Criminal Etiology

The day Seraphina Lovelace steps out of prison is also the day her boyfriend dumps her. For him, she has been imprisoned for three years, but he betrays her, getting engaged with another wealthy girl. What's worse? He even sends killers to kidnap Seraphina to prevent her from divulging secrets. To avoid the killers, Seraphina serves as a waitress in an underworld criminal bar. One night, she happens to save a seriously injured young man. His name is Alfred, and the surname he conceals from Seraphina is Vanderwood. Vanderwood, the Alpha King Family. When Seraphina is about to be killed by the bar's boss, Alfred saves her. Finally, she knows his identity. The new Alpha King, also the most powerful were-wolf in the world. Seraphina thinks he will kill her as well since she once tied his wrists, pressed him against the pillow, and almost had a forced kiss with him. But he doesn't. The only thing he asks Seraphina to do is pretend to be his cousin. Excuse me? What the hell is he saying? Seraphina finds it ridiculous, but Alfred is serious. It seems like Seraphina has no better choice but to agree with his requirement. However, she has no idea that when she says "yes" to Alfred, she also selects a path that she is unable to turn back. Become Alpha King's Faked Cousin is created by Cara TaleSmith, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Victoria Bura is the deadliest kept secret in the criminal underbelly, her father's legacy is cleaning up after the wealthiest and deadliest families in the world under the guise of being a modest hog farmer. When her father dies, leaving Vic and her sheltered, inept, contradictious younger brother to pay his debts it places her right in the path of Alexander Volkov a man more infamous for his ruthlessness than his name, and he makes it perfectly clear he knows the ghost in Victoria Bura's closet. Now Vic's life is turned inside out as she finds herself not only employed to the head of the most dangerous family in history, but she is left at the mercy of his three most trusted mercenaries. She soon finds that the Volkov family may not be the villains in her story, that title may just be claimed by someone much closer to home.

Abused by her criminal father, Gail developed a trauma that didn't want to be touched, especially by men. One day, her father's karma came in Michael's form, killing him and leaving Gail alone. Not knowing what to do with her, Michael decided to take her in, originally planning on using her. However, what will happen if Gail, who only wants to experience genuine love, and Michael, who stops entertaining the concept of love at all, live in one house? Or when the original plan of using her completely changed to taking care of her?

Rachel Sinclair lost everything when a fraud conviction destroyed her life as a social worker. Five years later, she's reinvented herself as Raven Steele—a woman with a clean past and a dangerous mission. Her target: the Diamondback Motorcycle Club, a vicious criminal organization that operates with impunity while the system looks the other way. Using the forgotten murder of a small-time dealer as her cover story, Raven infiltrates the deadly world of motorcycle clubs. But her carefully laid plans collide with Jax Savage, the devastatingly dangerous president of the Savage Saints MC. Muscular, tattooed, and lethal, Jax has been waging his own war against the Diamondbacks since they murdered his younger brother. What starts as a tactical alliance quickly ignites into an attraction neither can resist. As Raven goes deeper undercover with the enemy, feeding intelligence to Jax while maintaining her cover, the line between duty and desire blurs. But in a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, their growing connection threatens to destroy everything they've worked for. When Raven's deception leads to a devastating blow against the Diamondbacks, she becomes the target of a deadly bounty. Forced to reveal her criminal past to the man she's falling for, she must decide if their connection is strong enough to survive the truth. With enemies closing in and a war erupting in the streets, Raven and Jax face an impossible choice: save themselves or save each other. In the savage world of motorcycle clubs, some hearts are worth fighting for—and some are worth dying for. *Content warning: Contains explicit language, violence, mature themes, and sexual content. Recommended for readers 18+.*

In the gritty heart of Duskville, where shadows hide the crimes no one wants to see, Detective Jackson Reyes works like a ghost—unflinching, relentless, and alone. Scarred by a childhood spent watching his mother suffer at the hands of a cruel man, Reyes learned early that justice doesn’t come easily. So he became it. When Lena, a young woman trapped in a world of coercion and violence, walks into his station and tells the truth no one else will hear, something shifts. As Reyes digs deeper into the criminal underworld controlled by Riko and his men, Lena becomes more than a witness—she becomes a reason. A reason to keep fighting. A reason to believe healing might be possible, even for someone like him. ______ Content Warning: This story contains themes and depictions of sxual assult, r*pe, non-consensual acts, gr*oming, sx traffcking, and dr*g use. Reader discretion is strongly advised. These topics are part of the narrative and may be distressing or triggering for some individuals. Please take care while reading.

BLOOD AND VOWS --- SYNOPSIS A forced marriage. A deadly alliance. A love that could ruin them both. To stop a war between two rival mafia families, Emilia Romano is forced to marry her father's enemy—Alessio Moretti, the cold, ruthless heir to a criminal empire. Neither of them wants the arrangement. Neither plans to fall in love. But when enemies close in and old secrets resurface, their fake vows become dangerously real. In this world, love isn't just forbidden—it's lethal. – Will the war actually stop? Who is Alessio Moretti? Is Emilia Romanio ever going to be free? Will love find this two egocentric couple? Let's find out in this intriguing story.

