One Piece Dark Fruit

I came into this world like a queen ascending her throne, flanked by three fierce guardians sworn to defend my reign. My husband is the best lawyer in Ardenfield. Though he's unbeatable in court, he doesn't dare stand up to me when I scold him at home. My childhood sweetheart leads the criminal investigation team and is a genius at solving cases. He even vows to eliminate any threat that surrounds me. Meanwhile, my adoptive brother is a rising star in the business world. Having inherited the Joplin family's business empire at an early age, he spends money on me without hesitation. Today marks both my seventh wedding anniversary and my birthday. I spend the entire day waiting for them at a rooftop restaurant, clutching a pregnancy test report in my hands. But instead of basking in celebration, I receive the heartbreaking news that my five-year-old daughter has drowned. To make matters worse, my husband decides to defend the culprit in court. When I cry out in agony, my childhood sweetheart puts me in handcuffs. My adoptive brother even goes to the extreme of reclaiming everything he has ever given me. "Louise, it was just an unfortunate accident between two children. Will you let Violet's son go now?"

One night was supposed to be enough. Damien Vale never does repeats. The cold-hearted CEO takes what he wants and leaves before sunrise. But when he spends one explosive night with the sharp-tongued bartender who calls him on his bullshit, the rules shatter. Now Damien shows up at the bar every single night at the same time. No explanation. No promises. Just raw, filthy need that neither of them can quit. Kai swore he’d never fall for another rich man who treats him like a dirty secret. Yet every night he finds himself waiting, aching, letting Damien push him further than he’s ever gone. One night became every night. And soon, neither of them will be able to pretend it’s still just sex.

"Don't make me do this, Iris." The muscles in his arms tensed a kilowatt as he clenched his fists into a tight ball. I could feel the primal strength they exuded, and the slutty urge to be subdued roughly by them simmered between the cream of my lower lips. I slammed my lips roughly against his, drawing in a long noisy kiss to make his shaft budge against my lower abdomen. "Show no mercy." Iris Sawyer was forced to navigate her path through a supernatural world of angst and brute force. Stuck between a protracted pack war, she soon realized her survival depended on the side she took, or to use correctly, the kiss she accepted. In her quest to find an escape from the emotional turmoil of losing her parents at a tender age, she met Gustav, the Alpha from the Grey Moon Pack, who was mated to her by the Moon Goddess. Hell was a mild euphemism to describe the horror she met at the Grey Moon Pack. But as fate would redirect her steps, she met with the charming Lycan king from Crescent pack, Ludovic, Gustav's worst enemy. Gustav and Ludovic happen to be caught in a dark web of hatred for each other, and Iris was beginning to be another bone of contention between them. Will Iris be able to follow her heart and roost where it feels more secure? Will she be able to stand strong as she finds answers to all the questions plaguing her mind? Will love prevail in the end, or will blood settle the score?

She paints beauty. He sees obsession. Crystal Morgan,a young lady who majored in art with a rising reputation, though her talent would open doors– gallery showcases or even peace. But when unsettling messages begin to appear, her recent pictures – Crystal realizes someone has been watching her. Someone who knows too much. As her world turns darker with each brush stroke,the line between admiration and fixation blurs. And the masterpiece he's obsessed with ….is her.

Raven has lived in the human world all her life as Nora—until strange changes began to appear after losing the one person she loves forcing her to question everything: who she is, her purpose, and whether she’s even human as she’s always been told. Then came the invitation—offering answers, a new name, and a destiny she never imagined. Damian has been trained his whole life to become the next Alpha. Leadership should be his—not some lost girl’s. A woman can’t, shouldn’t lead. Yet now he’s forced to train her, to guide the very person who threatens to take everything he’s worked for. But the more time he spends with her, the more uncertain he becomes—about his duty, his pride, and the truth of what leadership truly is.

