Oranges By Gary Soto

Then without breaking the kiss his hand slid down, fingers brushing between my thighs with maddening control. He played with me lazily at first, teasing circles around my folds, making my hips jerk. I moaned into his mouth as one finger dipped lower, then retreated, just to torment me. “Azrik…” I gasped. He pulled back only to whisper, “Patience. Or I’ll tie you to this bed and take my time.” The way he said it raw, full of threat and promise, had me clenching around nothing. *** She was supposed to be Beta. She ended up betrayed, branded, and carrying the Lycan King’s mark. When Lunessa's mate-to-be betrays her with her best friend, she’s left humiliated and heartbroken, until a mysterious stranger steps in. One night with him changes everything. Now hunted, pregnant, and hiding in a world that’s forgotten her worth, Lunessa must uncover the truth behind the man who saved her, and the bond that could destroy or save them both. Betrayals run deep, secrets run deeper, and when old flames ignite a war, only one thing is certain, the moon never forgets her chosen.

After getting betrayed by people she thought she could trust, Lyra must now find a way to help her dying brother.

When Eliana lost her job and faced a heap of debt, a lifeline event happened in an unexpected form. A marriage contract with wealth and emotions scarred Geoffrey. Geoffrey's father's life is hanging a string, and the pressure to secure his family legacy is mounting. Eliana, out of options, agrees to the agreement without hesitation, stepping into a world where love is a transaction and trust is a luxury. But their fragile agreement is threatened when Geoffrey's Ex discovers their Union and would stop at nothing to win him back. Will Geoffrey be swayed by his ex's manipulation or will he see the potential to build something genuine with Eliana? Will their reel marriage turn into a real marriage, or will it crumble when the terms expire?

"I will leave the decision in your hands and marry whoever you choose for me but you must be honest and tell her everything about me," "I refuse to marry a man who I do not love and I'm already in love with someone else," Damian, ruthless Mafia lord needs a mother for his children Gianni, sweet medical student needs to save her brother's life. What happened when a medical student save an injured Mafia Lord? What happens when two opposite people paths cross in a form of marriage? Love, anger, hatred, disappointment, misunderstanding, secrets and most of all enemies that lurk in the shadows

Sebuah taruhan membawa Skyla Liora pada sosok Shael Orlaith, pemimpin kelompok Vortexia. Dari sebuah ciuman mereka menjadi pasangan. Namun, saat Skyla berpikir bahwa Shael mencintainya, ia ditampar oleh kenyataan bahwa Shael hanya menganggapnya sebagai pengganti mendiang kekasihnya yang memiliki wajah yang mirip dengannya. Tidak ingin terus dianggap sebagai pengganti, Skyla memilih untuk mengakhiri hubungannya dengan Shael. "Mau taruhan? Aku bisa membunuh seluruh anggota keluargamu jika kau melangkah satu langkah saja keluar dari pintu mansion ini. Ayo uji aku." Shael Orlaieth. Skyla tidak punya pilihan, ia harus bertahan demi orangtuanya. Namun, masihkah Skyla mampu bertahan saat mendiang kekasih Shael yang dianggap sudah tiada ternyata masih hidup dan masuk kembali ke dalam kehidupan Shael?

Summer never imagined her quiet life would be ripped apart by secrets buried in blood. After her mother’s death, she crosses paths with Alexander De Rossi, a ruthless, possessive mafia heir who swears to protect her… even from herself. But when her forgotten past resurfaces, Summer learns the truth, she once pulled the trigger that killed the rival family’s only daughter. Now, the Montalbans are hunting her for revenge… and for her rare, powerful blood. Caught between love, danger, and redemption, Summer must face the world that once destroyed her and the man willing to burn it all just to keep her safe. In the De Rossi world, love isn’t a fairytale. It’s a war.... and she’s the prize.

