Lingering Shadow

Hakim was every girl's dream at Northwest High, and every guy's role model. He was hot, smart, popular, romantic and all, and every girl's dream was to get laid by him. He was living the dream life, but he had one single problem; Dante. Dante was the complete vice versa of Hakim. Soft, gentle, unnoticed, innocent, and these traits drew Hakim's heart towards him, and for that reason, Hakim hated him. He hated his lingering gazes and admiring glances, and he hated that he felt the need to hold him, to protect him, and for that reason he resolved to torment Dante, making his high school days unbearable. Dante was forever scarred by him, and his heart broke into pieces. Now, years later, after the two drifted apart, going on to their two separate worlds, Dante builds an image for himself, he is no longer the timid, innocent boy he was back at Northwest High, but is now a top corporate lawyer in the industry, and a fine one at that. What happens when he is hired by a law firm and finds out that his boss is no other person but Hakim? What will evolve as mysteries unfold and actual truth gets told?

"If only my pain could be seen through my smile, I would have been treated and petted like an egg." **** Have you ever been in a situation where you think that no one notices you? Where you are just your sister's shadow? Where you get to see only everything you love and want but you watch it be snatched away by your twin sister? That is exactly what Ellie Williams was going through. Her sister, Elsa Williams being everyone's favorite made her think she was not enough. From getting a new job to getting admission and meeting her all-time crush, Jayson Smith, who not only showed interest in Elsa during their first meeting but also tried to prove Elsa wrong about her perception of rich kids. Ellie tried her best to make Jayson notice her but then when he sees her, he sees her sister. Heartbroken and dejected, Ellie makes sure not to give up, instead she rose to prove her sister wrong and that too, Shawna, Jayson's fiancee. Read to find out how Ellie fought her way through the envy and pain of the betrayal of being twins.

Aurora I am the princess in the tower, the Alpha's daughter. Locked away by my father, Oliver Crane. My mother died when I was a child. Today is my eighteen birthday. My father has a party planned. This party isn't about me. It's about my father's power, wealth, and will include guests from our rival pack, the Hawthornes. Little did I know this was my wedding day, I was marrying a monster, and I would find my saving grace, my Mate, on the run. SawyerI'm the second son: the beta, the nobody of the Hawthorne family pack. I've lied, cheated, killed, and now stolen. I've been Aurora Crane's shadow for years. She is beautiful, innocent, and I'm in love with her. For her birthday, she has no idea what is in store. Her father has sold her to mine. She's marrying my brother. He's evil and cruel. But no one cares how he breaks women because he's the next Alpha. He will destroy her. I can't let that happen, no matter what the Alpha commands.*Warning & Triggers* Mature Themes including Detailed Sexual Content, Violence, and Attempted Sexual Assault

On the night of her birthday, Clara receives a crescent pendant and overhears a secret that splits her life in two. Hours later her mother is taken, Ronan—the rogue who collects the broken—calls from the trees, and Jasper drags her behind the walls of the Holdfast. Inside, Clara survives the Trial of Teeth and tastes the edge of the wolf living under her skin—becoming the problem the pack cannot agree on. Vivian sees a survivor; Jason sees a threat; the forest keeps blinking ash eyes while human cameras bloom among the pines. As a fated pull to Jasper presses closer and Vivian’s missing sister hints at what Ronan does to the taken, Clara must decide what to be: weapon, heir, or something the old laws have no word for. When betrayal leaks through the ranks and the border turns into a stage, mercy may prove sharper than fang—and the story others try to name for her is the one she’ll have to rewrite in blood and moonlight. A dark, romantic werewolf fantasy about power that refuses to be inherited, love that asks for consent, and a girl choosing the kind of Alpha she will become.

“Compared to you, I’m too heavy,” she says softly. I scoff, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her down onto my lap. Her breath hitches, and I lean in close, my lips grazing her ear. “I bench twice your weight at the gym,” I murmur, watching the shiver ripple through her body, her skin blooming with goosebumps under my touch. “Next time I tell you to sit, you’ll do it without hesitation. And you’ll sit exactly where I want—on my fking cck.” ** I’ve always been known as many things—the cursed Alpha Prince, Shadow Pelt High’s hockey captain, the playboy who can’t keep a girl. Life is simple, and easy… until her. Ginger Orbblood. One night—just one fing night, changes everything. She’s my best friend’s girlfriend, but she’s also my mate. Our mate. Born during an eclipse, Caspian and I are tied to her by the curse of the eclipse, but she can only have one of us. It is quite a relief because I am not good at sharing. I always get what I want, and I’ve never wanted anything like I want her. I sure as hell can’t let her go, so I do not care if it ruins anything or anyone. I’ll burn the whole damn world down if I have to—just to have her.

