Painted Scars Neva Altaj

She was his fated mate-until he cast her aside. Marked by rejection and left to pick up the shattered pieces of her heart, she swore she would never let herself be broken again. But fate is relentless, and when a second chance mate steps into her path, she faces a choice: risk her heart once more or guard it behind the walls she built to survive. Yet love is not the only battle she must fight. The rogues are rising, their threat creeping closer like a storm on the horizon. War is inevitable, and with it comes the ghosts of the past-secrets buried, betrayals unmasked, and a reckoning that could tear everything apart. As the lines between love and loyalty blur, she must find the strength to face her enemies and herself. Will she embrace the future waiting for her, or will the scars of the past hold her back when it matters most? The heart can heal, but only if she dares to let it.

When Juniper Shay was 12 years old, rogues from the Rogue Lands attacked the Cross River Pack, seeking to destabilize the monarchy once again and to take care of a little hybrid girl that would have powers that could devastate their cause. A rogue caught Juniper, and the scars and the new sound of her voice made her an easy target for bullying, however; the future Alpha King, Euan O’Connor, wouldn’t have it. Now, they are both of age and are excited at the possibility of being mates. The leaders of the sleuths, prides, and packs in the Rogue Lands are ready to take over the kingdom of Màni and destroy the little hybrid girl. They learned their lesson from watching the way the dark Fae and spell casters were defeated when they started their “war” on Eferhile. They won't make the same mistakes. Will they be able to outsmart the Royal family and their loyal subjects? Will Juniper get her revenge on the rogue who silenced her?

I've taken three knife blows and a bullet for Isabella Thornton. I'm one of the top bodyguards in the business. My younger brother always trails behind her, cracking jokes. He's nothing more than a tagalong. I've always believed my loyalty and scars are all she has to feel safe. Then, the unthinkable happens—the three of us are kidnapped, and the kidnappers say only two of us can walk free. Isabella doesn't hesitate. She looks me straight in the eye and says, "You stay. My dad will give your family double the compensation. But Jasper has to come with me." Jasper Meyer is my younger brother. That's when I realize that his daily little gestures and playful teasing have already won her heart. Now reborn, I find myself back on the day the Thornton family is selecting their bodyguards.

Zeva’s life shattered the night her mate, Alpha Darian of the East, rejected her in front of his pack. Cast aside as unworthy and stripped of her future, the Omega was bartered away like a pawn, her fate sealed in a cruel bargain. Now, she belongs to Aric Veylor—the ruthless Alpha of the North. Cold as the frozen lands he rules, Aric has no use for weak Omegas except as breeders, and Zeva, being his first, is delivered to his pack as nothing more than his breeder bride. But Zeva refuses to break quietly. Beneath her scars lies a strength he never expected, and her defiance sparks dangerous consequences in a world already divided by power, betrayal, and blood. When an Omega is traded into the arms of the most feared Alpha alive, will she survive as his breeder bride… or will her defiance ignite a storm that could consume them both?

Everyone in Eimport knew Ethan as a ruthless tycoon. Yet this same man humbly loved me. When his enemies kidnapped me for revenge, he charged bare-handed into an inferno so fierce even firefighters hesitated. I was unconscious but unscathed, while Ethan's right arm bore grotesque burns that would never fully heal. Unbothered, he even declared to the world that these scars were proof of our love. I was touched and browsed positions for couples online while he worked late. But everything shattered when I stumbled onto a video. The man's face was blurred, but the scar snaking up his wrist was unmistakable. The woman trapped in his gilded cage bore a striking resemblance to me. My heart hammered, torn between terror and devastation. That very night, I decided to leave and not ever see him again.

Six years ago, Kaye Muani lost everything when fire consumed her pack and painted her father as a monster. Now she is a ghost, running from a world that wants her dead for crimes she did not commit. She has survived by staying invisible, never shifting, never connecting, never hoping for anything more than another day of freedom. Until Blackwater enforcers drag her across state lines and throw her at the feet of Ethan Rivers, the Alpha who has spent six years building an empire on rage and revenge. He should kill her. She is the daughter of the man he believes murdered his family. But when the mate bond snaps into place between them, everything changes. Ethan refuses to claim her and refuses to let her go. Instead, he makes her a prisoner in his packhouse, a servant watched by wolves who hate her, a constant reminder of everything he lost. The bond grows stronger every day, pulling them together even as betrayal and secrets threaten to tear them apart. But the fires that destroyed their packs six years ago were not what anyone believed. The truth is darker, more twisted, and hiding inside the very walls of the Blackwater Pack. Wolves are disappearing. Bodies are turning up with liquefied organs. And someone Ethan trusts is working for a monster who has been experimenting on wolves for decades, turning them into weapons. When the memorial ceremony becomes a bloodbath and every lie is exposed, Kaye and Ethan must choose between the hatred that has defined them or the bond that could save them. But the enemy is always three steps ahead, and the cost of survival might be more than either of them can pay.

