Local Fighter Shinden

**BOOK RE-EDIT ON ALL CHAPTERS** Welcome to Rockshore Bay, a charming coastal city nestled between rugged cliffs and the vast, untamed ocean. The salty tang of the sea hangs heavy in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from the local bakery. But beneath this idyllic facade lies a world veiled in shadows—a world where ancient powers stir and the supernatural thrives. Here, danger lurks behind every corner, hidden in the flicker of streetlights and the whispers of the waves. It is in this city, where the mundane and the extraordinary collide, that the fates of two fractured souls are set to intertwine. Beneath the serene surface lies a world protected by ancient powers, where caramel-skinned Hugo Griffin, a black-haired, sea-green-eyed werewolf, navigates the complexities of his dual life. Unlike traditional Alphas born into leadership, Hugo is a bitten werewolf who fought his way to become the formidable leader of the Ocean Crest Pack—the most powerful on the East Coast. But even as he commands respect, Hugo battles the darkness within himself, a shadow that threatens to consume him entirely. Inland, Sarai Carter—a feisty, raven-haired young woman with sapphire-blue eyes—is rediscovering her strength after escaping the clutches of a toxic relationship. Longing for love but haunted by the fear of a curse that condemns her to loneliness, Sarai faces a crossroads. As Hugo’s burdens grow heavier and Sarai tries to heal, their paths collide in a whirlwind of passion and pain. Both are fighting their inner demons, but when they come together, will they find redemption or ruin?

Isabella Dean was uprooted from her life north of Atlanta at the beginning of her senior year of high school after a tragic accident that killed her father. Her mother took her to live with her aunt, Linda, in Asheville, NC where she was welcomed immediately by the school bully. This encounter got Isabella immediately recognized by a group of girls who befriended her and took her in as one of their friends. As she adjusted to her new life, she continued to have to protect herself from the bully, Lucy Upshaw, and recover from a hidden brain injury sustained in the accident. While in the hospital, she died and returned changed and with gifts she had to learn to live with. She discovered along with her new friend, Amber Collins, that her house was haunted by a mysterious girl. She and Amber also rescued a group of girls from sex traffickers and helped the victims flee. She and her friends helped get them adopted by local families, but they also had to deal with the bigotry of some people who didn’t like that some of the girls were transgender and genetically modified by their assailants. Isabella, meanwhile, had to deal with her own problems with her mother and recover from her surgery while still being attacked by Lucy. This is just the beginning for these girls who learn how to fight ghosts and demons with the help of their Native American friend, Winona. They learn to use their talents to help others deal with things that go bump in night.

Grace Hammond lost the most important person in her life, her grandmother, Juliet. Left with little beyond a failing farm and not much clue how to run it, she's trapped-- either she gives up three generations of roots and leaves, or she finds some help and makes it work. When a mysterious letter from Juliet drops a much needed windfall in her lap, Grace knows she has one chance to save the only place she's ever called home and posts a want-ad.The knight that rides to her rescue is Robert Zhao, an Army veteran and struggling college student. A first generation Korean American, Rob is trying desperately to establish some roots, not just for himself, but for the parents he's trying to get through the immigration process, a secret he's keeping even from his best friends. Grace's posting for a local handyman, offering room and board in exchange for work he already loves doing, is exactly the situation he needs to put that process on track.Neither is prepared for the instant chemistry, the wild sweet desire that flares between them. But life in a small town isn't easy. At worst, strangers are regarded suspiciously, and at best, as profoundly flawed-- and the Hammond women have a habit of collecting obscure and ruthless enemies. Can their budding love take root in subtly hostile soil and weather the weeds seeking to choke them out?

