Laced Roses

(Prev Title Alpha Hades and The Red Rose) "On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?" Quote co. Meatloaf and Jim Cummings 1976/1977 from 'You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth.' Alpha Hades is an Alpha with a tragic past. He has crafted the persona of The Dark Alpha, to deter his rivals from attacking his pack. As a child, his parents and all previous pack members were wiped out in a rogue attack. He alone survived with the help of his wolf, Cerberus, and the assistance of a human girl called Lydia. But now, Cerberus is dying, and Hades is searching for Lydia in the hope that she is the key to saving him, as Cerberus is convinced that she is their mate. The Red Rose is a human huntress, who is feared by all wolves. She hunts rogues and single-handedly, deals out justice to them as she searches for the Rogue Alpha. He is the one responsible for all of the attacks on the packs, and for an attack on her when she was a child. What will happen when these two meet during a pack dispute? Will Hades find Lydia, before it is too late? And will The Red Rose be able to end, the Rogue Alpha's killing spree?

Alliyah Agustin thought her life was finally falling into place. She was about to marry her long-time boyfriend, Chester — the man she’d built her dreams around, the man everyone envied her for. The venue gleamed with gold, the air smelled of white roses, and her so-called best friend, Kassandrah, stood by her side as maid of honor. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t. When the ceremony began, Chester was nowhere to be found. In his place stood a stranger — dark suit, darker eyes, a smirk that didn’t belong anywhere near an altar. The crowd murmured, the priest hesitated, and before she could even process what was happening, the papers were signed. She had just married Alexander Nicholas Astley, one of the most powerful billionaires in the country — and the most feared man in the underground world. What Alliyah didn’t know was that her “perfect” fiancé and “trusted” friend had sold her — a deal made to clear a debt, sealed with her hand in marriage. And in the dangerous world she was dragged into, her survival would depend on one impossible question: Was Alexander her captor… or her savior?

After my parents were killed in a territory war, I was taken in by Don Moretti, head of New York's most powerful crime family. I was the only civilian in a world of made men. For twenty years, I was raised alongside his twin heirs, Marco and Santino. Their protection and favor made me the envy of every aspiring mob wife in the city. But when I was finally ready to become a real part of the family, they both turned me down. Marco said, "I need to focus on expanding our territory first. I'm not ready for this kind of commitment." Santino said, "An outsider can't be trusted with family secrets." The next night, at my birthday celebration, they both proposed to the daughter of a low-level enforcer. To prove their loyalty to her, they let her force me to drink "The Don's Fire"—a 150-proof grappa laced with ghost peppers that would hospitalize anyone who wasn't raised on it since childhood. Broken in body and spirit, I made a call from my hospital bed. "I accept the proposal from the Luciano Syndicate."

My name is Amelia; I'm 17 and work as a server in a small town in New York. It's been 15 years since my mom started this game of hide and seek with my dad and he still hasn't found us, I don't think he loved us enough look. My mom has been in a coma for the last 2 months, leaving me alone and worried, until my father finally found me. It's not like my life was all roses, but since he's found us, it should get better, right? Better meaning I shouldn't get kidnapped, I shouldn't be told that we are monsters, and I certainly shouldn't be forced to live in a pack of wolves, but here I am living a better life now aren't I. I could handle all this, but what was to follow, I never wanted from the very beginning. All I ever wanted; my only dream was to have my family back and go home. Trying to deal with all this is one thing, but what comes next is mind-blowing!

My mate-to-be, Ethan, said he had some urgent work come up right before our planned full moon trip. He bailed. I was missing him like crazy, so I immediately drove for over ten hours to his city. I hadn’t told Ethan I was coming. There I was, flowers in hand, standing outside his mansion, ready to give my destined mate a sweet surprise. But then I caught the mixed scent of Ethan and another female werewolf. The scent was sickeningly familiar. Amber Collins. Ethan’s ex-mate. I fought back the burn in my nose, my eyes already red, and pushed the door open. And what did I see? Them, sharing a glass of red wine, cuddled up, practically on top of each other. When Ethan finally noticed me, he jerked his arm away from Amber, walked stiffly over, his voice laced with panic. "Scarlett, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

From the moment my twin sister set her eyes on Matteo, she decided he was the one. We were just kids, but that didn’t matter to her. In her heart, she believed they were destined to be together. So when their arranged engagement was announced, no one was surprised. At least, that’s what I thought. But lately, something had felt off. Wherever I went, Matteo was there. Lurking in the dark, concealed in the shadows, always watching. I didn’t know what I’d done to capture his attention. I didn’t want it. Yet, I couldn’t stop my heart from trembling like a bare soul caught in the icy grip of winter whenever he came near. Nor could I ignore my body’s traitorous response to his voice, low and laced with wicked intent. I fought to resist him. I truly did. But it was useless. He knew it. And so did I. So I ran. But that was the thing about the Vitales: they always gave chase.

