Health Threats

The day before the final round of Beta selection, I was poisoned with wolfsbane and locked inside my burning house. The fire spread too fast, and my weakened state prevented me from shifting. My wolf, Emma, screamed in my mind, but I couldn't escape. I clawed at the door as the flames seared my skin. When I was rescued, my body was covered in burns, my skin raw and torn. Outside the operating room, I heard my mother sobbing, repeating, “It’s my fault... I locked the door by accident... I never meant to...” Alpha David, my mate, called for every healer to restore me, but his cold words to my mother were chilling: “If Serina wasn’t so vain and selfish, I wouldn’t have had to do this. Becky was fragile, struggling with depression, yet Serina flaunted her success in front of her. This is what Serina owes her.” David’s actions were meant to pave the way for Becky to become Beta, but I was the one who suffered. He claimed to be treating me well, but destroying my health and future didn’t feel like care. I pressed my hand to my bandaged chest, the numbness spreading. Emma growled inside me, weakened by the wolfsbane. I no longer wanted the love of the mother who betrayed me or the mate who was supposed to protect me. I wanted nothing from them anymore.

Luke finally agreed to bind with me, urged by his mother Monica on her deathbed. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting a glow on his golden-brown fur. He stood by the bed, his amber wolf eyes deep and seemingly nervous. As soon as he stepped out of the room, his expression returned to its usual calm, and he said to me coldly, "Emma, let's wait a little longer." "I need to bond with Alina first," he continued, his wolf eyes distant, his tone neutral. "Her mother is seriously ill, and I promised her." "What about your mother? She wants to witness our bonding too!" "I have to bond with Alina first. You don't need to worry about my mother’s health," he said, as he effortlessly removed the vow ring Monica had given me from my finger, then turned and walked away. His little wolf followed, its tail wagging happily, showing no sign of reluctance. But as soon as he left, his mother suddenly took a turn for the worse. By the time Monica passed away, I was the only one by her side. Weakly, she squeezed my hand and whispered, "Emma, don’t wait for him anymore. Find someone who truly loves you." Her hand fell limp, and in the quiet darkness, I made two calls. The first was to the church, changing our marking ceremony to a funeral for his mother. The second call was to my best friend. Her brother was the Alpha of another pack, with dark fur and sharp green eyes. "He once said that if I was willing, he would bond with me... Is that promise still valid?" There was a pause on the other end before a deep voice, full of natural authority, came through: "Emma, have you finally figured it out?"

"I should've ended you years ago, the moment you soaked me in the garden," my alpha mate said through gritting teeth with anger. There were little times spent without threats and exhaustion. Working as the pack alpha’s maid was better than living with less protection on the streets. But as I yearned for freedom from this nightmarish pack, I suddenly got sent to the past! As my Alpha bully too! That’s not it all, my mate now lives inside my body! Now, what do I do? Should I teach him a lesson? Can I survive living as an alpha of the pack?

Emma Blanton twists her ankle, and my fiance, Matthew Harrison, insists on becoming her personal chauffeur. When I voice my disapproval, he makes an even more outrageous decision. He moves Emma into my apartment at Bellemont District—the apartment I bought with my own money. He argues like he's the victim, "You're being selfish. She's injured, and living alone is too dangerous for her right now. I'm just being a decent human being. "And that place is sitting empty anyway. Having someone there helps with security." On the morning we were supposed to get our marriage certificate, he doesn't show up. I call, expecting apologies. Instead, I hear, "Emma had a fever this morning—101 Fahrenheit. I had to take her to urgent care. We can postpone getting the marriage certificate. Her health can't wait." To hell with postponing! I grab my phone and call David Rockefeller. "Do you want to marry me? Then get to City Hall. I'm serious—right now."

After five miscarriages, I seek out a doctor to ask why I can't carry my babies to term. However, I overhear his conversation with my husband when I'm at the door. "The abortion medication you've prescribed is quite effective—she's already had five miscarriages. When can you do a hysterectomy? I can't let Adrianna have my child. "Oh, and give me something to keep a mother and baby safe. Monica is pregnant with my child; I have to make sure she gives birth to a healthy baby." The doctor says, "Adrianna's health has deteriorated over the years, though. It's highly likely she'll never have children." Reynold Scott scoffs indifferently. "So what? It's precisely because I don't want her to have children that I've been making her miscarry! Look, let's end this here. I need to accompany Monica on a shopping spree for the baby." I feel cold all over when I hear this. It turns out the love I've been defending is nothing but a joke.