From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes comes a sexy standalone novel about a billionaire and the indecent proposal he gives the local barista. Billionaire CEO Jackson Weathers needs a family for a PR boost, and I've signed a contract agreeing to give him one. A doting girlfriend in public. A wedding ceremony to invite all the socialites to. And finally, a baby for him to parade around, to show he's really a wholesome, down-to-Earth man. I've tried to remain cynical about it. He's going to make all my dreams come true. So what if it's supposed to be a loveless marriage? Only, his tenderness in private has me hooked. The way he kisses me drives me wild. When we make love, I lose myself to him. His body feels like it was meant to be on top of mine, like we fit together like two puzzle pieces. I can't help but begin to fall for him. I can't tell him, or I risk losing everything. And nobody else can find out about our little "arrangement" or it will destroy his reputation. Still, I feel like I have to know how he feels, before the marriage, before the baby, before I give my entire life over to him. Is it still just pretend?

"I believe we spoke on the phone today. I hope everything is in order?" As smooth in person as on the phone I turned and was met with the full force of his good looks. Just have me right now my inner wolf screamed. Dark rich hair, just long enough for a few curls to tease his forehead, coffee-coloured eyes, and olive skin. Several inches taller than me and was built like a Greek statue. Perfection. The crushing disappointment of his good looks hit me. He was definitely a shifter and therefore totally, immediately and forever off limits. Human’s just never look that good. Selene doesn't want a mate. She's ambitious, determined and independent. To end up shackled to a man who won't support her dreams like her sisters is her worst nightmare. The mate-bonds monthly heat, overwhelming lust-fuelled insanity terrifies her control-freak nature. Rocco doesn't want a mate either. Running a buzzing casino gives him ample opportunity to sleep with all the beautiful human women the city has to offer. Shifters are a hassle. Even beautiful, blonde haired wonders like Selene. Yet when their paths cross sparks fly. However the local Alpha loves taking proud women down a peg, his head Beta desires Selene and Rocco wants to kill them both. They are fighting against the very thing that may keep them alive as the cruelty of the pack's leadership turns against Selene. Her trick of hiding in a hotel and lying to her family every full moon can only last for so long...

Once known as Levy, a normal human being, her life was forever changed by an unexpected encounter with a dragon during a sudden attack by Jeffery, her cousin Alice’s vengeful ex-mate. This chance meeting with the dragon prompted a transformation not just of her name, but of her very existence. On the advice of the Dragon Shrine Priest, who received a divine message from the dragon goddess, Levy became Lavina, a name she carried even in the human realm, as a symbol of her new identity linked to the great healer dragon. As Lavina, she built a successful career as a film producer, juggling her human life with her new mystical reality. However, things took a bitter turn when she met her dragon mate, Keenan. Their relationship disintegrated due to Lavina’s inability to bear children, resulting in a heartbreaking severance of their mate bond with the help of a witch. Seeking solace, Lavina found herself drowning her sorrows in a local bar, and in a reckless moment, sought comfort in the arms of a stranger. Ironically, the stranger was Alpha Archer, a man she’d been consciously avoiding since he confessed his feelings for her before her involvement with Keenan. After a gap of five years, their unexpected reunion in the backdrop of an awkward night brought forth a new wave of complications, particularly as Archer was on the verge of marrying a She-wolf under a contractual agreement to make her his Luna. What does the future hold for Lavina and Archer? How will this chance encounter impact Archer’s impending marriage? The story of their intertwined destinies is yet to unfold.

Violetta lives with her mother and her step-father, lived was a loose term in her book. she had just turned 21 and her life had been nothing but hell and abuse. Her stepfather was a judge, but not a good one, most of his money came from bribes and money under the table. Her mother just live off his money. Where does Violetta fit in? Well, she is the child her mother never wanted, he father left her when she was a a toddler. Her mother said he was disgusted she was a girl and not a boy and couldn't stand to be around them anymore. Violetta works at the local café, trying to save money so she can move out of the hell hole she calls home, but her step father expects her to pay her way by handing over most of her earning so its taking longer than she would like. Dimitri is the eldest son of the head of the Russian Mafia. He grew up with the children of his fathers right hand man Josiah. They were close and were heartbroken when the Mafia's Princess went missing when she was four. She had been promised to him when they were younger before her mother ran away taking the Princess with her. now, at the age of twenty eight, he is determined to find out what happened to her and bring her home to her four brothers where she belongs. What he doesn't bargain for is the fact he will be going up against the Italian Mafia

