Evening Sky Painting

Buong akala ni Sky hindi na siya magkakagusto pa sa isang lalaki, matapos lokohin ng boyfriend niya noon at iwan ng Papa niya para sa ibang babae. Ngunit nagbago ang lahat nang makilala niya si Zach Villanueva, ang bagong CEO ng kumpanyang pinagtatrabahuan niya. Lihim siyang humanga dito, ngunit malayong magustuhan siya ng boss niyang perfectionist at may mataas na standard. Nang minsang magbiro ang tadhana, sa kasal ng kanyang ina, natuklasan niyang si Zach ay hindi lang basta boss, kundi anak ng lalaking papakasalan ng Mama niya. Stepbrother niya ang lalaking lihim niyang hinahangaan. Mas lalong naging kumplikado ang sitwasyon nang mapilitan silang magsama sa iisang bubong. Sa bawat titig, sa bawat paglapit, at sa bawat paghinga sa iisang espasyo, mas lumalalim ang tensyon sa pagitan nila. Isang tensyon na hindi dapat mabuo… pero imposibleng pigilan. Family by law. Forbidden by morals. But temptation doesn’t always play by the rules until it becomes...a sacred betrayal.

> “Stay still, Little Thorn… I want to taste you slowly.” His voice was velvet and ruin. His mouth, a weapon. And I—fool that I was—leaned closer. Before death wore a suit and called itself a lover, I used to believe in beauty. Before the blood. Before the runes. Before I painted the image that killed my parents—I believed my art could save me. Now I know better. I was just weeks from graduating when the painting came to me like a fever. I didn’t choose it. I didn’t plan it. My hands moved, possessed, dragging symbols I’d never seen and a face I’d never forgotten—his. Eyes red as wine. A crown pierced with thorns. And a girl in the center… me. Offering herself. I signed it with a mark I didn’t recognize. I sold it to a stranger. And days later, my parents were dead—no wounds, no reason, just... gone. The police said stress. I say fate. Now I’m being hunted by a world I didn’t know existed. Vampires with ancient courts and older grudges. Symbols that whisper in my blood. And Lucien D’Aragon—the vampire who says I summoned him with my brushstroke. That I belong to him. He says I’m his prophecy. His ruin. His Little Thorn. But I’m not just prey. Something is waking in me. Something hungry. Something I was never meant to survive. If I give in, I lose everything. If I fight, I might finally learn the truth. About my art. About my bloodline. About what really happened that night. And why he keeps whispering that I was painted for ruin... but made for him.

My husband only married me for a family alliance, but his heart was always with his first love. To please her, he even threw her a grand wedding. He forced me to play the wedding march at their ceremony. When I hit a single wrong note, he stood by as she drove steel needles through my fingers. “Weren’t you so proud of being a pianist? Then I’ll take that away from you.” “This is my revenge for forcing me into this marriage!” Later, I got pregnant. However, Yaron Hayes, my husband, left for an extravagant trip abroad with Ellie Jensen. When he finally returned and saw my swollen belly, he immediately assumed I had cheated. He locked me in a closet, forcing me to endure a brutal childbirth alone—one that cost me my life. Yet when I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the Hayes family arranged our marriage. This time, I let go of my foolish devotion. I booked a flight to study abroad in half a month. “The sky is vast, and birds are meant to be free. It's time for me to follow my own path.”

For centuries, the Sky Border has kept werewolves and humans gifted with magic apart. Its ruthless Watchers uphold the most sacred law of Parlem—hybrids must never exist. Jade doesn’t know what she is. She only knows something wild and untamed lives inside her. One night, it takes over, robbing her of consciousness. When she wakes—bruised, aching, and surrounded by a group of armed men—she realizes she’s being hunted for a crime she doesn’t even remember. Then Kema saves her—a golden-eyed Watcher with a godlike beauty that steals her breath. He offers her a single path to survival: to hide what she is, she must join the Watchers and survive their hellish training. But as Jade hones her fire magic, the pull between them grows dangerous and undeniable. When the truth of her birth is finally revealed, so is a secret dark enough to start a war between werewolves and humans. Now, Jade is worth more dead than alive. If she runs, they’ll find her. If she fights, she might lose herself. But one thing is certain—she isn’t dying for anybody. Maybe Kema.

A wolfless child from an ancient royal bloodline, Will be born under a clear midnight sky & the full moon, On the sixteenth day of the seventh month. *** Amarah Saville was taken and hidden away from her pack, The White Shadows because of a prophecy that has been foretold. Growing up, she became a medical assistant, under the care and guidance of the doctors, who took her in. Clayton Langston, became the new Alpha of The Night Howlers when he turned twenty-one, surpassing his older brother, Conrad. Now at twenty-six, his pack became one of the strongest and fearsome under his leadership. One fateful and dangerous night, the fates had conspired where Amarah encountered Clayton by saving him from a vicious attack that was set by the jealous brother. The moment he opened his eyes and met hers, Clayton knew who Amarah is to him. And he will do everything to protect her from all enemies trying to claim her to make the prophecy come full circle. Surrounded by revenge, hatred and betrayal, will Amarah and Clayton get to have the fate they deserved? Can love be able to conquer all? Are they destined to be each others mate? WARNING: Some chapters contain Mature/Sexual Content. Read with discretion.

