Gilded Age

When ambitious journalist Quinn lands the scoop of a lifetime - an exclusive with the reclusive billionaire Lachlan McIntyre - she never imagines it will lead her into the eye of a storm... both literally and figuratively. Trapped on Lachlan's private island by a raging typhoon, Quinn finds herself drawn into the orbit of this magnetic older man. As the wind howls outside, Lachlan's carefully constructed walls begin to crumble, revealing dark secrets that could destroy everything he's built. With each passing day, the heat between them intensifies. Quinn knows she should keep things professional, but how can she resist when Lachlan looks at her like she's the answer to every question he's ever had? As Lachlan opens up, sharing his deepest thoughts and desires, Quinn realizes she's stumbled upon the story of a lifetime. But at what cost? The longer she stays, the harder it becomes to decide whether her feelings or career or more important. When the clouds finally part, Quinn faces an impossible choice: pursue the truth that could make her career, or protect the man who's captured her heart? Will Quinn choose ambition or love? Can Lachlan let her go once she knows it all?

Five officers involved in a joint operation find love and babies with younger women in this compilation of interconnected stories and characters.

"Sorry, Chloe. I really have an emergency!" After ten years of dating, my Alpha mate, Aiden Rothschild, made yet another excuse about handling pack affairs and left halfway through our candlelit dinner. Then, I saw a post by Aiden’s childhood sweetheart, Lana, on social media. In the photo, Aiden was gently holding her foot. [Twisted my ankle a little while cleaning the roof. It got better quickly, but Aiden still rushed over the moment he heard. No matter when I need you, you're always there. That's the reason I feel more blessed than any other woman!] In the past, I would’ve definitely confronted Aiden in anger, only to be scolded for being unreasonable. This time, though, I numbly finished my own meal in silence. I had promised my mentor I would soon leave for a secluded healing assignment in the Northern Territory. It wasn’t until I got in the car to leave the pack and tried to say goodbye to Aiden one last time that I received a video from Lana. It was her and Aiden playing Truth or Dare, calling each other "baby". I wiped away my tears and simply replied, "As long as you’re having fun." However, Aiden panicked. His eyes were red as he messaged me: [Chloe, why aren’t you even mad after seeing that? Do you even love me anymore?!] He tried to confront me in person, only to realize he couldn’t find me anywhere. That day, he completely broke down.

Alpha Ethan's first love, Sarah, died unexpectedly just days before their marking ceremony. His grief was so profound, it sent shockwaves through the entire Duskrend pack. I spent my youth walking beside him, helping him crawl out of that darkness. And finally, when he was ready to love again, he chose to mark me. In the first two years after he marked me, I got pregnant twice. Both times ended in miscarriage. Ethan, heart aching, told me he couldn't bear to see me suffer through childbirth again. That he didn't want me to endure that kind of pain anymore. But in the third year, I conceived again. On the way to see the pack healer for a routine checkup, I was attacked by a wild beast. My wolf, desperate to protect me, burned through most of her life force holding the creature off. Ethan arrived just in time and carried me to the pack hospital himself. But the healer shook his head. We had lost too much time. The pup couldn't be saved. Worse, my ability to bear pups would be permanently damaged because my wolf was too injured to ever carry life again. My mother clung to me, sobbing. Ethan stood in the corner and smiled. "Joy just can't have pups anymore," he said. "But Sarah—Sarah lost her life because of people like you." Then he looked at my mother, his voice edged with contempt. "You were the one who forced Sarah to abort. You watched her—an Omega without a wolf—scream herself to death. So now, your daughter shall feel that pain too." Five years after severing our mate bond, Ethan had become the most powerful Lycan Chairman the region had ever seen—courted, admired, endlessly celebrated. And me? I was working at an underground club. I was dressed in scraps of fabric, smiling until my cheeks ached, bowing and pouring drinks for whoever walked into the VIP room. There shouldn't have been any reason for our paths to cross again. But Ethan held me tight, eyes red and refusing to let go— “Say it,” he whispered, voice breaking. “Call me your mate.”

"I'm sorry, Anna. I've made a mistake that can never be forgiven." My Alpha mate, Alan Thorne, is drugged with a powerful aphrodisiac—one only a she-wolf's touch can neutralize. His assistant, Leah Hawke, takes advantage and sleeps with him. Alan and I have been bound by a mate bond for eight years. His heartfelt apologies make me believe it is nothing more than a tragic accident. But six months later, everything falls apart. When I hear Alan is caught in a landslide during a business trip, I rush to his side without hesitation. I find him lying in the hospital bed, staring at Leah, guilt weighing heavily in his eyes. "Leah is three months along with my pups. She risked everything to save me, clawing through mud and rocks with bare hands until they were raw and bleeding. "Baby, I swear, you're the one and only Luna. But please... Let me make this right. Let me take care of her until the pups are born." Leah breaks down in tears, pleading, "These pups are innocent. Please don't punish them." At that moment, I feel like the villain tearing a family apart. With bitterness burning in my throat, I rasp, "Alan, you have to choose. Either end our mate bond or banish Leah from the pack." Alan shakes his head, anguish deepening his expression. "I can't break our mate bond, but I also can't turn my back on Leah. That's not who I am." In the end, Leah gives birth to twin pups. The entire pack celebrates, but not me. I already know my time here has come to an end. "Well, Alan, since you can't decide, I'll be the one to vanish from your world."

