Midsummer By Manuel Arguilla Summary

Luca Castillo is a name that strikes fear across every pack. Ruthless, powerful, and cold-blooded, he rules with an iron fist, never hesitating to eliminate threats. Mates are a weakness, and love is a luxury he can’t afford. His only loyalty is to his pack—until the night he hunts down a rogue and everything changes. Raven was never meant to exist. Marked by a forbidden prophecy and hunted since birth, she’s spent her life running, hiding the dangerous secret buried in her blood. When she crosses into Luca’s territory, she knows she won’t leave alive. But she doesn’t expect him to hesitate. She doesn’t expect him to claim her. The bond between them is instant, raw, and impossible to ignore. But Luca refuses to be ruled by fate, and Raven refuses to be owned. As enemies rise and secrets unravel, they’ll be forced to choose -betray their hearts, or destroy everything they’ve ever known. Because some bonds aren’t just made by the moon. Some are forged in blood, fire, and destiny.

In one night, her life was ruined and never remained the same as she gets disowned by her father, tried to take her own life, but survived and eventually ended up in the hands of human traffickers. Onehhhh fateful night, she got drugged by her so called friends and loses her virginity to a complete stranger. The next morning, she accused for murder but couldn't remember anything that must have transpired last night. It was also said that, she had supposedly had sex with the deceased. There are lot of secrets to uncover. Secrets pertaining; who the real murder was, the person that took her virginity and the father of her unborn child as she discovers she was pregnant a few weeks later.

"Sex slave? Is that what you thought?" "What else would you have dragged me here for?" I said, my voice trembling. He took a deep breath and looked me over, from head to toe, with an assessing expression that made me shrink back. "Don’t flatter yourself, female. You don’t meet the requirements to be one of my sex slaves." "Oh yeah? And what would those be?" He gave me that same smug, evaluating look again, but this time I puffed out my chest—and he seemed to notice, even if just for a second. "The first is being attractive." "What? Did you just call me ugly?" "Does it matter?" "Of course it matters! First of all, you're wrong! I’m not ugly, and I do meet all the requirements to be a sex slave!" — By the goddess, what was I saying? Marius looked at me, visibly confused, until he asked: "Why does it sound like you’re applying for the position?" Jane is an orphaned, rejected she-wolf who dreams of receiving her wolf and leaving the orphanage behind. One night, when she goes to a party with her friend, she finds herself in danger after realizing there is no party only three wolves with the worst intentions. Everything changes when the feared and cruel Marius, a wolf accused of massacring his own pack in the past, saves her. Or rather kidnaps her. Marius makes it clear: Jane will be his prisoner for one year, until she receives her wolf and can give him what he wants. But how can Jane trust a killer? And what is she supposed to do with the wild attraction they both feel, trapped together in an isolated cabin?

"You'll be with me for three years! Section 1, don't fall in love with me!" --- Sophia Jones started off as a waitress at the Smith Hotel Chain, she was an orphan going through a financial crisis and struggling to pay the fees of her dying brother. One day, she gets pulled into the boss's room and wakes up on his bed the next morning. Justin Smith, aloof and cold CEO with a tragic past that makes him grow strong hatred towards females and hate any sort of touch ties Sophia with a marriage contract. Left with no choice, Sophia signs herself off and goes with the twists and turns that life with Justin would bring. They fall in love unknowingly but what about the contract? And the many odds against them? Will they triumph? Or fail?

Elara’s life has never been easy. After the deaths of her father and stepmother, she’s treated as a servant by her cruel stepbrother, Darius. She dreams of escaping and claiming her rightful inheritance. But her plans are shattered when Darius sells her off to settle his debts—her buyer? The feared Alpha, Lucian Blackwood, leader of the ruthless Silverfang pack.

"Do you love him?", He asked I again tried to speak but he cut me off. "YES or NO". I nodded in YES. I love him in a brotherly way. "I thought that you were different, but I forgot about your background. I had purchased you from the red-light area. Soon or later, whore like you would have surely shown their true color, isn't it?" He drily laughed. And then, held my arm harshly and started dragging me, god knows where? He didn't even care that I was in pain. I keep staring at his face. I can't believe the day which I always wanted to come i.e. when I will actually be free from this cage, will come. But I was not feeling about him. It made me feel that I had started loving this cage...He pushed me away, and two arms collected me before I could have fallen down. I know that it belongs to my brother. Struck by physical pain and mental shock, I could bear it no longer and fainted in his arms. I finally understood that the most intolerable thing in a relationship was cheating. Without trust, our relationship was so vulnerable!