"It's just for a few hours. Please, help me out." Lilian said. Her voice pleading, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears but she didn't break down in front of a random stranger. "Why would I?" Shane said coldly. Helping a stranger wasn't one of his virtues. "I will pay the price." Lilian said desperately. "Please, do me the favour." Shane stared at the girl standing in front of him. She really didn't seem to know him otherwise she wouldn't have mentioned about paying him. And looking at her, what possibly could she pay him! As if reading his mind, Lilian spoke up, "I will do whatever you ask me to do after this." Shane gave her an impassive expression before he asked, "Do I have your words on this?" "It's a deal." Lilian said not thinking much about what she was binding herself to. She never had a clear sky and was already at the dead end anyway. So, what worse possibly be awaiting her! Little did she know how Shane would be taking her up on that offer!

"It's Mayor Montgomery's daughter, Anaïs...Beautiful and...virgin." At these last words, I could hear their cries of satisfaction rising like the cry of wild beasts, ready to do anything to devour me. “So gentlemen, place your bets. Bidding starts from 3 million.” And there...I watched them discuss my price as if I were an object. What had I done to get there? Well, nothing. My only sin was being the daughter of the mayor who has plunged the supernatural people into horror for over 15 years...Indeed, when the government discovered the existence of werewolves, they immediately made a chip that would reduce them to slavery but now that they have revolted, I am an enemy to them. The person they must vent their rage on since my father is now dead. "20 millions." 20 millions ? Still petrified and trembling, I looked up at the man who had just spoken....That scar on his face, that enigmatic look... No, not him. Denver. Slave #345... He was one of my father's five Alpha Slaves. He lived a martyr's life since my father had killed his entire family before bringing him into slavery... He stood out from the crowd because he spent a lot of time spying on me and he even saved my life. However, he was also the one who killed my fathers on the evening of the revolt. Swallowing, I knew that if he bought me it was simply to make me pay for my father's evil... “No…” I whispered, my eyes widening in horror. "20 million...20 million...20million. Awarded."

For years, the witches and vampires of Shadowbrooke co-existed secretly, without much incident. Until one winter evening in 2002. Luca Delacroix was on a hunting trip when the monthly court hosted by his clan turned disastrous. What began as a normal night for the residents of the sleepy town ended horribly when fledgelings in blood-lust took Shadowbrooke under siege. It took a small coven of witches, a powerful spell, the Chaos Star and a virgin's blood to end the terror. But in the aftermath, Julian Delacroix, Luca's brother, along with several of their clan members, were eternally bound to the manor's cellar, forsaken to wither and perish from thirst. It's 2022, and Luca's returned to Shadowbrooke after two decades. His sudden reappearance threatens to destabilise the peaceful town again. He'll stop at nothing to get his brother out, and the Youngblood Coven will not hesitate to destroy him. While the witches scramble to get the missing piece of the Star of Chaos, the rune they once used against Luca's clan, he has to fight hard to stay one step ahead of them. But, his plans go awry when he meets and falls in love with Cadence Youngblood, the same woman responsible for his brother's infernal prison. Cadence is everything he shouldn't want, but for her, Luca is willing to take the backlash from his clan and risk her coven's wrath. © 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

The night before my mating ceremony with Alpha Garrett Northwood of the Silverpine Pack, he held a grand Luna ceremony for my silver-poisoned stepsister behind my back. He held Serena close under the starlit sky, his smile tender in a way I'd never seen: "You're the only one I truly love, Serena." "Even though Maya and I are already registered as mates with the Alpha Council, she'll never have my heart. You're the only one I recognize as my Luna." The pack members cheered and blessed them as they completed the ceremony with joy. I watched it all without crying or screaming. Instead, I quietly scheduled an abortion appointment. I've loved Garrett Northwood for twelve years, ever since I first shifted as an adult. But his heart still only had room for my stepsister Serena. If that's how it was, I'd let go. Later, I joined the secluded Herbal Research Center of the Alpha Council. I left Garrett nothing but a mate bond dissolution agreement. But for some reason, Garrett—who had always treated me with disdain—suddenly went crazy begging me not to leave.

'You either break or they break you.' Hailey Young is supposed to be loved as she was an Alpha's daughter, but the truth is she was cursed since the day she was born a twin. Considered useless because she wasn't like her older twin, she was constantly bullied and mistreated by everyone, thus desperately wanting to find her mate to escape. On her 18th birthday, her world shatters when her mate turns out to be her sister's boyfriend who despises her even more. Rejected and heartbroken, she decides to end it all, but on her last breath, light flashes in the sky and three months later, she comes back to the same Pack a completely different woman. The biggest difference is now there are 3 mates waiting for her - her sister's boyfriend, his younger brother, and the Lycan King himself. Rejected once, but wanted thrice, Hailey will have to make a choice but it will prove to be difficult when King Hunter Beowulf is hellbent on bringing her back to his Kingdom. Six months, he said. Stay with him for six months and if she doesn't fall for him, he'll let her go. Can she do it? (Rated 18+ for explicit content.)