Long Shadows David Baldacci

Selene was born an Omega, the lowest-ranking member of the Bloodmoon Pack—powerless, unwanted, a stain on their dominance-driven hierarchy. For years, she endured humiliation, pain, and suffering, tossed aside by the Alphas and Betas who saw her as nothing more than a weakling unfit for their world. They stripped her of dignity, stole every ounce of hope, and left her with nothing but scars and silence. Until one night, something changed. Until the darkness within her awoke. And when Selene escaped, she didn't just survive. She became something greater than them all.

Lena never expected her life to change overnight. One minute, she was just another invisible girl scraping by—dodging bills, counting coins, and pretending the weight of survival didn’t choke her daily. Then came Kai Ashford. A billionaire with a cold smile and eyes that saw through everything. He plucked her from the shadows and wrapped her in silk, marble, and secrets. Designer clothes replaced thrifted rags. Penthouse nights took over sleepless street corners. Everything she ever dreamed of was handed to her no questions asked. But nothing in Kai’s world is ever free. As Lena is pulled deeper into his luxurious web, she begins to realize she isn’t just living in his world she’s owned by it. Every choice, every glance, every step has been calculated. Her comfort is his control. And the deeper she falls, the harder it becomes to untangle what’s love… and what’s manipulation. Because Kai didn’t save her. He claimed her. And her entire existence may be the price she never agreed to pay.

An ambitious human journalist, investigating a series of gruesome murders linked to a powerful but secretive family, finds herself drawn into the orbit of their ruthless and dominant alpha. He offers her protection and exclusive access, but his help comes at a price: she must submit to his control, all while trying to uncover the truth about his pack's dark secrets and the brutal murder of her own sister.

"It's just...I don't think this is working out,” he gestured at the empty space between us. My mind reeled. "What do you mean? We're fine, aren't we?" I asked, holding onto hope. "Honestly, Kalynda, I deserve better." "What's wrong with me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Jake's gaze dropped to my body, and he didn’t even try to hide his disgust. "It's just...your weight, Kae. It's...unattractive." Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "You're ashamed of me," I stated, my voice cracking. Jake shrugged. "I'm just being honest, Kae. You need to lose weight if you want to keep a guy like me.” "You're breaking up with me because of my weight?" I asked, incredulous. Jake nodded. Kalynda hits rock bottom when her boyfriend breaks up with her and she realized he’d been using her all along. The bullying and ridicule from her peers, including her step sister, increased, and Kae wants to end it all. But the brooding Max steps in and stops her. She sees life in a new light and works in herself. What happens when she returns as a completely different person?

Lies protect us in some ways; truth break us. Leandra Celiñana Vaglencio, when infidelity shattered her dreams to be married and have a family of her own, she wanted to prove she can survive without her cheating boyfriend, Alecasper. But in her quest to prove something, she uncovers buried past within her false predicament. Existing lies exposed. The shadows unveiled the mist and truths were casted – that her knot was tied long before she met her boyfriend Alecasper. The husband she longed for was in her side all along, waiting for her to claim the memories in the shadow. And in the midst of these circumstances in finding the truth behind her past, another memories was casted away to protect another truth. Hanggang saan matatapos ang taguan ng katotohanan? Hanggang kailan kaya siya maghihintay upang tuluyang makamit ang kaligayahan?

In a world which is filled with evil, where the powerful rules the city,where power and danger mean the same thing, a beautiful young woman called Alexandra finds herself in love with a man who seemed like the man of her dreams. With him,she feels like a woman and for a second,she thought that he was all a dream which she wishes never to wake up from. Luca, the mysterious man who captured her frail heart,hides a very deep secret from her as he fears that revealing it to her would make her distance herself from him. He is the feared leader of a very powerful mafia group. Never having time for love, he finds himself confused as he falls for Alexandra. He refuses to let her go even though he knew that she would be safe away from him. As the love between them blooms, Luca finds it difficult to protect Alexandra as her colorful life contrasts with the dark, corrupt world in which he belonged. Can their love stand strong against the weight of his secret and the danger that comes with them?

