Fireman Carry

One girl. Three monsters. A debt signed in blood. I thought the worst thing about returning to the Blackwood estate was facing the step-brothers who hated me. I was wrong. After my father's mysterious death, I've been summoned back to the ancestral manor in the heart of the Bavarian Alps, and this time it’s not as an heir, but as a prisoner. Killian, Malachi, and Rodger are no longer the boys I grew up with. They're Lycan royalty now: cold, lethal, and devastatingly beautiful. Now, they blame my bloodline for the curse that's killing their pack. Killian, the tattooed Alpha with an ice-cold soul, wants me broken, while Malachi, the silent enforcer, wants me silenced, and Rodger, the golden-eyed devil, wants me ruined. They've claimed me as their "Caged Bride"—their plaything, their captive, and their only hope for an heir. Their bloodline is dying, and they need a catalyst. A human girl who can carry an Alpha's mark without burning out. When Killian dragged me to the North Tower and pressed me against the cold stone, I begged. I promised everything. "Anything?" he whispered, his thumb tracing my lip. I told him I'd kill myself before I let them touch me. He kissed me like he'd been waiting a decade for permission to ruin me. Now, as the moon rises and the heat takes hold, the line between revenge and obsession blurs. In this house of wolves and secrets, the brother I hate most might be the only one who can keep me alive. The hunt has begun, and I'm the prize.

When I'm seven months pregnant, my mate, Kayden Booker, brings me to a celebratory party hosted in the Darkwind pack. Vera Walker, a Beta warrior, purposefully splashes red wine onto my gown. She also accuses me of smelling like a Rogue. I shove her away, only for her to collapse to the floor. Kayden immediately picks Vera up before slapping me in the face. "You're just a plaything to warm my bed, and yet you have the gall to touch what's mine?" That night, the video of me doing a lap dance while heavily pregnant is projected to the pack's public monitor, all thanks to Vera. The comment section is filled with the wolves' lewd chuckles and mocking comments. As I hide outside the door, I listen to Kayden and his subordinates' conversation. "She's just a human being who's meant to carry my pup. I'm going to abandon her when I get sick of her." "Only the Moon Goddess knows if that pup inside her womb is a bastard pup or what." "Vera is right. Women like her should be groomed." The wolves laugh among themselves. "Alpha Kayden, that woman sure is hot! Will you give her to us and let us have a taste?" Kayden replies icily, "Once she gives birth to that wretched pup, you can do whatever you want to her." Laughter fills the conference hall once again. I pull out the silver dagger that I've been tucking under my pillow. Then, I scratch out the countdown timer on my calendar.

Connor Greene, a golden boy in Brookhaven, is unwittingly drugged, and I end up being the cure for his "predicament". It's exactly a month later when I discover that I'm pregnant during a routine medical examination. Upon learning the news, Connor offers me 50 million dollars to carry the baby to term, and then another ten million dollars to take full custody of the child. It's then that Julie Sutton, my so-called righteous friend, persuades me to terminate the pregnancy, saying, "You ought to know that money isn't everything, Queenie. If you throw away your dignity for just 60 million dollars, then you're no better than those women who entertain men in clubs!" In my past life, I had an abortion at Julie's suggestion and pursued legal action against Connor, accusing him of assault. I later sought financial assistance and support from Julie after my parents fell gravely ill, but Julie slapped me hard across the face instead. "Your parents are seriously ill, and instead of figuring things out on your own, you come running to me, huh? You're truly shameless, Queenie!" Julie broke off our friendship right then, and I also lost the lawsuit against Connor. I couldn't afford the treatment, so my parents' lives were cut short by their illnesses. In the end, the grief of losing them was too much, so I decided to take my own life by jumping off a rooftop. When I open my eyes, I find myself returning to the day Julie tried to persuade me to get an abortion.