"Rupert Zachary Kilmer. Do you take Lianna Callis Smith as your lawful wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better, for worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health, until death do you part?”  "I most certainly do, father…" Nearing the day, he'd finally be tied to the woman he loves, Rupert Kilmer eagerly waited for her sweet answer. Those two words and the priest's declaration of their union. Yet, as he unveiled the woman in white, the face that appeared wasn't his bride. "Eridessa…? Wait what? Where's Lia?" *** Lianna Callis Smith thought she'd be a lot happier when she regained her vision. Yet, tears drenched her cheeks as she came home after her surgery, finally seeing the treachery she'd been sensing back when she's still blind. Her marriage only lasted…for two years. For the man she so loved, was on top of another, in her very home. Facing the blame of his affair, Lianna watched in melancholy from afar, as Rupert was wed to another. However, to her surprise, it wasn't just her who stood on the same building, watching that very scene. "You…you're—" Before the strange man could mutter his words, both met darkness until they woke up, back in three years time. "Let's get married, Jasper Wayne. Let's show them…what they…who they wasted…this…we don't deserve any of this… "In this life, let's live happily…"

Her name was Vitatrix, the first empress of Rome. You won't see her in any of the history books, or hear her name in any ballad or song. She isn't even mentioned in myth or legend. Her mark on mankind was erased, because she was a woman. Long ago Rome's emperor died with out a son. His cousin, a roman senator ascended to the throne with out a legitimate heir, or so everyone thought. Fear started to grip the citizens of Rome as new threats rose from every corner of the empire. In the city of Clusium, a daughter that was born to the new roman emperor, hidden by his wife. All of this to protect her from the possible rage and discrimination from her own family. All because she was born a girl. In a world where men rule, can this sole female heir secure her rightful place? Or will her gender pull her down? Raised by the midwife that helped bring her into the world, a young Trix finds out who she truly is. She must return to a family she has never known and save the Roman Empire from anarchy. She must fight a corrupt senator, a secret society, and her own fears of the future. Together with her best friend, Hector, she will learn that not everyone can be trusted. Not all stories have a happy ever after. Will this one?

× Book III of The Heir's Secret Obsession × Ready to take on the world of medicine, Mykaela is forced to confront the secrets of her past while fearing the possibility of losing her best friend Miles, the heir to a wealthy and secretive Italian vampire clan. To keep Mykaela safe, Maximiliano Falco must choose his future and risk it all with the Falcos or find a one-way ticket out of the perilous mafia life he's always hated. Lorenzio Tomassini is a shrewd multimillionaire businessman with ties to the Italian mafia. After a death in their clan, he pursues a quiet life in America as his brother faces prison time for orchestrating heinous crimes in Italy. When a public health crisis hits major cities, Mykaela and Lorenzio struggle with the demands of their careers as the wrath of the Russian mob lurks in the shadows. Will their families' ongoing turf war tear them apart? Or will their love turn into nothing but a marriage of convenience? × GENRES: Contemporary Romance / Mafia / Vampire × × This story is for MATURE readers only! × × cover designed by MZ Mauve

"I don't belong to anyone," Brenda said, taking a step back. "You're mine, and you're always going to be mine," Damien replied, leaning closer and whispering in her ears. "Then show me you love me," she bit back. "Show me you—" His lips crashed into hers immediately as he pinned her to the wall. He let all his desires out as he claimed her lips hungrily. ****************************************** All her life, Brenda Williams has done everything her father asked. Because of his gambling excesses, she is forced to work tirelessly in school for her family. But when her father orders her to marry a mafia lord twice her age because of his debts, she doesn't find it hard to run away. Unfortunately, she is roped into another marriage with another ruthless mafia lord before she can bat an eye. Consumed with burning questions and a threat to her life, she struggles with the unfound hatred from her new husband. This unleashes a series of dangerous games, kidnap threats, burning emotions, and family secrets that lead Brenda to one question: WHY HER? Will she be able to figure out the real reason behind her sham marriage, or will she run out without turning back? Can she escape three mafia lords who want her for different reasons?

Damian has a dream - he wants to produce an excellent series that will win the hearts of viewers. To the main role he employs the popular Rafał. The first meeting is unique because Damian rescues Rafał's life. Both men begin to like each other and look for their friendship. Do their relationship stay here? Meanwhile, Rafał hides some painful secrets that tragically hurt his heart and ... the body. Do the relationship with Damian let him deal with a painful past that does not want to leave? Does Damian manage to protect Rafał from current threats? Friendship, fascination and ... something more? The life of both men will start to change in a direction, which none of them predicted.