Not So Happy Campers

I push through my Gamma warrior training ahead of schedule just to get back to the pack sooner. All I want is to stand beside my Alpha, Kyle Faucher, and finally complete our mate-bonding ceremony. But when I step into our house, scarred and feeling hopeful, I see 100 old boarding passes to the Darkmoon pack littering the floor. That pack is only a mile from my training grounds. Kyle's been that close for two years, and still, he never came. I sprint to the place where we were supposed to have our mate-bonding ceremony, clinging to the desperate hope that there's an explanation. But the moment I burst through the doors, I stopped cold. Kyle is down on one knee, dressed in a tailored suit, his eyes locked on someone with a softness I've never seen in him before. Standing across from him, smiling through her tears, is my stepsister, Vivian Blackwell. "Vivian, I haven't completed the mate-bonding ceremony with Serene. Say the word, and I'll reject her and mark you right now." At that moment, the world goes still, and I even forgot how to breathe. So this is what he's been doing while I was gone, chasing the woman he never let go of. Meanwhile, I spent those two years giving everything I had, trying to become someone worthy of standing by his side. I don't ask why or shed a tear. I just turn around and walk away. If she's what he wants, then so be it. The mate-bonding ceremony I dreamed of will be theirs instead. But the second I'm gone, he loses it and sends every warrior looking for me.

Menemani seorang pria asing makan malam bukanlah ide bagus bagi seorang wanita bernama Evelyn Rosalina. Namun karena dia terdesak dan membutuhkan uang dalam jumlah besar, akhirnya Evelyn terpaksa mau mengambil pekerjaan singkat itu. Peraturan awal, Evelyn hanya akan menemani pria itu makan malam di sebuah acara reuni. Namun ternyata, pria itu tak hanya ingin ditemani makan malam saja. "Tidurlah denganku malam ini. Akan kubayar sepuluh kali lipat dari kesepakatan awal." Dan Evelyn akhirnya dihadapkan pada pilihan sulit antara menerima ajakan pria itu atau menolaknya.

At nine months pregnant, I suffered an unexpected miscarriage. My husband, Graham Pearson, fought back his own grief as he comforted me. He would whisper to me every day, trying to soothe my shattered heart, "Whitney, we will have children again someday. Our little angel was here for a while, and next time, we'll make sure we hold onto them..." Under Graham's careful care, I slowly began to pull myself out of the numb fog I'd been trapped in. But then, a month later, I overheard him talking to one of his friends. "If Whitney finds out the baby didn't actually die and that you've let Cassidy raise him, don't you think she'll flip out? You've worked so hard to get where you are; you can't let this mess it all up." Graham casually flicked his cigarette, his voice almost detached as he waved a hand dismissively. "Cassidy can't have kids, but she loves children. If this baby brings her joy, it's a blessing for the child, too. "I might never get the chance to be with Cassidy, but letting her raise my son, in some way, feels like a kind of fulfillment..." The truth hit me like a frozen wave, paralyzing me in place. It turned out this whole ordeal had been part of Graham's plan from the start.

After the death of the Alpha couple, Olivia had to face the ruthless truth about her upbringing. With nothing left to hold her down, she ran to escape the memories that weren't hers. But this time, she didn't run with nothing; she ran with his mark burning as deep as her soul. *** The crowd of wolves gasped in horror. Some screamed, and many women burst into tears while their Alpha licked the blood from Olivia's skin. Olivia shivered when his disgusting lips left her neck. Noah's hand ran through her hair, grabbing a fistful of her snow-white curls; he pulled her against his body and whispered, "Good luck avoiding me now, rogue." ***

Sean Rahardja harus menikahi Jihan Almira atas permintaan Ara -tunangannya. Tepat sehari setelah Sean dan Jihan menjadi suami istri, Ara menghembuskan napas terakhirnya. Sean tidak pernah benar-benar menganggap Jihan sebagai istrinya, begitu juga dengan Jihan. Tinggal serumah hanya sebagai syarat pernikahan satu tahun yang akan mereka lakukan, faktanya mereka tetap dua orang asing yang dipaksa hidup bersama. Dua orang asing dipaksa hidup bersama lantas terbiasa. Mampukah hal-hal sederhana yang tidak sengaja tercipta menumbuhkan benih cinta diantara mereka?

