Defiance Of Duskendale

Cesare Xandri, the rising gangster of the Nalitan mafia, unexpectedly lost a bet at an elite private casino in Ithel, the kind that smells like cigar smoke and blood money. The penalty was simple, he had to call his hard-to-tame pet. The phone was on speaker. The men circled him, whistling and hooting, waiting to be entertained. He asked what I was up to in a relaxed and amused tone. I replied softly, insinuating he was sinful, hiding my defiance behind innocence and fake devotion. When I finished my insult, the room fell silent, then burst into loud and uncontrollable laughter. The call ended. Less than thirty minutes later, the mansion gates were smashed open. He stormed in smelling of gunpowder, a Beretta still in his hand. He pushed me against the wall furiously beneath the Virgin Mary statue. I leaned into him without hesitation, fingers brushing the heated gun, and I met his gaze without fear. I chose virtue and rejected him in my past life, in return I was thrown into the open sea to die. I intended to be his temptation when I got a second chance at life, I wanted to be a beautiful sin that ends his story under the Cecilian sun.

"Strip" The words rang in my ear like a death sentence. I had the option to walk away but to save my lifeline, I swallowed my pride and obeyed the one man I swore I would never face again. Lucien Vaughn. My ruthless ex. “You betrayed me for money, didn’t you?” he asked coldly “Now, earn it” Cash rained over my trembling body, as if I was nothing more than his personal plaything. "Dance for me" ~~~~ Broken by her ex, Cynthia ran away with the man of her father's choice. Burying her past, she rebuilt her life from scratch until her ex returned, burning in the fire of revenge. He wants to ruin her, break her, and make her pay for the betrayal that turned him into a monster. But Cynthia is no longer the girl he once controlled. Even when desperation drags her to her knees, she refuses to bow. Her fire and defiance, only feed his obsession and reveal her deepest secret which changes everything... Now Lucien doesn’t just want her. He wants what she stole from him. She would die to protect it. He would kill to claim it.

“You think you own me because of your mark?” Celine spits.                                                                              Alaric cages her in, a dangerous smile on his lips. “No, little wolf. I own you because fate gave you to me.”                                                                                  Her chest heaves. “One day, you’ll regret ever touching me.” *****                                                                       Celine never wanted to be chosen. Claimed and marked against her will, she’s locked in the Alpha’s breeding wing, his prisoner, his possession, his future heir-bearer. But Alaric Varkas didn’t expect the fire in her veins. She isn’t a fragile Omega. She’s power wrapped in defiance, and the more she resists, the more he burns for her.                                                                               Hate. Desire. Bond. Nothing between them is clean, but everything is dangerous. And when her wolf awakens, her hidden bloodline threatens to tear his kingdom apart.                                                                         Enemies circle, rebellion stirs, and Celine’s greatest secret becomes impossible to hide, she carries his child. A child both feared and hunted, one strong enough to unite packs or destroy them all.                                                                                               Now Celine must decide: escape and watch the world burn behind her, or face the mate who caged her and rewrite the destiny that chained them together.

[WARNING: MATURE CONTENT] Maisie is raised on a remote private island owned by her wealthy, controlling family. As the eldest daughter of her parents, she is groomed from childhood to be the perfect and obedient woman. Her every move is strictly monitored, and any defiance is met with harsh discipline from her misogynistic father. While her siblings are afforded freedom, Maisie feels like a caged bird whose spirit is slowly being crushed under the weight of her family's antiquated traditions. She dreams of one day spreading her wings. However, her glimmer of hope is abruptly extinguished when her father informs her he has arranged for her to marry the notoriously cold and ruthless son of a business associate in a strategic move to strengthen the family's corporate empire. Though apprehensive about being shackled to a man rumored to be a beast, Maisie agrees, desperate to finally earn her father's approval and love. The wedding takes place and Maisie is whisked away to her new husband's chilling villa, a place as bleak as its master. Will Maisie find freedom and happiness in her new home, or has she merely been transported to a new hell? Can she tame the beast and thaw his frozen heart? Or will their union finally tear Maisie's soul apart?

My best friend and I were in relationships with the brothers from the Wilson Family, and we both got pregnant at the same time. She flaunted her relationship publicly, making everyone in Junopia know that Rick had left the monastery for her. On the other hand, I kept silent about my relationship with the heir of the Wilson Family. Thus, everyone mistakenly thought I was single. That was until my best friend saw my pregnancy report. In a fit of rage, she rallied a group of friends, stormed into my dorm, and vandalized my room with food waste. "I thought you were my best friend, and here you are, trying to steal my man," she accused. Not only did she live-stream this accusation, trying to paint me as the other woman, but she also spiked my chicken soup, hoping to get rid of my unborn child. In defiance, I poured the contaminated soup over her head. "Just so you know, Rick isn't the only Wilson brother," I retorted. Later, Rayden, the man who controlled Junopia, wrapped his arm around me and declared icily, "I've heard troubling rumors about my wife being called a mistress. We need to talk."

