Gilded

I take my daughter, Joy Silver, to the healer for a routine check-up. My Alpha husband, Ethan Silver, who has been away on a business trip for a few days, comes to pick us up. The moment we meet, he possessively pulls Joy and me into his arms. It's as if we are his whole world. But I catch a faint, unfamiliar scent. As Joy snuggles up to her father affectionately, I force a smile, ignoring the sudden tightness in my chest. It isn't until we get in the car that I notice a woman sitting in the back seat. So it's her scent. A thought that has circled in my mind countless times surfaces once more. I want to leave him.

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.

Serena Hale was never meant to belong in a world of diamonds, monogrammed robes, and dinner parties soaked in judgment. Once a humble bakery girl, she eloped into a whirlwind marriage with billionaire James Hale, trading flour-dusted dreams for gilded heartbreak. Now, Savannah’s back. James’s sophisticated, pregnant ex-fiancée has returned like a ghost wearing pearls, slipping seamlessly into his life, his home, and maybe… his heart. As Savannah moves into their world like she never left, Serena is forced to smile through whispers and cold stares. James’s mother, ice-blooded and brutal, now she’s made her message clear: Serena was the wrong choice. The second choice. And she better not get pregnant again. But it’s already too late. Serena is carrying James’s child again, a fragile, impossible hope tucked beneath her still flat stomach. He says he loves her. He swears he chose her. But he didn’t come home last night. And Serena is no longer sure if James is lying to her… or to himself. As secrets build and the tide turns against her, Serena must decide if love is enough to hold onto a marriage that may have never truly been hers before the truth rips everything apart again. Because this time, it’s not just her heart at stake. She has a baby to think of.

In a world where family ties and business deals are intertwined, Ivy Smith finds herself trapped in a nightmare. Her father's company is struggling, and the only way to save it is by forming an alliance with the powerful Blackwood family. The cost? Ivy's hand in marriage to Victor Blackwood, a ruthless and cunning man with a reputation for getting what he wants, no matter the cost. Ivy is devastated. She's always been a strong-willed and independent person, and the thought of being tied to someone like Victor is unbearable. But her family's situation is dire, and she feels she has no choice but to accept the arrangement. As the wedding preparations begin, Ivy's brothers - Ethan, Lucas, and Julian - are fiercely protective of her. They know Victor's true nature and are determined to keep her safe. But they're also bound by the agreement, and their hands are tied. Victor, on the other hand, is determined to break Ivy's spirit. He's cruel, manipulative, and has a hidden agenda. He sees Ivy as a trophy, a way to solidify his family's power and control. And he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. As Ivy navigates her new reality, she must find a way to survive Victor's abuse and manipulation. She's trapped in a gilded cage, with no escape in sight. But she's determined to fight back, to find a way out of this nightmare and take control of her own destiny. The story is a dark, twisted tale of love, family, and power. It's a tale of survival and rebellion, of one woman's fight against the forces that seek to control her. Will Ivy find a way to escape Victor's clutches, or will she be forever trapped in this living hell?

York Langston locked me up for six months. Word on the street was he dropped over 100 million to buy me my own private island. Security here? Tight enough to rival the White House. Even a bird that flew past the area would get shot down on sight. But what nobody knew… All that luxury people envied? To me, it was just a gilded cage. It wasn't until he found a woman who looked almost like me that his interest began to fade. One day, she stormed the island with a gang at her back while he was away. She slashed my tendons and carved up my face with a blade before locking me inside a cage with a rabid dog. I was barely breathing by the time York finally found me. "York, this woman thought she could fool you by imitating me? She must be a spy! You'll have to flay her alive if you want her to talk!"

"I'm your wife, not your prisoner," Avery pleads with Liam, her voice shaking. Liam sneers, "You're whatever I say you are, Avery. And right now, you're nothing without me." — When love turns toxic, survival is the only option. Avery Livingston's luxurious life imploded when her family's fortune vanished. Desperate to save her ailing mother, she made a devastating deal with billionaire movie star Liam Leon Galloway. Trapped in a gilded cage, she endured three years of humiliation and despair. But when Liam's Oscar win left her behind, Avery's fury ignited. Pregnant and defiant, she vowed to escape and exact revenge. With her fate hanging by a thread, she must choose: submit to Liam's toxic grasp or rise from the ashes. Will she break free or remain trapped in this twisted game of power and obsession?

