Labyrinth Ballroom

"Eyes up here," he said. My gaze snapped to his. He was smiling, causing my heart to skip a painful beat. Before I could respond, the music began, and my body instinctively reacted to the sweet melody. I found myself molded to Lex's will, my feet irresistibly following the dance steps. The crowd gasped as Lex pulled me into a more intimate position, his hands roaming over my body in a seductive manner. The experience was both terrifying and magical, allowing me to feel every longing emotion through the dance. I soon found myself lost in his arms. When the music finally stopped, my arms were wrapped around his neck, his hands resting on my back, our noses almost touching. He gazed deeply into my eyes. The ballroom fell silent. Was he about to kiss me? **** Lilly’s life was never easy; she lost her memory and family in a blazing fire. Angelica found and took her in—only to make her a slave to the household. Years of torment and abuse left Lilly weak, vulnerable, and believing she was without a wolf, but that didn't mean that all hope was lost. At night, in her dreams, he would patiently wait for her—the man who brought sunshine into her darkest moments. They would dance the night away, but as dawn approached, he would vanish into the morning sun. Lilly had given up hope of finding a mate, having a family, and leading a normal life. But things are about to drastically change for her... Secrets, lies, betrayal... and a baby on the way. What if Lilly wasn't wolf-less? What if it was all a lie? What if she had a living family? Would she stay and bond with them or make a run for freedom? ****

When the future Alpha and Beta of the Winter pack fight to hide and deny their inappropriate feelings for one another from everyone including themselves and each other, until secrets, truths and a mysterious magical heritage are revealed. Leading them down a branching, rocky path into the unknown and beyond in search of their happily-ever-after. Will the guilt, grief and pain along the way be too much for the young couple and shatter their world as they know it, or will they rise above it all to conquer and simply survive, or will their many foes and obstacles be too much for them and get in the way. **************** "If I have to dance with one more eligible bachelorette, I'm gonna ... " He stops mid rant as the band starts playing a cover of satellite by Nickelback, and I close my eye swaying to the opening notes. "Chilli?" Suddenly, Elias is back up on his feet, holding out his hand. "Hu?" Bewildered as I look up at him, "May I have this dance?" I look at Erin, who pulls a silly face and shrugs. "Umm," hesitant to his offer. "Come on, I know you like this song. Let's show them how it's done. Plus, it'll be nice not to have my feet stepped on at least once tonight. " he winks at me with a cheeky grin. His not wrong, I do love this song, and part of our training was learning all forms of ballroom dances. Taking a deep breath, I take his hand and let him lead me to the middle of the dance floor. I put my hand on his shoulder as his goes to my waist, which sent a spark through my nerves. Hu, weird, must be the rum and coke. We young wolves aren't allowed to drink much.

In the shattered remains of a divided world, Rivermirror stands as a city of shadows—ruled by chaos, secrets, and ruthless ambition. Among its broken streets and hidden corners, two lives converge: Hound, a mercenary cursed by visions of fractured futures, and Argent, a deadly assassin whose silver-braided hair slices through enemies as easily as her carefully crafted lies. Bound by a soul brand, their uneasy alliance thrusts them into a heist that ignites a chain of betrayal, war, and unimaginable consequences. When a daring raid on River's military vault unearths a dark attribute symbiote and a mysterious core relay, the balance of power between two fractured nations is forever altered. As commanders plot revenge, and Rivermirror’s elites spin their webs of deceit, Hound and Argent must navigate a labyrinth of loyalty, survival, and ambition. But trust is a luxury in a city where betrayal is currency, and every choice pushes them closer to a future neither can fully control. With the line between villain and hero blurred, how far will they go to escape their fates? And what price are they willing to pay to survive in a world where hope is as fleeting as shadows? Dark, gripping, and unapologetically raw, Deep Down Your Black Heart is a dystopian fantasy that delves into the depths of ambition, morality, and the haunting weight of choices.

