Daedalus And Icarus By Nick Pontikis

In a world biased against her, Riley, a determined and confident woman, faces the wreckage of her career after rejecting her employer's advances. Forced to start anew in a different city, a chance encounter on her layover unveils a supernatural realm, altering the course of her life. Now torn between rebuilding what she lost and embracing this new, mystical world, Riley grapples with choices that could redefine her purpose. Meanwhile, Alpha Liam and his loyal Beta, Jax, lead a powerful werewolf pack and manage a significant human firm. Liam's clandestine mating with someone who could jeopardize the pack prompts internal strife. Jax, grappling with his Alpha's recklessness, stands by his side, struggling to mend the chaos Liam unleashed. As they confront the consequences of a mistake that risks the entire pack, the question lingers; should their entire pack pay for their Alpha's misstep, or is there a way to salvage their world?

Outcast witch Hazel, just wanted to prove she was more than the reckless sorceress her former coven cast aside. But when her forbidden magic accidentally unleashes an ancient evil, she becomes the only one who can stop it. Aiden, the Beta of the Blackwater pack, has spent months hunting Hazel to prevent her from breaking the curse on the werewolves to save his Luna and friend. But when he finally catches her, he discovers the truth... she’s his fated mate. Hazel, desperate to escape the supernatural world, begs him to reject her and vanishes into a quiet life as an occult studies professor. But peace is short lived. Dark forces rise, threatening Aiden and the Blackwater pack, and Hazel may be their only hope. Now, Drake must find Hazel, not just to save his bestfriend and beta, but also to save his people. Will Hazel abandon the life she built to face the darkness once more? And will Aiden convince her that rejecting their bond was the real mistake?

While the criminal was brutally killing me, my dad, the head of the criminal investigation division, and my mom, the chief forensic pathologist, were attending my sister Lily Lambert’s match. In a bid for revenge, the criminal, who had once been captured by my dad, cut out my tongue and used my phone to call him. My dad only said one thing before hanging up. "No matter what’s going on, Lily’s match is the top priority today!" The criminal sneered, "Seems I’ve kidnapped the wrong person. I thought they would love their biological daughter more!" At the crime scene, my parents were shocked by the brutal state of the body and condemned the cruelty of the killer. However, they did not realize that the horrifically mutilated corpse was their own daughter.

I was born into a world where loyalty is currency and vengeance is law. In this life, love is a weakness... and I learned that too late. My name is Aria Valente—daughter of a mafia kingpin, a pawn in a bloody game I never agreed to play. I was raised to be poised, silent, and obedient. But everything changed the day I was forced to marry Lorenzo De Rossi—the heir of our enemy, a man as cold as the steel he carries. His touch burns. His silence cuts deeper than any blade. And yet, behind those dark, calculating eyes lies a storm that calls to the chaos in me. We were never meant to fall in love. Torn between family legacies and buried secrets, I uncovered truths that shattered the world I thought I knew. Lies. Betrayal. A history soaked in blood. Lorenzo isn’t just my husband—he’s the very weapon forged to destroy me. But I am not the delicate flower they raised me to be. In this world of blood and bullets, only one truth remains: I will not bow. I will rise. Now, we are no longer pawns. We are fire and fury. And this is no longer a love story. It’s a war.

Everyone in the Titanus region would have heard the older generation tell them this—during sky burials, the vultures wouldn't eat the corpses of people who'd committed heinous crimes. My husband is the sky burial practitioner who buries me. The vultures circle my corpse in the air above the burial site, but they don't prey on me. My husband frowns at the sight. "It looks like this person must have committed crimes when alive. They deserve this." Suddenly, I remembered him pointing at me, his eyes ablaze with flames of rage as he shouted, "Nancy wouldn't have lost her baby if not for you! Someone like you doesn't even deserve to get a sky burial!" It looks like his words are coming true. But later, he falls to his knees before my grave and weeps. He begs me to forgive him.

That sounds like the perfect foundation for a high-stakes, exclusive-worthy novel. Here’s a working concept: --- Title: Fated by Fire and Fortune Synopsis She was destined to be his queen—until betrayal burned their bond to ashes. Now, she returns, not as the woman who once loved him, but as the key to his greatest downfall… or his salvation. Alpha Kieran Blackwood is the ruthless ruler of the Bloodmoon Pack, a billionaire with power stretching beyond the supernatural world. Feared and respected, he’s never forgiven the woman who shattered his trust. Years ago, his fated mate Selene Vale disappeared the night before their coronation, leaving only blood and destruction in her wake. When he hunted for her, all he found was evidence of her betrayal. But Selene had her own secrets. Forced into exile by an unknown enemy, she survived in the shadows, training, waiting—until the moment she could reclaim what was stolen. Now, she’s back, not as the mate who once swore eternal love, but as the woman with the power to destroy everything Kieran has built. What neither of them expects is the fire still burning between them. Their past is a battlefield, but their future is a war. As a deadly enemy rises, Kieran and Selene must decide—will they fight together, or will their revenge consume them both?