"Do you know who I am now?" "Yes" I breathed "You're the Alpha of the Crimson Claw pack" "That's the first half of who I am. What's the second half, Harvey?" "I....I don't know. I don't understand" "I'm not only the Alpha of the Crimson Claw pack, I'm your mate. Your MATE, Harvey" he hissed, putting emphasis on the word 'mate' "Do you understand what that means?" he continued "It means you belong to me. You're mine, Harvey. You'll obey me and do as I say. You'll stop fighting the mate bond and accept me" ********** In a world where witches, werewolves and other creatures exist; Harvey is blessed with the gift of being able to see glimpses of the future through dreams. She believes she has already identified her mate as Zach - the sweet and caring second son of the Alpha of her pack who also happens to be her boyfriend. So she is in for the shock of her life when the Alpha of the largest and most feared pack in the state turns up on her 18th birthday and makes her heart race in a way only one's mate can. Now Harvey has to accept the fact that she is not going to be just a regular girl mated to a Beta male but the Luna of the most formidable pack and the mate of the devilishly handsome and mysterious Alpha Greyson. Add to that the fact a vengeful rogue she-wolf with a personal vendetta against Alpha Greyson and anyone he cherishes is out for her head on a platter and will do whatever it takes to get it...... like putting together an abominable pack of rogue wolves. How would Harvey be able to handle becoming a Luna with the possibility of war looming?

Rejected. Broken. Worthless. Jane thought the worst part of being rejected by her mate would be the heartbreak. She was wrong. When her own father—the pack’s respected Beta—stands before everyone and calls her a mistake, her world shatters. The man who should have protected her becomes the one who crushes her, branding her a stain on their family and wishing she had never been born. “You’re nothing but trash. A stain on this family.” Alone, humiliated, and stripped of her identity, Jane is left with an impossible choice: endure a life of rejection… or escape into the unknown and risk everything for a chance at freedom. When the people who were supposed to love you most become your greatest enemies— How do you survive? And how do you rise?

Soulmates. Everyone, between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, would have the names of their soulmates appear on their left or right wrist in a light grey ink that turned red when you meet them. Should your soulmates die then their name would turn white. *** *** Luca stood staring down at the water below him as he stood on the thick cement railing of the bridge. Looking down at his wrists he traced the names Williams Roswell and Jedidiah Roswell, the names of his soulmates who he had yet to meet. “I’m sorry,” He sobbed. “I can’t do it anymore. You both will be better off without me, you don’t need me… I’m nothing…”. “Goodbye.” He dropped his hands to his sides and took a deep breath then jumped in.

Ernest West left the courtroom with wings on his feet. Leaving Don James was, in Ernest's opinion, the best thing he had ever done for himself. No more tense silences. No more Don's silent, smothering adoration. Ernest had been released. Three years have passed since then. Now, what once was the best choice has turned into a noose around their necks. There is a sinister provision buried within the small print of the divorce papers that Ernest's attorney overlooked; they are obligated to live together and manage the small beach hotel that they used to own as a couple for an entire year. Thus, Ernest finds himself back amid the groaning wooden boards and salty panes of glass within the walls of where their love once withered away. However, Don is no longer the same weak and longing man that Ernest abandoned. He now stands as an intimidating pillar of cold indifference, forged by the stony resolve and lack of concern. Not even a passing glance comes from Don’s green eyes, which regard Ernest with only polite reserve. A year of closeness. A year of unresolved tension. A year of dealing with each and every lie that Ernest tried to bury beneath "irreconcilable differences." In the beginning, the plan is a silent battle—appointments stuck to the fridge, dinners taken in different corners of the house. Yet, there’s something about closeness that reveals the whole truth. Ernest discovers the picture albums that Don never discarded. He listens to telephone conversations in the dead of night that reveal the loneliness he feels himself. And gradually, painfully, he discovers that the greatest error made wasn’t the separation. It was letting Don leave.

With her father's design company bankrupt and her mother's medical bills crushing her, Elara Quinn had 72 hours before she loses everything. Then Lucien Blackwood walks into her office with an insane offer: marry him for one year, get paid $3 million and save everything. The catch? A contract. Lucien needed a wife to secure his inheritance after his grandfather's will trapped him with a deadline to get married before the age of thirty three. He needs someone who would marry him. Someone desperate enough to follow the contract but proud enough to make it believable. Someone he could never actually fall for. Elara needed money while Lucien needed a wife. It was supposed to be clean and transactional. Until it wasn't. Denying their bond could cost them their happiness. Admitting it could cost them everything else. Can love rewrite a marriage built on rules? What happens when the cursed clause becomes the only truth that matters?