Early Greek Philosophers

Violet eyes with piercing sight. Mane of gold in pale moonlight. Skin so hard and lily white. Voice so soft, yet filled with might. He comes to me in the dark of night. Flash of teeth, smile so slight. There is no fear, no need to fight. In his embrace, I crave his bite. -S.R. Michele, or Shelly to those closest to her, is a typical 21 yr old, trying to find her way in life. She has good family, a close circle of friends. She's outgoing and friendly, and a bit reckless and impulsive sometimes. And she has certain gifts...when she touches things, she can see into the past, she can feel what was felt by others, and she can sense things before they happen. Ok, so maybe she's not so typical. An impromptu trip to New Orleans, a party on Bourbon Street, and an attempted assault in a dark alley lead her into a world she didn't know existed...but one she's not afraid of. She doesn't know if the violet-eyed stranger that comes to her rescue, and follows her home, is a friend or a foe - and honestly, she doesn't care. Once you've had a taste of the darkness, it's hard to pull away... **** This book was written in the late 1990's - early 2000's, and originally published in 2004, under the title: Diary of a Vampire by S.M. Royston. It was my first book, and it wasn't long until I came to hate it! (Please, don't look it up - I promise you, it's terrible) So here we are, years later, and I've decided to throw out my original work, and re-write it. Because I'm the author, and I can do that. The story, characters, and settings are the same - but the writing style is different, and in my opinion, much, much better. I hope you enjoy it. ****

He had seen her glancing back. It wouldn't do to scare her this early on. He turned right as she crossed the street. Cole Baxter had never followed a woman before, especially a human. He'd never had the need, females usually came to him. As a Beta in the local pack he could find a woman whenever he felt the need, and he usually felt the need quite often. But if he knew his wolf, that was going to change. He could feel his wolf in his mind pacing, wanting to follow his mate closely in case any other males got too close. Cole had to remind him that they couldn't just jump her on the street. His wolf would have to learn patience. He'd been waiting for her for close to 200 years, no reason to over react now. He caught sight of her from two blocks down and continued to follow until she turned into the front door of a medical clinic. He stood outside the door and glanced inside. He couldn't see her so he waited around the corner. After what seemed like an eternity, she came walking out with a male who stared straight at him with bright blue eyes. Cole realized immediately this wasn't a human, he was a Were, one of his kind. The male was holding his mate by the waist, and Cole automatically growled, ready to tear the wolf's throat out to get him away from her. Wait, his mate? Maybe he was too late. Maybe she was already mated. His heart was pounding as he watched them walking down the street. He couldn't believe he had waited this long to find his mate only to lose her to another.

“You’re disgusting. Get out of my room,” I demand as I press up to my feet. He doesn’t protest and stands up, slicking his bright pink hair back. “Whatever ya say, Bunny. Get some sleep. You have an early day tomorrow,” he winks at me and makes his way out the door. - - - - Sapphire Stone is the third daughter of the late Alpha Bronson Stone. Despite losing both her parents to the Fated Plague when she was just a child, and being separated from her sisters, Saph maintained an optimistic attitude. She was always the sister who could look on the bright side. That is until she lost her chosen mate when he sacrificed his life for another. Once bright-eyed and caring Saph is now using any means to numb herself from the pain of her broken heart. Her reckless behavior has ultimately landed her in serious trouble with Alpha Asher of Red Mountain Pack. Coping with her loss and grief is hard enough. Now, Saph must face the man who cost her chosen mate his life, along with helping find a cure for what could be another plague. Alpha Asher is the light-hearted, and alternative, leader of the Red Mountain Pack. After uprooting his pack from Australia, Asher has vowed to always keep his pack members safe and free from worry. The full moon run reveals a bond that Asher cannot fight, but also cannot act on. With secrets from his past resurfacing, Asher will do anything to protect his new-found mate, even if it’s from herself. A former betrayal looms in the shadows, threatening to decimate what’s left of Asher’s pack. It will require him to trust his mate, and new allies, to help him save what matters most to him.

