Dabda Grief Stages

"Say you love me," Gabriel growled, his body slamming into mine with brutal force. I bit my lip hard, tears welling in my eyes. ‘No,’ I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible. He thrust harder, as if trying to consume me. "Just say it. Pretend for once." "Never." I swallowed the moan rising in my throat. In the midst of his frantic thrust, we both reached a climax. It was absurd-- two people who hated each other so deeply, yet perfectly attuned in bed. We'd known each other for ten years, but Gabriel’s hatred for me was palpable. He blamed me for the deaths of his mother and brother, making me the scapegoat for his grief and rage. He made things difficult for me, treating me like his personal plaything. But I loved him, secretly. A love poisoned by pain and humiliation, suffocating me all the time. Then, one day, he pressed a trembling kiss to my lips and pleaded, "Camille, don’t leave me. Never."

BLURB: He's a grief counselor who lost his own family. He's an immigrant fighting for permission to stay. When Owen meets Lucas at a small restaurant called Roots, neither expects what happens next. Owen is isolated after his family abandoned him for being gay. Lucas carries the weight of an entire family his disabled brother, struggling sister, and the constant pressure to prove they all deserve to stay in the country. What begins as a chance encounter becomes something real. Between stolen moments at the restaurant and late-night conversations, Owen and Lucas find each other. But as they fall deeper, the world closes in. When Owen's boss discovers their relationship and forces him to choose his job or Lucas everything shatters. Owen can't afford to lose his income. Lucas can't bear to be the reason Owen loses everything. They're trapped between love and survival, belonging and rejection. Because sometimes permission to stay isn't about immigration. Sometimes it's about whether love is worth fighting for.

Jessica thought she’d left the Moonfury Pack and all it's pain behind. Cast out by her cruel alpha ex, she built a quiet, human life in the city, far from the betrayals and dominance games of wolfkind. But when her beloved grandmother dies unexpectedly, Jessica is drawn back to the one place she swore never to return. Grief quickly gives way to shock when she learns the truth: her grandmother’s death has awakened a legacy Jessica never knew she carried. An ancient prophecy marks her as a rare and powerful mate—destined to change the fate of the packs forever. And fate, it seems, wastes no time. Four alphas, each dangerously handsome, each with their own secrets, are drawn to her in ways that defy logic and ignite something deep within her. But desire comes with danger, and every pack has its enemies. To survive, Jessica must untangle the mystery of her lineage, decide who she can trust, and confront the pack politics she once fled. The heart doesn’t always follow the rules of the pack. And neither does Jessica.

Rain has lived her entire life abused, and unwanted in her own father’s pack. No one ever looks at her twice… until the Lycan King does. The moment Ryan sees Rain, he sees his dead wife’s face staring back at him. Enraged and convinced he’s being mocked, Ryan orders Rain’s execution… only to spare her life for a far crueler fate. Marriage. Ryan claims he’s using Rain for revenge, a tool to draw out those who murdered his beloved Sapphire. But sharing a bed with a woman who looks exactly like the wife he loved awakens feelings he buried long ago - feelings he refuses to name. Trapped in a marriage born of grief and obsession, Rain must survive a king who swore to use her for his revenge plan… while his heart betrays him more each night. Because no matter how hard he tries, Ryan can’t ignore her face. Or the woman beneath it.

He married her to destroy her. Lucian Crane, Alpha King of the Ironfang Dominion, has spent seven years turning grief into a weapon. He believes Nyx Calloway took everything from him. So he takes her, forces her to the altar, puts her inside his house, and plans to strip her down until there is nothing left worth saving. Nyx has survived worse than him. Barely. She arrives with nothing but a sharp mouth and a wolf who has been silent for years. She knows what he wants. She knows what he plans. What she does not know is why her wolf stirs the moment she sees him, or why the most dangerous man she has ever faced looks at her like he is running out of reasons to hate her. The bond does not care about vengeance. It does not care about grief. It only knows one thing. “Mine, Mate.” Some marriages are prisons. Some are wars. This one… is both. And neither of them will survive it unchanged.

