Fragile Masculinity

"I'm in love with the new teacher." I announced, and the whole room fell silent. I could barely look at mum. She was in anguish. I had brought those pains to her already fragile heart. I had broken her heart to a point where the pieces couldn't be mended together anymore. The judge cleared his throat, and peered closely at me. "Are you sure of what you just said, Devan Baker?" He quizzed. I glanced at Mum once more, and gave my reply. "Yes I am." I announced, and the whole room fell into uproar. I gazed at their faces. The irony of life. What was good for me, couldn't be good for you. I wasn't a minor any more, and so I could choose who I wanted to be in love with, or maybe I wasn't supposed to? However, I had chosen to fall in love with Ms. Ellen Dudley the new teacher, and the world thought I was wrong? What did the world know? Things had begun to get messy, and I was in deep shit...

“You belong to me now! No woman is allowed to caress your rod aside from me!" She is the invincible queen of the underworld, the most dangerous Mafia Lord in the cartel kingdom. Selena Santa Cruz is the only woman who can make even the fearless men fall on their knees. Wanted by the force and underworld Lords, Selena fears nothing aside from her past. A past that she has been running from, a past she must put an end to. But when this dangerous Mafia queen crosses paths with an innocent and fragile student, everything changes. The untamable woman sees herself falling dangerously for this young boy whose origin is a mystery. “If I can’t have him then no one will.” Those were the deadly words of Selena Santa Cruz the moment she set her eyes on Tyrone Miller. Vowing to kill anyone to have him all to herself, will Selena be able to win against the thousands of men after her? How can she fight against her past when the one thing she has vowed to protect is strongly linked to it?

Orphaned at the age of 11, Skye was the sole survivor of a devastating fire that destroyed her home in a village in the Scottish Lowlands of 1301. By order of King Cinaed, her reluctant uncle was forced to take her in, though he left her upbringing to his maids. As Skye grew older, her uncle saw her marriageable age as an opportunity to rid himself of her. However, Skye, haunted by the scars of her past and fearful of rejection, sent away every suitor her uncle brought to the castle. When a new order from the King arrived, the entire family, including Skye, delightedly welcomed the news. But Skye’s heart was gripped by fear and uncertainty beneath her composed exterior. Her greatest dread was about to come true, threatening to upend her fragile sense of security and thrust her into an unknown future. Unbeknownst to Skye, forces beyond her control set the stage for a journey filled with secrets, betrayal, and unexpected alliances. As the shadows of her past collide with the demands of her present, Skye must navigate a web of intrigue to uncover the truth and find her place in a world turned upside down.

Ilana Denvers is a ghost—an assassin who lives in the shadows, hunting those who deserve it. But when her latest target is a woman with no known crimes, something doesn’t sit right. Josephine Meyers is the fragile wife of one of the city’s most powerful men, and taking her out should be simple. Yet, the deeper Ilana digs, the more the lines between victim and villain blur. Then there’s Calix Meyers—heir to a fortune he wants nothing to do with. Drawn to Ilana’s sharp tongue and enigmatic presence, he doesn’t realize she’s the danger lurking in his home. She never meant to fall for him, but emotions have no place in her world. As secrets unravel, Ilana discovers the true monster behind the curtain: a man who reminds her too much of the past she’s been running from. With killers on her heels and a heart she never planned to use, Ilana must decide—will she finish the job and disappear? Or will she finally stand and fight for something other than revenge?

Curse. Misfortune. Weak. Seventeen year old Riona Lukas was called these words, by her pack members. Punished by her pack for even breathing. She yearned for the perfect time to escape from the claws of hatred and ill-treatment from her stepmother, who would stop at nothing to get her out of the way. Unknown to them, she had a deep secret she kept to herself. When she bumped into the Ruthless, devastatingly handsome, commanding figure, that stood against the wall in her father's office. Nothing on earth prepared her for the sharp turn her fate was about to take. Her father sold her out to Alpha Theron Moretti as his slave. Theron hated her fragile, delicate features and wanted nothing to do with her. Then the mate bond set in, which angered him the more because she looked too weak to have a wolf. Would she escape from the claws of her evil Alpha mate, whilst keeping her secret? Or would she touch a vulnerable part of Theron Moretti, no one ever has?