He was magnificent in her eyes before. The way he strides down the stairs which such power and authority, the way he carried himself with such elegance and dignity, the way those eyes scanned the area while it shone vividly like the bright morning sun. He was her god, before. Now that she was given this chance to redeem herself, to save herself before disaster strikes once again in the Empire. She will waste no time freeing herself from the clutches of this man. The Crown Prince. She bowed her head as soon as he descended and everyone in the ballroom, including herself, greeted the prince. "Welcome back, Your Highness!" 'Yes, welcome back indeed.' - - Amerielise Lovette was nothing more than a social butterfly. She was well-known for her appearance that sends men into an abyss of admiration and longing for her. She was so beautiful that she was described as the flower in the cliff when the sun sets. However, no matter the effort many men put to make her notice them, she only has her eyes on one man. It is her childhood friend, the Crown Prince. She loved the crown prince and was loyal to the royal family. She was like a dog willing to abide every wish he whispers, kissing the ground he walked on, blindly following him. She was naive to the dark intentions that the prince has in stored for her. In his eyes, she was just another pawn. She died. She was given a second life, a life where she vowed to do the right thing and not be the dog that she once was. She stepped away from her fate. The moment that she did, things go south and that is how she ended up in the Crown Prince's clutches again.

"I will take her in exchange," Alpha Dante declared, and the ball room instantly quieted down, and all eyes turned to the said girl. Whispers filled the ballroom, although it was rather useless since everyone could hear them clearly with their heightened senses. Rhea, the object of discussion, stood there in tattered clothes, confused and seemingly lost. She never wanted to draw so much attention to herself, but here she was with everyone's eyes on her because of a single statement from one man. "I am sorry, Alpha Dante, you must be mistaken, that is not my daughter..." Alpha Collins said but was rudely interrupted by Alpha Dante. "She is the one I want,” Alpha Dante said coldly. “Give her to me or forget about our deal.” ***** Born a mix of blood, half vampire, and half werewolf, Rhea was neither considered a werewolf nor a vampire. Just someone who wasn't needed. Someone who shouldn't exist. Someone whose existence was an abomination. Her father's absence in her life and her mother's passing rendered Rhea homeless, nowhere to go, and no one to turn to. She is forced to fend for herself from an early age, serving as a maid in the packhouse despite being hated and scorned by all. Dante, an alpha whose path had always been painted Scarlet, cursed by the moon goddess, walked a lone and bloodied path. He never asked for a mate and never wanted one after all. He was cursed by the very entity their race worships. He never thought he needed one until he met her. For the first time, he felt his heart waver, his silent beast stirred in the presence of another and definitely not out of hostility.

My heart stops. For a moment, everything around me falls away. The people, the noise, the ballroom—all of it disappears as I stare at him. My chest feels tight, like I can’t breathe, and my mind goes blank. It’s him. The man who kissed me, who left me reeling with emotions I didn’t even understand… is Lilly’s fiancé. … After watching the brutal death of her father in the Vanderwilson pack at the age of 10, Agatha’s life has been nothing but a nightmare. Lycanless and powerless, she’s trapped in a world where strength is everything—and she has none. Her stepfather Nick’s abuse keeps her in the shadows, and her once-loving family now feels like a distant memory. But when her sister Lilly announces her engagement to the new Alpha of the Vanderwilson pack, Agatha is forced back into the world she was rejected from. At Lilly’s lavish engagement party, Agatha crosses paths with a mysterious man in the garden—an encounter that stirs a deep, forbidden connection within her. But when she learns that the man is none other than Lilly’s fiancé, her world shatters. Agatha’s heart is torn between a burning attraction and her loyalty to her sister. With secrets lurking beneath the surface—ones that could destroy her world —Agatha must decide whether to follow her heart or protect the ones she loves. In a world ruled by Lycans, what happens when the real danger comes from within? Betrayal, forbidden love, and dark secrets collide in My mate is my brother-in-law and the alpha —a heart-pounding, emotional rollercoaster you won’t be able to put down