Two marriages. Four lives. One tangled web of betrayal, secrets, and revenge. Justin and Kyla were once college sweethearts who had nothing but love and ambition. Together, they built everything from the ground up—a business, a home, a life that seemed unbreakable. Ella and Zach, on the other hand, were forced into a loveless marriage to merge empires and protect family wealth. With money to burn but no affection between them, their union was a gilded cage. One summer, a chance meeting between Justin and Ella at a luxury hotel ignites a reckless affair. What should have been a fleeting fling spirals into something darker—an obsession neither of them can walk away from. But when Kyla and Zach cross paths—two wounded hearts bonded by betrayal—their cold business deal begins to spark with unexpected fire. They both want justice. They both want payback. But what if, in the process of destroying the people who broke them, they find something neither expected? Something dangerously close to love. But could anything happen between these two?

As Cain Knight's mate, I watched him lead Elias Sinclair, his childhood sweetheart, onto the stage at the Black Moon Pack's annual charity gala. "In recognition of Miss Sinclair's outstanding contributions to our community," Cain announced, his voice a glacial shard as his eyes found me, "I have decided to grant her the title of this year's 'Charity Ambassador.'" An honor that had, for years, been bestowed upon the Luna by her Alpha. He shattered tradition just to humiliate me. Under the pitying gazes of the entire pack, I did not cry. I did not question him. I simply straightened my spine, set down my champagne flute, and silently turned to leave. "Let her go," I heard Cain sneer behind me. "She won't last half the night. She'll come crawling back like a beaten dog, begging for my forgiveness." A wave of derisive laughter erupted behind me. "After all these years, Lupita still uses the same tired tricks to get Alpha Cain's attention!" "I bet she'll be on her knees, pleading for Alpha Cain's forgiveness before sunrise!" But they didn't know. The person waiting to spirit me away was already at the door. This time, I would vanish from this gilded cage forever.

She was always the good girl. Until heartbreak made her reckless. Elena Sinclair thought marriage meant forever. But five years in, her “forever” has become a gilded cage of pain and betrayal. She’s the wife who couldn’t give him a child. The barren disappointment. And for that, her husband offered her a cruel compromise… an open marriage. One that gave him the right to find someone who could carry his heir. The next day, he brought a pregnant woman home. The same woman who was first introduced as his cousin. The humiliation doesn’t end there, his mother lashes out… hurling insults and even fists, while her husband turns a blind eye. Not once has he defended her. Not once has he shown her love. She’s nothing more than a placeholder… a name on a marriage certificate. The cruelest part? She loved him. She loved him long before the vows, long before the lies… so deeply it blinded her to who he really was. Now, to make him jealous, she turns to the one man she should never touch: Jaxx Moretti, her husband’s younger brother. The dangerous one. The black sheep of the Sinclair family. The man who once made her high school years hell… and now has every reason to destroy her husband's legacy. What starts as a twisted game soon ignites into something raw, addictive, and completely forbidden. But Jaxx isn’t just her escape. He’s everything her husband isn’t. Because the deeper she sinks into Jaxx's bed… The harder it becomes to crawl back out. Content Warning: This book contains mature themes intended for adult audiences (18+), including explicit sexual content, toxic relationships, manipulation, and emotional trauma. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

His body collapses into mine as my back slams on the wall. “You were touching yourself because of me weren't you” his musky scent suffocating me. My core immediately picks up a heart beat with our proximity as he pins my hands above me on the wall. My bare nipples harden at his touch. I can only think of two words at this moment. Touch me. ***************************************************** Never in Ivy Carter's life did she ever think that she'd fall for a man she couldn't have,especially when the man was not only her professor but also her new step brother. Caden's heart has always been where his pack is, gilded by the pack's legacy but the minute he lays eyes on Ivy Carter his walls come crashing down. But he can't have her even though she's his mate. Their worlds collide with an irresistible force and it's only a matter of time till they cross the line, breaking all restraints with an unholy attraction.