Oranges By Gary Soto

He was there during her healing phase, he helped her to heal the pain inside her, pain caused by her own family. But now, she's more broken than she was before, knowing that the one who healed here, also hurts her. The feeling if emptiness and drained. Mind's full untold thoughts while unfamiliar voices keep shouting inside her head. Shouting about not being worthy enough to receive someone's care and love. That she achieve nothing make someone proud of her and her efforts. Thinking that no one can love her the way she wanted to be love. Now that she doesn't want that love and attention anymore. All she want now is to live with peace. She want to live her life without dealing anything but peace, where all she wanted to feel within the day is peace, and where can she peacefully sleep at night without facing the ceiling for an hour. But behind her walking unto peace, there's something from her past pulling her back. Past where she's running away before until then. But how can she run away from the past when the past already got her back?

Amara Hale is a broken soul with an even more broken past. When she moves to Chicago, she hopes to finally forget what she left behind. Upon her arrival, she meets Lucian Moretti, a mafia boss who knows more about her than she thinks. Soon, the two struggle with constant battles of sexual frustration and indecisiveness. What will happen? Will Lucian admit his feelings? Does Amara escape her past?

Amy is a nobody at school--a nerd. Derek is a now distant friend turned popular badboy. What happens when the badboy falls for the unknown nerd? What will this journey of two unlikely people bring? Find out in this story, Ill Met By Moonlight.

Astrid, a strong-willed and determined young woman, is forced to return to her pack after a decade away. She has encountered animosity and bitterness, especially from her father, the alpha of the pack. Astrid has a hard time adjusting to her new life in the pack. She meets Kaidën, a mysterious and brooding person who seems to be hiding secrets, and she gets to see her childhood friend Evelyn again. Kaidën's mate, Xylara, is presented as a stunning but ruthless and cunning person. Under the full moon, Astrid and Kaidën have a tense but fascinating encounter. Astrid starts to suspect Kaidën is involved in the weird happenings in the pack. Astrid is left feeling shaken by her encounter with Kaidën. She meets Alpha Eric, her arranged mate, and is repulsed by his behavior. When Kaidën steps in, Astrid is drawn to him. Xylara's hostility toward Astrid becomes more and more obvious. When Xylara tries to suffocate her while she is sleeping, Astrid learns of her true motivations. Astrid also finds Lucas, a pack member, tied up and gagged. Astrid is warned to keep away by Kaidën, who is attempting to shield her from himself. Xylara's evil character is further revealed as Astrid starts to solve the pack's mysteries.

Lanaya lost her parents in a horrific car accident when she was a baby, tennis stars sent her to live with them as a kind of repayment. It took fifteen years of cruelty and neglect before she was ultimately saved by a guy more dangerous than her foster parents on the night of her 18th birthday. His place in the Marchetti line of succession means he has little time for women, let alone women who faint when they see trouble. When he wants something, he does whatever it takes to get it, and if people have to die in the process, what? Why is his touch so kind when he's with a certain abused princess, a buddy of violence and death? In the wake of her rescue, Lanaya is eager to begin a new life, but owing to the Mafia is a significant undertaking. The Underboss seemed to be interested in her as well. Secrets, deception, and death taint their relationship. She may not be able to tolerate finding out the truth about her parents' accident or lack soon. Despite this, Salvetti and Lanaya's unusual sentiments blossom, and she's determined to battle for happiness by letting them grow. A difficult one, including a great deal of suffering, healing, and even some violence.

Somewhere around the middle of the night, all the lights of the house were off. His eyes colour changed to red, they dilated. His canines got longer and sharper. His fingers grew longer. "What's wrong with you, Damien?" Elsie stood rooted to the ground, unsure of whether to ran out of fear or to go to him out of worry. Sweat dripped from his forehead, the veins on his forehead bulged, he closed his eyes shut. He looked like he was trying to fight something back. " Leave" Damien muttered in between clenched teeth. He turned away from Elsie and backed her. "Are you okay?" "I said leave!!!" Damien turned back to her and yelled. Elsie trembled in horror. Damien looked like a completely different person. The features of his face had change into a horrific one. Elsie took to her heels and fled. Here is the story of the journey of Damien, a vampire and Elsie, a human.

Living alone in the forest; away from the kingdom where a ruthless king was wrecking havoc, Frore was at peace. When one day, an injured Greek-God handsome man knocked at her small door and turned her world upside down. Being close and alone with a man like him was a little...difficult than she originally thought as he was hellbound on seducing her and show her the new world of LOVE and LUST. His touch that ignited fire throughout her frozen veins and his intense stares that made her clench her thighs together with an unfamiliar feeling, drove her to near insanity. What naive Frore failed to understand was, nothing happens without a reason in this world and his reason of invading her personal space and heart might be something she would have never even imagined.

Underestimated her whole life, Lucy had a lot to prove. When her grandmother passed away, she was given a gift that will be her opportunity to give everyone the middle finger. And what she promises, she will do anything to fulfill. But that very gift turned into a curse when it became an object of desire by many, especially to Vincentio, a man who had something to prove as well. And what he desires he most certainly gets. When the fine line between passion and obsession gets blurry, will both of them get what they want in the end? Or will they both crash and burn by their own doing?

Ten years ago, Daryl was brutally attacked and left for dead. Now, he wakes from a coma to find a world that moved on without him. The biggest blow? Emma—his mate and the love of his life—is no longer his. She’s bonded to his best friend and Beta, and together they’re raising a son. Haunted by memories of what they once shared, Daryl is torn between reclaiming his rightful place and accepting the painful truth. But the mate bond doesn’t just disappear—and neither do old feelings. As Daryl struggles to adapt to a pack that’s changed, the connection between him and Emma reignites, threatening the fragile peace she’s built. Emma thought she’d lost Daryl forever. In his absence, she did what she had to do—grieve, survive, and find love again. But with Daryl’s return, long-buried emotions rise to the surface. Her heart is divided between loyalty to the mate who stood by her during the darkest days… and the one she never stopped loving. As tensions mount and bonds are tested, the past and present collide in a battle of love, fate, and honor. Will Emma choose the life she’s built—or the mate fate once promised her?

BLURB: After losing her home and family, Joan Crawford was forced to serve as a maid to the Alpha king. On the day the Alpha king had called for a ceremony for all alphas, that was the same day Joan is to turn eighteen. Alpha Rex discovers that Joan, his maid, was his true mate. He despised her, made her do things that made her cry and despite how much he tries to reject her, he couldn't because of his dying mother who has longed to see her daughter-in-law. After the one night stand with her mate, Joan realizes she can't withstand her mate's hatred for her, she has to leave. What happens when she runs? Will Alpha Rex be able to withstand the distance between his mate?