I'm Alex. I'm twenty-one years old, and soon to take over my father's position in the pack, the Alpha of Silver Crescent Moon. And, I'm a girl! Yes, that's my secret. In fact, it's my whole Alpha family's secret. People at first glance take me as a girl. Short hairs, sharp jawline, muscular body, rough nails and my name that's enough to verify me as man in their eyes. When my mom was pregnant, my father was under Elder's pressure. Only having a male offspring as his heir could save his Alpha's position in the pack. He did everything in his possession, prayers to the Moon Goddess, offering sacrifices, doing witchcrafts. All that to have a son. However, the Goddess didn't seem to be impressed by his practices and delivered him me instead, a girl, the last thing he ever wanted. Though devastated by the news, he did not give up. He lied the world that his wife had birthed a boy, forced the witch to make me appear masculine, ruined my female scent and did everything he could to make the world believe his lie. But, his audacity... He asked me to attend the Kingdoms' Mating Festival to choose my mate! I thought navigating a ballroom full of eligible she-wolves was my biggest threat. But, I was wrong. Something worse was waiting for me. Rosemary Thorne, the daughter of high ranking Alpha, was found disheveled and screaming in the forest. She pointed a trembling finger at me and suddenly I became the physical assaulter. If I remain silent on this, I'll get excuted for the crime I could never commit.

Penelope Faelan’s life was ordinary, if not for her haunting beauty—an allure so striking it seemed almost otherworldly. But the life she knew vanishes the moment the goddess Demeter kidnaps her, desperate to save her daughter, Persephone, from a fate worse than death: becoming the Queen of the Underworld. Transformed into an exact replica of Persephone, Penelope is thrust into a world of darkness and deceit, forced to take her place as Hades’ queen. Bound by magic to conceal the truth, Penelope finds herself at the mercy of the brooding and enigmatic King of the Dead. But Hades is not the monster she was warned about. Beneath his cold exterior lies a smoldering intensity that stirs something Penelope has never felt before. As Penelope struggles to adapt to her new role, the Underworld reveals its secrets—and her own. With every passing day, she begins to question her past and the mysterious circumstances that led her to this moment. Meanwhile, Persephone watches from the shadows, determined to reclaim her throne and the man who was never meant to fall for her mortal double. As passions ignite and loyalties are tested, Penelope must navigate a labyrinth of lies, lust, and power. When Demeter’s betrayal sets a deadly plan into motion, Penelope faces an impossible choice: to fight for her freedom or embrace the darkness and claim her place as the true Queen of Shadows.

Finish the mission, Seven, or we finish your sister." My handler's voice is static in my ear. Clinical. My sister's heartbeat still echoes from this morning's audio clip, steady, for now. Across the Volkov's gilded ballroom, my three targets watch me with possessive hunger. Alexei, whose brutal hands lift my chin like I'm something precious. Dimitri, who counts my lies like other men count coins. Nikolai, whose kindness is the most dangerous weapon of all, because it's the first thing that cracked my programming. I was engineered for this. Genetically modified to be immune to their mate bond, sculpted into the perfect weapon to destroy the most dangerous werewolf mafia family in Russia. Six months to make them love me. Six months to kill them. My immunity is failing. I feel it when Nikolai's touch doesn't repulse me. When Dimitri's suspicion feels like concern. When Alexei's cruelty looks more like pain. The bond I was supposed to fake is stitching itself into my bones, real and terrifying. Now my handlers want the kill. My sister's life for theirs. But the man who created me is their uncle. This isn't a mission, it's an eighty-year revenge, and I'm the blade he sharpened to cut his own bloodline. They think they've claimed their fated Luna. I'm carrying the knife that could end them. And I'm not sure which is sharper anymore:the silver in my sleeve, or the hope in my chest that maybe, just maybe, I could belong to them instead of my creators.

"You can't handle it. If you try too hard to understand me, what you'll unbosom, that is if you're able to uncover anything, will drive you mad. Because my mind is a dark labyrinth, never understood". “Sometimes there is no darker place than our thoughts, the moonless midnight of the mind”.——Dean Roontz. A dark, lonely, numb soul wanders the face of the Earth in search of peace. Running and hiding from her hunters and her captives. She's trying all she can to feel something, anything, at all as proof that she's living but all to no avail. She's neither human nor werewolf, Satyr nor mermaid, she doesn't seem to have a place to fit in. Her only mission and the goal that drives her very being is how to get rid of the curse she was born with. A curse that seems to spread its wings of death over any one she dares to care about. A curse that doesn't hesitate to suck the happiness out of all beings of close proximity to her. Will her strive to break this curse be fruitful or futile? Will she be able to protect others from getting consumed by this curse that plagues her very existence? Will she thrive over this seemingly unbreakable curse?