Camilla Hart’s life is small but warm, filled with early mornings with her best friend Anya and caring for her sick aunt Roseline. An encounter with an arrogant stranger that she spilled coffee, will change everything. That same stranger, Adrian Harrington, a billionaire CEO, shows up at her big presentation. Impressed, he offers her a job as his personal assistant. Camilla is thrown into a world of glass walls, power games, and sharp eyes that never stop watching. Her desk sits just a glass wall away from Adrian Harrington’s — the arrogant billionaire she can’t escape from him. Everything changed when Adrian puts a contract in front of her: one year as his wife. No intimacy, no questions, no strings. In return, her aunt’s surgery will be paid for, and 20 million dollars . Cornered, Camilla signs. A dinner party with Adrian’s powerful family push her to her limits.Eleanor, Adrian's grandmother looks down on her because of her background, his father shows kindness, and just when she starts finding her place, Adrian’s childhood sweetheart, Celine, comes back to claim him. Jealousy simmers, sparks ignite, and the “rules” of their marriage start to break. Between late-night arguments, almost-kisses, and truths they’re too afraid to say , something real grows. But just as Camilla begins to trust what’s happening between them, her world is rocked: her long-lost father returns, wealthy and powerful, carrying secrets that turn her life upside down. When the contract ends, Camilla walks away, determined to stand on her own. But Adrian won’t let her go. In front of both families, at an engagement party no one saw coming, he makes his choice clear: what started as a deal on paper has become the only promise that matters.

I was eight months pregnant and had just gone into labor, but my Alpha mate, Damien, locked me in a silver cage in the basement to delay my labor. When I cried out for help, he just told me to wait. Because his late brother's mate, Victoria, was also giving birth that day. The Pack Seer had foretold that only the firstborn pup would be blessed by the Moon Goddess and become the future Alpha. "The title belongs to Victoria's child," he said. "She lost Marcus. She has nothing. You already have all my love, Elena. The silver cage will make sure you deliver after her." The contractions were torture. I begged him to take me to the clinic. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "Stop pretending. I should've known you never loved me. All you've ever cared about is wealth and status!" "To force your labor early, just to steal what belongs to my nephew… You're truly wicked." Pale and trembling, I whispered: "The pup is coming, I can't stop it. Please, I'll make a blood oath. I don't care about the inheritance. I only love you!" He scoffed."If you loved me, you wouldn’t have forced Victoria into that contract to give up her pup’s birthright. I'll come back for you after she delivers. After all, that's my pup in there, too." He stood guard outside Victoria's delivery room. Only after he saw the newborn pup in her arms did he remember me. He ordered his Beta to release me. But the Beta's voice trembled. "Luna… and the pup… they're dead." And in that moment, Damien went feral.

Listen up, everyone!" I yelled to gain everyone's attention "Your trainer Antony, is going to be gone for the foreseeable future. YOU lucky ladies have the pleasure to be trained by me. Antony is a nursery teacher compared to the hell you will soon be facing by me" I stated authoritatively. "Little girl I have morning shits bigger than you" yelled a testosterone-induced jokester from the back causing snickers to erupt throughout the crowd. "Then I'd suggest eating more greens and lessening up on protein and testosterone. You do know that shit causes your willy to shrink up and fall off right" I retorted. I watched the man turn purple with rage before charging towards the stage. Immediately taking a side stance I prepare to take on the idiot Alpha 'gracefully'.  Kicking off the stage I performed my perfect Tornado barrel kick to the dumbass's head. Connecting with a loud crack and landing gracefully on my feet bowing to my audience of alphas, knowing full well that alpha is not getting up for a while. "Any more volunteers?" I said smugly. "Nope, alrighty then. So, going forward I am not someone to mess with. I do not take lightly to those who challenge me and I do not respond to assholes who think little ladies belong barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. If you have those prejudices, I am more than willing to knock those thoughts clear from your head. And for jackasses like this one, off your head. Do I make myself clear?" Gabriella's family was cursed as she puts it. She cannot be commanded by any Alpha and for that, she cannot belong to any pack. From an early age, her father and 6 older brothers taught her how to fight, and turned trainer. Until she finds her Mate!

Years had passed since Helena first walked through the imposing gates of Brentford Academy—a school of wealth and whispers, luxury and secrets. The memories of those early days—of cold stares, whispered mockery, and relentless bullying from Greg and Bianca—still lingered in her mind, but they no longer held the power to hurt her. Levenon had once felt like a place of exile, a strange city after her parents’ divorce. But beneath the glittering surface of privilege and cruelty, Helena found something unexpected: strength, and even a fragile kind of hope. Greg, the billionaire heir who had wielded his wealth like a weapon, had surprised everyone—including himself. What began as rivalry and harshness slowly turned into something more complicated. Beneath his arrogance, Greg saw something in Helena he had never noticed before—her courage, her kindness, her refusal to be broken. As seasons passed, his animosity faded into admiration, and admiration blossomed into love. It was a quiet, confusing love, born from moments stolen between tension and vulnerability. Helena, though wary at first, eventually saw past Greg’s tough exterior to the boy struggling with his own expectations. Bianca, once the unchallenged queen of Brentford’s social scene, faded into the background, losing her grip on power as both Greg and Helena forged their own paths. Helena graduated at the top of her class, her scholarship the key to a future she had fought hard to claim. Universities lined up with offers, eager to welcome the girl who had risen above Brentford’s shadows. Now, standing once more before the academy’s grand gates, Helena no longer saw the school as a place of cruelty but as the crucible that shaped her. Brentford had been a battlefield—and a forge. With Greg by her side, no longer a bully but a partner, Helena ---

