Elusive Samurai

His lips stretched into a predatory smile that sent chills skittering down my backbone. “Dance on the nails, Sin. Don't make me repeat myself.” He really was the devil. *** Bound to the notorious murderer who’s put a sword to her father’s neck, Princess Annora, fallen from grace, is made to live in Devil’sDen pack as the slave to her captor, Alpha Aegon. Being the fated mate to the Beta of the same vicious pack, Annora plans to use her mate’s feelings as a triumph card, driving her way up to the Alpha’s heart and hoping to put a knife in it. But life happens in reverse— the Alpha becomes the one ‘putting’ things in her. He’s elusive, the most dangerous man she’s ever known. But he’s just as sweet around the edge, alluring in all the forbidden ways. Her hate for him becomes a three-legged chair— wavering. Alpha Aegon hates the Stormbringers for everything they’d cost him, but taking their little white-haired princess was a complete crack in his mode of operation. As harmless as she might seem, everyone is a victim of her wits. Of course, he thinks he’s excluded. Aegon only finds out he’s been mastered in his own game when it's too late, and everything else hangs in the line. His life. Hers. His Virtuous Beta's. What evil befalls this forbidden attraction? How does Annora outsmart this charming man who’s laid waste to everything she’s ever known?

Aurora Walton once made a bet with her mother—if Joseph Hunt ever fell in love with her, her mother would step aside and let them be together. So, upon learning that Joseph preferred gentle and resilient girls, she disguised herself as a struggling college student to get close to him. But in the end, Joseph crushed her illusions, holding his first love in his arms as he looked at Aurora with disdain. "A gold-digging nobody like you? How could you ever compare to Judy?" Humiliated and heartbroken, Aurora walked away, returning home to claim her rightful place as heiress to a billion-dollar empire. Years later, she returned, draped in a custom-made designer gown worth million, exuding elegance and power. Beside her stood a man whispered to be untouchable, feared, and revered. As she crossed paths with Joseph once more, the tables had turned. This time, it was Joseph who was left in regret. He took to social media with a public confession: "I used to think I loved strong, one-of-a-kind women. But Aurora, meeting you made me realize that love isn’t about rules. You are my exception." That very night, the elusive Lucas Carter broke his silence, releasing a long-cherished photograph. In it, a girl smiled brightly, untamed and full of life. With absolute certainty, he took Aurora’s hand and made his declaration for the world to hear. "Mrs. Carter, there are no exceptions. You've always been the one. And I've been waiting for this moment my whole life."

"Did you enjoy the show?" He murmurs close to my ear. "Did watching me make another woman scream my name turn you on so much that you can't stand it?" "N-no," I rasp, feeling my core throb with desire. "I didn't, why would I?" "Just say the word and that can be you. Give into your desires, little minx, and I'll show you what a real man can do." When Avery King finds her best friend and boyfriend in bed together, she promises to get revenge. And what is a better revenge than seducing the father of her cheating boyfriend? After swearing that one day Connor would call her mommy, Avery begins her plan to seduce and conquer the much older, much more mature, and elusive Atlas Jennings. However, doing so turns out to be much more than she bargained for and introduces her to a whole new world she never knew existed. Soon, Avery finds herself in the world where Atlas is determined to tame her wild and impulsive ways. Atlas Jennings has always enjoyed taming women, making them his playthings, and then throwing them aside once they've served his purpose. However, when his son's ex approaches him and attempts to make him hers, he finds that he's weirdly attracted to her confident and seductive nature and decides that he will conquer her to get her out of his mind.

Sherry Hart never imagined the family business would crumble in her hands. With nowhere else to turn, she strikes a desperate deal with Enzo Blackwood, cold, calculating, and dangerously handsome, the elusive billionaire known for his ruthless business tactics and a heart as cold as his empire's towering glass walls. Enzo doesn’t make deals without control. In exchange for saving Sherry’s Fashion House, he demands 5 years of her life as his Personal assistant. Bound by a contract neither can break, what starts as a transactional arrangement soon sparks fiery clashes as Sherry challenges Enzo's authority at every turn. At the very moment she vows to guard her heart, Sherry resolves to keep their relationship strictly professional. But she's pulled deeper into Enzo’s high-stakes world, where hidden enemies lurk behind designer suits and whispered threats. Enzo reveals a side she never imagined: fierce, protective, and willing to fight for her. But the moments when Enzo shields her from harm, exposing a fiercely protective side concealed beneath his cold demeanor, leave her truly shaken. As secrets unravel and desire blurs every line between them, Sherry faces a dangerous question: Can Sherry trust the man who holds both her career and heart hostage, And when desire turns into obsession, will Enzo risk everything for the woman he swore he could never love or is she just a puppet in Enzo’s ruthless game?

