Noughts And Crosses

He was supposed to be hers. He chose a crown instead. When Cole Winters rejected Mara Voss in front of the entire pack council to marry the Lycan Chairman's daughter, she told herself she could survive it. Rejection hurt. Betrayal healed. Life moved forward. Then he dismantled her father's business piece by piece. Then he showed up at her door with a bottle of wine and a quiet smile, expecting her to become his secret, as if a soul bond could be folded and hidden inside expensive hotel rooms. Mara looked at him and said the truest thing she had ever spoken. "I would rather be with your father-in-law than waste one more second on you." She said it to wound him. Fate heard it as a direction. Caden Holt does not do second looks. He built his entire life around that rule after grief hollowed him out. He runs empires. He settles pack disputes that have lasted generations. He has never in twelve years met a woman worth a second night. Then a she-wolf with amber eyes and nothing left to lose walks into his private study and refuses to apologize for existing. He tells himself it is curiosity. By the third time she crosses his path, he has stopped telling himself anything at all. But Cole is still watching. And as Mara steps deeper into a world of lycan politics and old money, she begins to uncover something that changes everything. Her rejection was not an accident. It was arranged. Someone needed her away from Cole before the bond could complete. That someone has been inside her life the entire time. She walked into his world with nothing left to protect. Now she is the most valuable thing in it. And the most hunted.

“Are you crying?" She shook her head and wiped at her face as more tears were falling. “I’m so stupid.” she groaned. "Now I am truly and utterly alone. If I had just said yes to marrying him, none of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this mess.” Without warning, I turned sharp to the side, putting the car to a sudden stop close to the curb. “Don’t ever say that again. You think marrying a man you don’t love, a man who doesn’t care if he hurts you, just to please your family is the right thing to do?” I turned to her slowly. “That would’ve ruined you.” “But I would’ve had a home to go to, I would’ve been taken care of. Now I have nothing,” she looked away. I reached over and gently took her bruised hand in mine. “You did the hardest thing anyone in your position could have done. You saved yourself. That takes more guts than standing there and pretending to be happy.” I tucked a hair behind her ear. “You think you are alone? You’re not… you have me.” ___ Alina Etienne has always lived a life dictated by her parents. She is groomed to be an obedient daughter, a perfect public image, and now, a bride to a man she doesn’t know or love. On her wedding day, crushed by the weight of expectations, Alina does the unthinkable... she says “I don’t” and flees the altar. On the run and scared with nowhere to go, she crosses paths with Mikhail Antonov. A cold, guarded man with a past he doesn’t talk about. What began as a reluctant act of kindness turned into something neither of them expected.

ARIA - At thirty-six, the Grammy-winning songwriter lives in a world of glittering lights and soaring applause, yet behind every love song she writes is a truth she keeps hidden: she’s never found a love strong enough to stay. When two powerful forces enter her life—one a steady and familiar presence, the other a magnetic, unpredictable spark—Aria is thrust into an emotional whirlwind that threatens to shatter the careful world she’s built. Passions ignite, loyalties fracture, and long-buried truths claw their way to the surface. As her career reaches new heights, Aria’s personal life spirals into a dangerous collision of desire, heartbreak, and revelation. Caught between the man who grounds her and the man who sets her soul on fire, Aria must make a choice that could cost her everything—even herself. ARIA TIL DEATH explores the boundaries of love, loss and moving on. Aria never expected her life to split in two—the before and the after. Losing the man she loved destroys her sense of safety, silences her music, and leaves her drowning in memories she can’t bear to revisit. But fate steps in the day she crosses paths with a quiet, grounding stranger whose presence feels like a lifeline. Their connection is instant. Healing, even. And when Aria is offered the chance to start over in a new city, he’s the one who encourages her to take it—promising to stand by her side as she rebuilds her life. Together, they leave the past behind… or so they think. As Aria settles into her new home with the man who’s become her unexpected source of strength, unsettling things begin to happen. Aria Til Death is a gripping journey of heartbreak, rebirth, and the dangerous lengths someone will go to when love turns into obsession.

