Laced Roses

Closing the door shut, I exhaled lowly and turned around to make a dash into the room when my eyes met with a pair of raging fireballs glaring into my soul. How come he is here? I made sure to lock the door. “And you think that a wooden door is strong enough to prevent me from meeting my mate?” He answered my unsaid question, his tone strident and laced with pure rage making me cower back. But still, I mustered up courage and shot him a defiant look. “And I made it clear to you that I don’t accept you as my mate,” I spoke confidently while looking straight into his eyes. My breath hitched when I noticed his eyes darkening. He was clearly pissed by my protest but I stood my ground. Taking a deep breath I continued, “Listen, I can’t be with you nor with anyone. What happened that night was just a mistake and I never accepted you so stop harassing me and just leave-“ Before I could complete it, my neck was grabbed in a vice grip as I was pinned against the door. I quickly shielded my belly with my arms dreading he would hurt my children. But irrespective of my fear-stricken face, he leaned dangerously closer to my face and flashed me a diabolical smirk that dripped with menace. “I think I made it clear to you last night Ms. Evans. I had never asked for your consent in the first place so you… don't really have a choice. ‘Cause once you enter Xavier’s maze, there is no going back, Grace.”

“I, Madeline Clark, rejec…,” I started speaking, but Alpha Dimitri stopped me by putting his hand over my mouth.He pulled me closer to him and growled.“What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted. “I am not letting you do this, Maddie. I’ve waited for you for months and I am not going to lose you!”His eyes held so much pain and his voice was laced with panic.“You are mine, Maddie,” he said as he leaned in and pressed a small kiss on my forehead. “You are mine, and I am not letting you go.”Madeline is a 17-year-old girl who still hasn’t shifted into her wolf. Her father abandoned her mother when she was very young. She’s been bullied and laughed at all the time. After she lost her mom, the person who loved her the most, Madeline is completely distraught and broken. Her father comes back to take her back to his pack. Madeline is against it, but her financial situation forces her to go with him.Dimitri is a Lycan wolf, the Alpha of his very successful pack. He is 22 years old, and he still hasn’t found his mate. When Madeline comes to his pack, he is very surprised to find out that she is his mate. He is also very frustrated because she is his stepsister who still hasn’t shifted. She can’t recognize him as her mate.Madeline struggles in the new pack. She doesn’t have the best relationship with her stepmother. She can’t wait to turn 18 and leave.What will happen when Madeline finds out who her mate is? What will Dimitri do after she rejects him? Will he be able to convince her to stay?

Raina: Ever since I came of age and got my wolf, I became the Whitecrest Pack’s outcast– the fat girl who was constantly bullied and despised by her own pack. I was mocked, humiliated and used by the very Alpha who was supposed to protect me. With all hope lost, I resigned myself to my fate, but the moon goddess had other plans. During a hunting game gone wrong, I was found by Alpha Rowan Vesper, the feared and most powerful Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. And he turned out to be my fated mate. I didn’t have any expectations. After all, I’m the fat girl no one wants. So I lowered my gaze and braced myself for the rejection I knew was coming. Instead, his words shattered everything I believed about myself… “You taste so delicious… I want to eat you whole,” Alpha Rowan growled, sending a shiver down my spine. No one had ever spoken to me like that before… his voice was laced with raw hunger that sent tingles rushing through me. It was new and it terrified me. Goddess, is this a dream? **** Rowan: I had given up on finding my mate. After all, my pack was still thriving without a Luna, so I didn’t think I needed one, until my father pushed me to attend hunting games being hosted by another pack hoping I would find my mate. I never planned to hunt. But fate placed the most irresistible prey in my path. She was timid, and something told me she was ready to run away from me at any chance she got, but goddess knows I had no intention of letting her go.

