Mourning Tide

The night my husband, William Costello, was assassinated by his enemies was supposed to be a celebration—our wedding anniversary. I was dressed in his favorite red dress, waiting for him, when the phone rang. "Mr. Costello was shot at the harbor. The bullet went through the back of his head. He died on the spot." I collapsed to the floor. I clung to his belongings, mourning for a week straight. We even lost our unborn child during this time. Everyone said William and I were true love. Even the Don himself came to the funeral, resting a heavy hand on my shoulder with a sigh. He said, "All of Blackhaven knows you were the only woman he ever loved." Grief nearly destroyed me. I stood at the river's edge, ready to follow William into the afterlife. However, I overheard my sister-in-law, Emily Hawkins, leaning into my brother-in-law, Jones Costello, her voice dripping with a twisted affection. She purred, "William, I love you so much. Between Nina and me, who do you think is sexier?" "Of course it's you, babe!" came the husky reply. I stood frozen, my eyes wide and my body trembling. Why was Emily calling my brother-in-law by my husband's name?

When Isabel Baker agreed to moonlight as a bartender at a private party, she never imagined she'd get anything more than tips. However, on this resort island, nothing was ever that simple. After tending bar with the deliciously handsome Noah who was flown in for the party, Izzy realized that she was about to break her number one rule: never fall for a tourist. But with his quick wit, charming smile and passion for marine life, Noah was the kind of guy that she couldn’t resist. At the end of the night, she barely managed to turn him away from coming home with her. Noah had only come to the island for one of Jack Saunders' famous parties. Yet once he met Izzy, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. After one steamy night together, he knew that he would do almost anything to keep her. Theirs should have been an easy love story, complete with a happily ever after. Except Noah was also moonlighting as a bartender that night and his true identity threatened Izzy’s research. When his billion-dollar company and her marine research project collide, their entire relationship crumbles into the sand. Will they be able to rebuild their beautiful sandcastle together, or will it be washed away by the rising tide, forever just a memory?

Arianne has always been an outcast—an Alpha's daughter with no wolf, treated as nothing more than a burden in her pack. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she is revealed as the second chance mate of Damien the Lycan King. Damien still mourning his first mate struggles with his duty to the Moon Goddess and the undeniable bond pulling him toward Arianne. Despite his initial rejection he begins to see her strength. In a desperate bid to prove herself worthy of Damien and the pack, Arianne inadvertently unlocks a power deep within her, granting her a wolf. The transformation, however, comes at a heavy cost.Arianne loses control, leaving behind destruction and death in her wake. Consumed by guilt and grief, she flees, unable to face what she’s become. As Damien tracks her down, Arianne struggles with the monster within her and the pain of her actions. Though he tries to comfort her, Arianne is overwhelmed by self-loathing, fearing she’s beyond redemption. Their bond is tested as Damien refuses to give up on her, But with her newfound powers and the trauma of her past, can Arianne find her place in a world that has only ever cast her aside? Or will the darkness within consume her, destroying the fragile connection she has with Damien?

Aithne Carida Luwen, the only heir and daughter of her beloved Alpha father, lost her chance at becoming the next Alpha of Mooncrest pack. Having lost her mate and her ability to shift all because of a lie, an unforgivable lie told by her stepmother and now crippled, heartbroken and in mourning, Aithne left the pack with her bossom friend and maid, vowing to return one day and make her stepmother and stepbrother pay for all the pains they've caused her. However there's a twist of fate on the night she arrived at Elgarion, a renowned city ruled by King Cyne Ezalyr Elgarion - the Alpha King of Crystal-moon Dynasty. On that very night when the sound of the moonlight serenade was heard by the few gifted, and a dance of the goddess was performed, Aithne's whole life turned around. She was awakened to a new realm of foreign powers and abilities, with a force that pulls the attention of the Alpha King and made him begin his search for her. However, would the heart of the young, heartbroken Carida, be willing to give a listening ear to the Alpha King's deal? Alpha King Cyne has declared his intentions to make her, an outsider of Elgarion, his bride. Surely, his decision was bound to meet a lot of resistance from many but mostly, from none other than the vengeful dark sorceress of Elgarion.

Cole Miller was recuperating after a covert operation when his father's lawyer came knocking on his door, and as soon as he saw the old man he knew he was bringing a ton of trouble his way only he didn’t know of the magnitude. Forced to go back to his family estate to bury his father, Cole discovered he had inherited his family's ill-gotten fortune, his grandfather's oil wells and an enslaved female his father termed 'the merchandise', a woman who was already sold and was to be picked up by a cruel mafia boss he knew too well. After spending a steamy night with her and discovering what she was, Cole understood better why Rufus wanted her. And despite knowing the trouble he would bring his way if he stopped her sale, he tried to help her regardless. When his family estate was attacked by unknown assailants, Cole engineered an escape and found himself in a changing tide of danger, one minute he was captured, chained, and in the den of wolves who hated humans, and next, he was on the run to protect a woman who was not entirely woman and who claimed to be his mate.

