Lingering Antonym

"I want you to be our personal stripper," declared Killian, his voice deep and cold, slicing through the air and quickening her heartbeat. The intensity in their gaze made her knees weaken, a sensation hard to ignore. Nervously, she gulped, managing to stammer, "S-Sir..." Atlas, positioned behind her, added, "We'll pay you thrice what you earn in this club, sweetheart." His warm breath teased the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She instinctively closed her thighs, aware of their eyes lingering on her nearly naked form. The offer was undeniably tempting, almost too good to be true. Killian Knight and Atlas De Luca, both successful bachelors in the city, were her employers in which she worked as their assistant, and the unexpected sight of them in the strip club where she worked as a dancer was nothing short of a shock. What added to the surprise was the outrageous proposal they were making! But, being the sole provider of her family, Claire find it hard to decline their offer. For her, money is everything, especially because of their family condition. Being with a sick mother and a brother battling with leukemia, Claire shouldered everything, and she in desperate to make a living. And so, Claire found herself agreeing. Be their stripper? That’s a piece of cake for her. Or so she thought. Fate takes an unexpected turn for Claire when she finds herself falling for the men she promised not to get attached to. However, avoiding two drop-dead hot bachelors proves to be a challenge, especially when fate seems to favor their presence. Becoming the personal stripper for the affluent and influential Killian Knight and Atlas De Luca, Claire finds herself entangled in a web of emotions she never anticipated...

It was supposed to be just a one-time encounter — just letting out the steam that had been fuming between us. He was not made for relationships, while I just got out of one and was not ready for another. But that one-night stand with the playboy Gamma of the Black Shadow Pack turned into two nights, and then three, until I could no longer count the number of times he knocked at my door whenever he wanted to get laid. And I just let him in. Every damn time. But then, the nights of passion turned into two stripes on the pregnancy stick. And he wanted nothing to do with it. I should have expected that. He was, after all, Austin Montrell. So I kicked him out of my apartment, out of my life, and out of my way. I vowed to forget him — raise my child on my own, and never look back. I was doing so well until the day I found my son missing and his scent lingering in the place where I left him. If the Gamma thought he could just abandon me and our child and then take us back because he changed his mind, well, he was in for the ride of his life because this time, I was not letting him back in. ***** THE ALPHA BLOOD CIRCLE: Book 1: She's The Luna I Want Book 2: The Beta and I Book 3: Let The Gamma Fall For Me Although this book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Book 1 and 2 to understand the characters and the world I created. ***** Follow me on my I G and F B for updates and teasers - author.cassa.m 

"Sherman...Sherman Colton," I managed to mutter, my voice quivering from a combination of exhaustion and worry. The name surfaced from the depths of my consciousness, unexpected yet purposeful. As I felt my awareness fade, a lingering feeling of unease settled within me. I didn't just say that name in response to a question; it was more like a desperate plea, a fragment of worry for the man whose image and reputation I was afraid I had ruined in the chaotic events that had taken place. As I surrendered to the embrace of unconsciousness, a deep uncertainty gripped my soul, unsure if I would ever wake up to the light of another day. I whispered, "Mr.Colton, I didn't break your trust." ........................................................................... Within the luxurious Elite Oaks Resort, Zara Tahel, the unassuming housekeeper, found herself thrust into a passionate whirlwind of destiny. Her heartache led her to cancel her wedding when she uncovered her lover's affair with his superior. Little did she know, her life was about to take a captivating turn. In her bridal gown's elegance, Zara collided with Sherman Colton, the charismatic CEO of the resort. Their encounter was electric, sparking a photograph that set the world buzzing with intrigue. But their chemistry was undeniable, a passionate connection that smoldered. Sherman offered an arrangement, one fraught with desire and hidden longing. As their worlds intertwined, the question hung in the air: Was their deal just a façade to protect his reputation, or had a deep, secret attraction ignited since that unforgettable moment? Amidst moonlit nights and stolen moments at Elite Oaks Resort, Zara and Sherman embarked on a passionate journey, testing the limits of love and desire. Their hearts danced to a melody of fervent ardor, setting their worlds ablaze with irresistible chemistry.

