Outcast By Lexi Ray

My sister pulled a knife during a robbery attempt, and we got into a brutal fight. My mom, an auxiliary police officer, arrived at the scene but totally ignored my injury. As I lay in a pool of blood, begging for help, she just cradled my sister and yelled at me, "You're so desperate for attention that you'd hurt your sister? How did I raise a heartless monster like you?" She branded me as the aggressor, ignored my pleas, and rushed my sister, who had mere scratches, to the hospital. I was left alone to die miserably in that deserted alley. When the news of my death arrived, my mother dismissed it as another one of my lies, pointing at my body and demanding I get up to apologize to my sister.

“Oh God…” she moaned, arching into him as his lips branded a trail along her collarbone. She fumbled with his buttons, tearing open the last of them. Her hands caressed the expanse of his bare chest, every inch as firm and sculpted as she'd fantasized since that absurd, embarrassing moment he’d walked in on her naked on her very first day in Terra Lucida. His abs twitched beneath her fingers, taut and hot to the touch, like he was barely holding himself back. Elias let out a shuddering breath as his lips grazed her shoulder, trailing slowly down. He pulled the thin straps of her nightdress down, kissing each newly revealed inch of skin. Trapped in a strange world where people ride carriages instead of Ubers. Lyra Beckham is horrified to learn she is the spitting image of a missing (possibly dead) woman named Lirae - who also happens to be the secret lover of a dangerously brooding prince named Elias. But things get messier when Lyra discovers Elias was the main suspect in Lirae's mysterious disappearance. She desperately plans to find a way back to her own earth before she ends up 'missing' too. Elias proposes that Lira pretend to be Lirae long enough for him to uncover what really happened. In return, he will help her find her way back home. Sounds simple right? But then, they had to fake an engagement that was quickly starting to become real. But when they stumble upon the truth, they realise that the only way out... is together.

My in-laws, who have flown back to the country for the Christmas holidays, visit my home on Christmas Eve for dinner. But Selena Collins, the housekeeper, has only prepared two plates of cold shrimp ravioli despite the fact that I've specifically reminded her about my mother-in-law, Lora Fischer's allergy to shrimps. Selena just tells me in a stoic manner, "Mrs. Peterson, I know that you country bumpkins love taking advantage of everything. So, I completely understand that your parents want to mooch off a meal from the Peterson family during the holidays. "But as Mr. Peterson's most caring housekeeper, I have the right to protect the Petersons' assets from getting leeched by outsiders. Yes, this includes a regular meal. "Then again, I have a heart of gold, you see. I won't starve the elders at all. These are leftover shrimp ravioli from last year. Your parents should hurry up and leave after polishing the ravioli off. "Mr. Peterson is very busy with his work. I can't let him deal with your impoverished parents after getting home from a stressful day at work." I'm stunned at first, but I soon realize that Selena has mistaken my in-laws for my parents. She's purposefully causing me trouble as always. I'm about to explain the truth to Selena when I see my enraged in-laws turning to leave. But Selena wastes no time in calling the bodyguards over to stop them. "I completely understand that country bumpkins like you two have poor character, but wasting food is a really bad trait. "Since the shrimp ravioli is already prepared for you, please finish them all before leaving."

"I am your Alpha," Liard growled, his body pressing dangerously close to hers. "You will not run from me." Helena’s breath hitched, her fingers trembling as they gripped the edge of the infirmary table. "You made a vow," she whispered, voice laced with fury and longing. "No mates. No love. Or have you already forgotten?" His jaw clenched, but his hands found her waist, heat radiating between them. "I tried to forget. I tried to fight it. But every time I close my eyes, I see you. I feel you." His voice dropped lower, a rough, desperate plea. "Damn it, Helena. You were never supposed to be mine." Helena shoved against his chest, her own emotions warring within her. "And I was never supposed to love you, Liard. But fate is cruel." She turned away, biting down the pain in her voice. "Do you know what they’ll do to me if they find out? Do you know what Rhider will do?" Liard’s grip on her tightened. "I don’t care." His breath ghosted against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "Let them try to take you from me. I will burn this world before I ever let you go." ********* For years, Alpha Liard Stormbane has ruled with a heart of ice, swearing never to take a mate, never to fall into the same weakness that destroyed his father. But when he is gravely injured and taken to the pack infirmary, fate shatters his control—his mate is none other than Helena, the pack’s healer…and his Beta’s mother.