“He rejected me in front of the entire pack… because she stole my scent.” Nobody wants a rejected Omega. Ayla Riverwinddoesn’t care anymore. She's done waiting for fate. As Northmoon Pack’s healer, she’s content in the shadows—until the day her world burns. Her best friend, ‘Cassia’, uses forbidden scentbinding magic to steal Ayla’s identity and claim her mate—high-ranking Alpha ‘Darius’—as her own. Publicly rejected, shackled in silver, and tortured with wolfsbane, Ayla is cast into a dungeon and marked feral. The rejection was meant to break her. Instead, it awakens something ancient inside her. When she escapes into the Outlands, Ayla meets ‘Rylan Stormblade’—a rogue healer with secrets carved into his skin and knowledge of a lost ritual that may restore her scent... or kill her. But Ayla’s scent is no longer just hers. It burns through the bond realm, ripping through the senses of one wolf in particular—’Kael Valerius’, the Alpha King. His wolf goes feral when her scent touches the wind, but he already has a Luna. Now hunted by Alphas who want her dead, claimed by a King she doesn’t trust, and stalked by a prophecy that says “the next Luna will break the throne or bless it”, Ayla must rise—not as someone’s mate…but as the Luna they tried to erase.

"You want me to be your fake bride?" I repeated, disbelief lacing my voice. Rhys, the eldest triplet, nodded solemnly. "It's the only way to show Lucian that you are not to be underestimated, Morrigan. And the only way you can be able to avenge your best friend." "And what do you get out of this?" I asked suspiciously. Declan stepped forward with a wry smile. "Revenge too, on the Alpha who murdered our father just to become king. And perhaps, in time, a chance to win your heart for real." ****** Morrigan, princess of the demon realm, yearned for freedom from the weight of her royal responsibilities. This yearning leads her to escape to a werewolf pack where she disguises as a wolfless Omega, hoping to find solace away from the demands of her heritage. Instead, she faced cruelty and humiliation. This humiliation was however heightened by Lucian, the Alpha's son—her mate by fate, who publicly rejects her and confesses that he has only seen her as a pawn in a cruel bet. And he makes it worse by demanding she becomes his breeder after he rises to the throne as the Alpha, and murdering her best friend when she resists. Heartbroken and betrayed, she resolved to return to her realm, intent on seeking vengeance for the pain he had caused, especially after the death of her best friend. Before she could depart, Morrigan was approached by three men -Rhys, Declan, and Asher—with an audacious proposition: become their fake bride for a year, and they would help her exact revenge on Lucian. Intrigued by the promise of justice, she agrees, plunging into a contract-to-love relationship that would challenge her resolve and stir unexpected desires.

"I, Ortega Blackwood, daughter of beta Denzel Blackwood, am rejecting you, Killian Fitzgerald, future Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, as my fated mate!" She uttered through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely at her mate as he descended the stairs towards her. His expression twisted into a mask of fury, his eyes blazing with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, his imposing figure cast a shadow over her as she lay on the ground, vulnerable yet defiant. "Do you dare defy me, Ortega? Do you dare reject your fate?" His voice dripped with venom, each word carrying a threat that hung heavily in the air. "You cannot reject me, Ortega. You will be my mate whether you like it or not." ************** Rejecting her mate hadn't been easy. But when Ortega meets the powerful and ruthless Lycan and Mafia Boss, Alfredo Gambino, she finds herself falling in love with him, even though he is the rival and enemy of her rejected mate. And Alfredo also finds himself unwilling to let her go, especially now that her rejected mate wants her back.

“How dare you touch my woman?!” Everyone gasped at Nathaniel’s words. My prosecutors released me and I stood frozen on the spot as I glared at my Savior. The man who I had come to know to be my mate… was in fact the Alpha of my Pack— Alpha Nathaniel Dark wood… ______ Riya is a young orphan mistreated and bullied by her stepmother and step-sister. Things worsen when her stepmother announces that she has been sold to an old merchant to be his bride. In a fit to seize her life, she makes a run for it and runs into her fated mate— Alpha Nathaniel— who saves her from the wicked clutches of her abusive family. Now Riya must prove herself worthy of being the Luna of the pack through trials and deceptions and obstacles set for her by her jealous step-sister and dark witches seeking to destroy the pack. Will Riya succeed in proving herself worthy of being Luna or will her sister and the dark forces defeat her in the end?