"Was there something I could have done, to make your heart long for me?To make you see me as your dream the way I see you as mine?” "Nothing is better than to both say our goodbyes, so let’s just let it go Russe. Goodbye.” she vanished into the eerie night with her bag. Russe continued staring at the spot she vanished from, and with tears welling up in his eyes he fell to his knees. “I love you Adel!” he whispered. Nothing would hurt a powerful werewolf more than being rejected by his mate and that’s what happen to Russe, the Alpha of the Teros Pack. After years of being in love and then rejected on the wedding day, he vowed never to get married to another woman, except that the moon goddess’s prophecy really gave him no way out. The moon goddess gave a prophecy decades ago stating “The Alpha who is rejected by his mate must not be without an offspring for the throne. When he begat a first son with the Xenakis, the hybrid one regardless of her mate must be sacrificed for he whose eyes is as cloudy as the sky. Tribulation awaits the Teros Pack until a new offspring is born.” His mate rejected him for a human she was pregnant for, and now he drunkenly impregnated the Xenakis's only female warrior. Finding out his unborn son would be born disabled wasn't the end of his nightmare, even his mate’s hybrid child had to be sacrificed for his own disabled child. Torn between his lingering feelings for his mate and his fatherly love for this disabled child, Russe has to make the decision or someone else will. But who is the enemy? The cause of this whole misery?

Phoenix’s life takes a disastrous turn when she wakes up in a grimy hotel room just two days before her mating ceremony. Her life is ruined, and she didn’t need a soothsayer to tell her because not only is their a lingering smell on the sheet, which indicates that she has been unfaithful, Dylan is in the hotel room yelling profanities at her. By her unexplained actions, she has become disgraced, banished, and may have sparked a war between her pack and Dylan’s. Werewolves mate for a life, and a broken mating arrangement is an unforgivable sin. At 16, Phoenix was promised to Dylan as a way to unify their packs after years of rivalry. An alliance now broken by her infidelity. Although she would have preferred to wait for her chosen mate, she has long accepted that being Dylan’s chosen mate and Luna of his pack is a fate she can endure. Now branded as a disgrace and banished, Phoenix has been replaced by her half sister as Dylan’s mate. Exiled from the home she has always known, Phoenix is left to wander the forests as a rogue. Her central thought is to survive and navigate life alone whilst looking for a pack that will take her in, but she must face all her fears one at a time. Her life in exile takes an unexpected twist when she finds her true mate in the most unexpected way. How does she keep the secret of being the fated golden wolf? How does she stay away from her chosen mate to keep her secret? Will she learn to harness her powers and save her kind from a looming war with the hunters? Like her name, will she rise from the ashes?

DAILY UPDATE — I don't love you. — I muttered. He set his wine aside and stood up, slowly closing the distance between us, and with his fingertips he touched my chin, his gaze wandering to my mouth and then lingering on my eyes. — I don't love you either, princess, and I don't intend to. He said those words with complete coldness and walked away sitting down again and it infuriated me. — Why fight a tournament for my hand then? All this because I'm a princess? — I asked like a shot. — You are a Lancaster princess and I need a worthy heir. — I wish my uterus was dry as the desert sands, Commander. He glared at me and I saw a flash of anger in his black eyes, but at the same instant he hid it and put his cynical smile in place. — So in that case we would have to try many times, dear, until your uterus becomes less dry. I would try for the rest of my life even. — He countered maliciously. In a tournament by the hand of Princess Helena Lancaster her destiny to cross with John Chase, a fearsome commander and warrior, with a peculiar personality. He was everything she detested, possessive, audacious, authoritarian, and dominant in the extreme, and he was the who had the best chance of winning the tournament for her hand. But John Chase was much more than a commander of Corvo Island, he was hiding a dark secret that would change her life forever. An island full of mysterious men, with their own secrets and conflicts, and she would be their lady, soon Helena would discover that a great danger lurks on the island, could she trust her husband to protect her?

BLURB "Boss, these are the pictures of the lady's face. It's a good thing the hotel's Surveillance camera captured her perfectly." Davis uttered as he placed the file containing the pictures in front of him. With a deep frown on his face, he picked up the file and carefully brought out the pictures. He gasped at the young lady with Grey eyes, plump lips, and platinum blonde hair. She's the epitome of beauty. "I need every information about her by tomorrow. " Tristan Zachary ordered with his voice as cold as ice. "Okay boss " Davis immediately exited out of the well-furnished office. The moment the office door was shut, Tristan stared into space lost in thought. #Flashback# Tristan groaned as he felt so much ache in his head. He managed to sit up on the hotel's bed while gazing around in awe. With the lingering feminine scent that hit his nose, and seeing he was stark naked, Realization struck him hard. He immediately knew a lady was on his bed last night. Due to his drunken state, he couldn't identify the mysterious lady's face. A lady that was an exception from other ladies, Tristan still finds it hard to believe he had gotten that close to a lady without feeling sick. He instantly wants to find the lady and confirm his fears. "Davis" Tristan calls out as the room door was instantly pushed open by his assistant. "Boss" Davis uttered with a bow of his head. "You saw a lady step out of this room right?" He couldn't help the anxiety in his voice. Davis knew his boss has a phobia for ladies, and was taken aback by his sudden outburst.

