Limestone Skin Tone

She was supposed to be collateral. Anastasia Volkov, daughter of a bankrupt oligarch, is handed to the city’s most feared pakhan to settle a debt she never agreed to pay. Nikolai Morozov does not take prisoners; he takes everything. One look at the trembling girl in his private box at the opera, and he decides her fear tastes like sin. But Anastasia is not the fragile offering she appears. Beneath silk and submission burns a woman who learns to weaponize desire, who carves her name into his skin with the same blade he presses to her throat. In a world of blood oaths and midnight executions, love is the deadliest betrayal. When the past comes to collect its dues, Anastasia must choose: kneel forever… or cut the king down and wear his crown.

"Because I should be the only one who looks at you like that," he murmured, his voice dropping low as he steps closer. Miles Carter is notorious around town for being a player. Miles and his best friend, Finn, have always been well-known for their wit, good looks and charming personality. Neither of them ever let a girl get under their skin, until Miles and Finn's twin sister, start seeing each other. After one fateful night of lies, leading to someone's death... Things have never been the same. Finn and Isobel are still recovering from what happened, a year and a half ago. Everything changes, when Miles arrives back in town, with one thing on his mind.

"Don't move!" Coming home late from work, I was sneaking a shower in the shared bathroom of my rental when a warm body suddenly pressed up against me. His rough palm clamped over my mouth, pinning me against the cold tile. He held me there against the damp wall, his skin burning hot against my back as he let out a low, gravelly threat. "My guys are right outside. Just try and scream." Instead of panicking, I leaned back into him, shifting slightly. I tilted my head back and breathed softly into his ear. “So… you want everyone hear? I don't mind… we can give it a try.”

"Captain! There's a couple burned and fused together!" I sprinted inside. There was Axel Cheatum, my husband, clinging to some woman. Their bodies had fused from the heat. Axel was sobbing, begging, "Save my wife first, please!" His wedding ring flashed on his finger. "It's my fault," he cried. "We drank too much... didn't even notice the fire." "It's not your fault, honey," the woman whispered. "We hadn't seen each other in so long... we couldn't help it." Axel clawed at his scorched skin, trying to free her. That's when I saw her swollen belly. And Axel, throwing everything away for her. In the end, I lost my baby.

When Annabelle learned of the pregnancy of her twin sister Annabella as well as her marriage to a powerful sultan, she was happy and was even more delighted when the latter invited her for the preparations. Annabelle found that these two months would be the perfect opportunity for them to get closer and share a certain complicity. And that...even though Annabella was mean and dismissive of her... Once there, Anabelle discovered that the powerful sultan who was going to marry her sister was none other than the man with whom she had spent an intense night of passion 3 months ago. If the Sultan seemed to have forgotten her, the passion between them was still present... As she couldn't shorten his stay, he had only to avoid her... Avoid her as much as possible. she could... But... Fate had other plans for them... Plans that risked ruining Annabelle's plans. - I'm pregnant, Kara... Said the young woman in a desperate tone as the tears came back to her cheeks. - Wait what? From whom...? Why are you crying...damn! - I'm pregnant by my brother-in-law. I am carrying the child of my sister's future husband!

When I'm on the verge of dying, the kidnapper who has kidnapped me calls my fiance, Connor Weston, who's also the youngest patrol officer in the pack. The call goes through, only for us to hear Connor's voice, which is filled with suppressed rage. "Sylvia Kline, I'll give you three seconds to stop bothering me. Vivian's initiation ceremony will take place at night three days later. If you dare pull off another one of your tricks again—" "Connor…" Blood gushes out of my mouth as soon as I open it. My voice is so hoarse that I don't sound like myself at all. "Save… me…" "Your acting's pretty good," Connor cuts me off, his tone filled with disdain. "Listen, if you dare skip out on the ceremony and embarrass me in front of the entire pack, you can forget about going home." After that, the line goes dead. In the end, I die from mutilation. It's fine, Connor. I can't go home for real this time.

