Intertwined Fingers

17-year old Star Sullivan was no stranger to loss, having recently endured the heartbreaking passing of her parents. Struggled to come to terms with her grief, she found herself uprooted from her familiar surroundings and thrust into a new town under the care of her godparents. The weight of her sorrow hung heavy on her shoulders casting a shadow over her once bright spirit. Star navigates the unfamiliar street and faces of her new home, a glimmer of intrigue caught her eye - a student with eyes as silver as moonlight, a captivating mystery etched in every glance. Drawn to this enigmatic figure, she found herself unable to resist the pull of curiosity that tugged at her heart. His mysterious past whispered secrets that beckoned to be unraveled, a puzzle waiting to be pieced together. With each passing day, Star found herself entangled in a web of intrigue and emotion, her heart torn between the allure of the unknown and the safety of familiarity. As the threads of secrets began to unravel, revealing truths that shook the foundation of her newfound life, Star stood at a crossroads, her heart torn asunder. Would she choose to stand by her new friends and family, embracing the complexities of their intertwined destinies, or would she heed the call of uncertainty, fleeing to the safety of the hills, away from the tumultuous storm that threatened to consume her? Only time held the answers to the questions that plagued her restless mind. The clock ticked away, each passing moment a reminder of the choices that lay ahead, the paths diverging into the unknown. In the quiet of the night, as the stars whispered tales of destiny and fate, Star found herself standing on the precipice of a decision that would shape the course of her future.

I looked up, desperation rising in my chest. With no way to repay the debt, begging was all I had left. “Please... give me a year. I’ll pay back the loan. I just need time to find—” “No. There is no time,” he cut in, his voice calm but final. “You have only one choice,” he said. “Marry me—since you didn’t bring the money to clear your family’s debts.” My throat went dry as I stared at him. “It’s simple. Marry me for one year. That’s the deal. You want your mother out of jail? You want your father not to join her after getting out of that hospital bed? This is how.” * Natasha Williams had two dreams; to become a successful doctor and start a family with the love of her life. Everything seemed perfect until her sister ran away and bailed on her arranged marriage, putting their family in a tough position. Now Natasha was the only one who could fill her shoes and save her family’s reputation, but she couldn’t abandon everything she’d worked for. But when she catches her boyfriend proposing to another woman, her whole world shatters. Heartbroken, she had no choice but to agree to the marriage proposal. Her groom, Sylvester Manson was not a man to reckon with. He was the infamous billionaire heir of the Manson empire, and all he needed was a wife to secure his inheritance. Bound by a contract marriage, their fates are intertwined, but what happens when they blur the lines between reality and fantasy? Will they be consumed by their duty or passion?

Mason Grady has it all. At 21-years-old, he is popular, handsome, and when he graduates from the Star Academy, a werewolf college based in New Hampshire, he will be the Alpha of a large pack. Asha Martin has lost everything. When she was seven, she watched her mother, a rogue werewolf, get killed by a mysterious creature in the New England forests. Now, at 19-years-old, she lives in London, with her aunt, and has no ties to the place where she was born. Until a letter from her deceased mother arrives. This mysterious letter steers Asha to the Star Academy, and that is where she meets the enigmatic and charismatic Mason Grady, who is convinced that he has met Asha before. Mason and Asha grow closer and closer as Asha tries to unravel the secrets of her mother’s death, while Mason tries to figure out what Asha means to him, and why she’s so important to him. As Asha digs deeper into her own past, and her mother’s past, she’ll learn that her past and future is deeply intertwined with that of the Star Academy and Mason’s pack. Danger lurks around every corner as Asha’s investigations uncover the truth of the past, and Mason is determined to protect Asha from whatever comes out of the dark, even if he has to protect her from his own pack. What will Asha do when she learns the real truth behind her mother’s death? And will Mason still become Alpha after they uncover the truth? And how will the two young lovers handle it when the ultimate danger comes at them, searching for blood?

He is Lt. Col. Adrian Drake Rodriguez, a member of a military force abroad. Two significant things happened to him upon his return to the Philippines. First, the woman who ended up with him inside his car. They were trapped in the vehicle due to a violent storm and the fierce blows of the wind. It was a night of enchantment between the two of them. But the next morning, she was gone—leaving behind no trace except her name, Faye, and the beautiful memory of what transpired between them that stormy night inside his car. Second, his attempt to reconcile with his own father ended in another heated argument. The fight pushed him to return overseas and accept a mission where survival was uncertain. Two years later, he received a call from his uncle, asking him to become the head of security at his father’s mansion and serve as his personal bodyguard, after receiving numerous death threats. Even his father pleaded for his help—for the safety of his only grandchild. Only then did Adrian discover that the mother of the grandchild was none other than Faye—the same woman he had shared that unforgettable night with, and now the wife of the man he despised the most. He accepted his father’s request for one reason—Faye. An intense obsession grew inside him, fueled by the memory of their past. He fell for her in the darkest part of their intertwined fates. Until he discovered something that intensified his desire to take Faye away from the man she married. He was willing to face death itself just to reclaim what he believed was rightfully his.

