Failing Forward

"M-Mate.." She mumbles the words, mesmerized by the haughty piece of flesh standing before her. Her coyote eyes glaze over as if in a trance that she can't snap out of. The figure cocked its head to the side, engulfing the view of Nadia as if she was a meal. A low snarl rose from within it. Mate.. Her inner canine explodes with relief, howling incessantly. There is no way this is my mate. She shoveled the coyote thoughts aside and stepped back, but the darkened figure only followed her lead and stepped forward simultaneously. The moonlit opening among the trees shed light on the figure to reveal an evermore astounding creature. "No.." She whispers in hopes of mercy. As the lone coyote of the pack, Nadia typically keeps her head low and submits to the alphas orders-her lifelong friend Dakota. Forever grateful for being accepted into the largest pack of the region, she has built strong friendships with everyone there. When she stumbles away from the territory, she realizes she is no longer in wonderland. Outside the wolf regions, lie the unspeakable enemy-vampires. Even with an ancient peace treaty in place, vampires still lurk the night, stalking innocent prey. What will happen when Nadia comes face to face with a blood-sucking leech?

I was in the middle of hosting an important international meeting when my younger brother’s sudden call interrupted me. On the other end, his voice was low and trembling. "Matt, someone took my spot for the exchange student program." I rushed to his school right away, only to find him cornered in an office, his eyes slightly red. A cocky-looking boy was pointing at Tim’s nose, his face full of arrogance. "You want to compete with me? I’m the heir of the Smiths in Ardenford. My mom just donated an entire lab building to the school! Who do you think you are?" Even the teacher nearby spoke up in support of him. "Timothy, the Smiths are one of our school’s major benefactors. You’d better be sensible and not cause any trouble." I was about to step forward and confront them when those words—the Smiths in Ardenford—made me stop cold. The Smiths in Ardenford? Since when did my mom have a third son besides me and my brother, Timothy? I immediately dialed her number, a cold laugh slipping from my lips. "Mom, when did you have another son behind Dad’s back?"

“Love is for the soul and sex is for the body. Both cry out for satisfaction.” "This isn't what I wanted, I don't want this !!! I want something more with you Howard, when would you ever give me the attention I need, when would you ever give me the respect I need? I love you, Howard!!! "Selena hollered at him, with tears rolling down her cheeks and her face as red as cherry. After five years of separation from her relationship, a twenty-two-year-old Italian Selena Greco runs into her ex-boyfriend Howard Turner after leaving home to get a better life, and just like five years ago, all the feelings came back. She wasn't aware he was the owner of the company she had applied for a job as his secretary, and things got steamy between the two. She finds it difficult to leave this mess that she had gotten herself into again, she wanted a solid relationship while Howard wanted otherwise. What happens when she finally decides to leave him for real this time? Would he take a step forward and give her the commitment she yearns for this time?

I had just returned early from a business trip abroad, eager to surprise my five-year-old son. However, as I stood at the entrance of his preschool, the sight before me froze me in place. My son was clinging to my husband's "first love," calling her "Mom." I moved forward to get my son back, but before I could do anything, she screamed, "Help! A kidnapper is trying to take this child! Let's do the right thing today! Stand up for families who've had their kids stolen!"  She egged on the bystanders, rallying them to act in the name of justice. Without a second thought, a crowd of people pummeled me right there in the street, hitting me with rocks that smashed into my face, breaking my legs with metal pipes, and ripping the clothes from my body before tying me to a streetlamp. It was only then that I realized that in the month I'd been away, my husband had moved his first love into our home, taking my place. However, did he forget? He was nothing more than a man who married into my family! I couldn’t wait to see who couldn’t live without the other!

How do you survive when the only life you have known has been stolen from you? At six years old I was branded a murderer,blamed for what I knew nothing of and a slave to my cruel Aunt and Uncle. For fifteen years , I endured their abuse and believe the lies they told me. Until the day I was auctioned to the highest bidder: the arrogant Alpha Lukan. I thought being sold would only bring more misery, but instead it brought me to the powerful and mysterious Alpha of the Nightbane pack. He was ruthless yet kind , cold yet tender and seemed to promise me the love I have never known. But nothing is ever that simple. Why did he choose me? Why does he keep me close yet seem so distant, as if searching for something I can't see. But when the Moon Goddess decides to play chess with your life, you have no option but to move with the game. With every step I take, new secret stepped forward, eager to break the fragile happiness I have found. Now I must decide—am I just another pawn, or can I become the queen in a game I never choose to play

