Mark Twain Library Long Beach

“Aku memang mau menikah muda, tapi bukan dengan duda. Apalagi duduanya yang meresahkan kayak papa kamu. Amit-amit!” Mungkin sebagian orang pernah bermimpi untuk menikah muda. Namun, bila menikahnya dengan duda yang sudah memiliki anak seusia dengannya, apa yang harus dilakukan Alvina? Alvina tidak pernah menyangka jika ayahnya Prisa—sang sahabat, akan mengajaknya menikah. Menurutnya tidak masuk akal seorang pria matang dan mapan jatuh cinta kepada gadis seusia dengan anaknya. Lalu, apa motif Om Pandu mengajaknya menikah? Apa mungkin Alvina bisa menjadi ibu sambung untuk sahabatnya sendiri?

Ang ampon ng aking ama ay ikinulong lamang sa masikip na storage closet nang halos labinlimang minuto, ngunit tinalian niya ako at itinapon sa loob bilang parusa. Tinakpan pa niya ang ventilation gamit ang mga tuwalya. "Bilang nakatatandang kapatid ni Wendy, kung hindi mo siya kayang alagaan, marapat lamang na maranasan mo rin ang takot na naramdaman niya,” seryoso niyang sabi. Alam niyang may claustrophobia ako, ngunit ang aking mga desperadong pakiusap, ang aking matinding takot, ay sinagot lang ng malupit na sermon. "Magsilbi sana itong aral sayo para maging mabuting kapatid." Nang tuluyang lamunin ng kadiliman ang huling hibla ng liwanag, nakakaawa akong nagpumiglas. Isang linggo ang lumipas bago muling naalala ng aking ama na may anak pa siyang nakakulong at nagpasya siyang tapusin na ang aking parusa. "Sana'y naging magandang aral sa iyo ang isang linggong ito, Jennifer. Kung mangyayari pa ito muli, hindi ka na pwedeng manatili sa bahay na ito." Ngunit kailanman ay hindi niya malalaman na matagal ko nang nalanghap ang aking huling hininga sa nakakasulasok na silid na iyon. Sa kadiliman, unti-unti nang nabubulok ang aking katawan.

Isang kasambahay na walang pake sa pag-ibig. Isang bilyonaryong sanay sa kontrol. At isang gabing ‘di nila inaasahan... na hahantong sa kasalan?! Si Roxane Hermenez ay simpleng babae: trabaho, uwi, tulog, ulit. Ang pangarap niya? Makaipon, makaalis sa pagiging katulong, at mabigyan ng maayos na buhay ang pamilya. Walang oras sa landi-landi lalo na’t ang amo niya ay si Dark Nathaniel Villamonte — mayaman, suplado, at ubod ng arte. Pero isang gabi, dahil sa kakaibang pagkakataon, isang basong alak, at isang sira ang elevator… may nangyari. At noong malaman ni Dark Nathaniel na may “posibleng bunga” ang gabing iyon, hindi siya nagtago— Siya pa ang nagpumilit magpakasal! “Hindi puwedeng wala akong responsibilidad. Puwede na ang kasal sa Huwes!” Ngayon, si Roxane ang natataranta. Sino ba’ng babae ang pinipikot ng sariling amo?! Pero teka… kung responsibilidad lang ang dahilan, bakit parang nagiging possessive, sweet, at seloso si Dark? May pag-ibig na ba talagang nabubuo? O baka naman… trip lang talaga siya ng bilyonaryo? Saan hahantong ang damdamin ni Roxane sa kanyang gwapong apo kung patuloy siyang susuyin nito kahit alam niyang may mga kontra barata sa ginagawang iyon ni Dark Nathaniel?!!!!

"Father, I accept the marriage alliance with the Blackwood Pack." Silence stretched on his end of the link before he finally replied, "Caterina, are you certain?" "I am." I didn't tell him the real reason. Last night, a heart-shattering agony ripped through our Mate Bond, through that damned bond, I saw everything— My mate, Alpha Rocco, was in the cabin on his private hunting grounds, pinning his childhood sweetheart, Scarlett, against the wall and kissing her with a desperate frenzy. I confronted Scarlett directly at the pack meeting, a flicker of triumph flashed in her eyes before she feigned innocence. "Caterina, I have no idea what you're talking about." Just then, Rocco's voice boomed through the open mind-link, echoing in the minds of everyone present. "Caterina, as the Luna of the pack, you shouldn’t cause a scene like this. Scarlett is just a friend. " In that moment, my heart died completely. He was my Alpha, my husband—the man I had spent years helping rise to power. I severed my mind-link with Rocco. The pain of the forced disconnection was so intense I could barely stand, but I straightened my spine and sent my reply. "I'll be home in two weeks." Go home and marry the most powerful Alpha in North America. They say he is cold and ruthless, unmoved by any she-wolf. Perfect. I don't need love. I just need an Alpha strong enough to help me secure the Silver Moon Pack. And as for Rocco? The Moon Goddess gave us a destiny, and he shattered it with his own hands. Now, I will seize my own.

