Dead Man's Hand

Blurb: "I won’t let anything touch you," he whispered, huskily. "Not fate, not death. And if I have to fight the heavens and hell to keep you safe, I will." ***** Ariel thought life had finally smiled on her when the mate bond tied her to Rhyder, the powerful Alpha of her pack. An omega like her? Blessed. But blessings come with battles. To be worthy of his love and the Luna crown, she endured, she sacrificed, she ignored every red flag. Just when she believed she had finally earned her place at his side… Rhyder’s long-lost ex returned. And in one cruel moment, everything Ariel had fought for was stripped away. Betrayed, discarded, and shattered, she vowed never to open her heart again, especially to Alphas. But fate is never merciful. Captured by the ruthless Rogue Alpha, Ariel’s heart betrays her. His touch ignites a wildfire. His broken soul whispers promises no sane woman should believe. What she doesn’t know is that Viktor’s life is a ticking clock, and every woman who has dared to love him has ended up dead. Will Ariel be the one to break his curse? Or will she join the others—ruined, dead and forgotten?

My fated mate, Sebastian Grant, was the most brilliant healer on the continent. Specializing in treating wolfsbane, he had saved countless of our kind. To everyone else, he was a miracle walking among us. But he had a childhood friend and fellow apprentice, Sabrina Jordan. If Sebastian was famous for curing poison, then Sabrina was infamous for creating it. For years, she studied toxins while he developed antidotes. They worked so closely together that the pack slowly stopped distinguishing danger from jokes. That was until the day she tested a new kind of wolfsbane on me and I almost died. When I woke up, Sebastian was sitting beside my bed, writing a prescription for me. "Christina, don't blame Sabrina. My mentor and I have spoiled her. She knew I'd be able to cure you, so she was just messing around. She never meant to hurt you." He said it so casually, as if I had caught a cold. Not as if my organs had been failing and I had been a breath away from death. Before I could respond, someone burst into the room shouting that Sabrina had poisoned herself. Sebastian stood up and rushed out at once, his steps hurried and almost frantic. He never noticed that my prescription was missing a key herb. Just like that, the antidote that was supposed to save me became a poison that quietly sped up my death. That was when the Moon Goddess spoke inside my mind. [You can only return to the human world if you die at the hands of your fated mate. But are you sure you want this?] I lowered my gaze to the prescription in my hand, the ink still fresh. Sebastian himself had written it. The same hands that saved countless lives had just written the final prescription that would end mine. "I'm sure," I whispered.

Serena Miller is a young capable woman who strives to be something but is haunted by past. Raised by an adopted family who sees her as nothing but a tool, Selena views the world as a reflection of her past, beneath every smile is an agenda and behind every helping hand comes a chain. By fate, she saves a dying old man, Duncan Tate who is the patriarch of one of the most powerful elite families. He names her as his granddaughter Selena Tate bringing Selena into a world she could only dream about. Selena must learn to survive the world of the elite, amongst filial betrayals, masked enemies, schemes and even terrors from her past. And watching closely from the shadows is a cold and ruthless heir, Damian Montalvo, with ties to Selena than she could ever imagine. When long buried truths begin to surface, betrayals strike from within and forbidden feelings develop between two heirs, will Selena choose love and survival or will she choose to bring it all down?

"You're insane, Sane. Why would you fall in love with a dead girl?" Sane has known about the legend of the dead girl who is said to bring misfortune in people's lives, but he had been adamant with his disbelief about it not until he sees the dark-eyed girl himself.

Abandoned, ridiculed, and rejected by her pack, Hazel Opal's life is a never-ending nightmare. Her mother died during childbirth, and it’s believed that Hazel caused her death, she is shunned by all. But on her 18th birthday, a shocking revelation changes everything: Alpha Ryder, the pack's ruthless leader, is her mate. But instead of claiming her, Ryder humiliates Hazel, choosing to mark her tormentor Freya instead. Heartbroken and lost, Hazel seeks solace in a stranger's arms, only to discover she's pregnant with a child of unknown paternity. As pack politics and ancient secrets unfold, Hazel faces unimaginable cruelty, betrayal, and danger. Will she find salvation or destruction when she uncovers the truth about her past, her baby's father, and the curse that haunts her? And what happens when Alpha Ryder reappears, revealing a shocking truth that will change Hazel's destiny forever?

At the parent-teacher conference, Emery Carey's essay, My CEO Mom, won first place, earning thunderous applause from the class. But the mood soured when my daughter ran to me in tears, her cheeks marked with red handprints. "Emery hit me again. He said I don't belong in his class and spat in my face." I scooped her up and marched to the teacher to demand answers. The teacher brushed it off. "It's just kids' horseplay. Don't blow it out of proportion. Emery's mother is the CEO of Mills Group. Get the picture and pull your kid out. Don't affect the mood." I froze, shocked by the absurdity. Then I dialed my lawyer. "Prepare the divorce agreement. Olivia is leaving with nothing." She'd been using my money to fund her lover and his son. That betrayal would not go unpunished.