After five years, Dominic Torres is still in love with the memory of his late wife. Beneath the mask of a powerful, billionaire heir is a man who has never stopped mourning the love of his life. But when the condition to inherit his family's private aviation empire demands he remarry, Dominic reluctantly agrees to an arranged marriage. Violet Cassidy, has had a crush on Dominic since junior school. But soon, she realizes she didn't marry the man in her fantasies. Cold, distant, and emotionally shut down, Dominic makes it painfully clear he still belongs to his late wife. As Violet grapples with her husband's rejection, she becomes tangled in a dangerous temptation with her handsome brother-in-law that begins to blur the lines between family and desire. At the same time, her new, sexy as sin dance instructor becomes obsessed, his intentions growing darker with every lesson. And just when Violet starts slipping away, Dominic realizes he can’t bear to lose her. She thought love was a fairytale. But now she’s dancing between a husband who aches to possess her, a brother-in-law who burns to corrupt her and a teacher who longs to claim her. Violet evolves from the neglected wife to the woman who turns them all inside out. Will she find a way to crown all three men her kings or will she become the prize in their web of lies, rivalry, and obsession?

Hubert Parker and I had been together since our teenage years. We went from innocent first love to planning a lifetime together. But a week before our wedding, he died in a sudden accident. I cried until I nearly passed out, only to see strange messages flashing before my eyes. [Can someone please tell the poor female lead he’s not really dead?] [Hubert’s secret lover ran away after hearing about his wedding. He faked his death that very night and flew overseas to chase her. The female lead’s crying by his grave while the mistress is crying in his bed. This is killing me!] [What a pity. When he finally came back, she knew nothing and still married him with a smile…] Half a month later, news spread across Ashford that I was engaged to the heir of one of the city’s most powerful families. One of Hubert’s closest friends confronted me in disbelief. “It hasn’t even been that long since Hubert passed, and you’ve already found someone new?” “He’s gone. I can’t spend the rest of my life in mourning, can I?”

In the shadows of an ordinary world, Gil stands apart with her ethereal white hair and piercing grey eyes. His life is a ceaseless whirlwind of evasion and concealment. An unseen force with a crimson gaze haunts her steps, a harbinger of a hidden legacy and a fate grander than she could ever imagine. Born under a veil of prophecy, she is the key to mending a fractured world, hunted by those desperate to halt the tide of change she is destined to bring. Enter Aren, the enigmatic Alpha whose very existence is a legend woven through the centuries. Bound to his wolf spirit, Oto, he walks the line between beast and leader of the most formidable pack known to both man and creature. Revered and reviled in equal measure, Aren is ensnared by an ancient curse cast from the depths of darkness—a curse only his true Luna can dispel. Destined descendants of gods, Gil and Aren are the embodiment of ancient power, slumbering until the fateful hour of awakening. An eternal bond of love is their promised salvation, a beacon through battles for a bliss that has eluded their kind for eons. As celestial forces conspire, these solitary spirits are steered by the guiding light of Mother Moon towards one another. In their union lies the balance of love and war, salvation and destruction. But are they prepared for the monumental trials that loom before them? Can their nascent love endure the tempest of an age-old struggle clawing at their heels? Dive into an odyssey where myth meets destiny, and discover whether Gil and Aren can triumph over the darkness that seeks to smother their light.

After I announced my exit from the music industry, the public response was overwhelmingly positive. The only person who voiced his objection was my girlfriend's rumored lover, the up-and-coming songwriter Lucas Zacker. He put on a show of sincerity in front of a crowd of reporters. "It's all a misunderstanding. Matthew is an irreplaceable talent in the music industry. I sincerely hope he returns to the stage." I shut off my phone and turned a blind eye to his public plea. In my past life, one of my songs had been identical to his supposedly original single. As such, netizens accused me of plagiarism, cursing me and wishing death upon my family. Frustrated, I posted the entire creation process online, but it couldn't stand up to the timeline. His new song had been released ten minutes ahead of mine. Just because of the ten-minute difference, netizens sent me photoshopped mourning portraits of myself and even went so far as to come to my house and vandalize it with paint. The relentless cyberbullying went on for years, and it drove me into a deep depression. My parents exhausted their life savings trying to clear my name, only for crazed fans to set our house on fire, causing my parents to burn to death. In the end, when his song won an award, I jumped off a building. But who would have guessed that when I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the very day the new song was set to release.

When Selovia's soldiers seized me, I sent Leon ninety-nine letters, each one begging for rescue. He tore them apart. "I sent Aya back to her duchy after she struck Mira—but I gave her my finest escort. Selovia could not have touched her." A sharp breath. "I allowed Mira the ceremonial gown, nothing more. And now Aya makes a spectacle to win back my favor. It shames her." He paced once, restless. "Mira's brother died protecting me. He was my Captain of the Royal Guard. I swore to guard her in his place. Tell Aya this—no matter how she rages, I will not cast Mira aside. If she keeps making a spectacle, I will delay the wedding." Three days later, he rode into Valecrest with the marriage contract in hand, ready to wed me. That same hour, Selovia's envoys delivered an ornate gift box. Leon glanced at it and exhaled. "So the dowry is prepared. All this noise was Aya stirring unrest." The lid opened. Inside— My head. From the tower, mourning bells began to toll. Slow. Heavy. Final. The chapel doors parted. The officiant stepped out, robes dark, face set in solemn lines. "Her Grace, Aya Valecrest, Duchess of Valecrest, has been returned to us. The burial rites begin at once."