Vespera gave up everything for Randell Sterling. She buried her brilliance, hid her beauty behind thick frames and baggy clothes, and played the role of the obedient, invisible housewife. She thought her devotion would eventually melt the ice in his eyes. She was wrong. For five years, she was nothing more than a glorified nanny to their son and a convenient ornament for his public image. But the illusion of her marriage shatters the day she walks into Randell’s office to surprise him—only to find him with his "executive assistant," Caroline. The betrayal cuts deep, but the fatal blow comes from her own flesh and blood. When Vespera reaches for her five-year-old son, the boy she nearly died birthing pushes her away and runs into the mistress’s arms. "I don't want you! I want Mommy Caroline!" Broken, discarded, and replaced, Vespera signs the divorce papers and vanishes. Three years later, the tech world is on its knees for a ghost known only as 'V'—the elusive director of a multi-billion dollar startup. Randell Sterling is desperate to acquire V’s technology to save his empire. He arranges a meeting, expecting a socially awkward nerd. Instead, he walks into a boardroom and faces a woman who stops his heart. The glasses are gone. The timid girl is dead. In her place stands a stunning, ruthless queen with a new man by her side—Randell’s sworn business rival. "Hello, Mr. Sterling," Vespera smirks, clicking a pen that could cost more than his car. "Price just went up. Double."

MATED is book #2 in a new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Bella Lore, whose series MY TRUE MATE and THE ALPHA’S MATE have over 500 five-star reviews.

“I couldn’t stop reading.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When her father suddenly dies, Winter Grace, 17, is forced to fly across the country and attend a mysterious prep school, an ancient castle in a fog-covered island on the coast of Maine. Nothing here is what it seems, and it isn’t long before Winter, feeling a surging power for the first time, realizes that she is not who—or what—she thinks she is.

But when Winter feels an inexplicable crush for an elusive and dangerous boy at the school, she realizes a greater destiny is at play. She knows the relationship might destroy them both—yet she also knows that they can never be apart.

In MATED, Winter and her crush embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve the magic relic and save their friends their school.

Yet they have no idea of the fate awaiting them—or what they will need to do for each other to survive.

Creating an unforgettable world of vampires, werewolves, shifters and magic of all sorts, a world of fantasy, love and sacrifice, MORTAL will take you to another place, rife with shocking twists and turns. Fans of books such as Vampire Academy and Twilight and Crush are sure to fall in love!

Future books in the series are also available.

"The story was very well written and was unique as compared to other shifter stories.”

--Reader review (The Alpha’s Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'"Tell me what you want, Amara,” Zane said, voice like silk over fire. His lips were a whisper from mine. I could feel the tension in his body. The restraint. The raw, maddening awareness. He dragged a finger down my cheek. “To be touched? Or to be remembered?” I stared at him. “Neither. I just want you gone.” “You don’t mean that,” he said, leaning in just a fraction closer. “I do,” I lied. His breath fanned my lips. His nose grazed mine. I felt every inch of my body coil, traitorous and trembling. I wanted him to kiss me. But it would be wrong. He was engaged to someone else.' *** He is the bridegroom. She is the wedding planner. He doesn’t seem to remember her. Or so he says. Five years ago, wedding planner Amara Ibe was madly in love with her fiancé, Zane Blackwood. Until she exposed a massive corruption scandal that was tied to Zane’s father’s company, to which Zane was the primary heir. Her whistleblower tip destroyed Zane’s career, or so she thought. Now Zane is back, bigger and better than ever, and about to marry someone else in the wedding of the century. The catch? Amara has been hired to plan the wedding. And Zane doesn’t seem to remember her. Behind the luxury wedding, perfect vows and Zane’s strangely elusive fiancée, nothing is what it seems. Everyone has secrets, and Amara gradually realizes that everything the couple sells out to the public is a lie. And loving this man could destroy her… again.

