Nine Minutes

Pregnant. It wasn't possible. My mate was impotent, doomed to be the first Alpha in generations unable to produce heirs. Yet this cheap plastic stick I had bought on a whim seemed to suggest otherwise. I swiped at the beads of sweat gathering along my hairline, my breaths coming faster. "This can't be right," I muttered. But the crimson line remained, taunting me. My wolf stirred restlessly, a pleased rumble echoing through our bond. "A pup! Our Alpha's pup," she purred. I pressed a hand to my still-flat stomach, emotions churning wildly. Of course I was overjoyed - as Luna, providing heirs was my most sacred duty. After nine months sharing Adrian's bed with no success, I had accepted my fate.

Charlotte was nine years old when she witnessed the brutal murder of her mother and her three friends. Barely escaping death, she went on the run. For years, she avoided all male relationships, built a career for herself as an architect but always lived out of a go-bag in case she was ever found. When Charlotte's first major client turns out to be her mate, she had no choice but to work with him. Alpha Waylon was just about to take a chosen mate but Charlotte turned his world upside down. He had every intention on ignoring the mate bond. It wasn't until he found out Charlotte's deepest secret that he decided he wanted her. Charlotte is wanted for the murders of her parents, the King and Queen. Can Waylon save her before it's too late?

During a critical heart transplant, my doctor husband insisted his intern assist despite her garish nail art compromising the sterile field. When I called her out, he abandoned the patient mid-surgery to comfort her. I begged him to return, but he snapped, "Giselle is upset. Can't you wait? This is nothing compared to her feelings." 40 minutes later, the patient bled out and died. Later, they discovered that he was our highly respected mayor and placed the blame on me. "If it weren't for you causing a scene and kicking us out of the operating room, the mayor wouldn't have bled to death. This is all your fault!" Defenseless, I was sentenced to life in prison, tortured, and died in agony. My husband and his intern walked down the aisle, enjoying their happy life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of that fateful surgery.

In the third year of my relationship with Dante Santoro, heir to the Santoro family fortune, I got pregnant. The night before the Don's birthday banquet, he finally brought me home as his girlfriend. Giulia Costa, the housekeeper's daughter, smiled sweetly and asked about my food allergies. I mentioned I was allergic to truffles. In the end, every dish at dinner was loaded with truffles. I swallowed my irritation and grabbed a slice of cake that looked safe. Two bites in, I heard her laugh. "I got creative and mixed truffle powder into the frosting. How is it?" Before I could answer, my throat closed up and I could not breathe. Giulia gasped and covered her mouth. "Ms. Leone, your skin is turning purple! Do you have some kind of contagious disease?" Everyone watched as I was carried out like trash. The moment my allergic reaction cleared up, Giulia insisted on helping me pack. I told her multiple times not to touch my ring. In the few minutes I spent in the bathroom, she "accidentally" knocked it down the drain. That was the wedding ring Dante gave me. I lost my temper and confronted her, but Dante just laughed it off. "She's jealous of your pretty ring. Don't be so petty." That night, Giulia brought sleep-aid drinks to my room as an apology. Dante convinced me to accept her peace offering. I drank a few cups and felt drowsy almost immediately. When Giulia walked me back to my room, I told her to lock the door behind her. Ten minutes later, a group of men shoved their way inside and beat my stomach until I miscarried. The baby was gone. Giulia's eyes filled with tears as she claimed she never saw anyone enter. She said I never wanted the Santoro family to have an heir and had orchestrated my own abortion. Dante went white with rage and ordered his men to dump me in the ocean. When I opened my eyes again, it was the night before the banquet.

After nine rejections, Alpha Caleb mends my broken heart. For the first time, I’m not ashamed of who I am. I love him to death. But then I start to notice the secret late-night phone calls, the unexplained absences, and excuses that never add up. I want to believe him. To trust him with my life. And to prove that I do, I reveal the Fate pack’s most dangerous secret. It’s the location of our crescent seal, the power that binds every member together. But I wake up to chained wrists afterwards. My pack is gone. Caleb betrayed me. He’s the Alpha of the Silver pack, our sworn enemy, and he just used me to destroy my loved ones. Of all my mates, he’s the devil. And now… I’m carrying his child.

Twins, Henrietta and Federica, were orphaned at a very young age. When their father died, Henrietta promised him she would do everything to protect her twin sister. And that’s what she did. For next nine years, her world revolved around Federica. Until that day came when everything changed. Four men appeared in their lives and disrupted it. They only wanted one thing - to take her sister. Because, according to them, Federica was the key to finding their true home. But she didn’t care about whatever excuses they gave. She wouldn’t just let them take away her sister. But how could she fight them when her heart beat unnecessarily fast whenever one of them was around? That one with eyes as black as the night sky.

The story of a young woman named Melissa Brooks who has been through enough problems in her life to last her a lifetime. She applies for a job as a personal assistant but she was offered a job as nanny to the billionaire’s daughter instead. Javier Edwards was in desperate need of a nanny for his nine month old daughter, Lucy who has proven to be a handful. Fortunately for him Melissa happened to be there when his daughter was throwing one of her tantrums and she was able to calm her down when nobody else was able to. He made her an offer he knew she wouldn’t be able to refuse.What happens when they start having uncontrollable desires and feelings for each other? Will Javier be able to look past all her flaws and past?Trigger Warning: This story contains abuse.

On her first day in a new town, Jessica Day saves the life of Oliver King mere minutes after he rescues her from the wolf stalking her in the woods. But there's more to the mysterious young man than his rugged good looks and charming personality. There's something dark and irresistible about him that draws Jessica into his supernatural world. Ollie's next in line to be the alpha of Forest Hills' largest werewolf pack, but a deal with Death herself has marked him for an early grave, and he's not exactly trying to save himself from this grim fate. Unable to deny their mutual attraction and the bond growing between them, it's up to Jessica to rescue Ollie from death's embrace and find a way to free him from his dark destiny before the villainous thing haunting Forest Hills finds her first. (Image in cover by Prettysleepy from Pixabay)

On the night of her engagement, Gianna Moretti’s world shatters—her fiancé tangled in bed with her best friend, her family ready to cast her aside, her future ripped away. But when she crosses paths with Dante Russo—the ruthless heir to New York’s most powerful fashion empire—one impulsive choice changes everything. In twenty minutes, Gianna goes from betrayed bride to Mrs. Russo. Their marriage is a deal. No love. No betrayal. Just survival. But the deeper Gianna is pulled into Dante’s world of wealth, secrets, and ruthless ambition, the more blurred the lines between revenge and desire become. As her step-sister plots murder, her ex-fiancé claws his way back from ruin, and long-buried family secrets claw their way to the surface, Gianna must decide: will she be a pawn in their game—or the queen who burns their empire to the ground?

By accident, I stumbled upon my husband's secret. There were cameras covering every corner of our house, but I stayed silent and pretended not to know about them. One day, I faked leaving home and hid in the closet, only to hear my husband fooling around with his mistress. Jared's breath was short from exertion. "Faster. We have less than 20 minutes before Vanessa gets back." His mistress giggled. "Relax. Her eyesight is terrible." Jared growled. "Shut up! Vanessa is my wife. Say another thing about her, and I'll throw you out!" What he didn't know was that my eyesight had been cured. My vision was as sharp as anyone else's. I stepped out of the closet with a choked sob and called my brother. "I'll go to Murica."