This isn't a love story, but almost a love story. Irina and Eric share a world through dreams and time travel. They have a strong mutual understanding about the feelings they have for each other, at the same time understanding that they cannot be together. Eric: I open my eyes and find myself standing alone in an empty room. The ceilings and the walls are neatly painted white. And the floor is composed of polished light brown wood. And there is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light comes from. A bright yellow and pale red orange light tells me the sun is setting and soon it will be dark. Eric is a ghost who always appears in Irina's dream. Irina: I open the door to the bedroom. There is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light is coming from. The yellow orange light passes through the open window. I see Eric standing right there on the spot captured by the yellow light. ‘You came back.’ I said. He stood there looking me in the eye. I almost died. Irina is a time traveler who may or may not change his fate. They alternatively tell a bitter sweet story. Love doesn't always mean together, sometimes it is deeper apart. Eric: I stand alone in the rain looking at the dark sky where all I can see is water, for it is both the rain and my tears flowing to my face. Irina: And suddenly it is no longer my reflection I see inside the mirror. What I see now is a figure of a man. I draw closer to see him clearly. But the closer I walk towards him, the farther I become from him. I couldn't get close.

After falling for the hottest guy in Elitis High, Ava thought her dreams had come true—until a leaked sex tape turned her world into a nightmare. Betrayed, humiliated, and left with the scars of public shame, she’s crushed to discover that Chris—the very boy she gave her heart to—was behind it all. When he comes crawling back, Ava forgives him… but that decision costs her everything. Dumped, disgraced, and abandoned once more, Ava is forced to live with a stigma no girl her age should carry. But Ava isn’t done yet. As she begins to rebuild her shattered self, a shocking truth surfaces—one that will change everything. This time, she’s not just fighting back—she’s coming out better and Chris will beg at her feet!

Emma has always excelled at everything—except love. Betrayed by the two people she trusted most, her heart shatters in an instant, leaving her questioning everything she believed about loyalty, trust, and happiness. When an unexpected opportunity lands in her inbox—a prestigious internship in Paris—Emma sees a chance to escape the heartbreak and start anew. But leaving behind everything familiar is never easy. As she steps into the romantic streets of the city, she discovers that love can be as unpredictable as it is irresistible. Between stolen glances under the Eiffel Tower, the pulse of the city at night, and a mysterious stranger who challenges everything she thought she knew about love, Emma must decide if she’s ready to trust her heart again… or if some scars are too deep to heal. Some hearts must break before they can soar.

He has made it crystal clear that I’m not to call him ‘boss’ except on certain occasions, like right now, when his dominating gaze carries a hint of playfulness. I can’t help but smile every time he gets like this, all lovey-dovey, but when he whispers in my ears asking me to go on an adventure with him, it is like an invitation to a forbidden feast and the thought sends a shiver down my spine which unlike you would think, is almost painful. Maybe this is because I have been on an adventure with him for as far as I want to recollect. My memories, if you peeked inside, would be overflowing with every moment with him, each one a brushstroke painted with his boldness and my, well, let’s call it a touch of recklessness. I now wear a souvenir, a mark etched onto my soul. It’s like a silent agreement, a reminder that our fates are tangled, intertwined like climbing vines. He’s the puppet master, my very own Mr. Strings, and every twist and turn of his whims gets woven into the fabric of my being. Maybe you find that hard to believe, like something out of a fairytale. But trust me, my darling, as I unravel the threads of our adventure, one by one, you’ll understand. With each turn and twist, you’ll find yourself hooked, a willing captive in the captivating narrative of our lives, possibly harnessed in the labyrinth of our love, where danger dances with delight, and fate is etched in the footprints of a love like no other. So buckle up, dear reader, for this isn’t a mere tale, it’s a thrill ride, a love song made of equal parts fear and freedom.