Camilla's entire world shattered when her husband Nick Sinclair abruptly ended their three-year marriage, hurling divorce papers at her. His cruel, harsh words still echoed in her ears... "I'm done with this marriage. Get out of my house!" She always knew their arranged marriage was devoid of love, but she had clung to the possibility that he would one day grow to love her. However, the arrival of his first love, bearing a child she claimed was his, destroyed any lingering hopes and exposed the emptiness of their relationship. Fingers trembling, heart bleeding, she signed the divorce agreement. But the shock overwhelmed her just as she stepped outside Nick's mansion and she collapsed. Hours later, she awakened in the hospital, staring into the icy blue eyes of the stranger who saved her. ... Derek Donovan, New York's heartthrob and wealthiest billionaire CEO, had been searching for a way to deflect the media's attention from his status as a sought-after bachelor. In exchange for saving her life, he proposed a contract to Camilla: pretend to be his wife for three years to keep the press and paparazzi off. With no other options and no one to rely on, Camilla felt compelled to accept the proposal and sign the contract. But as they navigated the path of their fake marriage, the lines blurred. Derek's icy facade cracked, revealing a burning passion for Camilla. As Camilla's heart wavered, a shocking truth emerged: Derek's past hid secrets, and she was now entrenched in a deadly game of wealth, power, and deception. Will she risk everything to love again, or will the shadows of her past and the danger lurking in Derek's world destroy her forever? The contract has been signed, but the real stakes are only just beginning...

"That's too bad," he mumbles and I loudly gasp as I am thrown against the bed. He pins my arms down while he stands over me. "Unfortunately, I don't think that." He leans even closer and licks the side of my neck.  "I want to mark you," he says directly into my ear and I visibly shiver. "I want everyone to know you're mine." I gasp as I feel his teeth on the side of my neck. "You can imagine how angry I was when I saw someone touching what's mine. I wanted to rip his head off, I still want to." He pulls away from my neck and stares at my face. His eyes scan it, lingering for a few seconds on my lips before he returns his gaze to my eyes. "You see why I can't act like things are back to normal because I don't want them to be. You know exactly what I want and unfortunately, I can't settle for anything less." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Years after her parents' deaths and things are finally looking up for Ashton. Her brother is the Alpha of the pack and her mate is the Head beta. Her brother's untimely death turns everything apart, she is rejected and chased from the pack. This leads her to Caspian who saves her from thugs who are trying to force her to join their pack. In a state of desperation, she joins his Rogue pack but a lot of things don't add up and even as she tries to keep a low profile, troubles won't stop seeking her out. Betrayed by her first love will she learn to trust and love again?

Celeste Winters once had a name that echoed across territories, the daughter of the WinterMoon Alpha—fierce, loyal, and born of a legacy older than the crown that now rules the city. But all of that shattered the moment the man she trusted with her soul chose another without a word of goodbye. Cast aside without explanation, stripped of identity and purpose, Celeste ran. She abandoned her title, her pack, even her wolf… burying it all beneath perfume and silence. Now, in the heart of a city that doesn’t know her, she works late-night shifts at a diner and hides her scars behind forced smiles and lingering shadows. Every day she survives, but she does not live. Until the night everything begins to unravel. A rogue attack. A moment of instinct. A power she shouldn’t still have. And a single word whispered by the Alpha King himself as their eyes lock across the chaos: Mate. Celeste never wanted to love again. Never wanted to be claimed, or seen, or remembered. But he remembers her—her scent, her laugh, the steel behind her soft-spoken words. And worse, his wolf wants her. Craves her. But Celeste’s past isn’t just filled with heartbreak. It’s filled with secrets—deadly ones. The rogues aren’t just after her for revenge; they’re looking to return her to a father who will burn down every pack to get her back. A father who once ruled all, and never forgave betrayal. As the line between predator and protector begins to blur, Celeste must face the truth she’s tried to forget: she was never meant to disappear. And the more she lets herself feel again, the more dangerous her world becomes. The past is waking. The wolves are circling. And fate has never played fair.