Loca Tempered Glass

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?"

In exchange for a modeling career and wanting to chase her dreams, Beauty Acuesta agreed to substitute her sister as a secretary at Monde Corporation. However, she soon realizes the job is not as easy as she thought, and the office work is quite chaotic. Fresh from a cheating breakup, Beauty realizes she missed out on many opportunities due to her ex. Beauty then unexpectedly encounters Drew Mondragon, the man who rescued her from hell that night, not realizing his true identity as her sister's boss, the CEO, and owner of Monde Corporation. Drew Mondragon, a member of the Royal Mondragon family, is a billionaire known for his short temper and perfectionism, tempered by his kind heart. When his secretary filed for an extended leave, a substitute was provided, and her name was Beauty. Drew had met Beauty before, and that night was unforgettable. Beauty had captured Drew's heart. Shockingly, Beauty is a headache! She's obviously out of Drew's standard, but somehow, Drew wants to keep and protect her. And whenever they get close together at work, the intense attraction between them escalates like fireworks. Beauty dreams of becoming a supermodel, and Drew wants Beauty to be his wife. One heart desires to chase a dream, while the other craves a family. Can love conquer ambition? Or will the Billionaire be able to keep his Beauty forever? Matured content 18+ This is under The Mondragon Billionaire's Boys Club, a stand-alone series. C.M. LOUDEN

Attending the ten-year high school reunion for the cheerleading squad and football team, I arrived in an old domestic Ford, while the parking lot was filled with Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Maybachs, and even a gold Bugatti. It was as if I were the only relic from another era. The moment I stepped out of my car, a former classmate, whose name I could no longer remember, looked at me with a sneer. “Well, if it isn’t the coach’s pet. How is it that after all these years, you’re still driving this beat-up old Ford?” “This thing looks like it belongs in a scrapyard from the last century!” During dinner, everyone gathered around the Bugatti owner, raising their glasses in celebration, while I was left ignored at the side. Only the cheerleading assistant sat next to me, raising a glass in my direction with a comforting smile. “Don’t let it get to you. Your car may be old, but I believe you’ll be driving a luxury car one day.” I let a small smirk curl at the corner of my lips and lowered my voice. “This car may look unimpressive, but it’s been fully upgraded with a carbon fiber body. It’s already worth over half a million dollars. Too bad, none of you even recognized its true value.”

It was no secret that Lucas, the Alpha of the Redline Pack, had spent ten years pursuing me. He did so patiently and devotedly, never wavering, as if loving me were the only purpose he had in this life. But on the eve of our wedding, one conversation between Lucas and his friend struck me. "You have secretly dated Shane for a while now, but you will Mark Charlotte as your Mate instead?" His friend had asked. "How can the two be the same? How could Shane, a substitute, compare to Charlotte? I might consider keeping her if she behaves herself and doesn't make a scene. Don't worry, Charlotte won't mind," I heard Luca say confidently. But Shane has no intention of behaving. On the day for eh Marking, she stormed the Ritual grounds and pushed me hard making me fall of the center stage unto the grass. Lucas was by her side quickly to protect her not me. Shane had lost all reason from the heart break and had a shard of glass to her her neck. "Choose me or Charlotte right now!" She screamed and I saw Lucas descend into a panic. Shane must have gotten injured in the chaos because I could hear Lucas shouting to clear the way and let him pass, saying he needed to rush Charlotte to a hospital. But I was hurt as well, yet he did not care. "If anything happens to her, you will all pay the price," he had declared. Those words shattered my heart and was the beginning of the end. I now know what to do—booking a ticket and left him forever.

"He didn't show! Alpha Damon has spat on our pack's honor! He must be refusing the alliance!" A glass shattered, and I nearly collapsed in terror. "Rumor says he hasn't found his mate. Perhaps he needs more... options," my father's voice slithered in. A heavy silence followed. I held my breath, praying not to be discovered-until Blake's father spoke again, turning my blood to ice. "Alysia….. your daughter is quite beautiful, isn't she?" What?! What were they implying? Were they planning to offer me to that powerful Alpha?! My father hated me—he'd agree in a heartbeat. *** Accused of killing their mother by her sister, Alysia is despised by the whole pack. Running away immediately she turned 18 felt like the breakthrough she needed but things didn’t go as planned as she stumbled upon her formidable and powerful mate who despised her and dashed her new found hope as he rejected her on the spot. Alysia is in a dilemma as the past catches up with her, secrets of decades were exposed. With a deadly trap set by her sister, it’s up to Alysia to navigate her life through all the life-threatening dilemmas.