Family is everything. Blood is everything. You only live, die and kill for your family." Born and raised in secret, like a ghost who never existed, Lilliana Moretti was brought up to be used as a secret weapon against one of the most ruthless crime families-the Romanos. And when she walked into the devil's lair willingly-pretending to be in love with the second-in-command of the Romano Empire, Dominic Romano-too many buried secrets were unearthed, leaving her shattered. An uphill battle between two crime families unleashed chaos like never before. While two people were out for each other's blood with bleeding hearts, little did they realize their love was more lethal than their hatred for each other. ************************* E X C E R P T - My fingers tangled in her hair as I forced her downward. “I’m not going to kneel before you like you’re some kind of god,” she snarled. The corner of my mouth curved into a slow, dark smile. “No,” I agreed, voice low and steady. “You’re not going to kneel for me.” I leaned in closer, eyes locked on hers. “You’re going to spread your legs for me, Lilliana—because I’m the monster, baby. The real one.”

He leans his face close to mine, so close that I could feel his breath licks the skin of my face while his fingers wrapped around my chin. My skin tingles at the point of contact. Sparks of electricity traveled from his skin to mine, igniting a kind of hunger I've never felt before. I hold my breath. Unable to move or think, other than let him sucked me deep in his hypnotizing stormy orbs. “One of these days your stupid dreams will get you killed.” I heard him say. And then he's gone and so was the bubble of that brief magical moment. Funny, he is one of those stupid dreams. ••• Meet Victoria Lyn de Cordova a.k.a Sarah Brewer a 24-year-old, hopeless romantic runaway princess from a small hidden Kingdom of Terra. Fueled with fear of marrying a man who was rumored to be an a merciless assassin, she runs away from the place she called home. Meet Alaric Mendez a Hispanic rogue assassin that has only one mission and that was getting his revenge from an unknown enemy that killed his family. A runaway Princess and a broken anger-driven Assassin in a story of love, hope, and healing. Will their newfound love would be enough to heal the wounds from the past or will they let the past hunt them down to wound them apart?

Everyone in the social circle of Kingsford said I was nothing more than a lapdog raised by Charles Mankin. I was always at his beck and call. I did every filthy, ludicrous thing for him under the sun. When he street raced, I rode shotgun. When he drank himself senseless, I made him hangover soup. When he chased girls, I prepared protection for them. Over time, everyone knew: Charles had a dog who never ran, never bit back, no matter how hard he kicked. They all said I must be madly in love with him. Even Charles started to believe it. So he pushed further, more freely, more cruelly, crossing lines as if they never existed. Then came my twenty-fifth birthday. He, in a rare stroke of mercy, said he'd celebrate it with me. But instead, what he got was the news that I was leaving the country. He went berserk, charging through the airport like a man possessed. I peeled his fingers off my wrist one by one, smiling like I'd never been happier. "Don't be stupid," I told him, still smiling. "That was never love." That night, Charles smashed apart his family home like a rabid dog.

The whole wolf pack knew I was Alpha Nick’s fated mate—chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. But the second I stepped into Brown Pack territory with my suitcase in hand— His mother, Mrs. Johnson, ordered the maids to spray me with wolfsbane. His cousin, Enna, "accidentally" put me in *his* bedroom. And his childhood sweetheart, Rina, slapped a ten-million-dollar check in my face, demanding I publicly renounce this "joke of a mating bond." Even Alpha Nick himself—the ruthless legend of the pack—spent the first night wrapped around me like a damn octopus, only to kick me out coldly the next morning: *"Get out. Don’t come back to my room again."* When I was framed for theft, forced to work overtime till midnight, or locked inside a pitch-black office mid-panic attack… My *"fiancé"* was too busy grinding on Rina at some high-society ball. Then the truth about me dropped— Brown Pack’s elders dropped to their knees, trembling. Rina ripped her knockoff Luara gown in rage. And Alpha Nick, eyes bloodshot, pinned me against the wall: *"Wendy… you played me."* I smirked, peeling his fingers off me. *"Sorry, Alpha. The three-month contract’s up."* *"Now… call me by my real title—heir of White Moon Pack."*

When my mom texted me, urging me to go home for a blind date, Charles had just finished with me. His warm breath brushed against the back of my ear, sending a tingling sensation straight to my heart. He wiped away the traces on my skin with gentle care, but when he spoke, his voice was chillingly indifferent. "Since Mrs. Shaw is pushing you, you should head back soon." I thought he was jealous, and a surge of sweetness filled my heart. I quickly grabbed his wrist, telling him my feelings. "Charles, I want to stay with you. I'm not going anywhere!" He froze for a moment, then let out a derisive laugh. One by one, he pried my fingers off. "You didn't actually think I was jealous, did you?" Tucking my damp, messy hair behind my ear, he remained as gentle as ever, but his words were almost cruel. "Rose is pure and innocent. I couldn't bring myself to touch her before marriage, so I used you to satisfy my needs. However, now, our engagement is set. She'll soon be my rightful wife. You're no longer needed."

His long fingers stroked my cheeks, a dangerous smile graced his perfectly structured face. “ I adore you far too much to let you go,my angel.” “ Then enjoy while it lasts because I've had enough, once I find someone stronger I will flee to him.”I snapped at him ignoring the dangerous aura surrounding him. With a very disturbing calm look on, he leaned forward very close to my ear and said “my dearest angel, he will face a fate worse than death. Then I will screw you again and again, until your insides are molded back to my shape. I'll put you in every position until you remember nothing but my name and the pleasure I've given you. Until you remember exactly who you belong to." ∆∆∆∆∆ Since weak creatures like humans were the reason he was cursed for life, king Xerxes would rather have his bond mate killed the very day she was born than accept a human as a mate. But even after all the massacre that took place that night, she somehow managed to escape . Now he wants her all to himself and will kill anyone who dares to think otherwise. But what happens if she's that “ ANYONE? ".