My family auctioning me against my will was one thing. But being auctioned to him, the demigod Alpha, known for chaos and bloodshed, the cursed abomination, was the worst that could happen. I watched him kill men without mercy. I watched him claim me just to spite his brother and now, I'm trapped within his fortress as a slave. His slave. At first, I want to end it all before he does it for me, but on a second thought, I have to fight for my freedom. He swears he bought me to spite his brother and humiliate me. He swears that he despises me. My sin? Being born with the same hair as his mother. But then, the way he looks at me isn't the way you look at the enemy. The way he pins and touches me isn't the way you touch a slave. He buries his face in my neck and relaxes with my scent, claiming me in ways no master should claim a defiant captive. I'm supposed to hate him for being heartless, for being evil, for refusing to let me go, but somewhere in between, I don’t. It's hate and angst, yet every touch makes my heart betray me. He makes my heart beat in ways it shouldn't. A human and an Alpha? Unacceptable! In fact, forbidden in Dark Hound! It's in fact forbidden! But he's unhinged and doesn't care. It's all war and roses until I find out I'm the thing that could either destroy him—or break his curse. The devil they warned him about. TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences (18+) readers discretion is advised For the girlies who love their MMC a little bit twisted, broken with redemption here and there.

After I get reborn, I've returned to the moment my mother wants me to pick out my future mate. This time, I don't choose anyone at all. Instead, I've decided to travel to the rural mountain area as a healer. In my previous life, the Alphas of the packs based in the northern meadow and the western coast had requested to form a marriage alliance with me to my mother. Similarly, I had feelings for both of them. But while I was conflicted as to which Alpha I had to choose, I happened to stumble upon them going into their rut earlier than expected due to them being drugged. The Alphas pinned me down on the bed. That was how I ended up spending the night with them. But it was precisely that night that left me with pup. Since we had no idea whose pup I was with, my parents decided to let me take both Alphas in as my mates for the sake of my pack's reputation. But on the day our mating ceremony was set to begin, the Alphas' first love, Julia Cooper, left her pack out of anger when she found out about their mating ceremony with me. Unexpectedly, the pack that Julia had gone to was invaded by another pack. She was exiled from the pack as a Rogue, only to get tormented by other Rogues till she drew her last breath. After her death, both Alphas laced my food with wolfsbane, which led to my death. On the second before I lost my consciousness, I heard their furious voices. "You have no right to be living a good life when Julia has died a terrible death!" When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day both Alphas have gone into rut.

“You don’t get to reject me, Avery. I will never give you that pleasure.” Julian’s voice was a dark promise, laced with venom. "I’ll keep you, watch you suffer, until I’m ready to discard you. Remember, I own you. And when I’m done with you… you’ll wish you were never born." ********** Avery Smith knew nothing but pain. Abandoned by her pack, betrayed by her own blood, she clung to one fragile hope: her fated mate, Julian Styles. But hope shattered when he chose her sister instead, his rejection a blade to her soul. "A weak thing like you can never be my mate." Humiliated, she fled, vowing never to return. Fate had other plans. When tragedy forces Avery back, she finds herself face-to-face with a man who wants her more than anything... more than power, more than pride, more than sanity. The ruthless Alpha King doesn’t just claim her; he consumes her. His touch is fire, his words a whip, his hunger a storm she can’t outrun. "I don’t want you!" she lies, her body betraying her as his scent wraps around her like chains. "Let go of me!" But Kaiden’s grip is unbreakable, his voice a growl against her skin. "You’re mine, Avery. Every breath, every whimper, every fucking heartbeat." His lips crash into hers, stealing the air from her lungs. "And I’ll take what’s mine." A bond forged in blood. A love born in obsession. Will their souls ignite, or will their war burn them both to ash?

When my husband, Austin Hart, and I participated in the earthquake disaster relief, he discovered the corpse of his first love, Stacy Deleon, in the collapse zone. That night, Austin left a suicide note behind before jumping off the building with our son, Clifford Hart, in order to reunite with Stacy in the afterlife. Only then did I realize that both Austin and Clifford never cared about me, to begin with. When I was reborn, I returned to the moment when Austin first asked for a divorce. This time, I agreed to the divorce immediately. I even gave the custody of the three-year-old Clifford to Austin right away. Five years later, we meet again at an auction. Austin laces fingers with Stacy while taking Clifford's hand with the other. He mocks me, "It's only been five years, Kendra. You're really that shameless now, huh? You can't wait to latch onto me again now that you've found out I'm here!" Clifford mocks me as well. "Mom… Wait, you should be Ms. Powell to me now. You should stop pestering my dad already. My parents and I are living a very happy life right now." I just ignore them. Instead, I grab my daughter, Faye Gilmore, who has been sneaking food off the table, and steer her back to our seats. But Austin flies into a fit of rage instantly. A vein pops out of his hand, which is still laced with Stacy's fingers. "You really are shameless, Kendra Powell! We've only been separated for five years, yet you already have a daughter that old? I can't believe you're willing to resort to such despicable methods just to make me jealous! Which bastard did you have that bastard child with, huh?"