Alecta Zeline diculik saat pulang menuju rumah sewanya yang berjarak 500 meter dari lokasi kejadian. Dia ditawari sebuah kontrak menjadi surrogate mother atas permintaan teman semasa SMA-nya, Freya Farista, seorang aktris terkenal. Alecta menganggap tawaran itu adalah sebuah kesempatan untuk balas dendam kepada Freya Farista yang telah membuat hidupnya jatuh dalam kemalangan. Alecta masih mengingat semua kejahatan yang pernah Freya lakukan padanya. "Semakin aku dekat dengannya lagi, bukankah itu semakin baik? Aku bisa membalaskan dendamku? Misalnya merebut suaminya?” Alecta tertawa. “Itu pasti menarik sekali!” . . . Dipublikasikan 27 Mei 2021 Cover: Canva [Mature Content] ©2021, Ilamy Harsa

Hindi plano ni Alexie Kim Padilla na magmahal ulit. After being cheated on by her ex-boyfriend, she promised herself one thing—no attachments, no expectations, no pain. Kaya nang lumipat siya ng network, ang goal niya lang ay magsimula ulit at iwan ang lahat ng nakaraan. Pero isang banggaan sa hallway ang magpapabago ng lahat. Doon niya nakilala si Emmanuel Villa—gwapo, charming, at… hindi pala straight. Parte siya ng LGBTQ+ community at may boyfriend na rin. Sa unang tingin, alam na ni Alexie—hindi pwede. Pero bakit parang ang hirap umiwas? Habang tumatagal, mas nagiging malapit sila sa isa’t isa. From simpleng tulong, naging comfort, hanggang sa maging sandalan sa mga sakit na pareho nilang tinatago. Pareho silang nasaktan, pareho silang takot… pero pareho ring unti-unting nahuhulog. Hanggang sa dumating ang moment na kailangan nilang tanungin ang sarili nila—kaya ba nilang sugalan ang isang bagay na alam nilang komplikado? Isang relasyon na walang label. Isang pag-ibig na bawal. At isang katotohanan na mahirap tanggapin. Nang masira ang lahat dahil sa isang pagkakamali, mapipilitan silang harapin ang tanong na matagal nilang iniiwasan— Kung ang pag-ibig ay hindi ordinaryo… karapat-dapat pa rin ba itong ipaglaban? Sa mundong puno ng judgment, expectations, at takot—pipiliin ba nila ang isa’t isa? O hahayaan na lang nilang maging isang alaala ang lahat?

Language used: ENGLISH • • • • Don't Let Go Trilogy #1 • • • • When I was just 5 years old, I used to love grandma's stories. Like, having an arranged marriage and being in love. It was magical but now that I really think about it, it's a bit silly. Why? It's simple. Less freedom. Girlfriends. Boyfriends. Sleep-overs. Parties. Journeys. You can't possibly do all of those things when your hands are tied. Besides, what if you don't love that person? And that you'll never, ever, learn to love that person? Can't you choose the person that your heart wants instead? Seriously, love is complicated. • • • • • Kira Castelle is an amiable, easy-to-talk-to, and a laid-back 17 year old lady that has sworn to put love aside and continue reaching for her dreams. Not until a perfect storm happened. When females turn 18 and males turn 21, they are assigned a marriage partner by the government. With this, they just have to wait for the country to find their compatible partner and become happy. When Kira Castelle finally turned 18, she has to meet her partner. Neal Valastro. A drop-dead gorgeous man of stone. He's the epitome of perfection and Kira's polar opposite. The problem is, will this work out just fine for Kira? Will she ever be Ready? or Not? • • • • •

Ara once thought Logan was her perfect lover. He was everything she dreamed of—charming, sophisticated, and with a deep love for art that matched her own. Together, they shared long conversations about paintings, literature, and life, and Logan seemed to understand her in ways no one else ever had. For a while, she truly believed he was the perfect man, the one she was meant to be with forever. But when she discovered the truth, she realized he’d only been using her to get closer to the woman he truly wanted. Heartbroken and betrayed, Ara walked away in the pouring rain, her heart shattered but her resolve stronger than ever. She would never let him back in. Three years later, Logan resurfaces—not through a business deal with her company, but through an unexpected acquisition of one of its key partners. Determined to win Ara back, Logan is no longer the man she once knew. He’s cold, relentless, and will stop at nothing to force her back into his world. “You can’t escape me, Ara. This time, I’ll make you stay.” But Ara is no longer the same woman she was. Her fierce independence and stubborn heart refuse to let Logan back in, no matter how hard he pushes. As their past resurfaces, secrets about Logan’s possible connection to her father’s death threaten to unravel everything.

I was a violin prodigy. But to pay my mother’s debts, I was forced to give up everything. That’s when I met the man who would own me: Dante Moretti. He was the king of New York's underworld. The Don of the Moretti family. With a single phone call, fortunes were made. With a single glance, blood was spilled. The world didn't just bend to his will—it broke. And on that day… what he wanted was me. He gave me a five-year contract. A penthouse in a skyscraper overlooking all of New York. More jewels and gowns than I could count. Every night he needed me, I’d put on whatever lacy thing he picked out. We’d have sex. Five years. 999 times. There were moments—his sweat dripping on my forehead, his soft breaths inside me, the way he’d look at me—when I let myself dream he loved me. Then the video dropped. Him. On the street. Kissing another woman. I knew the truth. He was my keeper, not my lover. Everyone laughed. They couldn't wait to see me lose my mind, begging him to keep me. Instead, I turned my back on him. And married another man.