After my financial reports were replaced with blank pages, the company was thrown into a legal and financial crisis. As the accountant, I was accused of falsifying records. I was charged, convicted, and sent to prison. Three years later, I was finally released. My CEO husband and our son came to pick me up in person. Just when I was touched by their loyalty, believing they had stood by me through it all, I overheard their conversation. "Dad, Winona wanted that villa in the suburbs, so you used company funds to buy it. But Mom was the one who got blamed for the falsified accounts. She spent three years behind bars, shunned by everyone. Even I got teased by my friends because of her." Hank took our son's hand, his tone grave. "We agreed never to bring this up again. Back then, Winona needed a place to live. I had no choice but to use the company's money, and your mom had to take the fall." That was the moment I realized—my years in prison, the public disgrace, the humiliation… had all been part of a plan. A plan crafted by the very man I trusted with my life.

What a small world. As Elaine Johnson was checking in at the hotel front desk, she happened to bump into Jasper Carter's young mistress —a girl who looked like an innocent college student. She was dressed in a simple white cotton dress, pure and demure, with a shy, sweet smile. "Hello, here's your room key. You'll be staying in the executive suite on the top floor," the receptionist said. "Thank you, miss," the girl replied softly, taking the key. Just then, her phone rang. Elaine overheard her speaking bashfully to the person on the other end: "Mr. Carter, I... I'm already here. When will you be coming?" Her tone was soft, a little nervous, filled with affectionate anticipation. A moment later, Elaine heard her add, "Mhm, I'll wait for you. No rush. Please drive carefully, Mr. Carter." The girl's voice was so sweet and tender, it could have melted anyone's heart. Elaine could not help thinking that her husband had good taste — the girl was young and beautiful, gentle and thoughtful, the kind of woman any man would find hard to resist.

"She's wolfless, mother," his tone was cold as usual. A wolfless mate meant one of two things; There was a high chance of birthing a wolfless pup and there was a lower chance of birthing a pup- in this case, the next Alpha. "You would subject your only son and heir to the Pride Family Pack to this fate?" He asked his mother in an accusing tone. "What’s so special about her anyways!" There was nothing Irene hadn't heard from him. She had taken his insults, numbing her pain with her love for him but when she stumbled upon him giving his mate bite to the Beta's daughter, Irene was sure she'd had enough. She fled, unknown to her, with their children in her womb. ***** "Return to our pack and be by my side again," she never thought he was capable of those words. He was yet to know about their children, perhaps did he really want her back or was he just curious about her identity that was slowly coming to light? #weaktostrong #SecretIdentity #Secretbabies #ChasingEx-Wife #ArrangedMarriage #DestinedMates #AlphaXAlpha Author: E.V Lunar Copyright: Ideaink Six Cats

“What made you think you had the right,” he asked softly, dangerously, “to question me, little omega?” Her pulse thundered in her skin, loud enough she was sure he could hear it. Hunter inhaled. His eyes darkened. A slow smirk spread across his face. “Such a dirty little vixen,” he murmured slowly. “I can smell your arousal.” Her head shook frantically, panic flooding her features. “No— I—” “I’m here asking a question,” he continued, his voice low and intimate, “and you’re getting aroused?” ****. Athena had always been the outcast of her pack, the omega with a weak wolf and no value. Her pack used her, beat her and worked her like a slave. And when her fated mate, the Alpha’s younger brother rejected her, whatever remained of her spirit shattered. She became invisible. But her life took an even darker turn the day she was kidnapped and auctioned off to a beta of black moon territory as an offer to the most feared being in all the packs—THE CURSED LYCAN KING. A dragon and lycan hybrid. Hunter, the Cursed King, needed a breeder. Every woman in the realm feared even hearing his name, terrified of the curse that lived within him. So when an omega, a weak wolf was offered to him, he cursed the moment his beta was ever born. She was too fragile and too breakable that carrying his child could very well kill her. What he didn’t know was that Athena was the last Silver Wolf alive. And the moment his teeth grazed her skin, her power exploded to life. Now, enemies and Alphas are plotting. And Hunter, the monster everyone fears finds himself willing to burn kingdoms to nothing in order to protect the one woman he never expected to want…