Evelyn "Evie" Moretti never wanted to be part of the mafia world. The daughter of a disgraced underboss, she’s spent her life dreaming of freedom—a life far away from the violence and betrayal that destroyed her family. But when her father’s debts to the powerful Romano crime family spiral out of control, Evie is forced to pay the price: an arranged marriage to Don Alessandro "Alessio" Romano, the ruthless and enigmatic head of the Romano family. Alessio is as cold as he is handsome, a man shrouded in darkness and driven by a thirst for revenge. From the moment Evie meets him, it’s clear that their marriage is no love story. It’s a transaction, a way to settle a debt and secure power. But as Evie is thrust into Alessio’s world of luxury, danger, and deceit, she begins to realize that there’s more to their union than meets the eye. Alessio harbours a deep hatred for her family, and his cruelty toward her is both calculated and personal. As Evie struggles to survive in her new life, she uncovers shocking secrets about her family’s past—and Alessio’s true motives for marrying her. Betrayed at every turn, she must navigate a treacherous web of lies, power struggles, and forbidden desires. But the more she learns, the more she questions who she can trust—and whether she can resist the dangerous pull of the man who holds her captive in every way. Bound by Blood and Betrayal is a dark, emotional mafia romance filled with twists, tension, and a love that burns as fiercely as it destroys. Can Evie find a way to escape Alessio’s grip, or will she lose herself in the shadows of his world?

Bastien marries me only for duty. I reject him and leave for good by faking my death. Yet he goes crazy looking for me. He says he loves me when we meet again. No! I don't buy it. I can't let him steal my child! ** "She's not yours!" The front door was locked and deadbolted, but it only takes Bastien and his Betas a moment to break past those defenses. As Bastien towers in the doorway, his silver eyes glowing with barely contained fury, I realize it's all over. Everything I've worked for these past three years is already lost; every tear I've shed and sacrifice I've made has all been for nothing. I come to stand in front of my ex-husband. Goddess I’d forgotten how handsome he is; how tall. It doesn’t feel right to be so near him without our bodies touching; it takes all my strength not to reach out to him. “Hello Bastien.” Whatever he was expecting, it clearly wasn’t this. His silver eyes stop their hungry head-to-toe scan of my body, settling on my face and blinking in surprise. I can see the gears turning in his head, piecing together the puzzle of my presence here and replacing shock with confusion and anger. “Is that really all you have to say to me?” I cock my head to the side. “What would you have me say?” “I thought you were dead!” He barks, making my wolf tuck her tail between her legs. Unlike my wolf, I have more than enough bad memories and regrets to withstand his ire. “Oh I’m sorry, did my funeral get in the way of your wedding plans?”

Isla Anderson thought her life couldn’t get any worse. Between juggling two jobs and caring for her alcoholic father, she's stuck in a cycle of despair. But when Dante Moretti, the most dangerous mafia boss in the city, shows up at her doorstep to collect a debt from her father, her life takes a darker turn. Instead of payment, Dante demands Isla as collateral. Bound by an impossible bargain, Isla enters Dante's world—a world where trust is shattered, enemies lurk in every shadow, and passion is as dangerous as betrayal. As Isla escapes the only life she has known, she must decide whether Dante is her savior or the architect of her downfall. Will she risk everything to escape him, or will he chase her back into his arms?

In a world where power is currency and women are pawns, Ava Campelli has just been sold to the highest bidder through a wedding veil. Born into a legacy of blood and quiet obedience, Ava knew her fate was sealed long before she could dream of escape. When she’s forced to marry Nico Moretti, the cold, ruthless heir to a criminal empire, her life becomes a performance of silence and survival. From the outside, she’s a vision in white. On the inside, she’s breaking. Nico is everything she feared: calculated, controlling, and obsessed with ownership. What begins with a diamond ring and a kiss in front of hundreds quickly descends into possession, manipulation, and brutal expectations behind closed doors. His touch is demanding, his love conditional, and Ava is expected to be the perfect wife—seen, not heard. But behind the carefully painted smile and submissive posture, something dangerous is beginning to stir in Ava. Each cruel word, every forced touch, is a spark. And one day soon, she may burn the whole kingdom down. A story of power, pain, and the quiet beginnings of rebellion—Bound By Blood and Vows is a haunting tale of a girl who learns that surviving is only the beginning and if she can't win his heart, then she will steal it when she leaves.