Heavy Duty Metal Table

When I was seven years old, my younger brother went into anaphylactic shock after sneaking a handful of peanuts. Outside the emergency room, my mother slammed my head against the wall over and over, her face twisted with rage. "If you had been watching him like you were supposed to be, this never would have happened! You should be the one with a ruptured stomach, not him!" After that, whenever my brother so much as caught a cold, my mother forced me to eat spoiled leftovers as punishment. I once prepared an elaborate feast. She flipped the entire table and made me crawl on the floor to lick it clean. When I said I wanted to study culinary arts, she poured hot oil over my hands. My father wanted to send me to vocational school to learn a trade, but my mother clutched my brother to her chest and wailed. "She destroyed her brother's health! She owes him a lifetime of service!" When I was fifteen, my brother's gluttony cost my father an important business deal. I took the blame without even being asked, and the furious client forced me to drink more than half a gallon of hard liquor. By the time I was sent home with a bleeding stomach, my father had already scolded my brother. My mother took out her anger on me instead, slapping me so hard my ears rang and my vision went dark at the edges. "You useless thing! You should’ve choked to death at that table! I get sick just looking at you!" I coughed up black blood. From my pocket, I pulled out a piece of sour candy that had gone soft and sticky. It was the only treat my mother had ever given me with a smile, back before my brother's allergic reaction. I put the candy in my mouth and swallowed it down with the taste of stomach acid. The candy was so sour it made my throat burn. Whatever came next, I just hoped I would not have to be my family’s garbage disposal again.

Meet Hera Julius, popularly known as the daughter of the NightWalker pack's traitor, but she's far from your typical damsel in distress. With her beauty and fierce spirit, she's a force to be reckoned with. But when she publicly rejects Alpha Lucien, she sets off a chain of events that will test her strength like never before. Just like other Alphas, Lucien's ego is crushed by Hera's rejection. He vows to make Hera pay, but how far will he go to make her suffer? Fate takes a sharp turn, sparing Hera from the pack's wrath after being accused of a murder she didn't commit. She's handed over to Lycan Damien as his breeder, with a precarious deal on the table threatening her life. Can she convince Damien to break the deal, despite his icy demeanor? What if there's more to the situation than meets the eye, particularly given her position as his breeder?

Without Kaelen's knowledge, I had his little plaything sent out of North America. That same night, he cast a blood-vine curse on my parents, banishing them to the wilds—a wasteland prowled by rogues. He was going to trade my parents' lives for the whereabouts of his plaything. Kaelen pushed a communication crystal in front of me. Inside it, my parents were ensnared by blood-red vines, the thorns digging deep into their flesh. Drops of dark crimson blood fell, one by one, onto the barren earth. A countdown timer pulsed in stark red digits on their chests. 23:59:59 23:59:58 He sat across from me, a black suit tailored to perfection molded to his lean, powerful frame. His long fingers tapped a light, steady rhythm on the solid wood table, as if he were waiting for a trivial business deal to close. "Estelle, you have twenty-four hours." His voice was low and calm, laced with a venomous tenderness. "Tell me, where did you send Cassandra?"

The day I died was Mommy’s birthday. For once, she left me an unusually large slice of cake. I hovered before it, greedy, leaning in to breathe in its sweetness. But the very next second, she handed the cake to my younger sister, Bella Tesla. “Have some, Bella. Better you than that ungrateful girl!” Then she turned to Daddy, who was filming nearby. “You recorded everything, right? When she returns, make her watch it. Don’t let her say again that we play favorites! “Of all things to learn, she learned how to run away from home! “We spoiled her! If she has any sense, let her never come back!” She sneered as she slammed the table and cursed at me, never noticing the panic on Bella’s face as she held the cake. She also failed to notice Bella’s disheveled hair. She noticed even less the dark stains of blood on her sleeve. Blood that belonged to me.

In a city plagued by constant terrorist threats, Aqsa Masood, a Pakistani emergency response specialist, encounters Kareem Ali, a captivating Arab security consultant with a dark past. When a series of bombings rocks their world, they are drawn into a dangerous covert operation that ignites a simmering tension between them. As they work side by side, their attraction becomes impossible to resist. A seductive romance unfolds amidst the chaos, tempting them to give in to their desires despite the risks. As danger looms closer, Aqsa and Kareem must confront their commitment to duty and the allure of their passionate connection. Will their forbidden love survive the darkness surrounding them, or will it consume them both?

Scarlett loved Nathan Blackwell, the Silvercrest Alpha, in secret—until he betrayed her for duty, leaving her broken and pregnant. Hunted by his ruthless mother, Camila, and betrayed by her pack, Scarlett flees, vowing to rise from the ashes. Now, she’s back, not for love, but for vengeance. As ancient magic and hidden bloodlines surface, Scarlett must forge her own path, torn between a fading bond and a destiny that could destroy them all. In a world of claws and deceit, only one thing is certain: she’ll burn the pack down before she bows again.

The Fated Alpha King Aria Nightshade, the 18-year-old daughter of the powerful Crescent Fang Pack Alpha, feels trapped by her predetermined future. Expected to marry for alliances and obey her father’s will, she longs for freedom and true love. As rumors spread of an alpha king who will unite the packs, her world is turned upside down when she meets Kian, a mysterious rogue with an intoxicating presence. Their forbidden connection grows, but their bond is discovered, threatening Kian’s life and Aria’s reputation. As tensions rise between the fractured packs , will Aria choose her duty or her heart, and risk everything love

Amaya Romano free spirited, beautiful, young, sophisticated and highly desired heiress to the Billionaire Romano family comes back home after her master studies abroad to find out she has been betrothed to the Cold, ruthless, egotistical and highly feared Damian Allucci-Rossi. Bound by duty, she agrees to this alliance but what happens when all the aloof Damian can offer is distance and a cold aura. Will Amaya succeed in breaking Damian’s emotional walls or will his elusive nature and cold demeanor break her wings and make her a shadow of who she once was.

Derrick Mendes is the resident bad boy that everyone warns Jordie about. But it doesn't stop Jordie from wanting and falling for the Bad Boy anyways. Despite being the town sheriff’s son, his heart leads him into uncharted territory and no amount of warning is about to keep him away from Derrick. Jordie can't imagine his life without him. As their forbidden attraction deepens, Jordie must confront the expectations of being a good kid and the risks of loving someone who lives on the edge. Duty or love when faced with a decision that could change his life forever?

Alpha Ayr is heading towards a contract marriage. Safe and easy. So why is the Goddess taunting him with a mate-bond to a murderous outcast? Even worse, she is his fiancés sister, but she is all he can think about. Ayr knows she could be playing for survival, using their inescapable desire for her own benefit. Using his duty and honour as a shield against his feelings can only hold out for so long. However, the truth can be a weapon in the wrong hands. Cassie may be unlovable, but Ayr's choices could easily prove unforgivable.