Lily Thornton was the underprivileged student I'd sponsored for a full ten years. From middle school through college, I covered every penny of her tuition and living expenses. I treated her like my own little sister. When she was diagnosed with a rare disease, I even begged my husband, Graham Forsythe -- Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery -- to personally operate on her. But on the day of her college graduation ceremony. I went to her apartment early to surprise her. And found Graham pressing her into the sofa, tenderly kissing her slightly swollen belly. "Graham, if Serena finds out about our baby, do you think she'll cut off my medication?" Graham pulled her into his arms, his voice laced with that condescending patience of his. "Don't worry. Serena is the kind of woman who's so rational she's practically cold-blooded. She'd never understand the soul-deep connection we share -- two people saving each other." "But to protect my reputation as department chief, she'll fall in line." "Once I get that one-of-a-kind clinical trial slot for the new drug, I'll divorce her and give you and the baby a real home." I stood outside the door, staring at the freshly stamped Phase-I clinical trial authorization in my hand. I didn't push the door open. I didn't make a scene. I simply, with perfect calm, tore it to shreds and dropped the pieces into the trash can beside me. Graham Forsythe. You couldn't have imagined this in your wildest dreams. That clinical trial slot your entire hospital had pulled every string to secure. Its lead research scientist was none other than your wife. The one you mocked for being so rational she was cold-blooded.

Billionaire Adi Grenier has silently loved the girl since he was a young teenager. But due to the secrets that he had to burden in his early twenties, he never thought of pursuing her watching her from afar. And so he can only look on as she goes from a happy girl to a woman whose eyes only hold sadness. Now, he has finally settled all the matters that stopped him from pursuing her and so, he is going to cross every obstacle that stops him from getting her… But what he has not expected is that the person he has to fight is none other than the woman of his heart. Faith Heming is not going to risk her heart again.The walls around her heart are not going to be broken down. Not even by the one man who has always held her heart. Excerpt: Allie walked over to the couple, "You really are something, Faith. I need to know your secret.” Faith asked curiously, "Secret?” Allie sipped from her glass with a smile before she continued, "Hmm. You have three lovers. Your ex-husband still dotes on you and is ready to protect you. Your sugar baby is always following you around like a dog wagging its tail and Adi is not even ashamed of having you on his arm." Adi stiffened at the insult ready to defend her when Faith silently gestured to him and smiled lazily,"Why, it's the se* of course, Allie. You counted my ex-husband, my boy toy, my eye candy but I also have a female partner." As the woman frowned in horror, Adi Grenier could only sip his wine to stop his laughter from escaping… Finally, Allie stomped her foot and glared at Adi, "How can you even be with HER?"

They say every wolf has their mate. The one person destined to complete them, to heal their wounds and stand by their side through fire and blood. But what happens when your mate is the one who shattered you? Aria Blackwood never wanted to be special. As an omega, she learned early to keep her head down and survive in a world where strength is everything. But on her eighteenth birthday, everything changes. Haunted by a tragedy that destroyed everything he loved, Kade has built walls no one can breach. When he feels the mate bond with Aria, he does the unthinkable. He rejects her. In front of the entire pack. He severs their sacred connection and casts her out like she's nothing. Broken and humiliated, Aria runs. She finds refuge with the Nightshade Pack, where Alpha Dante offers her something Kade never did: a chance to discover her own strength. For the first time, Aria isn't just surviving. She's becoming someone new—a woman who knows her worth. But fate isn't done with her yet. When war threatens all the packs, Aria and Kade are forced back together. Except she's not the frightened omega he rejected anymore. She's powerful now. Confident. And Dante's growing feelings for her make Kade realize what he lost. Now Kade wants her back. But Aria has built a new life without him. She's found someone who valued her from the start. Why should she give her broken alpha a second chance? Can she forgive the man who destroyed her? Or will she choose the alpha who showed her she deserved better? Sometimes the greatest battle isn't against your enemies. It's against your own heart. Perfect for readers who love alpha shifters, fated mate drama, and heroines who refuse to settle for less than they deserve.