Elise Stanton has one dream: to study medicine. When she earns a coveted spot in medical school, her future seems bright—until her parents present her with an ultimatum. The only way they’ll pay her tuition is if she marries Alejandro Mendoza, the disabled heir to a powerful family. “Marry a stranger for money? Is that the price of my freedom?” Elise protests, her voice trembling with frustration. “Clara gets her luxuries handed to her, but I have to sell my life to pursue my dream?” In her family’s eyes, she is always second-best, a shadow to her younger sister, Clara. Left with no other choice, Elise agrees to her parents’ condition. Then she meets Alejandro Mendoza. Confined to a wheelchair, Alejandro is bitter and guarded, his piercing gaze a wall against the world. But when Elise examines his condition, her sharp medical instincts kick in. “The doctors had a wrong diagnosis,” she insists. “Your condition is reversible.” Alejandro narrows his eyes. “Why are you doing this? What do you want?” Her answer is simple: “I’ll help you recover, and when you can walk again, this marriage ends.”

Kathalina Ruiz never believed in fairy tales. Her mother's dying wish bound her to enigmatic CEO Thirdie Stone in an arranged marriage she accepted out of duty, not romance. Yet somewhere between quiet nights and fragile smiles, Kathalina fell deeply for her distant husband only to keep her love locked away, too afraid it would never be returned. For three years, their marriage balanced on politeness and silence. Then one stormy afternoon shattered it all. Kathalina walked into Thirdie's office and found another woman-half-naked-sitting on his lap. Without demanding an explanation, she signed the divorce papers he placed before her, his gaze as cold as the ink that sealed their separation. What she never knew was that Thirdie's betrayal was a lie... a desperate act to protect her from the dangerous threats circling his empire. Heartbroken and grieving, Kathalina fled abroad. From the ashes of her pain, she rebuilt herself into a celebrated jewelry designer, admired for her elegance and independence. But fate had other plans. Years later, her mother's lawyer makes a revelation she has inherited a vast fortune and controlling shares in Stone Corporation. The life and the man she tried to escape are waiting for her return. Back in the city where it all began, Kathalina comes face-to-face with Thirdie once more. Old wounds resurface, secrets linger in every shadow, and danger draws closer than ever. Now, she must decide to protect her heart from the man who once broke it or uncover the truth he buried......a truth that could change everything she thought she knew about their past. A story of love, sacrifice, and second chances, The Stones We Keep asks.....is it ever too late to believe in a love that never truly died?

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...

Growing up as an orphan, Fenrir never expected to be loved by anyone until he met his girlfriend, Lisa. His dedication to her made him join the cruelest Mafia gang(City thugs) however his naivety was exploited by the mafia gang leader and he committed suicide by falling off a tall building. Without any remembrance of the past, Fenrir woke up on a full moon night as an Alpha werewolf after a disturbing curse was placed on him. “Never to love, or beloved.” Unfamiliar with his new body development, the full moon effect, and the impact of the curse inflicted on him, Fenrir could only follow the lingering fascinating smell he perceived into a small pack where he broke into a killing spree. After killing the Alpha, Luna, and a few members of the pack, he declared the marriage between him and the deceased Alpha’s daughter. What happens when he finds out that the scent of the person who saved him back in the woods was the same as hers? Will Marsai forgive his crimes after finding out they are mated to each other? What will be the end of their predestined love story?

Anastasia Forrester had suffered the worst heartbreak by the man who had been extracting revenge from her for something she had not even been guilty of. Five years later, Devin Richard Crighton was back in her life unwaveringly setting out to achieve his purpose. He was in for a surprise because Ana was no longer the love-struck woman of the past, she was a fully-fledge twentieth century woman, stronger and independent, ready to fight him with all her might. Could Ana resist falling for him all over again? Devin was a cynically ruthless man - life had taught him many lessons at the tender age of fourteen. For years, he had planned his revenge on the daughter of a man who had destroyed his family not caring that he was destroying himself in the process. He hadn’t expected someone like Ana, a woman so strong and innocent who would make him understand what was at stake. Will they finally be able to make it together? Or will the past always cast a shadow on their happiness when it’s time to heal….