"Go on Athena," Luciano whispered, sliding a hand around my waist. "Shoot me. This was what you wanted all along wasn't it?" Tears ran down my cheeks. My hands trembled with the gun. He was right. This was what I had wanted. "Athena," He leaned forward, burying his face in my neck, his hands around me tightening. "Shoot already. End this. For both our sakes..." **** When Athena was given the mission to infiltrate Moretti Industries as an undercover agent for the FBI and find information on the Lord of the Mafia, she sees it as the golden opportunity to get her revenge on the man whom she thinks killed her father- Luciano Moretti. Her plan is simple. Entice Luciano until he spills all his secrets to her and then kill him. However, along the line, Athena realizes that she would have to fight, not only against Luciano and his enemies but against her feelings as well. What happens when Athena begins to yearn for her enemy? Will she complete her mission, avenge her father's death or Instead, allow her heart to decide? FB handle - HB Temilorun IG handle - hb_temilo

Silent, unforgiving and strikingly gorgeous, Rylan Parker is a cold-hearted businessman. An intimidating CEO, perfectly fitted in tailored suits and with a soft side reserved only for his little daughter. He can't afford to fall for anyone and definitely not for the blue-eyed blonde he met at the diner. But when his grandfather's will demands he gets himself a wife, a contract-marriage seems to be the only option. Living under the same roof with the woman he is undeniably attracted to can't be that hard! He just had to make sure of one thing. He does not fall for his sensitive little wife. But that was never really a choice, was it? * * * * Sweet, charming and affectionate, Elena Smith is mostly an emotional mess. Between working two jobs and worrying about her father’s medical bills, she has no time for relationships. But when the hot, arrogant billionaire puts forward a proposition, she’s left to make a choice, a difficult one. The fact that he is ridiculously attractive wasn’t a reason enough for Elena to put her signature on a marriage-contract with a complete stranger. But her father?....Perhaps. What’s two years anyways? Just a little too much time to come out of this with her heart unscathed.

“You know the truth, Cath,” Wren whispered. “You’re my girl. You’ve always been my girl.” Catherine Thomas knew West Thorne and his younger brother, Wren, better than anyone. Since she grew up in the house next door, the three of them were inseparable in their youths. All that changed when the dating years came. Catherine always harbored strong feelings for Wren; even after he claimed he didn’t feel the same at their high school graduation. Fast forward four years and their friendship grew into an unbreakable bond. Catherine has been dating Wren’s brother West for a year. On the night West pops the question in front of everyone, her eyes land on Wren. Hidden tension passes between them. Wren turns and walks away…and Catherine says yes. As the big day approaches, Wren and Catherine are thrown into a whirlwind of emotions while planning the wedding. Unable to resist their connection any longer, they find themselves locked in an illicit affair. As the lies and secrets from everyone, including West, come to light, there are only two questions to be asked: Will she marry West? Or will Wren finally accept his feelings for Catherine?

Diego strolled into his apartment, his heels clinking softly against the marble floor. He tossed his blonde wig on the couch, and his soft fingers propelled forward to count the dollar bills in his hands. “You're out crossdressing again?” His uncle, Roberto, a tall imposing figure with gray streaks on his hair walked into the room. “I might just have the perfect job for you,” Roberto chuckled softly and tossed a gun at Diego. “What?!” Diego's breath hitched in his throat as he swallowed the weight of the mission his uncle proposed. Cross dressing was one thing that Diego did with ease. There was no way he could do what his uncle requested; assassinating the infamous mafia lord of the Rocco empire. He stood in front of a mirror, holding the gun that Roberto had handed to him. There was no way that this soft and delicate hand could pull a trigger. Diego didn't expect that the mafia lord he was set up against was going to be a man who'll make his heart flutter. He tried to resist, bracing himself to complete his mission. But things only got heated when he found himself “entangled in the rival's hold.”

On the day my boyfriend and I moved into our new home, his ex-girlfriend gave us a mysterious gift. The moment I opened the front door, a swarm of hornets came flying out. I screamed in fright as I felt seven or eight stings from them. His ex, Erica Loft, jumped out from behind the door with a giggle. She shouted, "Surprise! "I went up the mountains to visit a master craftsman. I wanted to get you this specially brewed hornet wine, and I even brought back a hornet's nest for you to decorate your new house with! "Isn't this a great gift?" Erica made a face at us. She was gleeful at the messy predicament I was in. My boyfriend, Joe Fulham, clenched his teeth. He rushed forward to grab Erica by the wrist as he shouted angrily at her. "Are you crazy? Don't you know that hornets are venomous?! Is this really a surprise, or are you trying to hurt us?" I listened to another one of their huge arguments from behind the door, feeling like an outsider in my own relationship. As I felt the stinging pain in my arm, I knew this wedding was about to fall through.