Nine The Phantom

As the only daughter of a casino magnate, I have grown up surrounded by danger and betrayal. To keep me safe, my father has raised nine bodyguards from a young age. After I come of age, he asks me to choose one of them as my fiance. Everyone expects me to pick Harry Hunt, the man I have secretly loved for years. But I do not—not after what happened in my previous life. On the day of our engagement, I was kidnapped, and my hands were pierced with poison-tipped spikes. Tortured and desperate, I called Harry for help. His response still haunts me today. "Victoria, stop with these games. Your location shows you're still in the hotel suite. Trying to pull these pity stunts just to keep me to yourself? Pathetic." With another woman laughing in the background, I closed my eyes and gave up. As the iron cage sank beneath the waves and the sea filled my lungs, my life ended. Then, I open my eyes and find myself back on the day my father asked me to make a choice. This time, Harry's name is the first I cross off the list. But why is he crying and begging me to marry him at my engagement banquet with Jeffrey Reed?

“Let me taste you, Oliver,” Arias’s voice strained, his large hands holding the male he loved against him. Oliver’s brows dipped, coming together, pain etched across his features. “W-what?,” he stuttered, shocked at the enormity of Arias’s request. “W-we can’t do that.” ----- I was supposed to marry her. The female my father chose, the one who would bind our packs together and make me the alpha everyone expected. But gods, I didn’t want her. I wanted him. Arias fucking Thorne, the youngest alpha of the nine packs, dangerous and overwhelming and everything I couldn’t be. My father would kill us both if he knew. We’d be banished. But while I was busy trying not to burn for the wrong wolven, something worse was stirring in the shadows. Wolves were turning into nightmares, creatures with bloodshot eyes and bones that bent wrong. And somehow, my blood, the forbidden fire I’d spent my life hiding, was the key to it all. The packs were splintering. An ancient evil was rising. And I was caught between duty and a male who made me feel like I was worth more than just my title.

You belong to the wolf now," he growls, initiating a possessive claim that is ancient, fierce, and utterly non-negotiable. Elara Kim spent nine years as the ice-cold CEO Rian Thorne’s executive assistant, dedicated to her job but desperate for freedom. When she finally submits her resignation, Rian's controlled facade shatters. His eyes turn to liquid gold, and she realizes her billionaire boss is a monster hiding in tailored wool. Rian doesn’t just reject her notice—he rejects her autonomy. He forcibly promotes her and relocates her to a sealed luxury suite on the 65th floor, effectively turning her professional life into a gilded cage. Elara soon discovers the terrifying reason behind his possessiveness: she is his Anchor, the only thing preventing his inner wolf from consuming him entirely. As the moon cycle approaches, Rian’s control fails, and he collapses, exposing his absolute, animalistic need for her touch. But when their forced intimacy draws the attention of rival packs who want the Anchor for themselves, Elara realizes her only chance for survival is to submit to the man who holds her captive. She knows the cost of freedom is high. But the cost of staying could be her life.

Note: This is the second book in the "Are You Our Daddy?" series but can also be read as a standalone.   “Please don’t do this. You know I have nowhere to go, don’t you? Please, I still love you. All you’re being told is false. Listen, I am going to tell you the whole truth now. I was actually the one who... who...”   “Look, Salindra,” James cuts in quickly.   “No, James.” Isabella continues. “Please let me speak, you’re going to want to hear this. My name is not even…”   “Salindra!” James shouts.   “I get you. I know you must be all spiked up and all. But it is you who really need to listen to me. Look, I... I never loved you,” he blurts out, swallowing hard.   ~~~   Isabella Harrington, under her father's command, pretends to be poor to test her husband's genuine love. After falling in love at first sight with James Collins, she marries him, hiding her true identity as a billionaire heiress. On their second anniversary, eager to reveal her family background, she instead discovers his infidelity, and she’s confronted with a divorce letter, forced by James’ family to sign.   Homeless and heartbroken, she returns to her family, where they welcome her with open arms.   Michael Howard, who had secretly admired Isabella from afar even before her marriage, is forced into an arranged marriage by his family, just when Isabella got divorced. James, the ex-husband, crosses paths with Isabella again, not as a nobody, but as the chairman of the hospital where he works and also as the renowned phantom medic. Can Isabella reclaim her life and find true happiness with Michael, or will the shadows of her past continue to haunt her?  

Edith Sherwood is an orphan girl who is strict and idealistic. She ran for chairman of the student committee at her school. Her path to victory is cut short when Edith discovers that she is nine months pregnant. How did that happen? Edith was the only ordinary human being, as she knew herself. She went to a special school for werewolves. Edith hasn't gone through puberty for the past 5 years and thinks she's fine. Who would have thought that a one-night stand with Seth Tinley McKirby, a popular bad boy at her school, would lead to her anomalous pregnancy? --- "For what? I don't want to deal with you anymore, Seth! So go and leave me alone, and then just assume that nothing has ever happened between us!" Edith snapped. "I will be responsible. You are pregnant, and the child in your womb is my child." "I really hate you, Seth!" Seth felt awry. "I want to set something straight. Edith, I love you, and I will wait until you give all of your heart to me," Seth insisted. --- The anomalous pregnancy leads Edith to the truth about her identity. Her past and supernatural abilities are slowly revealed, leading Edith to her destiny with Seth and their baby. How can she improve her destiny?