He is everything she despises arrogant, brutal, and worshipped for the violence he delivers on the ice. Atticus Finch is the league’s most feared hockey star, a man who wins games with clenched fists and a heart carved from ice. Sheila Feint wants nothing to do with him. She sees the ego behind the fame, the rage behind the smile, the destruction he leaves in his wake. And Atticus? He can’t stand her defiance, her sharp tongue, the way she looks at him like he’s nothing more than a headline waiting to implode. Forced into close proximity by fate and circumstance, their hatred burns hotter than rivalry. Every argument crackles with tension. Every glare lingers too long. Somewhere between verbal wars, bruised pride, and moments they refuse to name, the line between enemy and something far more dangerous begins to blur. But loving your enemy comes at a price. Because if Atticus lets her in, he risks exposing the darkness he’s spent years hiding. And if Sheila gives in, she might fall for the one man capable of destroying everything she believes in. On the ice, Atticus Finch never loses. But with Sheila Feint… love might be the most brutal game he’s ever played.

Eli Michealson owns Las Vegas. The casinos, the power, the fear that follows his name everywhere he goes. Known as the Ghost, he is ruthless, untouchable, and completely uninterested in anything that does not bend to his will. Brigail Havens is just trying to survive. A broke Southern girl with a sharp tongue, a painful past, and debts that refuse to stay buried. She did not come to Vegas to gamble with her life. She came to work, to pay what her family owes, and to keep her head down. Their worlds collide over a poker table where nothing is as simple as it seems. Eli is convinced Brigail is hiding something, tied to a man who once tried to destroy him. Brigail wants nothing to do with a powerful billionaire who thinks he can intimidate his way into the truth. But defiance sparks obsession, and curiosity turns dangerous when Eli decides the only way to control the game is to own every piece of it, including her job, her freedom, and maybe her heart. She does not trust him. He does not know how to let her go. In a city built on lies, money, and temptation, one wrong move could cost everything. And falling for the one person you should never want might be the most dangerous bet of all.

“Do you know why people call me the devil? It’s because I live up to that name,” he chuckled and tightened his hand around my neck, making my pulse race. “I've shed a lot of blood, and killing someone as insignificant as you… It means nothing." “Then why haven’t you?” I dared to ask. I shouldn't test his patience, but the thrill of danger was so… Tempting. “You fascinate me. It would be a shame to end someone as amusing as you too soon.” His lips almost brushed against mine, stealing my breathe. "One month. Escape with Clara within one month, and it would seem like you never met me." “And if I fail?” “I’ll kill you. ~~~ When Gwendolyn Harper and her best friend are kidnapped by Lorenzo Raimondo, the ruthless, cunning mafia lord of Sinclair City, she's faces an impossible choice: save herself and abandon her best friend or risk everything to save them both. She chooses defiance, striking a dangerous deal for their freedom. But Gwen may have underestimated how much power Lorenzo had and the seductive, dangerous charm that she couldn't resist. Will she fight for a freedom that seems nearly impossible, or will she succumb to the temptation of the man who holds her life?

Astra Finnegan has always had a sharp tongue and a natural charm that made her popular—at least, in the human world. On her eighteenth birthday, everything changes when a voice whispers in her mind, “I’m Lola, your wolf.” Now, Astra must leave behind everything she has ever known to attend a school meant for her kind. She’s about to uncover the truth about the father she once presumed dead and the reason she feels irresistibly drawn to the mysterious boy who haunts her dreams. But if she wants to survive in this new world, she’ll have to play by its rules—even if that means faking a relationship with a boy she can’t stand and befriending girls she has nothing in common with. Except this isn’t the world she’s used to. Being headstrong and stubborn might have worked before, but here, it could lead to disaster. Can Astra adapt to the life of a werewolf, or will her defiance cost her everything? Will her fake relationship turn into something real, or will her reckless attitude ruin her chances? Above all, Astra is about to learn what it means to have a mate, as well as prove she belongs in the pack. Because if she doesn’t, rejection is the least of her worries. But, can anyone really run away from who they truly are?

For a thousand years, the city of Crescent Falls has survived beneath the shadow of an ancient savior. Each century, a man is chosen as an offering to Sariyah—the being said to have once driven demons from the world. When Bastion, the man Ember loves, is taken after daring to refuse her, Ember’s grief turns into defiance, and she vows to bring him home no matter the cost. Her search forces her into an uneasy alliance with Orion St. James, a dangerously charming immortal with a violent past and secrets tied to Sariyah herself. Bound together by a magic neither of them wants nor understands, Ember and Orion are drawn into a hidden war beneath the city—one involving cultists, monsters, and an ancient order known as the Watchers. As Crescent Falls begins to fracture, Ember experiences unsettling visions that hint her bloodline is far more entangled with Sariyah than anyone ever suspected. Strange new powers awaken within her, blurring the line between protector and destroyer, while enemies gather and old loyalties are tested. With the city on the brink of collapse and unseen forces moving in the shadows, Ember must decide how far she is willing to go to save Bastion—and whether becoming something darker is the only way to stop an evil that has ruled unchallenged for centuries. Because some thrones are not inherited. They are taken.