"Well, Myra,” he whispers, his voice low and seductive, "being late comes with consequences because I hate when somebody makes me wait." "What kind of consequences?" | asked, my heart pounding. Zayn's gaze intensified as he looked into my eyes. "The consequence, Cupcake," he huskily murmured, "that I'm going to have to punish you." ••• Myra Oberoi, a symbol of sweetness and kindness, held a heart of gold despite her troubled past. Zayn Hunt, the merciless Mafia King, had a reputation for crushing anyone who dared to cross him. He was a cold-hearted king, while she was a kind-hearted conqueror. He was a dangerous flame, and she was as fragile as water. Yet, their hearts entwined, and she ruled the heart of the Mafia who ruled the world. Her father tortured her throughout her life, and she thought Zayn was no saint. Yet, against all odds, he filled her life with happiness and love. However, fate played a cruel game, tearing them apart and leaving them to face a heartbreaking separation. What does fate have in store for these two souls? Will they ever find their way back to each other?

“What’s a Luna worth if she can’t even see? A curse, not a blessing. If you’ll have her, Hunter, I’ll count it as a favor. Take her, and let’s toast to peace.” Rejected by the Alpha she sacrificed everything for, betrayed by the sister she trusted most—Lyra’s world collapsed the moment she lost her sight. Humiliated and discarded like a broken toy, she was handed to another Alpha as if her love and her vows meant nothing. But fate had other plans. Diego Hunter, the ruthless Alpha of Silver Blade, never expected to find his mate in his rival’s Luna. She was fragile, blind, and scarred… yet she was his. And when the truth of her bloodline emerges—that Lyra is the last Hexwolf, destined to wield power beyond imagination—she becomes the key to war, peace, and forbidden love. Between betrayal and redemption, hatred and desire, two Alphas will fight for her heart. One to own her. The other to treasure her. And Lyra must decide if love can rise from the ashes of betrayal… or if she was cursed by the Moon Goddess all along.

In the shadowed swamps of the South, where ancient cypress roots drink deep from the earth, something older and far more dangerous stirs. Rio never asked to be reborn into darkness, but as a fledgling vampire trained by the ruthless and alluring Odessa, he’s learned quickly that survival demands both strength and sacrifice. Haunted by the family he left behind, Rio carries the weight of his choices—yet he can’t ignore the fragile bond forming with Junie Elowen, a newly turned vampire whose bright green eyes hide grief, fear, and an untapped power that could change everything. Odessa’s control slips as her complicated attachment to Rio deepens, forcing him to question where loyalty ends and obsession begins. But greater threats rise when Cassian—an ancient vampire and Junie’s sire—emerges from the shadows, determined to claim what he believes is his. Power struggles ignite, alliances fracture, and the swamp itself seems to whisper warnings of blood yet to be spilled. A story of forbidden bonds, found family, and the price of power, Blood Beneath the Cypress is a dark, atmospheric tale where love and loyalty are as dangerous as the monsters lurking in the night.

"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

A single rose can bind two fates forever. When her family’s fortunes crumble, Catherine never imagines her father’s desperation will lead him to barter her freedom. Promised as payment to the reclusive Lord Kieran—master of a castle steeped in legend and whispered curses—she is thrust into a world of shadows, secrets, and a predator’s gaze that both terrifies and captivates her. Kieran is more than a man; he is a wolf bound by an ancient curse, his life ruled by the prophecy: The rose will bring her. Catherine’s arrival is no accident—it is destiny. But claiming her means awakening a dangerous magic neither of them fully understands, one that threatens to unravel the fragile truce between man and beast. As moonlight sharpens the edge between desire and danger, Catherine must navigate the perilous game of a lord who guards both his heart and his curse with deadly resolve. In a place where every shadow hides a secret, every glance is a test, and love itself may be the deadliest bargain of all—one question remains: Will the rose bind them together… or doom them both? Perfect for fans of dark fairy-tale retellings, shifter romance, and gothic intrigue.