Evening Shadows

I had been married to Natasha Bates for ten years, and not once did she ever join me for our family's Independence Day cookout. This year, on the night before the celebration, I finally gathered the courage to ask if she wanted to come. She scoffed and said, "What are you, stuck in the past? Who even celebrates the Fourth with a family dinner anymore?" Yet that very evening, I saw a social media post of Natasha with her male best friend, Stanley Rogers. They were quite intimate in the picture, and the caption read: [True happiness is celebrating Independence Day with your bestie!] I commented back: [Hope you two lovebirds make it official soon.] Stanley did not hold back. He messaged me a bunch of intimate photos of the two of them. Then, he added, [You're just a leech living off his wife. What right do you have to question anything about Nattie?] Everyone always thought I was a gold-digger living off Natasha's success. However, they all forgot that I was the sole major shareholder of the company. This time, I’m done staying silent.

She was supposed to be a just another girl behind the bar. He was never supposed to remember her just another night to forget. But that one night... changed everything. Aria Lane has known pain for as long as she can remember. Orphaned in a tragic accident and taken in by a family that sees her only as a burden with a price tag, she works long hours just to survive. When a mysterious, powerful stranger walks into the bar one stormy evening, she doesn't expect him to notice her. Let alone offer her something that feels both wrong and irresistible. Damien West... young, dangerously handsome, and heir to a billion-dollar empire has secrets buried deeper than his pockets. One night with Aria was supposed to be a mistake he could walk away from. But Aria can’t walk away not when she finds herself pregnant and alone. With no money, no support, and no way to find the man who changed her life with a single touch, she must fight to protect her unborn child... and herself. What happens when their paths collide again? Will the truth tear them apart or bind them forever?

"We call them Raven's Gate. They're an organisation that has been in the shadows for a long time, with their leader calling himself 'Kami', or 'God'. And it seems like they're dead set on interfering with us." Yuri Kirisawa is an assassin for the Hati organisation - an organisation that has been around for centuries, and are the blades in the shadows - their duty being to safeguard and take out the threats to Japan and the world with any method possible. But the Hati organisation soon found their way of life threatened when they came across information about a mysterious being that called himself 'Kami' or 'God' and seemed determined to uproot everything they held dear to them, and he seemed to have more of a connection to Yuri than even she thought possible... (Compl)

Laya’s world is falling apart—haunted by a past she can’t outrun and a future she never chose. When shadows resurface and loyalties are tested, survival might cost her everything.

"The Secret of a Forbidden Heart" Akira Quezon, better known as Kira, is a young woman with a sweet smile and a loyal heart. Despite her youth, she harbors a secret love — a feeling ordained by fate but forbidden by society. Her heart continues to beat for Axel, her handsome and mysterious godfather, who, despite being 40 years old, remains dashing and alluring. But behind every glance and secret smile lies a complex past. Axel is a man seemingly shrouded in the shadows of his own secrets. Between their silent gazes and inexplicable closeness, the question hangs — how far will they fight for a love that defies all norms? As secrets gradually unravel, Kira discovers that the man she loves has wounds from the past that he desperately tries to hide. Between truth and desire, they must confront their fears. Will their love prevail, or will they be consumed by the shadows of the past?

I end up suffering from a miscarriage after getting attacked by a Rogue on the highway. At that moment, my mate, Jerry Shaw, happens to drive by me with his Omega assistant, Monica Reed. As soon as Jerry sees my white dress that's completely stained red, he covers Monica's eyes instantly, blocking her curious gaze. "Don't look. It's bad luck," he says coldly. The next second, the car speeds off. Jerry doesn't even glance in my direction. I collapse onto the ground and try to reach Jerry through our mind-link. Once, twice, ten times... By the 99th attempt, there's still no response. That's when it hits me—to him, neither I nor our pup matters. That evening, I find something under the bed. It's a pair of black lace panties studded with rhinestones. It's sexy, expensive, and clearly not mine. Expressionless, I toss it into a drawer like a useless scrap of trash. Then, I call Jimmy Norwood. My voice is calm and steady as I say, "I've made up my mind. Next week, I'm leaving the pack. I'll come to your territory and start the new job."

Our pup, Kyle Draven, is burning with a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. His small body convulses as he cries out for his father. But my husband, the Alpha, doesn't care. Julian Draven ignores our son's suffering because Kyle's cries might disturb his precious Linda Griffin. "Linda's trying on evening gowns. Stop using Kyle to get my attention. You're pathetic." Linda deliberately monopolizes my husband's time, then shows up with cake for Kyle like she's some saint. When Kyle eats it, he vomits black-purple blood. The cake had Wolfsbane. I confront her, desperate for answers, but Julian responds with a vicious slap and crushes me under his Alpha authority. "Linda wouldn't hurt a fly. How could she poison anyone? You clearly framed her. What kind of mother poisons her own pup?" He shatters my spine and throws both me and our dying pup into the Borderlands. Just as he gives the order to kill us, a roar erupts from deep within the forest—the kind that makes every beast submit. My childhood friend has returned.

At the engagement party, the champagne tower is only half-built when Marcus Harrison answers a phone call. He glances at me and says, "I have to go. Lily collapsed at the airport." I say, "If you leave, we're done." He leaves anyway, in front of 200 guests. He carries Lily Bardot in his arms, wearing the coat I gave him, as he drives away in my car. The next day, he sends me an email that reads, "Lily will be moving into my apartment. She needs me, and I hope you can understand. Once Lily gets better, we'll get married. Please trust me." I stare at the screen and suddenly laugh. So what he wants isn't someone who loves him. It's someone who needs him. And I'm too independent, so I don't make the cut. That evening, I scroll through my contacts and find a number I've never given a second glance to. It belongs to someone who's been waiting for me for 23 years. I dial it. "Tomorrow night, 7:00 pm. Meet me at the restaurant by the sea."

"The Academy of Shadows" Elara, an intelligent young woman but completely lacking control in her professional and personal life, is secretly drawn to submission. Upon receiving a mysterious invitation, she joins "The Academy of Shadows," a discreet institution where the most secret desires are explored under the guidance of Master Kael, a Dominator as feared as he is desired. —Kneel, he commands. I resist for a second, out of pride, out of despair, before collapsing, my knees hitting the hard ground. —Good girl, Isadora murmurs, but her voice seems distant, drowned in the buzzing of my own blood in my ears. —Now, he says, you will show me how much you want this. And I know, with terrifying certainty, that I no longer have a choice.

“Marry me.” “You don’t even know my name.” “I will as soon as you agree to marry me.” * * * Hana Kent has lived all her life with one rule continuously enforced by her father. Don’t fall in love. If she forgets, Baba is there to remind her. She must and cannot fall in love with another person because she’s betrothed. And as soon as she turns twenty-five, she will leave for her husband’s house. One rainy evening leads her into the arms of a stranger, who not only protects her from the rain, but the men following her. It was supposed to be an innocent kiss to get her out of an impossible situation. But once her lips connect with that of the handsome Calvin McKenna, she realises she’s a lost cause. Calvin knows better than to kiss strangers. But when the pretty damsel in distress rushes up to kiss him, begging him to play along, he’s more than happy to do so. After the kiss, he takes her to his hotel to clean up. He expects gratitude, maybe even her name, but what he doesn’t expect is to wake up to an empty bed the following day.