I was a slum kid who fell for Damon Vitale, New York’s most feared Godfather. For five years, I was his. I took nine bullets for him. He’d kiss my scars as I bled out for him. Hold me close. Clasp the queen’s necklace around my throat. Then, once I healed, he’d fuck me senseless, with a passion that felt like forever. I thought we’d spend our lives together. I thought he would marry me. But on our 999th night together, he told me he was engaged. To Bianca, a mafia princess from a rival family. I swallowed my tears. He just grabbed my chin, blew smoke in my face, and laughed. "You didn't really think you could marry me, did you, Nora? Let's be clear. We fuck. That's it. You're not a partner. You're a piece of art I collect. A pet I own." A pet. That’s all he ever wanted for me. Instead, I picked up a burner phone. [I'm taking your offer. Three days. Get me the hell out of New York.]

A white wolf was a special breed. A witch was respected but also not very common. So imagine the surprise when one girl holds both in one body. Rumors and myths were made about her but no one knew for certain if she existed. Stories claimed that her mother, Rose Taylor, who was a witch was mated to an Alpha werewolf where they had four children. Three of which didn't bear the gift of witchcraft, but their daughter did. The family denied all allegations and nobody was the wiser. But what if I told you she did exist? That her name was Emerald Taylor, she was nineteen years old, and she was deprived of seeing her wolf and being in fresh air for nine years. Her parents died trying to keep her safe one night and her brothers never forgiving her for it, so their revenge? Locked her away like Princess Fiona to never be seen or heard from again. Only to be viewed when she received her daily beating from none other than her own brothers and being fed by the maid that has been serving her for years. The maid is the only person who truly understood her and cared for her. When enough was enough and she finally escaped to only become a rogue who could be sensed entering any territory. What's a witch/white wolf to do? To be concealed of course.

Nine years ago, Charlotte Green willingly bound herself to a companionship system to save her sister. The system guided her to the side of Eric Lorvis, a man adored by fate and envied by the world. Her role, as dictated, was to pursue him under the guise of being mute. Before long, everyone in their social circle knew of the mute woman who loved Eric with a fervor bordering on madness. At a gathering one evening, he finally relented. "If you make yourself look like Emily, I'll allow you to stay by my side." Without hesitation, Charlotte borrowed money to undergo plastic surgery. She reshaped herself to resemble Emily Spencer—Eric's first love. With painstaking precision, she molded her preferences to match his, learned to cook his favorite dishes, and catered to his every need. Yet to him, she was no more than a housekeeper. He neither hid his disdain nor spared her his indifference. His insults, his cold stares—she bore them all in silence. She didn't care. As long as she fulfilled her task, the day would come when she could finally leave this world behind. However, when Charlotte truly died, the cold and aloof Eric, who had always appeared so composed in front of others, lost his mind...

A writer once said, "We don't need down jackets in summer, fans in winter, and attention after we're disappointed." After the breakup, I became happy and even found myself. Thanks for letting me go. This is a series of stories after breakups. A relationship may not necessarily make people happier, but a breakup will definitely do it. “Seven Ear Piercings” I had a secret relationship with my stepmother's son. When we broke up, it became particularly unpleasant. One day, he got drunk and intercepted me in the bathroom. He said, "I'm a masochist. We'll torment each other until our hair turns grey. What can you do to me?" “Blind Date With an Undercover Cop” I never expected to meet him again. The last time I saw him, he was a clumsy barista who messed up my order nine times in a row. I felt sorry for him, so I tried to crack a joke. "Hey, are you an undercover cop?" He looked startled and denied it quickly. But as soon as I left the cafe, he locked the door and disappeared. Later on, we ran into each other again. He stopped me and said, "You're under arrest, because you have stolen my heart, darling."

"Little bunny, little bunny. Wolf is HUNGRY!" The voice taunted me, followed by an evil cackle. * "Run, rabbit. RUN!" A monstrous bellow boomed through the night sky and crashed into my soul like a sledgehammer. I could feel a chill sweeping across my body and my heart pounding in my chest. The echoes of howls and laughter followed me from behind as I ran for my life. ** Elisabeth's life had been harder than most since she was a child--a distant and often cruel mother and her never-ending cycle of addiction that had taken over her life. But on this fateful night, something far more sinister was lurking in the darkness, ready to take her away from it all. Massive figures appeared out of nowhere, growling and taunting her. She tried to scream, but nothing would come out; before she knew it, she was waking up in a world where Viking werewolves ruled with mysterious faeries at their side. Every five years, they traveled to the human realm, collecting ten girls for their mate run--and tonight, Elisabeth was one of them. With only a white dress and her bare feet, Elisabeth stood beside the other nine girls as the beasts prowled around them menacingly. A silver dagger pierced each of our wrists, signaling the start of the hunt! “We honor the moon goddess; let your blood lead your mate to you!”