Oranges By Gary Soto

When the hunter falls for the monster, blood isn't the only thing that gets spilled. Damon's life has always been simple—track, kill, repeat. As a ruthless vampire hunter, he's known for his cold precision and his refusal to let emotions cloud his judgment. But everything changes the night he crosses paths with Luciano, a seductive vampire prince with centuries of secrets and a voice that sounds like sin. Luciano should be Damon’s enemy. Instead, he's a temptation wrapped in shadows dangerous, alluring, and far too familiar. Bound by a history neither of them fully understands and a fate that refuses to let them go, the two men are forced into a deadly game of betrayal, loyalty, and longing. But in a world where war brews between light and dark, and the past refuses to stay buried, can a hunter truly love the thing he was born to destroy? Or will Damon and Luciano’s love story end in the same blood-soaked tragedy that birthed it?

My best friend and I were in relationships with the brothers from the Wilson Family, and we both got pregnant at the same time. She flaunted her relationship publicly, making everyone in Junopia know that Rick had left the monastery for her. On the other hand, I kept silent about my relationship with the heir of the Wilson Family. Thus, everyone mistakenly thought I was single. That was until my best friend saw my pregnancy report. In a fit of rage, she rallied a group of friends, stormed into my dorm, and vandalized my room with food waste. "I thought you were my best friend, and here you are, trying to steal my man," she accused. Not only did she live-stream this accusation, trying to paint me as the other woman, but she also spiked my chicken soup, hoping to get rid of my unborn child. In defiance, I poured the contaminated soup over her head. "Just so you know, Rick isn't the only Wilson brother," I retorted. Later, Rayden, the man who controlled Junopia, wrapped his arm around me and declared icily, "I've heard troubling rumors about my wife being called a mistress. We need to talk."

By day, he's Chicago's most powerful billionaire. By night, he's the city's most dangerous protector. Elena Moretti has spent years fighting for the forgotten—rescuing at-risk youth from the violence that claimed her brother's life. She doesn't trust wealth, power, or the men who wield them. So when enigmatic billionaire Dante Salvatore walks into her struggling community center with a check that could change everything, she knows there's a catch. Men like him don't save neighborhoods out of the goodness of their hearts. But Elena doesn't know Dante's secret: by night, he becomes The Sentinel, a masked vigilante dismantling the criminal empire that murdered his sister. As their worlds collide and attraction ignites between them, Elena begins investigating the vigilante whose methods both terrify and fascinate her—never suspecting the man she's falling for and the man she's hunting are one and the same. When a ruthless crime syndicate discovers The Sentinel's identity, Elena becomes the bait in a deadly trap. Dante must risk everything to save her, but when Elena uncovers the truth about the man behind the mask, she's forced to decide: Can she love someone who lives in shadows? And can a man who's spent years seeking vengeance ever truly step into the light? In a pulse-pounding tale of passion, danger, and redemption, two wounded souls discover that the most dangerous risk isn't fighting for justice—it's fighting for love.

She thought she could endure a loveless marriage to repay her family’s debt—but she didn’t count on the cost of her heart. Once the proud daughter of a wealthy businessman, ELENA BRADFORD watched her life crumble when her father’s betrayal left her and her mother drowning in debt. Desperate to protect her family, she reluctantly agreed to a marriage contract with her father’s former business partner’s reckless son, ADRIAN HAWTHORNE—a man who once loved her during their university days but now only mocks her fall from grace. Trapped in a cold marriage filled with scorn and humiliation, Elena finds herself suffocating under the weight of Adrian’s cruelty. But everything changes at a high-profile dinner when she locks eyes with the one person she never thought she’d see again—LUCAS EVERHART, her childhood best friend, who once confessed his love before vanishing from her life. Now a powerful CEO, Lucas is stunned to see the woman he loved trapped in a toxic marriage. Learning of her misery, he vows to free her from the chains of her past—even if it means clashing with Adrian who refuses to let her go. As old feelings reignite and secrets unravel, Elena must decide: will she fight for the love she once believed in, or will her past mistakes keep her from the future she deserves?

Maximilian Loxley is a ruthless billionaire, haunted by his past. Ada Turner is the maid who stepped into his mansion with a secret plan to destroy him. But the closer she gets to his guarded heart, the harder it becomes to untangle revenge from desire. As lies unravel and truths emerge, they’ll have to choose—let their dark secrets consume them or risk everything for the love they never saw coming.

Elena Hart is a genius scientist mired in debt and can't even afford her mother's life-saving surgery. Her rescuer can only be one man: Dominic Blackwood, a ruthless billionaire who doesn't believe in love but needs a wife for some mysterious reason that Elena can't fathom. When he offers to marry her for a relaxed, contractual wedding in exchange for paying off her debts, she signs on. What begins as a bargain slowly becomes something more when both of them begin questioning one another's faith, battling foes, and fighting emotions they had not expected. However, love's journey is not one to be taken lightly. With lies revealed, the foes closing in, and open wounds biting back, they must decide if love can conquer any pact.

After six years with Joel, Lyra landed in the hospital—sick and drained. The day she got discharged, she caught something in the hallway she wasn't supposed to hear. "Joel Fenwick, are you out of your mind? You gave Lyra's bone marrow to Renee without telling her? You knew her health was trash and lied about it being a stomach issue just to make her do it?" Renee. Joel's childhood flame. The girl he never got over. Lyra didn't cry. Didn't freak out. She just picked up the phone, called her parents overseas, and said yes to an arranged marriage with the Windsors.

Trapped in a loveless, tyrannical marriage to ruthless billionaire CEO Damon Cross, Emma Walker endures the whispers of admiration from outsiders, who believe she is the envy of the city. They see her glittering life—the mansions, the diamonds—but none can imagine the cruelty she suffers behind closed doors. Damon treats her as his possession, a mere maid in his palatial home, caged and stripped of dignity. Then, an unexpected event brings Jake Carter, her high school sweetheart, back into her life. Now a powerful entrepreneur, Jake is not only Damon’s business rival but Emma’s last hope for freedom. As Damon’s control tightens, Emma faces an impossible choice. Will she risk everything for a second chance at happiness, or will the chains of her marriage prove unbreakable? As Emma’s journey unfolds, she is plunged into a world of betrayal, suspense, and passion. In this high-stakes love triangle, the lines blur between true love and obsession, freedom and bondage. Can love save the day, or will Emma be bound by her vows forever?

"Dimitri, I am telling you for the last fucking time, leave me the hell alone!" I yelled as the blood pulsed through my veins and my auburn hair rose. "My name isn't even Dimitri." "I really don't care. You've betrayed me and that's it. So Dimitri or whatever-" "I am Ivanovich Popov and I am not leaving you alone neither will I ever leave you alone. So it's either you come with me right now and willingly or I drag that pretty little ass while you kick and squirm. Choose wisely, Ramona." He yelled. I don't know why or how but looking at him now, the sweat running down his defined body, the way his biceps flexed and all, I felt a slight wetness pool at my panties. I clenched my legs tighter and decided to try my luck. "My name isn't Ramona either. That's my undercover name. My real name, my birth name, is Madi."

She was born prematurely and with a twisted spine, she was belittled among everyone in the pack , she was the weakest in the pack.She was a disgrace most of all because she couldn't shift when she was 18 making matters worse for her . On her 26th birthday and on a full moon she shifted and found out the future Alpha was her mate. He was the next Alpha - strong and respected . It was a pairing that could never happen. He would be challenged ,an alpha has to be feared and people ought not to see him as weak.