Еmily Whites, a twenty-fоur-year-оld florist living a quiet life in Venezuela, aссidentally sеnds a dinner invitаtion tо thе wrong number. Instead of hеr bеst friend, thе reciрient is Zaсk Тorres, a feared mafia leader ruling ovеr Americа. Whеn Zaсk shows up аt hеr doorstеp, Еmily’s wоrld is turnеd upside down. Knоwn for his ruthless nаture, Zaсk is surprisеd tо find himsеlf drawn tо Еmily's kindnеss аnd innoсenсe. As thеir livеs intertwine, Zaсk’s cold exteriоr bеgins tо crack, reveаling a man who wоuld burn thе wоrld down tо proteсt Еmily. Yet, Еmily is tоrn—can shе trust this dangerous man who claims tо lovе hеr, or is hеr hеart simply аfrаid of thе рower hе hоlds? With Marсellus, Zaсk’s vengeful rival, targeting Еmily tо destroy Zaсk, thеir lovе is put tо thе ultimаte tеst. Will thеir cоnnectiоn survive thе stоrm thаt threаtens tо teаr thеm аpаrt, or will Еmily’s fear ovеrshadow thе lovе Zaсk is desperаte tо show hеr?

For as long as Isabel can remember, she’s been a rogue. Her parents are deceased; she has no pack, no mate, and no one at all except for her older brother Ben.But, during a routine errand gone wrong, Isabel stumbles onto a pack’s territory and comes face to face with a fierce—and devastatingly attractive—shifter the likes of which she’s never seen or felt. Isabel is certain this is her mate. Isabel embarks on the kind of life she’s only dreamed of. After overcoming the betrayal and lies of her past, Isabel finally feels like she belongs. She’s engaged to be married to the love of her life, James, closer than ever to her brother, Ben, and has become a respected member of the pack. Until the unthinkable happens. In an instant, Isabel loses everything. Now, she’s driven by two forces: her need for revenge and her love for her daughterWhen Isabel is kidnapped by the arrogant and handsome demon king, she proves to be a rebellious prisoner. But, even as she is determined to see him only as a villain, she can't help but feel her heart soften against the powerful demon king. Despite her suffering, Isabel adapts to life in the demon caste. Despite herself, she shares moments of affection with the demon king. With insights from the castle staff, she discovers the hidden history of the Righ. Isabel can’t help but wonder what else the elves, her supposed protectors and friends, might be hiding from her. In a moment, her world turns upside down. Will Balin, once her love, become her enemy?With the demon king fatally injured, it is up to Isabel to save him—a feat she can only accomplish by accepting their true mate bond that eclipses millenniums. However, as she learns to love her true mate, she notices danger on the horizon, and those that want to destroy their bond will stop at nothing to do so. The fate of the demon king—and the universe—rests in Isabel’s hands. Now, she must embark on a quest to uncover her true destiny.

When Olivia Charleston was released from Bedford Women’s Correction, she was a billion dollars richer in cold cash and assets. She went home, only to receive a cold reception from the family she had sacrificed a lot for. She took the fall for her brother’s crimes, and now they want her out of their lives. Though hurt, she chose to embrace her new life in secret. Brandon Pembroke was by her side. He had plans for her, but as he got to know her---his phony concern and affection became a reality. Her complicated heart and family life revolved around money, love, and lies.

"In the world of shadows, loyalty is bought, love is a weapon, and once the mafia claims you, you're ruined—body, soul, and everything you once believed in." Enzo Mezzesalma was cold, aggressive, ruthless, and grim. He had no weakness until he met her and once he got a taste of her, she became his new addiction, now he couldn't let go and she became his only weakness and now, they all wanted her just so they could ruin that perfect facade he had built over the years but only if they knew he was worst than the monster they had never heard of, he was just too good at hiding it. There had to be a reason for Rule Number 3, right? *~* It was summer and Anastasia thought the rest of her days would be sunny but she was dead as she stepped into her home for the first in two years after moving to the university campus to be exchanged for her parent's debts and just like that, Anastasia was thrown into the Mafia world, working as a maid to pay off her parents debts and then she met Enzo Mezzesalma and rule number 3 said: Stay Away From Enzo Mezzesalma. Anastasia didn't know when she started breaking that rule and got herself buried in a hole she wouldn't be able to pull herself out. "My own death does not frighten me, but yours? Oh, that's my greatest and deepest fear," - Enzo Mezzesalma "Being his slut and being a slut are two entirely different things," - Anastasia Martin