Dollar Store Fidgets

Have you ever pain so raw it feels like your hear is being dragged out of your heart? The type that breaks into pieces you could never find because they are lost to the wind of scorn and shame. Cassandra carries her pain like a weight on her shoulder everyday despite her smiles and jokes, too young to remember what it felt like to have parents before she lost hers to an accident her grandparents do not like talking about she is trying to find the little good life has in store for her. But she is given a brutal awakening when the one person she thought would bring her much needed happiness tosses her aside. So Cassandra runs away from it all, she runs far enough to never feel the despair looming behind her. And she runs into the arms of Ray, handsome, cocky, but caring, considerate, and loving. Cassandra is about to find out love works without the mate ties and build bonds with the most unlikely people. Cassandra is about to find the love acceptance she always yearned for in the most unlikely place.

Kamrynn: Perhaps I was cursed or maybe it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever it is, it got me accused of murdering my twin sister and punished severely for a crime I didn't commit by the man I've loved since childhood. Calvin is everything— was everything. But it's crazy how creative a person can get when it comes to making another person suffer. I managed to escape, pregnant, but I had no idea what destiny had in store for me. Calvin: She killed my mate and unborn child, I hated her. It would only be fair that she replaces the child she killed, no? But she ran away while pregnant with my children and on top of that, she cursed me and my Pack. And now I'm tormented, my people are dying. She was no murderer, instead she turned out to be the moon goddess' daughter and I've doomed my Pack. I've realized what a grave mistake I made, I want her back, I want my children back. Only she can lift the curse but she hates my guts and wants nothing to do with me…

Born to the leaders of a powerful coven, Elly was born with an important destiny. But when her parents are betrayed by their own coven they discover the great destiny that was in store for their beloved child is to be a sacrifice. Instead, they give their lives to keep her safe and entrust their only child with people they hope will protect her. Instead, they keep her hidden and use her for every drop of magic she can produce. Elly spends her life on the run and in hiding. Her magic tells her she needs to find someone or something. But what? When she runs out of places to hide she gets stuck between the family that has spent her life abusing her for her powers, the coven of witches that want to sacrifice her in order to attain power and enslave the creatures around them, and the creatures that want her dead to stop that from happening. After his father made a foolish deal with a coven of witches, Rowan was left to clean up the mess. They gave the pack the power to win a bloody war at the cost of the pack’s freedom and Rowan’s future mate. Now must find a way to free his people from being the witches’ slaves and save his future mate.

“No! I don’t care if you buy me the city skyline, Jason. I’d still tell you to fuck off.” Jason Hale smirked. “What if I bought you the moon?” Samantha Torres’ life isn’t what she planned. Once a top science student, she now waits tables to pay off debt and care for her family. And the one wound she’s never healed? Jason, the man she loved in college, who cheated and broke her heart. Now, five years later, Jason is back. He’s heir to a billion–dollar empire and determined to win her again. He claims he’s changed, and he tempts her with lavish gifts, promises, and the same charm that once ruined her. But Jason has dangerous secrets, and Samantha swore that she would never fall for him again. Until her brother’s gambling debt pulls the mob to her doorstep…and Jason becomes the only man who can save her. Now she is drawn back into his world of wealth and risk, and Samantha finds herself torn between old wounds and new desires. But enemies circle fast: his ruthless twin, the woman who once came between them, and a rival who wants her for himself. Will Samantha walk away from Jason, or will she risk everything to find out if love is worth the danger?

He never knew how hungry his heart was until he had the taste of her love. He is infernal. She is angelic. Marcello Colombo, the third in command in one of the biggest crime families in New York, is well known for being relentless, cruel, strategic, notoriously violent when it comes to getting what he wants—and for having absolutely no interest in love and commitment. Not until he met Mariana Anderson and suddenly he found himself thirsty for her with an unquenchable desire. As the eldest and unfavourable daughter of her father, Mariana Anderson, was oblivious to her father's crimes until the day she met Marcello, the devil himself. She knew getting involved with a man like him would be dangerous. But who would have known that what fate had in store for her was different and shocking? Not only did he kidnap her and take her as his hostage, he was also going to marry her, and she had no say, but that is not even the worst of what she was going to experience as the wife of a Mafia consigliere. As Marcello began the quest to seek his parents' killer, he was forced to accept a horrible truth, one that would unfold more and more secrets along the way.