There are creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to struck fear to their preys, one of the elusive ones is the King of the shifters, Ruler of the Werewolf Realm, Alpha of the Alphas. Alpha Alexander, a man who bends for nothing and no one ...... That is until he met his mate. A woman destined to bring him to his knees. YOU CANNOT FIGHT AGAINST DESTINY. Humans have always been so oblivious to the world that they live in. They think that they are at the top of the food chain well infact they are and will always be our preys. 2 decades ago when creatures of the night emerged from the shadows and showed themselves out in a public eye. What human believed as myths were actually living with them all along. The reality is way harsher than it seems. ****** I could feel his lips against my neck as he trailed kisses, possibly leaving marks on his path. My hands were pinned by his left hand above my head while his other hand is busy roaming my body. His body was flushed against mine as my back is firmly planted against the wall. I could feel his arousal pressed against mine. His kisses were like a drug, I could feel my body responding to him. Just as I was about to let out a breathy moan I was shaken out of my reverie. Knowing that I am letting my enemy violate me was enough to make my blood boil. "Let me go! I swear to the moon goddess if I break free from your grip, I will chop off your balls and feed them to the oooomp-" I was cut off mid sentence when his lips crashed down to mine. ******

After catching her fiancé in bed with her best friend at their engagement party, Lana Rivera's perfect life shatters in a single night. Humiliated and heartbroken, she feels the scene, desperate to disappear. But running from one betrayal thrusts her into something far more dangerous... Seeking refuge, Lana wanders into an exclusive lounge that feels less like a bar, and more like a secret society. Cigars and cologne linger in the air, Italian jazz hums in the background, and patrons watch everything with sharp, vigilant eyes. But when she witnesses a man executed in cold blood, right into the middle of the club, she realises too late that she has stumbled into the world of Underground crime... quite specifically... the Mafia. Before she can escape, Ezio Benedetti, the ruthless Don who owns the lounge, claims her. At first, she believes she will be killed for what she's seen, but instead, Ezio decides to keep her, to parade her, and to make her part of a world she doesn't understand. When he brings her to his family's most elusive event, Ezio shows her off as his newest prize. But Ezio isn't the only powerful man in the room... Among the guests stands Dante Valencia, the one they call the Mafia King, Don of the most feared family in the city, and Ezio's sworn enemy. When Dante sets his sights on Lana, Ezio refuses to let her go, refuelling the war between the two empires. Now, Lana is caught between two Rival Kings of the Underworld, one who wants to possess her, and one who wants to save her. In a world built on loyalty, blood and power, her heart might be the most dangerous thing of all...

Maya Jenkins has built a life on her own terms. After being abandoned by her father at a young age and betrayed by a man she once loved, Maya has little faith in the concept of true love. But one lonely Saturday night, against her usual instincts, she downloads SoulLink—a new dating app designed to match people based on more than just physical attraction. When she matches with a man named “Ash,” she starts to wonder if she’s been too quick to write off the possibility of something real. Asher Reed is no stranger to living behind a mask. By day, he is the powerful CEO of NovaSpire, the cutting-edge tech company he inherited from his demanding father. By night, he sheds his corporate persona and anonymously tests SoulLink, a product his company has developed. What he doesn’t expect is Maya—a woman who challenges him with her passionate and authentic personality. For the first time in years, he feels seen—not as the CEO or the broken man his ex-fiancée left behind, but as himself. As their connection deepens, so does their vulnerability. Maya’s long-standing trust issues clash with Asher’s secret identity, and their growing bond is threatened by the arrival of past figures— Asher’s manipulative former fiancée. With each revelation, the digital space where they first met becomes a battleground for truth, betrayal, and the complicated pull of their emotions. In a world where identities can be easily manipulated and love is often elusive, Maya and Asher must confront their pasts, their fears, and the choices that will either bind them together or tear them apart. Can they overcome the ghosts of their history and the secrets they’ve kept from each other? Or will their insecurities and unresolved scars lead them down separate paths?