When the soft and caring Emmalyn marries Kelvin Price, the cold and ruthless Alpha, to save her father’s pack, she does not expect to fall in love with a man who had always thought of her as a second choice and a weakling. An unexpected turn of events takes place, pulling the couple closer but can a love founded on lies, betrayal, and deceit ever survive in the cruel werewolf world where enemies looked forward to destroying them? **** When Emma’s older sister, Tiana, runs away from her arranged wedding to Kelvin Price, Emma is forced to marry him in her place to save her parents’ faces and the pack. Kelvin Price is known to be a cold and elusive Alpha who Emma did not think she could end up falling in love with. She was more content with her sweet boyfriend, Marcus. She knew she would only have herself to blame if she expects a life full of roses when she returns with him. What happens when an unexpected turn of events takes place, forcing the couple closer? As they grow closer, they must fight the demons of their past and of the lives that once left them- especially when her sister, Tiana, returns with just one aim. To snatch back what was once hers. Kelvin Price.

Meet Isabella, a sheltered 23-year-old lady. Her father is the Alpha of the Raven Hood Pack. She is the definition of beauty and charisma, and she has a caring heart. She seems like she has it all, but she has yet to find a mate. She had lost hope of finding a mate until she met Richard Wilson. Richard, a 28-year-old Alpha from the Blue Crescent pack. He had had his own share of fun, and his life was perfect—a loving girlfriend, a successful pack, and people that loved him. But what he didn't expect was to meet his mate when he came for the annual Alpha Convention. Isabella was reluctant at first to leave with Richard. She couldn't imagine life without her family. But after much persuasion, she agreed. She settled into the pack and was ready to embrace her new role as the Luna. But life wasn't a bed of roses; her mate practically ignores her, and her mother-in-law wanted nothing to do with her. Will she continue to battle the mate bond or will she leave everything she knows behind to live with her mate on another continent? Throw in a jealous ex who is determined to kill her and a warrior who is smitten with her. Will their love be able to stand the test of time?

“She's back to pay her tormentor in his own coins... She's retribution itself!” After enduring agonizing years of a loveless marriage with the influential billionaire, Damian Brown, Olivia Davidson is abandoned with a broken heart and a divorce paper to sign. The tables turned when Ivan Arthur, a Billionaire and Olivia's Uncle appeared just in time to pick his niece at her lowest. Hand in hand, they plan the downfall of the man who had caused her great pain. Life finally seemed like a bed of roses when power was bestowed upon Olivia by her Uncle. She maps and carries out plans after plans to destroy Damian when she unveils a jaw breaking piece of information that shatters her firmly built walls to pieces. Olivia is stuck between forgiving Damian Brown who fell head over heels in love with her after her departure or giving listening ears to her absentee mother who returns shortly after Olivia gains power. What happens when Damian comes back for a second chance, seeking for a remedy to the aches of losing his once angelic wife? Will Olivia accept him wholeheartedly after all the pains he put her through, or will she pay Damian back in his own coin?

The first thing the fake heiress did when she saw me was imitate me. I loved fishtail dresses. Hence, she immediately bought all the fishtail dresses in the city. I loved roses. Thus, she made the entire rose garden hers. I thought she was only jealous that my family had brought me home. Unexpectedly, my elder brother mistook her for me when he saw her from the back when she was wearing a fishtail dress. He gave me forty-nine lashes as punishment that night. She was carrying roses in her arms when my father saw her cheek and mistook her for me. Then, my father immediately drove me out of the house. Before I could investigate the matter, I died of acute renal failure. After my death, I saw her marry my fiance with my family’s blessing. She made a remark on the night of her wedding. “System, I’ve got to thank you for letting me change people’s memories. As long as others mistake me for her, I can casually change their memories.” Enlightenment gripped me, but it was too late. It did not occur to me that I would return to the moment when she had just purchased the fishtail dresses.