My body was limp, trembling, barely able to breathe but André was relentless. He kissed me like he hadn’t just wrecked me, like he hadn’t already made me come so hard I saw white. His tongue slid into my mouth with hunger, claiming me the same way his cock did without permission, without pause. Still inside me, still hard, still pulsing. “Look at you,” he murmured against my lips, his thumb stroking my jaw. “All fucked out and we’re just getting started.” “I… I can’t,” I breathed. “Yes, you can,” he growled, pulling out just enough to slam back in. “You will. Because you’re mine. Because this pussy,” he reached down and slapped it wet, swollen, sensitive drawing a shocked gasp from me, “belongs to me.” The sting mixed with pleasure and made my thighs shake. I should’ve said no. I should’ve begged him to stop. But I didn’t. I couldn't. Because every time he spoke like that, every time he manhandled me like I was something to be owned, I melted for him. ........ She’s spent her life trying to be the perfect daughter, craving nothing more than the love her cold, unkind mother refuses to give. Her only source of happiness is her brother, the one light in her dark world. But everything changes when she crosses paths with Alpha Andre.Powerful, ruthless, hand deeply possessive, Alpha Andre has watched her from the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to claim her. When the opportunity finally presents itself, he doesn’t hesitate. And from that moment on, her life is never the same.

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?  

"Aasif," I whispered, my voice shaky with desire. He didn't reply. He only held me tighter, his strong arms a band around my waist. His kisses grew more intense, all I wanted was him, His touch, his scent, him inside me. I was teetering on the edge, yet he held back. He held us back. He pulled away; his breathing as erratic as mine. His voice was rough, filled with an intense battle of restraint and desire   "This is just for curiosity's sake, right?" His voice was deep, husky, a sensual murmur against my skin that made my pulse race even faster. Gabriela a young nurse from a small Mexican town, shoulders the world as she strives to provide for her ailing mother and little sister, Maria. An unexpected opportunity emerges when she's offered a job at a prestigious hospital in Al-Qamar. Thrust into the vibrant but unfamiliar world of the Arabian desert, Gabby grapples with her new reality. But Gabby's life takes a dramatic twist when she crosses paths with a charismatic yet arrogant billionaire Sheikh. Their worlds collide in a whirlwind of opulence and high-stakes power dynamics, their association marked by the Sheikh's emotionally barren, benefit-based approach towards relationships. A tragic accident abruptly turns the tables when the Sheikh suffers memory loss, casting a shadow of uncertainty over Gabby's future. The once arrogant billionaire stands before her, a man without a past, unraveled and vulnerable. As Gabby is pulled into a vortex of caring for the man who once saw her as a mere commodity, she grapples with the strange affectionate ties that emerge. With a newfound bond budding and the Sheikh's memory threatening to return at any moment, Gabby is walking on a tightrope of emotions, what happens when the Sheikh's memory returns?

“Fuck,” he groaned, his body tightening as he released his load inside me, spurting, filling my cunt. I remained still, trembling from the aftershocks, he pulled away, leaving me cold and exposed. I watched as he stood, reaching for his clothes with a casual indifference that felt like a slap. “Where are you going?” “Don’t overthink it. It’s just sex, nothing more.” “But… you didn’t mark me.” “Mark you? Why would I do that?” “Dominic… we’re married,” I tried to remind him desperately. He laughed coldly, mocking. “Marriage is just a contract, Samantha. You’re nothing more than a Luna with no wolf, an obligation I’m bound to.” ~~~ Samantha married Alpha Dominic, the man she’d been hopelessly inlove with, but he couldn’t love her back. He was waiting for his fated mate, not knowing that it was her all along becasue the bond remained hidden, unable to reveal itself due to her wolfless state. And Samantha paid the price—suffering the pain of her husband’s affair with another woman. Broken and betrayed, she ran away from the Silver Crescent Pack, carrying a secret that would change everything: she was pregnant. Six years later, she’s returned, not as the fragile woman she once was but as a fierce mother and the powerful right-hand to Alpha Killian. Her secret? Two five-year-old twins—and a wolf that finally emerged the moment she gave birth. When she unexpectedly crosses paths with Dominic, the Alpha she once loved, her carefully built walls begin to crumble. He’s everything she remembers and more: handsome, dangerous, and shockingly more attractively than she ever thought, drawing her in an inexplicable pull. But Dominic was oblivious to the truth she’s been hiding—the secret of their children...