Lumina has tried her best to make her forced marriage to Xen work for the sake of their child. But with Riley and Sophia- Xen's ex-girlfriend and her son in the picture. She fights a losing battle. Ollie, Xen's son is neglected by his father for a very long time and he is also suffering from a mysterious sickness that's draining his life force. When his last wish to have his dad come to his 5th birthday party is dashed by his failure to show up, Ollie dies in an accident after seeing his father celebrate Riley's birthday with Sophia and it's displayed on the big advertising boards that fill the city. Ollie dies and Lumina follows after, unable to bear the grief, dying in her mate's hands cursing him and begging for a second chance to save her son. Luna gets the opportunity and is woken up in the past, exactly one year to the day Sophia and Riley show up. But this time around, Lumina is willing to get rid of everyone and anyone even her mate if he steps in her way to save her son.

Three days before our wedding, my fiancé, Raphael Russo, was killed in a gang shootout. They didn't even find a body. As I was drowning in grief, comments suddenly flashed before my eyes: 【Wake up, girl! the coffin's empty! He faked his death! The scumbag ran off to be with that scheming bitch chloe, the one pretending to be sick!】 【While you're crying your eyes out at the funeral, Raphael is fucking Chloe’s brains out in a hotel bed.】 【When he comes back, he'll claim he has amnesia. You won't know a thing and you'll forgive him. You poor thing…】 A month later, news of my marriage to Mafia Don Marcello Falcone spread through New York. Raphael’s right-hand man cornered me, furious. “How could you betray the Boss?” I tightened my grip on Marcello’s arm and smiled. “A girl can’t mourn forever, can she? I’m sure Raphael, in spirit, would be happy for me.”

On Father's Day, I received a heartwarming gift. My one-year-old son called me Dad for the first time. But moments later, he convulsed, foamed at the mouth, and died before we could reach the hospital. My wife was shattered, and I was devastated. The doctors couldn't identify the cause of his death. Three years later, my wife emerged from her grief, and we welcomed our second child. But the moment this child called me Dad, they, too, died instantly. To spare her further pain, I suggested adoption. Yet, even our adopted children met the same fate. Unable to bear the losses, my wife divorced me. Everyone said I was cursed, never meant to be a father. Defiant, I remarried and had another child, vowing never to let them call me Dad. For years, we adhered to this rule. But when our daughter turned four, she came home from preschool, eager to celebrate Father's Day. Holding a card, she read aloud, "Dad."

Sasha was beautiful, kind, strong—and wickedly funny—until the night everything was taken from her. She watched helplessly as her family and pack were slaughtered by their enemies, the Shadowmoon pack. Her father, the Alpha. Her mother, the Luna. Her home, the Whitemoon pack—gone in blood and fire. With nothing left but rage and grief, Sasha makes a vow: she will avenge her family, even if it means turning her back on pack life and becoming a rogue. Damien is the Alpha Prime—the Alpha of all Alphas. Cold, ruthless, and unforgiving, he rules the Nightstone pack, the strongest pack in existence. Known for his merciless treatment of rogues and trespassers, Damien is feared across all territories. At twenty-five, he remains mateless—an anomaly in the werewolf world. Many believe the Moon Goddess has spared any wolf from being bound to such a heartless Alpha… or so they think. Two broken souls. One ruthless destiny. What happens when a vengeful rogue crosses paths with the most dangerous Alpha alive? And what twisted fate has the Moon Goddess planned when enemies, power, and passion collide?

Mileena Holland was born into The Nightingale, a prestigious royal Lycan pack, the daughter of two of its most formidable warriors. But at the age of five, her life took a shocking turn—she transformed into a rare white Lycan, something almost unheard of. From that moment on, she was never seen the same way twice. To some, she was a blessing touched by fate; to others, a dangerous omen. The other children made their judgment clear, and Mileena grew up in the shadow of their cruelty. Unable to watch her daughter suffer any longer, Mileena’s mother made the difficult choice to leave the pack, taking her child with her. Her father, bound by loyalty, remained behind. Cast out into the unknown, the two became rogues, eventually finding refuge and a fragile sense of belonging in a new pack. For a time, it seemed they had escaped the past—but peace is fleeting. A brutal rogue attack shattered their new home, claiming many lives, including the one person Mileena had left—her mother. Now alone, burdened by grief and the weight of who she is, Mileena stands at a crossroads. Will she let vengeance consume her, or will she find a way to rise above the pain and forge a new path?