My twin sister, Audrey Goodwin, was obsessed with romance novels about rich heirs. All she wanted was to marry into money and live like some perfect socialite. She set her sights on the silver-spoon scion in Jezelton, Michael Strickland, who'd been blind after a car accident. Audrey got close by becoming his private nurse. But she got tired of the work really quickly. So, she asked me to cover for her. When Michael finally got his eyesight back and held a huge celebration, Audrey decided to drug him so she could slide right into the role of Mrs. Strickland. I didn't stop her this time. I even went as far as booking her a luxury suite so she could carry out her plan. In my last life, I had begged Audrey not to go through with it. I told her romance novels weren't real life, and guys like Michael were way too powerful to mess with. She had actually listened and canceled the plan. But a little while later, the news broke: Michael secretly got married. It turned out that he'd been with someone else that very night. Just like that, Audrey's big fantasy was gone. She blamed me for ruining her "dream". My parents blamed me as well; they beat me and yelled at me, saying Audrey couldn't marry Michael now because of me. One night, Audrey snapped. She came into my room with a hammer and beat me to death. Now, I had been given another chance. I woke up right on the night of Michael's recovery party.

After 99 bloodline fusion rituals, I finally conceived Alpha Garrick Whitefang's pup. As a mixed-blood Omega without a wolf, I understood the cost of that miracle better than anyone. The rituals burned away my lifespan. I brought this child with my blood. When I returned with the pregnancy report, ready to share the news, Garrick was waiting for me. A 4-year-old girl stood at his side, her small hand clasped in his. "Rowena, this is my surprise for you. Our pup," he said gently. Then he added, as if it meant nothing, "You will not have to endure bloodline fusion anymore. Her mother, Lyralei North, is pregnant with a male pup. Once she gives birth, I will bring him back for you to raise." His mother smiled with open relief. "No labor, no pain, and you gain two pups for free. How wonderful. The Snowclaw Pack finally has heirs." Unstoppable tears spilled down my face. For seven years as Garrick's Luna, bloodline rejection had made natural conception impossible. For five of those years, I had begged the pack elders to perform bloodline fusion rituals on me. I traded away my lifespan 99 times in total for the chance to carry his child. Only then did I understand. Garrick never wanted my pup. As long as heirs existed, it did not matter who gave birth to them. I returned to my room without a word and made one call. "Steven, does your research project still need people? I want to rejoin the team," I said quietly. "And I am leaving the Snowclaw Pack."

⚠️ Content Warning ⚠️ This book includes themes of homophobia, including discriminatory language and behavior. These elements are included to reflect certain real-world attitudes and experiences, but they do not reflect the views of the author. Reader discretion is advised. If you find such content distressing, please take care as you proceed. — Gunner took the job thinking it would be easy: keep an eye on the Floros’ only son while his parents were out of the country for a business trip. Follow and carry out the rules the Floros' had given him—watch the kid, keep him out of trouble, and collect a generous paycheck. But Layland Floros is anything but a kid. Beautiful, bold, and entirely too provocative for his own good, Layland isn’t interested in being watched. With a bratty attitude that dares Gunner to break every boundary he’s set for himself when he's on the job, Layland turns a simple assignment into something far more dangerous. Gunner's never been with a man. Never even thought about it—until Layland. Now, every moment in that house is thick with tension, with heat that hums just beneath the surface. The more Gunner tries to keep things professional, the harder it becomes to ignore what he was really feeling towards the young man. Soon, duty gives way to desire, and Gunner finds himself crossing lines he swore he wouldn’t. But when the chemistry between them explodes into something real and raw, he’ll have to face the truth: babysitting Layland and carrying out the young man's parents' rules was never the hard part. Staying away from him is. And if Layland's parents find out what really happened behind the closed doors of their home, Gunner could lose more than just the job.

"You don't say no to me, Lilian. You're my property. You belong to me!" His voice was calm, yet the scariest she ever heard. She shivered on the spot as she stared at the dangerous and scary man in front of her. How she suddenly ended up here in a lion's den and there was no hope of escaping, was what she never imagined. She knew her stepmom hated her so much, but if there was one thing she never imagined, it was the fact that she could go to the extreme length of selling her off to a stranger. "Re... Ren... Don't touch me..." Her voice quivered as she pressed her back further into the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. She wished she could disappear into the wall, but was that even possible in reality? "I beg you, please... Leave me alone," She suddenly fell to her knees when her legs couldn't carry her anymore, and he rolled his eyes momentarily. "I'll spare you tonight, Lilian... Not because of your pleas, but because I am in a good mood. When next I want you..." He paused then squatted in front of her and smirk "I will torture you until you can't take it anymore and beg me to f*ck you so hard, Lilian. I'll make you hit orgasms five times in a row, and I promise that by the time I'm done with you, you'll never remain the same again," He whispered against her ear as a dirty smirk played at the corner of his lips, and her heart sank into her stomach. Will she ever get out of this?