Anaïs Iluak has always dreamed of becoming a supermodel, but her father’s terminal illness and her impoverished upbringing leave her with no choice but to set those aspirations aside. Out of desperation, she accepts an extraordinarily lucrative surrogacy contract from an anonymous client. What Anaïs doesn’t know is that her client, Cael Moriane, is the enigmatic heir to the nation’s most powerful entertainment empire. As their worlds intertwine, a shocking truth about Anaïs’s true ancestry comes to light: she was born alongside Lilith Amaruq, the spoiled daughter of the wealthy family she was meant to belong to. As love, jealousy, betrayal, and ambition collide, Anaïs must navigate the schemes of a jealous rival and uncover the secrets of her past while finding her rightful place in this new reality.

In a world of covens and vampires, plus-size witch Evelyn is trapped in a loveless engagement with unfaithful Calous for political reasons. Her only comfort is her best friend Jules. Everything changes when she meets Damien, a vampire tasked with connecting their worlds. Despite the historical hatred between their kinds, Evelyn and Damien fall into a forbidden romance. Evelyn faces the threat of a blood contract binding her to Calous, which could have dire consequences if broken. Amid political turmoil, Damien offers her a glimpse of love and freedom. Together, they seek to nullify the contract and forge a new path. As alliances waver and betrayal looms, Evelyn and Damien must decide if their love is worth the risk. Their journey of self-discovery and empowerment challenges the fabric of their societies as they race against time to secure their future. "The Forbidden Shadows of Love" is a tale of forbidden romance and the power of love in a world that seeks to keep them apart.

She thinks he’s a monster. He thinks she’s fate. And she ran. But what if the real danger was yet to be unleashed? Trigger Warning: This book contains morally gray werewolves, aggressive mate bonds, and a love interest who doesn’t understand the concept of personal space. Forced intimacy? Physical, magical, boy on girl, girl on girl... Dubious consent? Why stop at the MMC? If you like your romance with a side of "this is probably a red flag," proceed with caution (and maybe a glass of wine). A fantasy adventure steeped in dark romance, where a haunted warrior may be the submissive heroine’s greatest protector—or her ruin. She ran from him once, but fate, magic, and desire dragged her back. He destroyed her life, and now, with the future of the world at stake, he can’t trust himself not to destroy her again. CHAPTER PREVIEW: Lyra swallowed hard, her throat dry, but the words escaped her lips before she could stop them. “I’m a reject,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “The man who was supposed to be my mate chose my sister instead.” His palms slammed the wall beside her head as his roar blew the hair out of her face. Lyra flinched, recoiling. His growl deepened, reverberating through the small space. “Whoever rejected you is irrelevant,” he snarled, his voice dripping with finality. “You. Belong. To me.”

When I was five months pregnant, I was kidnapped by a group of thugs. They used my phone to call my brother, Jeremy Wirkola, and my husband, Grant Sanders, to demand a ransom of ten million, but no one answered. I was tortured and assaulted until I was barely alive. When I was finally rescued, Jeremy cried and promised to avenge me. Grant was in tears too. He vowed to get me treated. However, while under the haze of anesthesia, I overheard Grant's cold voice outside the door. “Jessie is waiting for a bone marrow, but don’t forget to remove Ashlyn’s uterus. Just tell her the injuries were too severe to save it. Oh, and get the best surgeon for her. She’s afraid of pain.” His assistant hesitated. He was clearly uncomfortable. “Mr. Sanders, isn’t this going too far?” Grant paused for a second before he replied firmly. “She refused to donate her bone marrow to Jessie and even used the baby as an excuse. She’s selfish. Besides, if we don’t do this, how can I bring back Jessie and our child into the family? As for Ashlyn, she’s my wife. I’ll make it up to her for the rest of my life. She used to bully Jessie with her status, which resulted in Jessie suffering from depression and almost killing herself. It’s time she paid the price for it.” As I listened to his heartless words, something inside me shattered completely. Since they had chosen to sacrifice me for Jessie, let them have what they wanted then.