On the day of my mate-bonding ceremony, someone threw a corrosive potion at me, leaving my face disfigured. In front of everyone, Oliver Fielding—my fated mate, the one promised to me for eight years—coldly rejected me and claimed the Alpha's younger stepsister, Isabella Dorsey, instead. That same night, Alpha Lucas Dorsey placed a moonstone ring in my hand. "If Oliver won't claim you, then I will. And I'll make sure you get justice." He brushes his fingers over my corroded, scarred cheek and whispers tenderly, "Evelyn, even in such a state, you're more beautiful than anyone else." Since he claimed me, Lucas has treated me like something sacred. He remembers every little thing I love and hate. Even when the painful memories overwhelm me and I lash out in panic, he just presses a kiss to my palm, his pain lingering in the touch. How could I not be completely lost to him? However, three years later, I overhear Lucas speaking with his assassin outside the council chamber. "That silver-laced corrosive potion I had you prepare—was the dosage correct?" The assassin hesitates before replying, "Alpha, if you care about Evelyn so much, why would you—" "Isabella wants Oliver, so I'll help her by removing the obstacle—Evelyn." He runs his thumb over the herbal sachet I made him and murmurs, "It's just… I've grown strangely reluctant to let Evelyn go. She's my pawn, after all." I wipe away my tears. If I'm nothing more than an obstacle to him, I'll save him the trouble and walk away on my own.

"If you offend Alpha Carlen, Luna Irene might plead for you. But if you cross Luna Irene, there won't even be a scrap of you left." That's a widely circulated saying in the werewolf upper circles. I'm Irene Chandler. Because of one game, I've decided to dissolve the mate bond with Carlen Alvarado. During the game, he says drunkenly, "I love resting my head on the belly of an expecting she-wolf and listening to the pup's heartbeat." The room falls silent. Every werewolf turns to look at me. There's no surprise in their eyes. What I see is their pity for me, the rightful Luna, and a flicker of panic that their secret has been exposed. At that moment, I understood everything. They all know Carlen has a pup with another woman. They've been helping him hide it from me. That's because they know I'm Carlen's everything. I'll leave him if I ever find out. And if I leave, he'll lose his mind. I have to admit that they know me well. After learning the truth, I plan to do three things. First, I toss the wedding ring Carlen designed for me into the furnace. Second, I save the video of Lily Chalvez flaunting her pregnancy to provoke me onto a flash drive. Third, I submit documents to the Pack Affairs Department, applying to become a researcher on the isolated Icebound Island. The day I leave the pack happens to be our seventh wedding anniversary. I'll vanish from his life like a wisp of smoke.

21+AKANKAH ADA PERNIKAHAN LAIN, SETELAH KEKASIHKU KAU AMBIL? SETELAH KESUCIAN KU DIRENGGUT? Michelle Agatha, enam belas tahun ia tertukar dan harus tinggal dalam keluarga yang salah. Tumbuh menjadi gadis berparas jelita membuat hidupnya sulit, di usir dari rumahnya sendiri juga harus merelakan kekasihnya menikahi musuh bebuyutannya dengan cara yang curang. Di saat yang bersamaan jebakan musuh bebuyutannya menyebabkan kesuciannya terrenggut oleh pria asing. Tujuh tahun ia berjuang hidup membesarkan anaknya sendirian, bersembunyi menutupi kecantikannya. Kini ia kembali dan akan merubah segalanya bagai membalikkan telapak tangannya ....

Menikahi Karina adalah sebuah keputusan kepepet yang Yudha ambil karena dia tidak mau jika harus dijodohkan dengan wanita pilihan sang ibu. Menikahi Yudha yang merupakan dosen killer yang selalu ribut dengan dirinya, adalah sebuah kesialan buah sumpah yang Karina ucapkan hari itu. "Siapapun yang menemukan flashdisk dan kasih balik ke aku, kalau perempuan aku jadikan dia saudara, kalau laki-laki bakal aku jadikan dia suami!" -Karina Destinna Pertiwi- "Setelah sidang, saya tunggu diruangan saya untuk membahas kapan saya bisa kerumah mu untuk melamar. Kebetulan saya sedang butuh isteri!" -dr. Yudha Anggara Yudhistira, Sp. B- Cover by : @reistyaa

Semua orang takut padanya, dan menganggap dia pria paling berbahaya. Bahkan, apa pun yang keluar dari mulutnya adalah perintah yang tidak bisa dibantah. Sehingga orang-orang menjulukinya: Tuan Hagen Tanpa Hati. Karena memang dia tidak punya sama sekali. Malangnya, akibat hutang sang Ayah, Camellia Duncan harus menerima konsekuensi dengan memilih salah satu dari tiga pilihan yang diberi oleh pria paling ditakuti. Namun, bukan Camellia namanya, jika menyerah dengan mudah. Apapun akan gadis itu lakukan, demi membuat Blake Hagen menyadari; bahwa tidak semua orang memujanya seperti Dewa. .......................................... "Aku memberimu waktu untuk tiga pilihan." - Blake Hagen. "Tapi aku tidak akan pernah memilih apapun." - Camellia Duncan. Cover: Pinterest