"It won’t fit," I whispered, my breath hitching as he leaned closer, his lips grazing my ear. His voice was dark, commanding, and impossibly seductive. "You have no idea what your body is capable of. Relax and let me teach you." Alessia never believed in fairy tales. Life had taught her that happy endings were a cruel illusion. Struggling to care for her sick mother, she’s spent years working dead-end jobs, her sharp tongue and stubborn nature ensuring she never stayed anywhere for long. Now, she’s a bartender in a shady Sicilian bar, juggling rowdy customers and a boss who thinks a raise is only for women willing to strip. Then he walked in. Luca Romano is a man of few words but commands a room with his presence. The whispers about him are conflicting—billionaire, recluse, criminal mastermind. Women throw themselves at his feet, but his cold, detached demeanor makes one thing clear: he doesn’t care about anyone. Yet when Alessia crosses his path, everything changes. What begins as a business arrangement—a desperate woman agreeing to play the role of his date for one night—quickly spirals into something much darker. Luca’s possessiveness knows no bounds, and Alessia finds herself drawn into a world of power, danger, and unrelenting desire. But Luca has secrets as deep as his scars, and his love is anything but gentle. He’s a man consumed by vengeance, his methods ruthless, his emotions raw. Alessia thought she could handle his intensity, but the closer she gets, the more she realizes there’s no escaping him. He doesn’t just want her. He owns her. And as their twisted romance unfolds.

In a bid to assess rare resources, our expedition team ventures into an uninhabited desert, only to be suddenly faced with a heat wave that reaches 158 degrees Fahrenheit. Becoming so dehydrated that I'm close to fainting, I hurriedly open my backpack to dig out the electrolyte drink I prepared beforehand. The bottle is already about to touch my lips when I realize it's half filled with urine. I turn my head, just in time to see my husband's childhood sweetheart guzzling the electrolyte drink. Just as I'm about to lose my temper, my husband yanks on my sleeve. "Don't be mad. I was the one who gave your electrolyte drink to Maddy because she's nearly dehydrated. In the meantime, you'd better just make do and drink this, okay?" By then, black spots are dancing in my vision. Squeezing the bottle of urine, I hiss through gritted teeth, "I'm already dehydrated, but instead of letting me rehydrate quickly, you're telling me to drink this. Are you trying to kill me?" Immediately, a displeased look crosses his face. "Stop talking nonsense. Maddy isn't like you and doesn't train her body every day. She absolutely can't handle such high temperatures. Isn't it only right that she gets the electrolyte drink? "Besides, urine can rehydrate you, too. Why are you still making a fuss at this point?" Realizing that he cannot be reasoned with, I decide to send out a distress signal and seek help before I fully lose consciousness. "Severely dehydrated and near death. Expedition operations suspended. Immediate rescue required. Also reporting the presence of a robber within the team—please contact authorities as soon as possible."

"Why do you always look at me like that?" she whispered. "Because you're unlike anyone I've ever known," Damien replied, his voice low and husky, sending shivers down her spine. "Your presence is like a thorn in my side." Eira scoffed. “You're nothing but trouble, Damien. A brooding vampire with an ego the size of a castle. But you need me. Without me, you’ll be dead.” “I hate that," he admitted. She smirked. "Hate that you need me? So, what is it, Damien? A weakness you'd rather keep in the shadows?" Damien leaned in, his face dangerously close to hers, his gaze dropping to her lips. Eira's breath caught, her shock palpable. "I might need you, Eira, but I don’t want you," he said, his eyes betraying a desire he refused to acknowledge. "Remember that." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, her thoughts in turmoil and her lips tingling with the ghost of an almost-kiss. *** The Silverstone Pack is out for blood, determined to avenge their alpha's brutal murder. All eyes are on Damien, the prime suspect, who now lives in the shadows, focused on survival. His only goal is to stay one step ahead and keep himself well-fed. But everything changes when he encounters a girl who is mysteriously immune to his powers. In her, he finds a glimmer of hope he thought long lost. Eira, heartbroken from a recent breakup, unexpectedly crosses paths with Damien. Her confrontation with him quickly turns into a nightmare when she is taken captive. Damien, desperate and cornered, offers her a chilling deal: help him save himself, or face unimaginable suffering. With little choice, Eira agrees, setting off a chain of events that will forever change the course of her life.