After I landed in the hospital—again—from working myself into the ground, Jacob swore he was done playing house stockbroker. "Starting tomorrow, I'll do anything. Haul bricks, deliver pizza, whatever. I'm not letting you carry this alone." His eyes were glassy as he stormed out of the exam room like he was about to save the day or something. Then the doctor walked in and handed me a report. I was pregnant. Again. Heart racing, I chased after Jacob... and froze. He was standing outside some super VIP room. The same guys who used to bang on our door for money were suddenly all respectful. "Mr. Klein, should we block her door again tomorrow?" Jacob twirled our engagement ring around his finger. "No need. She already lost one baby paying off those debts. The test's over. Time she knew who I really am." Then my best friend—Lillian Morvain—strolled out and wrapped her arms around his waist like she belonged there. "Jacob, don't go soft. Your tests usually last at least five years. What if she's just another gold digger? Plus... I'd miss you." He hesitated. Smirked. "Fine. We'll do it your way. She's not going anywhere anyway." I stood there, clutching my stomach, sliding down the wall like the air had been punched out of me. Later, I pushed open the office door. "Dr. Spencer, I need a termination. Three days from now."

Ember Thorne grew up knowing the bitter truth: weakness is a death sentence. ​On her sixteenth birthday, when the primal surge of the Shift should have remade her, she was left agonizingly human. Her failure transformed her from the beloved Beta-elect’s daughter into a pariah—a fragile, scentless Omega in the unforgiving Shadow Creek pack. For two years, she has endured the endless grind of servitude and the crushing cruelty of her Alpha, surviving only by the protective shadows cast by her twin, Elias. ​She has accepted her fate: no wolf, no mate, no escape. ​But when Alpha Kael Blackwood, the ruthless leader of the legendary Silver Moon pack, arrives for a surprise alliance meeting, he doesn't see the broken servant the pack sees. He sees her. ​He hauled me against his armored chest, the sheer force of his presence sucking the air from the room. His eyes, the color of storm clouds, bored into mine. ​“You think you can reject me?” His voice was a lethal rumble, closer than a whisper, yet loud enough to shake the walls. “You are a scentless, wolf-less weakling. Yet, you carry my soul.” ​I tried to swallow, but my throat was dust. “I am nothing. You are the Silver Moon Alpha. Reject me and spare us both the ridicule.” ​A dark smile, devoid of kindness, stretched across his face. He leaned down, his lips brushing my ear, sending a jolt of fire and fear straight through me. ​“I won't reject you. You will be claimed, protected, and possessed. You are no longer Shadow Creek's shame. You are mine, Ember Thorne. And you will be the envy, the obsession, and the absolute focus of every enemy I have.”

In the heart of New York City, the NYPD never sleeps—and neither do its secrets. Detective Jocelynn Sanchez is all sharp edges and silence. Closed off, cold, and constantly on guard, she’s built walls few have dared to climb. Her time at the academy left her scarred, thanks to a group of recruits who made it their mission to break her spirit. Now, years later, she’s forced to join a new unit—led by none other than Andrei Smirnov, friends with the men who put her through hell. Andrei has always wanted to work with Jocelynn, though she has no idea. Unlike his friends, he saw her strength back then—and admired it. Her arrival on his team feels like fate. But earning her trust proves harder than expected. She barely speaks, avoids everyone except her one friend, and seems to carry a past she’ll never share. Still, Andrei is patient. An open book with a big family and an even bigger heart, he slowly begins to break through Jocelynn's defenses. And in doing so, he discovers the truth: she’s not cold—she’s protecting herself. Jocelynn sees that Andrei isn’t like the men who hurt her. He’s kind, steady, and genuinely wants to understand her. But there are secrets she won’t risk exposing—not even to him. Like the fact that her godfather is their precinct captain, or the real reason she cut ties with her family. As cases grow more dangerous and their bond deepens, Jocelynn must decide if she can finally let someone in. Shadows in Blue is a slow-burn detective romance about trauma and trust, told from both perspectives.