After seven years of marriage, my wife had rarely asked me to accompany her back to her parents' home. She always said she didn't want me stepping into that cramped, crowded little house and feeling wronged. This year, during the New Year, I happened to be in the city where my in-laws lived for a business trip. By chance, I came across a local video online. It was posted by a resident of an upscale neighborhood. "Mom, Dad, my beloved wife and son—thank you for giving an orphan like me a complete and happy life." The elderly couple in the video were dressed in the same high-end outfits I had bought for my in-laws. I thought of how frugal they had always been, how they lived simply and spared every penny. A decision formed in my mind: tomorrow, I would buy them a place in that very neighborhood, in their name, so they could enjoy a comfortable retirement. It would be my small act of filial piety. But the next day, the moment I stepped into the residential complex, I saw my in-laws coming downstairs—with my wife and a child. Could it be that my wife had secretly bought them an apartment? I pressed my lips together, about to step forward, when a man rushed over and caught my father-in-law just as he nearly stumbled. "Dad, careful now." My footsteps froze. My wife was an only child. I had never heard of any foster relatives. He called my father-in-law "Dad." Then… who was I?

The supernatural creatures of the world have long been governed by The Council, made of representatives of each faction: werewolves, vampires, witches, and fae. The Council’s main goals were to keep the existence of magic from humans and keep any one group from becoming too powerful. Legends of a creature, a hybrid capable of being more than one supernatural creature, have existed as long as the beings themselves. A hybrid would be able to topple The Council, and whichever faction they were loyal to would rule with ease. As such, the purposeful creation of such a creature was forbidden. In 2012, ancient vampire Elias Elhassan found Claire Luna. After years of living in and out of the oncology ward, the 26-year-old was ready for death. Until he approached her and offered her a way to live without the constant pain she had become so accustomed to. 24-year-old Colin Lucin, the youngest, bastard son of the Alpha of the Half-Moon pack, did not want much from life. After a childhood filled with loss and pain, he was more than satisfied to be the pack’s nurse and stay out of the way of his father and eldest brothers. But in order to maintain a long-held pact with a local coven, once every generation, a witch is destined to mate with a wolf of the Alpha line. Thrown into a political battle that neither knows anything about, Claire and Colin are forced to navigate a centuries-old web of lies, torture, and manipulation. Though they are fated to be together, can they trust each other’s words? Can they even survive long enough to find out? Trigger warnings: Depictions of: violence, blood, language, sexual content (to what degree is yet to be decided) Implied: abuse, sexual content

"Baby girl, we need to tell you something." There was a dead silence as my ears itched to hear about it. "Firstly, I want you to know that your dad and I love you and no matter what happens, we love you very much. And remember, that you are the best thing to happen to us and that you are not a mistake, no matter what happens." I don’t know why they are telling me this but I don’t like the sound of this at all. It sounded to me like something foreboding was going to happen. Mom continued. "There is a group called the Revenants. They are the oldest living werewolves in history, descended directly from Cain." "You mean Cain in the bible?" I have always thought that the bible character was a myth. "That exact one." She nodded. "What do they want with me?" In the small, mist-shrouded town of Silverwoods, High school junior, Luna Samuels leads a seemingly normal life. Raised in a loving, but sheltered family, Luna has always felt like there’s something more to the town than meets the eye. Strange happenings, inexplicable coincidences, and a growing sense of unease have made her question her place in this mysterious world. Silverwoods is a haven for the supernatural, a secret Luna is unaware of until she encounters the mysterious new student, Ethan Blackwell. Ethan is captivating, with his brooding demeanor and otherworldly charm, but he harbors a wild secret:he is a werewolf, heir to the alpha position in the local pack. As their paths cross in the hallways of Silverwoods High, an undeniable attraction sparks between them and secrets are discovered. Will their love stand the tests of time or will they get separated by external forces?