Midsummer By Manuel Arguilla Summary

I gasp, surprised and he leans towards me. I catch the scent of his cologne and the faint scent of the cigarette smoke, lingering around him. But underneath it, there’s the scent of earth and rain. I see his muscles flexing under the thin linen of the shirt. I also notice the outlines of a scar, running down his forearm. I imagine his hands on me, his lips on mine. What is happening… Why am I thinking this? “Oh, don’t worry, Lily. “ his smile is canine, the words that come out of his mouth are a snarl, “I won’t touch you. I don’t want to. “ When her mother got sick, Lily had no choice but to marry a man she never met. At that time she didn’t know Arthur Stark was not only beautiful but as cruel as the rumours said. Her husband is a cold billionaire involved with the mafia. He never touches anyone. Not even his own mate.

When the brutal Alpha of the Wide River pack turns up in the middle of the night demanding the assistance of a midwife, Nell's heartless mother forces her to go with him to help the Luna. The pack's heir is sickly and Alpha Liam forbids her to leave, even though she is worried about her seriously ill father. A battle of wits commences in which there can be only one winner. Threatened with slavery, bullied and privy to secrets she would rather not have known about, Nell makes a discovery of her own which turns her world upside down. The growing attraction between them only complicates matters. But will the Alpha stand by her at last, or will he reject her?

All she did was fall helplessly in love with him, but he accused her of being a traitor instead. Aurora never believed in werewolves, but she was, however, imprisoned in Alpha Brynn's mansion and eventually caught in the crossfire of love, betrayal, and blood. Theodore, the alpha’s son, has loved another woman since his teen years and considers her his fated mate, but fate leads him to Aurora instead. As feelings begin to spark, a looming danger arises. A deadly betrayal and a near-death attack force Theodore to turn Aurora into a werewolf to save her life. But before their love can deepen, his father is killed, and all evidence points to her. Now hunted and unmarked by the man she loves and his vengeful, jealous ex, Aurora must survive in a world where not every smile is genuine. Will love be her salvation or her downfall?

Maya's life was already a mess. She had a crush on a guy who was in love with her best friend, a cat who ignored her, and a heart full of feelings no one asked for. So naturally, when a mysterious man in a weird alley offered her a spell to "ease the pain," she said yes. Oops. Now there's magic in her blood, monsters at her door, and four insanely hot strangers calling her their "fated mate." She's dragged to Blood Valley Academy, a floating school in another realm where magical creatures all learn to control their powers. But Maya? She doesn’t even know what she is, until she opens a portal, and accidentally fulfills the beginning of an ancient prophecy. Even worse? To survive, she has to bond (romantically, of course) with four powerful guys: An alpha who kisses like he hates her, a dream-demon who can't keep his hands to himself, a dragon shifter who keeps running away, and a vampire who knows what she is before she does. If Maya doesn't figure out which one of her so-called soulmates is a traitor... she might die a second, and final, death.

Tessa is the picture perfect student with good grades, flawless attendance and a charming smile. With one year left to graduate high school and a bucket list imposed by her best friend, her goal is pretty much the same with an extra addition—tick off every item on the cursed bucket list. But trouble comes knocking in the form of blue eyes, muscled body and an ego the size of her head. What happens when the school's badboy, Benjamin notices her in a boxing ring?

WARNING : ADULT CONTENT STARTS IN CHAPTER 17 Jaxon pinned my wrists above my head, his body pressed flush against mine. His lips grazed my ear, hot, teasing. “Say you don’t feel it,” he whispered. A sound escaped me - half moan, half plea - before I shoved him back, trembling. I’d only just won my freedom. So why did every nerve in my body scream to surrender? I broke my bond. I thought I was free. But sweet freedom ended the second four wolves found me. Calder. Maddox. Jaxon. Rafe. My wolf howls for them. My body betrays me. And I don’t know how long I can resist.

"You should be scared," I whispered, brushing my fingertips along her spine, slow and teasing, then down over the swell of her ass. My palm lingered, gripping one cheek possessively. "Because you've just given yourself to the devil." I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear. “And the devil? He doesn’t believe in mercy." .... I should have known better than to sign his contract. My new husband was never meant to be real. He was supposed to be a name on paper, a shield against the vultures circling my late husband's empire. An arrangement with an expiration date. But Killian Cross doesn't let go. He's ruthless, obsessive, and dangerously possessive. The kind of man who doesn't just own his empire. He owns everything in his grasp. And now, that includes me. I thought I could play his game and walk away unscathed. I was wrong. Because my contract husband has made one thing clear. I belong to him now. But what happens when the shadows surrounding him become my prison? What if love isn’t enough for the hell awaiting us? Will I be able to save him when he needs me? Or will we both drown in the raging tempest?

“You were born mine, little omega. No curse, no fear, no fate will keep me from you.” Astria has one rule: stay invisible. As a rejected omega in a pack that never wanted her, all she dreams of is survival not love, not power, and definitely not a mate. But the Red Moon changes everything. When Astria joins the ceremonial run, her wolf awakens for the first time… and so does her fate. Because the Alpha King finds her. Zeyric is feared across 33 packs. Ruthless. Cursed. Unmated. Until her. She runs. He chases. And when he catches her…? The real danger begins. One is marked by destiny. The other is bound by blood. Together, they’ll either break the curse or burn the world down.

She ran from an arranged marriage... and into the arms of a stranger. Now she's pregnant with his child and he's back to claim them both." When Mira Alvarez defies her powerful family's expectations, one reckless night changes her life forever. Pregnant and alone, she's ready to face the world as a single mother until Luca De Silva, the cold billionaire with secrets darker than his past, offers her a contract she can’t refuse. But can a relationship built on lies and protection turn into something real… or will the truth about Luca destroy everything?

Lena gets exchanged for her father's debts to a mafia don and is married without her consent. Dante Luciano—Italy’s youngest, most ruthless mafia Don—her husband. Is looking for a wife. He has his reasons, he has his plans for Lena.