Only one woman’s foot will fit this size 11 1/2 glass slipper… AJ Jacobson: Billionaire CEO AJ wants nothing more than to just get away from his busy life. So when he goes to an employee’s wedding and meets a beautiful girl, he feels like he can lose himself to her. Despite an intense night of passion, he wakes up in an empty bed. The only clue he has to find his Cinderella? A glass slipper and two handwritten lines on a note, fished out of a dumpster and almost unreadable… Kat Ryder: When responsible Kat lets her hair down for one night, she meets a gorgeous stranger who really likes the new her. After an enchanting evening together, Kat gets an early morning call into work by a panicked boss. Knowing that she must see him again, she leaves a letter for the sleeping hunk and signs it, “Yours Truly, Kat,” not realizing that’s the only part of the note that will survive. However, there are other consequences to her night of fun, especially when she finally meets up with her one-night-stand… What if AJ is actually her company’s CEO?

At an investor banquet, my fiancé Tanner Clarkson’s secretary, Willow Thorne, recklessly throws a glass of wine at an investor and hurls insults without thinking. In retaliation, the investor demands that Willow make it up to him with her body, or he'll pull his funding. To ensure the company's successful IPO, Tanner hands me a glass of spiked wine. Then, he pushes me to the investor, expecting me to extinguish his flames of rage. His eyes are filled with feigned hesitation as he says, "Willow isn't like you. She just graduated—she's pure and innocent. Stop fighting it, Kathy. I'll make it up to you once the company goes public." When I regain consciousness, I stare at the man across from me, my voice hoarse. "About that deal you mentioned... I'll sign it."

He kissed me breathless, senseless—he had me wanting, shamelessly panting against the cool glass of the courtyard, open for anyone.“We can’t! Someone could see—!”“Let them," he husked against my neck. "I want them to see.”My name is Ayda Sabine, once the princess to the illustrious Emerald Lake pack, now a single mother living a life of destitution in Eventide City. My status has been stripped from me, banished by my parents for my digression of falling outside my betrothal agreement. To make matters worse, I don't remember who the father of my son is. All I can recall are his golden eyes. However, when the opportunity arises for me and my son to ascend the social ladder as the personal stylist to Narcissa Onasis of the Diamond Spring clan, I finally get the opportunity to find the man who could be my true mate. If Narcissa's fiance, Prince Sebastian of the Obsidian Moon doesn't stop me. Alpha's Secret Mate is created by Claire Wilkins, an eGlobal Creative Published author.

Two weeks before our wedding, Jonah Alston suddenly wants to postpone it. He says, "Sasha says she's having her first exhibition on that day. She'll be alone during the opening, and I'm worried she'll get stage fright. I have to help her. We're just going through the motions with the wedding, anyway. What does it matter whether it's a day earlier or later?" This isn't his first time postponing our wedding for Sasha Lester's sake, though. The first time he did it was because he claimed she missed having homecooked food after undergoing surgery. He'd flown abroad to care for her for two months. The second time was because he said she wanted to head into the mountains to get inspired. He'd gone with her out of concern for her safety. Now, this is the third time. I hang up and look at Austin Everett, my childhood sweetheart. He sits across from me, looking leisurely as he taps his emerald-embedded walking cane on the marble floor. I ask, "Do you need a wife?" On my wedding day, Sasha holds up her glass and waits for Jonah to clink it with his. However, his eyes are red as he watches a livestream—it's the wedding of the scion of Everett Group, the country's largest property development company.

I stepped closer. Close enough to smell his cologne—cedarwood, leather, and power. My hand moved. Smooth, practiced. The pistol slide from under the apron into my palm. I raised it fast. But before I could pull the trigger— BANG. Not my shot. A scream tore through the restaurant as another man launched himself toward Romano’s table, blade flashing. Another assassin. What the hell— Romano didn’t flinch. He shoved the table forward, knocking the attacker off balance. The blade scraped across wood, not skin. I ducked instinctively as the room erupted into chaos. Gunfire cracked. Glass exploded. People screamed and dove for cover. “Get him out—NOW!” one of the guards barked. I aimed for the second attacker. Didn’t even hesitate. One shot—head. Gone. The guard saw me. Confusion flashed in his eyes. Then rage. I ran. I weaved between overturned chairs, plates, and screaming bodies. The smell of blood was real now, thick in the air. One of the guards grabbed me. I slammed my elbow into his ribs, twisted, and brought the butt of my gun down on his skull. He dropped like a sack of bricks. Out. I had to get out. My boots pounded the floor as I tore through the narrow hallway. But then— “Elisa.” His voice stopped me cold. I turned. Antonio Romano stood in the middle of the carnage, suit untouched, blood spattered behind him like art. His eyes were on me. And he was smiling. It was darker. Slower. Like a hunter seeing something worth chasing. Somehow, he knew who I was. “Interesting,” he said softly, tilting his head. “They sent you.” I didn’t answer. I ran. But that voice followed me. He knew my name. And he let me go. This wasn’t over. It had just begun.