Icarus Laughed

Mikel Rysdale needed an escape after a devastating blow to her heart and lifestyle. The number of people she can trust can be counted on one hand. Escaping to the one place she was free, she finds the most unlikely person to lean on. In his eyes, he was a broken man incapable of rejoining society. Army Veteran Killian returns home to live on his family's land in peace. Happy to see his sister again, he wasn't prepared to welcome a guest. What started as a tolerable relationship, the two found the need to be there for each other. Old wounds are hard to heal especially the ones in your heart. “Who are you?” His question was meant to be gentle but they came out as an angry ogre. She laughed at his question. The first chord of that sweet laugh was now trapped in Killian's mind and heart. Slowly she stood up and walked towards him. She was within four steps of him and her scent was intoxicating. Vanilla and the scent of fruit he had to know of. Up close she was perfection in his eyes. Unconsciously he stepped forward wanting to be close to her for some reason. The pain, the memories none of it was on his mind. His sole focus was on her. “Name's Mikel Rysdale. You can call me Mik for short.”

“Look, Michael! It’s a dolphin!” I couldn’t believe my eyes as the beautiful sea creature leapt from the water. Both of us laughed, but when I locked eyes with him, the only thing I could think about was how badly I wanted him to kiss me. If only he wasn’t my best friend’s dad…. Shelby goes on the vacation of a lifetime aboard her friend Lauren’s yacht, but when she gets there, she discovers Lauren is engaged—to her ex-boyfriend. He had been cheating on Shelby with Lauren for months. On top of that, Lauren’s snooty friends bully Shelby and make her feel bad for being poor. The only good thing about the trip is Michael. He’s so kind, considerate, and handsome. And Shelby thinks he might be interested in her, too. But… he just happens to be Lauren’s dad. Will Shelby and Michael let their true feelings be known, or will she always be longing for her billionaire beach daddy? Longing for the Beach Billionaire Daddy is created by Scarlett Rossi, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

Hazel stared at his back and choked on her tears, “Zeus! You owe me an explanation” she shouted loudly behind him. Zeus turned his head and smirked hard “What explanation? Hazel creased her brows “Really? Should I call our family and inform them that I caught you having sex with a slut, on our wedding night?? Zeus laughed loudly “ I dare you, Hazel. You agreed to the marriage so bear with it!! He walked out of the garden. ************ Zeus and Hazel who were childhood friends got into an arranged marriage set up by their families. However, Zeus was not ready to commit to a serious relationship as he was known as a playboy. On the other hand, Hazel was excited as she finally married her childhood sweetheart. Zeus’s ill-treatment against his wife and favoring his mistress over her led to a lot of disheartening moments for them. What would happen if Zeus found out about the true identity of his mistress and the secrets in his family? Will Zeus and Hazel have a second chance together despite all the heartbreaking moments?

I stared at him blankly. "Then reject me before I do it myself." "I won't. I'm not as heartless as you are." "Compared to your cold-blooded pack?" I laughed with no humor before being serious again. "Choose and save us both from this misery. Reject me or I will." The alpha remained still, just staring at me with no emotion at all. "I, Zehra Heyerdahl of the Crescent Moon Pack, re—" He cut me off. — • — Zehra Heyerdahl's life was sailing smoothly until one night, her family was murdered brutally by unknown assailants. To seek justice that they deserve, she found herself stepping into the Farnsworth Valley where she encountered a series of events that turned her world to disarray... especially after meeting Alpha Xanth. Skeletons in the closet were unveiled, revealing all the unmentionable things kept for a long time ago. Two souls with their own priorities; one uncovering the truth and the other one protecting the lies they believed were true. What faith awaits to the both of them? Will there still be a happy ending? Or will they just go in separate ways?

The year I loved Channing Waltz the most, he shattered my hopes. I remember, as I was hauled into the restroom, beaten mercilessly by strangers, there he stood, grinning like the sun itself. His face beamed with a brightness that made my heart sink. The burns from his childhood friend's curling iron marred my skin, leaving a trail of scars, and all the while, he took out his phone, snapping pictures of me in my undressed humiliation and posting them online for the world to mock. I cried, begged him to spare me, but he only laughed coldly, his voice as sharp as a blade. "You haven't even begun to suffer what my sister went through. What's the hurry?" That was when the truth hit me like a lightning strike. He had come to me, drawn me in with warmth, with affection, pretending to care—when all along, it was merely a means to an end. He had used me to set the stage to avenge his sister.