Today is the day when my boyfriend Caleb agreed to mark me. I even took off my skirt, but he received a phone call before he could complete it. He instantly left me alone on the bed, making me feel extremely embarrassed. I tried everything to contact him, but I couldn't reach him. Then, when I finally called his childhood sweetheart, Susan, to my surprise, Caleb answered the phone. "Susan was scared by a nightmare. I have to stay with her to take care of her. Let's mark another day. And please can we talk later. Susan finally fell asleep again. I don't wanna disturb her rest.” "But this is the seventh time you have postponed marking," I said softly. "Marking can be done at any time, but Susan needs me! Don't you have any humanity, Maria?" He hung up, and I burst into tears. My inner wolf asked me, Caleb is gone, do you still need to mark today? I wiped away my tears and said, "Of course, I will do it.” And I immediately contacted the alpha of the neighboring tribe.

After being betrayed and publicly humiliated by her Alpha fiancé, Alara is cast out of the only home she has ever known. Stripped of her title, her future, and her place within the pack, she flees into the wilderness—broken, banished, and utterly alone. But Alara carries a secret even she doesn’t yet know: she is pregnant with the child of the mysterious stranger who rescued her on the night her world collapsed. That stranger is Xavier—the ruthless, feared, and all-powerful Lycan King—whose life has been consumed by a single, maddening obsession: finding his fated mate. For years he has scoured realms, torn through territories, and chased whispers of her scent, driven by an instinct he can no longer ignore. What he doesn’t know is that the woman he’s been desperately searching for is the very one fate has already placed in his arms… and bound to him far more deeply than either can imagine.

Harlyn thought her life would finally change for the better after a night with the alpha king who marked her, claiming her to be his. If only she knew what awaited her. She was supposed to be a quick lay, to satisfy his urge but it felt so good to be with her that he lost his senses for a moment and sank his fangs into her neck, marking her and accidentally claiming her as his. But he couldn’t keep her, she was of no use to him socially, she was a lonely orphan who wasn’t able to fully transform after she turned eighteen and therefore had no place in his elite life. He was the alpha king and he could only pick a mate that matched his status. There was only one thing to do. Reject her. That didn’t play out like he had imagined. And just like that, a whole new journey begins for the both of them.

He Rejected Marking Ceremony, I Upgraded Mate The very first thing I decided to do after being reborn was to reject the marking ceremony with my Alpha mate Ethan. In my previous life, when Ethan tried to postpone our ceremony for the thirty-second time, I threatened him with the sacred laws of the Moon Goddess. Ethan eventually caved. To pacify my rage, he promised that nothing would interrupt us again. But that was the night his Omega mistress Ivy died. From that moment on, Ethan hated me with every fiber of his being. When I told him I was pregnant, he drowned me in the freezing North Sea. "You and that abomination in your belly deserve to die for her," he spat as he held my head under the water. I died in despair. But when I opened my eyes, I was back at the altar. Ethan looked impatient. "Selena, Ivy says her chest hurts.. We need to postpone the mark again." He expected me to beg. Instead, I unclasped the ceremonial collar and threw it in his face. "Go to her. I quit." Ethan sneered, "Stop acting. Without my scent, you’ll be back crawling on your knees in a week." He didn't know that an hour later, I was knocking on the door of his mortal enemy—Damon, the Tyrant of the North. When I posted a photo of the Winterborn Alpha’s ring on my finger with the caption "Upgrade my mate," Ethan went mad…

Zaria Blackwood’s life was already shattered—her father ruined, her future stolen, and her heart scarred by betrayal. But nothing could have prepared her for the moment she stepped into Vane Estate… and into the orbit of Lucien Wolfe, the enigmatic, dangerous man who had destroyed her family. Marked by him in a moment of uncontrollable instinct, Zaria discovers a bond that’s more than physical—it’s psychic, primal, and terrifyingly powerful. Her senses sharpen, her strength surges, and a force she can’t control pulses through her veins. As shadows of the past awaken and a mysterious council watches from the darkness, Zaria must navigate a world of ancient curses, supernatural secrets, and deadly rivals—all while wrestling with the magnetic, forbidden pull of the man who both terrifies and fascinates her. In a house full of secrets, a forest alive with danger, and a bond that won’t let go, Zaria will learn that love and survival come at a price… and that some marks cannot be undone. 💀 Danger. Desire. Destiny. Will Zaria survive the shadows—and the man who claims her soul?

Marked by Monsters Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance, Reverse Harem, Academy, Monster Mates I thought I was human. Normal. Boring. Cursed with a gluten allergy and a sarcastic streak. But on my eighteenth birthday, lightning slammed into my chest like a cosmic bitch slap, and I woke up with no memory… and a very illegal ability to shift into a silver and black wolf. That’s when the enforcers came. They called me a threat. A ticking magical bomb. And they threw me into Gravemire Academy, a creepy, ancient school built for supernatural disasters like me. Now I’m the new girl in a school where detention can literally kill you, and every hallway smells like blood, sex, and secrets. Worse? I’m being claimed by four dangerously hot, infuriatingly possessive monster boys who swear I’m their fated mate: 🐺 A broken alpha with murder in his eyes. 🐉 A dragon prince with a sharp tongue and sharper claws. 🧛‍♂️ A vampire who looks at me like I’m his last meal. 😈 And a dream demon who touches me like he already owns my soul. Each kiss makes my magic spiral. Each touch unravels a curse tied to my bloodline. If I kiss the wrong one first… I might doom them all. Oh, and there’s something ancient inside me. Something powerful. Something waking up. I don’t know who I was before Gravemire, but one thing’s clear: I’m not just their mate. I’m the weapon that was never supposed to exist. And I’m done being controlled.