Elara’s life is shattered when she is forced into an arranged marriage with Damian Volkov—the ruthless Alpha of a powerful werewolf pack and the feared king of the mafia underworld. As the daughter of a desperate businessman who struck a dangerous deal, Elara becomes nothing more than a pawn in a world of violence, secrets, and supernatural power. Damian is cold, calculating, and possessive, ruling with an iron fist both in the criminal world and among his kind. At first, their marriage is nothing more than a contract—an agreement to secure power and settle debts. But as Elara defies him at every turn, she awakens something primal in the Alpha King, something far more dangerous than any enemy. Torn between duty and the growing intensity of their bond, Elara must navigate a world of deadly rivalries, betrayals, and forbidden passion. As secrets unravel and enemies close in, she realizes that escaping Damian’s grasp may be impossible—not because of the deal that binds them, but because her heart may no longer want to run. In a world where love and power collide, will Elara survive her fate, or will she become the queen of darkness beside the Alpha Mafia King?

Twenty-year-old Lyra Moreno appears to be nothing more than a cold, sleepy noble girl porcelain-doll beautiful, always wrapped in blankets, and seemingly uninterested in anything beyond her next nap. To her father, stepmother, and scheming stepsister, she's a burden. But beneath her drowsy charm lies a dangerous secret. Lyra is the anonymous founder of GALAXY, a covert hacker syndicate responsible for dismantling criminal empires from behind glowing screens. Living quietly under the doting care of her powerful grandparents, Lyra is named heir to their fortune but on one condition....she must marry Elias Vale, the ruthless, cold CEO of Vale Corp, who just so happens to be investigating Virgo.exe, her old hacker alias. Seven years older, Elias is brilliant, powerful, and emotionally walled off until fate throws him into the path of the sleepy girl he's been unknowingly watching. When her scheming stepmother and stepsister pay a criminal to ruin her, the two are dragged into a public relationship... and a private war they can't avoid. And even, secretly..... marriage. As they work together to uncover a traitor within Vale Corp, Elias begins to see the fierce strategist behind Lyra's sleepy façade. And Lyra, used to keeping the world at a distance, starts to wonder if she's finally found someone who sees all of her and wants her anyway. But with enemies in her own home and shadows from her past returning, Lyra must decide: can she let someone into her world, or is silence the only way to survive?

A flicker of hope, a spark amidst the neon grime of New Shanghai. Anya, a slave to the Volkov Mafia, had long buried her emotions under layers of calloused defiance. Years of servitude had carved a burning desire for vengeance into her soul. Then, a whisper of rebellion arrived – a message smuggled in a package, hinting at a Volkov family secret. Anya's heart, long numbed, stuttered awake. This wasn't just a chance to escape; it was a weapon. A weapon to dismantle the empire that had stolen her life, her family, everything. But the path to freedom was a razor's edge. Fear gnawed at her, a constant companion in the Volkov's watchful gaze, their merciless enforcers lurking in every shadow. Yet, a flicker of something else bloomed – a strange, almost forgotten warmth, a sliver of the person she used to be. Could she trust it? As Anya navigated the labyrinth of lies and high-tech security, a deeper truth unfolded. This Volkov secret wasn't just about her escape; it was a key to exposing a far-reaching conspiracy, one that could reshape the city's criminal web. Suddenly, Anya's burning desire for revenge transformed. It wasn't just about herself anymore. It was about a sliver of justice, a chance to dismantle a system that preyed on the weak. But with this newfound purpose came a terrifying weight of responsibility. Was she strong enough to risk everything, to ignite a war she might not survive? The weight of human emotions – fear, anger, and a desperate yearning for freedom – threatened to suffocate her. The price of vengeance was steep, and Anya had to decide if she had the strength to pay it.

Her father put him in prison, and she let him out. Italy’s most notorious criminal, Emilio Vitale, has criminal charges that are enough to put him in prison for life. That all changes when Chiara is given an assignment to interview him three years after her father puts him in jail. Things go south, and Emilio escapes from custody. Chiara thinks she will never see him again, but she can’t be more wrong. Emilio has other plans, and he is far from done with rocking Chiara’s boat and punishing her father by using her as a pawn. Somewhere along the way, they forget they are supposed to hate one another, and they break the laws of attraction. Their attraction is magnetic and impossible to ignore. Can these two weather storms find happiness where there isn’t any? In a world where it’s impossible for them to find love, they find each other. *** He backed me into a wall, putting his hand above my head to cage me in. “This isn’t original, Vitale. Stay away from me, or I will call the cops on you.” I threatened, ignoring how wildly my heart was beating against my chest. His scent was intoxicating and I hated how my body reacted to him. He used his free hand to brush a strand of my hair out of my face and leaned in like he was about to kiss me. Embarrassingly enough, I closed my eyes in anticipation. “Does that little boyfriend of yours get your body in a frenzy like I do? I bet he doesn’t let you cum.” He asked as he traced his fingers down my waist to my hips. “I bet I would have you screaming my name in seconds. Will you let me?”