Liana Hart gave everything to her marriage—her youth, her heart, and ultimately, her child. But when she went into labor, her husband Damien Cross walked out, choosing his career over their growing family. Alone and rejected, Liana rebuilt her life brick by brick, raising her daughter, Emma, without a penny of support or a whisper of regret. Four years later, Damien returns with a glamorous fiancée and an eye on the daughter he left behind. Desperate and cornered, Liana accepts an offer from Ethan Wolfe, Damien’s enigmatic billionaire boss: a marriage of convenience in exchange for protection, power—and the resources to fight for her daughter. But Ethan has his own secrets. He’s been watching Liana for years. And when Damien begins a legal war for custody, the lines between arrangement and obsession blur. As Ethan and Liana pretend to be husband and wife, desire erupts, loyalty is tested, and buried truths surface. What Damien didn’t know is that he was never the one meant to have Liana’s heart—or her child.

“Sir, the new student got into trouble in class ! They asked you to come !” I pulled a long face while my Lycan gritted out in my mind. “That’s our mate, punk !” Ever had the shock of your life that the man you hate the most on the first day of college is your foxy hot, male professor and surprise, surprise, surprise- your roommate too ?! Add to it that he does NOT belong to the human world ! Amidst bitter pasts and complicated relationships is the added fear of the Dark Overlord, who is hell-bent on destroying the entire supernatural world as well as the human world. Will the roommates get their act together and finally be one with one another ? Will human laws allow the student-teacher relationship to bloom into a satisfying romance ? Will the last surviving Lycan in the human world be able to avenge the death of its pure blood Lycan pack ? And finally, will the Lycan race survive at all?

"You're going to take it, aren't you, little lamb?" Dominic's voice is low, teasing, dark. A hand grips my throat, just enough to make me gasp, make my pulse hammer beneath his fingertips. I whimper as Dominic's fingers slide between my thighs, teasing, parting, finding me already soaked. "Fuck," he groans, rubbing slow, torturous circles over my clit. "She's dripping. You feel that, Ash?" My body trembles, caught between pleasure so intense it borders on pain. "Cum for us, little lamb," Dominic commands. **** Caught between two brothers... One my best friend, the other my deepest desire. Dominic was everything I dreamed of-hot, charming, and completely unattainable. Especially with a girl like Cassie already by his side. Then there was Ashton-my childhood best friend, my safe haven, the one who had always been there. But one reckless dare changed everything. The night I was dared to kiss the Alpha, marks the beginning of my ruin. And just when I thought things couldn't get more complicated, Ashton confessed his feelings for me. Now, I'm trapped between two brothers-one who's always been my heart, and one who might just break it. How do you choose between love and desire when both could destroy you?

At her own engagement party, Cassie Reeves is humiliated in front of the elite when her fiancé chooses her best friend instead, turning her heartbreak into a public spectacle. But before the whispers can settle, his brother makes an offer. Dominic Hale has always lived in the shadow of the perfect heir, dismissed as reckless and underestimated by everyone who matters. Marrying Cassie is supposed to be a strategic move to secure power, restore his place in the family, and take everything his brother never thought he could. For Cassie, it’s simple. Revenge, reputation, and a chance to rewrite the narrative. Six months, one contract, no feelings. But the man she thought was a mistake becomes her strongest ally, her safest place, and the one person who sees her clearly. As more secrets unfold and betrayal cuts deeper than expected, Cassie realizes this was never just a game. The most dangerous move wasn’t marrying her ex’s brother. It was falling for him.

On the very morning Kari was meant to become Luna, she is publicly rejected by her fated mate. Humiliated and then replaced by her stepsister. She’s cast out from the pack with nothing but a broken heart and mate bond, but she must rise from the heartbreak and into the arms of the man she least expected. Her second chance mate, none other than the lifelong enemy of her first mate, just when she thought it was all over; The Alpha who broke her now wants her back, her sister who betrayed her wants her dead. But Kari must now choose, the mate who rejected her or the one who would burn down the world to keep her safe. Because this time she won’t be the one to beg but make them regret ever letting her go.

The night before our 17th wedding attempt, my mafia husband, Rafaeal Holloway, looks at me and promises an uninterrupted wedding. He solemnly swears. "Gianna, I promise you. I told Natalia that even if the sky falls, she'll deal with it alone." I am five months pregnant by then. After three years of dating and five months carrying his child, we've never managed to make it down the aisle because he's canceled the past 16 weddings. Every single time, it's for his sworn sister, Natalia Sullivan. The first time, she claims she has a fever. I spend the whole night at the hospital, still in my wedding dress, just to find out she has a mild cold. The second time, she claims her chest hurts. Rafael abandons me mid-wedding and rushes to her side, while she's out laughing over afternoon tea with friends. The third time, she cries for fear of thunder. He bolts mid-vows and leaves me alone in a hall full of staring guests. But everything's different now. Three days ago, a letter arrived from Northern Silenzio. My father, the Don of the Rossetti family, has finally summoned me home. If Rafael walks away for Natalia one more time, I'll leave for good.