“Wait.” His voice was soft as he stepped closer. “Who are you?” I turned back to him, my smile never wavering while I tried to slow my heart rate racing. “Oh, it's Emilia Cattaneo from Verona.” I lied. He stared at me, his gaze unwavering. “Funny because last week… you said your name was Juliette” My blood froze. He remembered? No way. My mouth opened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have mistaken me for someone else.” His smile vanished and I could make out the tick in his jaw. “Don’t lie to me in my house.” ****** He was never meant to fall for her. She was never meant to betray him. Isabella De Luca enters the world of the Romano mafia empire with one mission: destroy it from the inside. Armed with secrets and trained for deception, she becomes the perfect candidate for the mafia king’s bride — beautiful, bold, and completely fake. But Matteo Romano is not just a cold-blooded heir. He’s cunning, ruthless, and dangerously magnetic. The deeper Isabella sinks into his world, the harder it becomes to tell where the mission ends and where desire begins. When betrayal collides with bloodlines and a buried truth resurfaces, everything unravels. A deadly empire. A forbidden pregnancy. A woman torn between revenge and love. And a king who must choose between power… and the one person who was never supposed to matter. In this world, loyalty is currency. And trust? The deadliest weapon of all.

Raphael and Jenna have been dating for two years and recently, they've been seeing less of each other due to work (at least that's his excuse) only for them to meet up again and Jenna is presented with a wedding invite. With a shattered and anger-filled heart, Jenna puts on her best dress and goes manhunting in a popular club. "That's right! I'm gonna bag a real man tonight!' She had a bet with her stepsister to have a one-night stand with a stranger but she got played for the second time in one day. Her world finally crumbles to the lowest of the low when she attends her ex's wedding and finds out her stepsister is the bride. Why say no to my parents' pick? I have nothing to lose. My life is no longer mine. Of course, it's no longer your life, when you realize you have an arranged marriage with the billionaire CEO from your one-night stand.

“Kael…please…make it fast. I want you.” ungol ko. At ginawa nga ni Kael, mabilis siyang gumalaw sa ibabaw ko, at sa sobrang bilis niya gusto ko na siyang tumigil lalo na’t mabigat ang paghawak niya sa baywang ko habang binabayo ako. “Kael…stop, ” Hindi natapos ang sasabihin ko nang bigla siyang tumigil. Tumayo siya, mabigat ang bawat galaw. Nakatitig lang sa sahig. “Kael?” mahina kong tanong. Tahimik siya at saka dahan-dahan siyang tumingin sa akin. “Solene,” sabi niya, kalmado. “Let’s get a divorce.” Parang may sumabog sa tenga ko. “Ano?” halos hindi ko marinig ang boses ko. “Ano’ng sinabi mo?” Tuwid ang tindig niyang sumagot. “I already talked to my lawyer.” Huminga ako nang malalim, pilit na pinapaklam ang sarili ko. “Bakit?” “She’s sick.” Tumigil siya sandali bago tumingin sa akin. “Si Natalyn… she only has six months left.” Namilog ang mga mata ko. “So?” “She wants to spend her last days as my wife.” Walang pagbabago sa tono niya. “After that… I’ll come back to you.” Napangiti ako. Mapait. “Babalik ka?” bulong ko. “Para ka lang aalis sa bakasyon.” “Please, Solene.” Mahina pero mariin. “She’s dying. Don’t make this harder.” Natahimik ako. Ang hangin sa pagitan naming dalawa ay mabigat. Ang mga kamay kong kanina’y nakayakap sa kanya, ngayo’y nakalapat sa kama, nakakuyom. Anong kahibangan ito? Hindi pa kami tapos sa ginagawa namin pero bigla nalang siyang titigil at isang nakakagulat na balita ang sasabihin sa akin?

I was a top-tier heart surgeon. The kind they gave a government-issued black SUV with diplomatic plates—armored, red-light-skipping, cleared-for-anything kind of ride. I parked it at my fiancé Marco Varonetti's place so he could keep it in shape. Bad call. One day, I got an emergency call: heart transplant for the Chancellor—yeah, that Chancellor, the one with state secrets ticking inside him. I rushed over to Marco's to grab the car. Right as I was about to leave, some rando slid into the back seat like she owned it. "Mall first. I need a mani," she barked. "Then get the ice cream Marco ordered. If it melts, I'll kill you." Excuse me? "This is my car," I said, trying to stay chill. "I've got a critical airport run. You need to get out." She rolled her eyes. "You're just the driver. Open those eyes and check the plate." Then the maid chimed in. "Everyone knows Mr. Varonetti takes Ms. Caro out in this car. Nobody says a word." I froze. Marco used my federally issued SUV... to chauffeur her? This wasn't just messy. This was criminal.