My roommate had a strange obsession with taking cold showers on the balcony. She claimed it helped detox her body and brightened her skin. I warned her, “You should be more mindful of your privacy.” However, she only laughed, accusing me of being jealous of her flawless figure. Then, disaster struck. Her shower photos were leaked online, and soon after, thugs showed up at our door, demanding to humiliate her. Instead of taking responsibility, she turned on me. “It’s her! She’s the shameless one showering on the balcony!” Betrayed and defenseless, I was dragged into the woods and left to die, my life snuffed out in humiliation and pain. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back on that fateful day—the day my roommate took her first cold shower on the balcony.

“Tell me, Thalia, does it hurt to be cast aside, thrown to the wolves?” I laughed harshly, “Is this what it feels like? To be nothing? To be forgotten?” “Ronan… please…” Her voice was so soft, so broken that it almost made me feel sympathy for her, but in an instant, I crushed that emotion. I couldn’t allow her tears to sway me. “Don’t you dare cry,” I spat. “Save your pathetic, fake tears. They mean nothing to me now, just like you should have meant nothing to me then.” Thalia Sinclair was once a respected Luna, but her life fell apart when her mate rejected her and sold her to the cruel Rogue Sovereign. Forced to toughen up, she learned to survive alone, with no one to trust. Ronan Kane has waited for the moment to make Thalia pay for the hurt she caused him. But when their paths cross again, anger and pain mix with something neither of them can deny. Can they overcome their broken pasts, or will their scars keep them apart forever? Betrayal cuts deep. Vengeance burns hotter. Love is the deadliest weapon of all.

Catriona, Alpha's first daughter and the only heir to the Blue Camelia pack, used to live as a little princess in the most expensive mansion in the pack. But her life ended painfully in guilt because of believing in David's blind love and sweet words. But the Moon Goddess gave her a second chance. She promised herself that she would live as if it were the last time, protecting her family and the pack from doom. Her enemies, for sure, are David and Lola. But that's not all. There was a man more dangerous than them, the nameless Maximillian with extraordinary strength, who laughed scornfully at the accusations she made against him, who was the cause of her father's death in a previous life, but now he has the absolute trust of her father. "Oh, Catriona, what do you think of a contract of cooperation between us?" He looked at her with eyes as deep as the ocean.

On our wedding anniversary, my CEO husband, Michael Grant, invited me to watch the ocean with him. Tragically, a typhoon hit. I stood there in the raging wind and rain for over two hours, and he never showed up. In the end, all I got was a text that he was suddenly going on a business trip and couldn’t make it. Right after that, his intern, Nora Blake, posted a video on her social feed. It showed my usually pampered husband barefoot while helping fishermen haul crates of seafood. Her caption read: "Our hardworking CEO loves to get his hands dirty!" I laughed and commented: "Diligent and enduring—a true role model for us all." The company Slack channel instantly exploded. Everyone was betting on whether I’d finally blow up this time. Michael called me, his voice tight with fury, "Lauren West! What the heck did you mean by posting that comment? Are you trying to humiliate Nora in public? "It was a typhoon. I helped her family move some fish. What’s the big deal? You’re such a pampered little princess who has no idea how hard life really is. Delete that comment now. I’ll take you to the coast another day." Disgust churned in me. I replied, "Let a man who’s already rolled in the mud take me to the ocean? Forget it." Yes. Michael was now tainted, and I didn’t want him anymore.

#Book One in the Forbidden Love Series His hands made their way to the back of her head, and she felt a shiver run through her body. He pulled her in, and his breath fell on her lips. This wasn't right, she told herself, but she had one very stubborn heart. She had to discourage and resist him, but she was doing the exact opposite. “Tell me to stop, Reika. Tell me you don't want this as much as I do.” He whispered into her ear while leaving soft kisses there. All she wanted was to have his tongue in her mouth, doing devilish things to her, so she pulled him to her and smashed her lips on his. He's surprised by her confidence, but then pushes his tongue into her mouth to deepen the kiss. Their tongues intertwine with each other as they moan in delight. She'd never known kissing someone could make her all giddy inside. She'd never imagined herself falling for him, his smile and his laugh. If someone had told her three full moons ago that she would be kissing someone forbidden to her, then she would have laughed her heart out. “I know I can't have you Reika, shouldn't have you, but that makes me want you the more.” ~Reika, daughter of the Alpha of the Crescent stone pack, is arranged to marry Lowell, brother to the Alpha of the Moon pack. On her way to her wedding she is kidnapped by Vlad, Alpha of their enemy pack, the shadow pack, in order to stop the alliance between the Crescent stone pack and the moon pack from coming on.~ Faced with challenges, unwanted feelings and the shocking discovery of her mate, Reika embarks on a journey that changes her life forever.