince of the King. To avoid being beheaded... ....she ran into the wolf's den. Made a deal with the devil...unknown to her that he was her rejected suitor!

She was nothing more than a burden—until they sold her. Jade’s life was already a cage of cruelty. Orphaned, mistreated, and forced into servitude by the only family she had left, she existed rather than lived. But on the night they dragged her from the attic and handed her over like property, she realized the true depth of their betrayal. Now, Jade finds herself in the terrifying clutches of Alpha Ragnar—ruthless, cold, and dangerously powerful. With dangerous eyes and a voice that commands submission, Ragnar doesn’t offer freedom or kindness. Only rules. And she’s expected to obey. But Jade is no ordinary omega. Beneath her quiet suffering, she’ll discover a power she never knew she possessed—one that refuses to be caged. And as fate would have it, Alpha Ragnar is her fated mate. To him, she’s just a mistake, a plaything. An object to be tossed aside. To her, she doesn’t want to belong to him. She wants freedom. Yet his touch—every brush of his skin—ignites something fierce inside her that she doesn’t want to admit. The mate bond is undeniable. With enemies closer than allies and danger more common than comfort, can love bloom in the midst of control and chaos? Or will breaking free from him be the only way to find the happily ever after she deserves?

THE ALPHA KING AND HIS PRISONER Ashina never thought she would be captured by the rival pack, let alone become a bargaining chip in their alpha's quest for power. As the daughter of her own pack's alpha, Ashina was raised to be strong and independent, but now she finds herself at the mercy of her captors. However, Ashina soon discovers that the rival pack's alpha, Draco, is not what she expected. He's not the ruthless and heartless leader she imagined, but rather a complex and conflicted man with a troubled past. As Ashina spends more time with Draco, she begins to see him in a different light, and a forbidden attraction starts to grow between them. Caught between loyalty to her own pack and her growing feelings for Draco, Ashina must navigate a dangerous and unpredictable world of werewolf politics and power struggles. But as she gets closer to Draco, she realizes that he may hold the key to ending the conflict between their packs and bringing peace to their World. As the tension between their packs reaches a boiling point, Ashina and Draco must decide whether to follow their hearts or their loyalties. But when a common enemy threatens them both, they'll have to rely on each other if they want to survive. Will their love be enough to overcome the odds stacked against them, or will they be forced to choose between their families and their happiness?