For a decade, my world had been measured in laundry cycles, grocery lists, and the ever-growing pile of dishes in the sink. I was elbow-deep in soapy water, scrubbing the remnants of another family meal, when it happened. A sudden, silent cascade of text flickered at the edge of my vision, like subtitles for a movie only I could see: [Gosh, the heroine is so tragic. Her husband's entire family has been feeding on her luck like parasites!] [Her husband stole her graduate school admission and her career!] [The in-laws are literally siphoning her health away. No wonder she's always sick.] [And the sister-in-law took her "romance" stat! No wonder her love life is a desert.] [Heads up! Her husband's about to give her another "gift." Let's see how much more he takes from her this time.] My hands, clutching a greasy plate, froze. Right on cue, my husband, Tristan, sauntered into the kitchen. A smug, self-satisfied smile was plastered on his face as he took my wet hand. He slid a flimsy, garishly colored plastic bracelet onto my wrist. "Look what I got for you, sweetheart," he announced, his voice dripping with pride. "I made a special trip after work. Found it at the dollar store. It's romantic and economical, just like you always say you want. You love it, don't you?"

I'm the top salesperson at a tutoring center. Payday comes, and my commission is 50 cents. I'm so furious that I march straight to my boss to demand answers, but his secretary, Sasha Watson, steps in front of me. She digs through her pocket, pulls out 50 cents, and flicks it straight at my face in front of everyone. "Here's your 50 cents!" My ears ring. Heat crawls up my neck and into my skull. "Ms. Watson, this has to be a mistake. I closed 1.5 million dollars on my own last month. My team pulls in over three million dollars. My commission should be at least 200 grand." Sasha rolls her eyes. She reaches into her wallet, pulls out a dollar bill, and slaps it against my cheek. "Stop barking! Fine, I'll throw you a dollar. Keep the change!" I'm about to lose it. "My mom is still waiting on that 200 grand for her surgery. Without it, she could die." The coworkers around us start whispering. "50 cents? For the top salesperson? That's insane!" "Lower your voice. She's the boss's niece! What she says goes. Unless you want to get fired, pretend you didn't hear anything." I turn away, pull out my phone, and dial our biggest competitor. "I'm in. Five million dollars a year."

In New York’s Upper East Side, there were two heirs. One was a speed-obsessed daredevil dominating the racetracks, the other was a brilliant actuary who controlled the flow of capital. Born into powerful families and polar opposites in temperament, yet they grew up side by side as each other’s only best friend. They had fought over girls and bickered endlessly over racing bets. However, at fifteen, there was one thing they did in perfect unison. They each put on the same roughly carved bronze badge. They were trinkets Mia had idly made during a craft class, marked only by a faint “M” scratched on the back. Back then, Mia was seated in the last row of the classroom. Her background was a complete mystery to everyone. Yet they wore that badge for ten whole years. Whether standing on the F1 podium or locking in billion-dollar trades at the exchange, the cheap little badge on their chests never changed. Until Ella showed up. She was the cherished daughter of a rising conglomerate family. She hand-stitched two gold-thread fabric patches and gifted them to them. The patches looked so ordinary they looked like the kind of trinket you would find three for a dollar at a flea market. And yet, they both replaced their bronze badges with her plain patches. Mia did not say anything. She simply folded away an old newspaper clipping with a photo of the three of them smiling together. That night, she called her father in Sicily. Her voice was emotionless. “Papa, I accept the marriage arrangement.”

I was from a rich family. But after I finally returned home, my parents made me sleep in the store room and eat leftover food. Yet, they still felt like they had wronged their foster daughter. When the government introduced the Children’s Fairness System, my parents immediately bound the entire family to it. My father breathed a sigh of relief and said, “With this perfectly fair system in place, Annie won’t be treated unfairly anymore.” My mother gently held my hand and said in an unyielding tone. “Ever since you came back, you’ve taken everything that was meant for Annie. This is unfair to her.” My elder brother never showed a hint of kindness toward me either. “I only acknowledge Annie as my sister. You’ve gotten way more than you deserved already, so don’t push your luck,” he said. I looked down at the cheap clothes I had worn for five years. Then, I glanced at Annie’s lavish bedroom and countless luxury items. I found it all utterly ridiculous. However, when the system took effect, they all ended up breaking down.

For years, Venus has loved Alpha Bronze of the SilverFang pack, the boy who promised her that no matter what fate had in store, she would be his Luna. But on Venus’s twentieth birthday, everything falls apart when Bronze’s fated mate appears. Mallory, a royal wolf with undeniable power and status. Despite Bronze’s vow to reject his destined mate, Venus’s world shatters when Bronze publicly names Mallory as his Luna. Heartbroken and humiliated, Venus cuts the bond between them and throws herself into the annual training camp, determined to rebuild her life. But fate isn’t done with her yet. When the cold and ruthless Alpha King Rowan, Bronze’s uncle, arrives at the camp, Venus feels an irresistible pull toward him. Rowan, known for his icy demeanour and ruthlessness, is startled by the fiery young wolf who stirs something dangerous within him. When they discover they are fated mates, Venus is torn between the fear of another crushing rejection and the hope of finding true love. Can Venus melt the heart of the fearsome Alpha King? Or will Rowan’s dark past and his cold nature push her away forever?