“Mr. Carter, your unborn child was lost due to this trauma. This is serious.” “You brought this upon yourself, Charlotte” his words laced with venom. “And I’m not going to pay her medical bills either. This is all just an act.” “I don’t trust her who claims to have been assaulted,” he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "She must have seduced them; after all, she already did it once. How can I trust her now? I don’t have time for her drama.” I felt my heart shatter at his cruel dismissal. How could he be so heartless? --- After dedicating her youth to saving lives, Charlotte Valco finds her own destiny slipping away. Her act of heroism at St. Peter Hospital binds her in an arranged marriage to Howard Carter, a wealthy heir whose icy demeanor leaves her longing for genuine affection. Charlotte’s dreams of happiness shatter beneath his emotional distance, the relentless cruelty of his adoptive sister Anastasia, and the scornful machinations of his mother, Karla. Isolated and gaslit, Charlotte loses everything—including her unborn child—when Howard sides with Anna, allowing tragedy to unfold at the hands of old enemies. Broken and alone, Charlotte’s only wish is for a chance to rewrite her fate. Miraculously transported back three years, she awakens in St. Peter Hospital as a doctor, her life—and marriage—unwritten. Armed with memories of betrayal and heartache, Charlotte resolves to choose her own path, protect herself from those who hurt her, and reclaim the compassion that once defined her. As she seeks justice, makes bold choices, and confronts her enemies—including Howard and Anastasia—Charlotte discovers that second chances come with powerful new risks… and the possibility to turn tragedy into triumph.

They say fated mates are sacred, practically unbreakable. But Aiden wasn’t mine, and I wasn’t his. That didn’t stop me from loving him like he was the last man left in this cursed world. He swore he didn’t need a bond to love me. Said it was pure. Said he’d love me unconditionally. Said he’d choose me—always. But now he’s in our bed, moaning another woman’s name like a prayer. Wearing a forbidden pendant laced in black magic—magic strong enough to block the mate bond so I wouldn’t feel the betrayal. Too late, Aiden. I felt it. Like a dagger slicing straight through my soul. And just as I hit rock bottom, he shows up. A young, enigmatic Alpha—feared, powerful, far too young for me. Alpha Damon. He’s asking questions about illegal mate bond magic. Magic my husband used to cheat without consequences. Magic that ties back to a dark conspiracy. Turns out, my perfect little marriage is just the rotten tip of a magic-smuggling empire. Damon wants my help. Needs me close. Says I’m the only one who knows enough to crack this wide open. But every time he says my name, something in me stirs, something I swore was long dead. I shouldn’t want him. I couldn't him. He’s too young. Too dangerous. Too…everything. But goddess help me—he’s the first man who’s ever looked at me like I wasn’t something broken. Like I wasn’t disposable. Like I was worth fighting for.

"Do you feel it coming alive?" he whispered. His hand holding mine on his bulge. "If anyone sees us—" I stuttered. We weren’t alone in the house. "If you agree to be my good little stepsister—they’ll treat you with respect too." His dark eyes held a wicked amusement that sent a shiver down my spine. "I know you had a crush on me." "I—I didn’t know you were my stepbrother," I tried to explain, but he silenced me with a finger to my lips. That touch! That gentle press of dominance. It was dangerous. It was temptation itself. "Then no one has to know our dirty little secret." His voice was a trap, laced with seduction. "Be my stepsister by day… and my whore by night." I had thought I was inching toward freedom. That escape was just within reach. But the noose had been tightening all along. And this time, it wasn’t fate or circumstance pulling it tight. It was the hands of my own stepbrothers. .. Lavender wanted a normal life—one where she was respected for who she was, not judged for being born from rape. But everything changed when she helped a wounded stranger– and unknowingly walked into the world of the mafia. She thought she could escape the ruthless mafia boss she saved—until she found herself in his mansion, introduced as his stepsister. When her mother made her meet her new family, Lavender’s world shattered. How could she tell her mother that her soon-to-be stepbrothers were mafia bosses, who saw her as nothing more than a pawn? Lavender is left with two choices: fight back or submit to her stepbrothers' control. But can she escape the grip of the mafia? But how can one ever escape the mafia?