Painted Scars Neva Altaj

He wants revenge, but he found a reason to protect. She was supposed to be his pawn… but she became his weakness, his obsession, his everything. Akiko Eloise has known nothing but pain. Abandoned by her parents, scarred by violence, and secretly battling leukemia, she has long accepted that her life is a slow countdown with no happy ending. But when she’s taken prisoner by Glen Xander McKenzie—a ruthless Mafia boss out for revenge on her family—her fate takes a sharp, terrifying turn. Glen is cold, calculated, and dangerous… but something about that girl began to stir something in him. Something dangerously close to feeling. And the more he learns about Akiko—her strength, her scars, her fading time—the harder it becomes to let her go. Will it change him—or destroy them both?

Ayla has always been told by her mother that she should be different, not just because she is very unfeminine, or because her ways of acting and speaking are, as we might say; unrestrained and unfiltered; goes beyond the personality she imposed years ago. Marin went through a lot of things a little girl shouldn't, like seeing her father executed in the middle of a public square. Since that time Ayla has closed herself off from the world by setting standards for herself, putting walls in her heart and for love. For fear of losing someone she loves again, however, when being enlisted for a mind-blowing dispute where a royal position will be at the end as a prize, the girl sees herself accepting new challenges, and also finding love in a prince who shows so many scars like her.

Isabel (Izzy) is a slave in the Red Moon Pack. Orphaned in a rogue attack at the age of five, she was forced into a life of slavery and abuse by the Alpha and Luna. When her pack hosts a ball, Izzy finds that Beta Joshua is her mate, and she runs and hides for fear of rejection. When Beta Joshua spots her serving breakfast the following morning, a fight breaks out because the Luna doesn't want her leaving the pack. Will a war break out between the two packs? Will Izzy be able to show Beta Joshua her scars, both physical and emotional, and let the mate bond heal her? Will they be able to live a happy life without Izzy being afraid? Follow the story of the saying that will carry through many generations after them: "It's that damn mate bond."

Aria Thorne was born into a pack that treated her like dirt beneath their paws. Born as a StillBlood, she was mocked, beaten, and branded "broken." Her only chance at escape? A forced marriage to a fallen Alpha whose scars ran deeper than flesh. Lucien Vine was once a man of legend. A ruthless warrior. A king among Alphas. Now he’s a shadow, crippled and discarded by the very pack he once led and bled for. Lucien saw nothing but another chain when the new alpha forced him to wed a StillBlood. She was nothing more than one more curse. However, fate has a perverse sense of humor. Because the Broken Luna possesses a hidden ability that she is unaware of, and the only person who might be able to awaken it is the Crippled Alpha. Will they ruin one another? Or rise together and set the world on fire?

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.

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.

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.

Anniversaries were meant to celebrate marriage milestones--- not mayhem wrapped in diamond rings. Too late --------------------- On the night of her wedding anniversary, Laura DeVille's world shattered beyond repair. Betrayed by the man she loved, the angel in her died that night, giving rise to a woman forged of scars and revenge. Worse, she's still pregnant for the man who ruined her. Enters Kaida Crawford: sin in a tuxedo, a man with a ruthless past who offers her a contract marriage, a second chance. But fate has other plans. Her ex-husband, Aaron Kai, returns, his silver eyes blazing with obsession. "I'm your's to break, to bleed, and to kill... But first, tell me he's my son." Trapped between an obsessive past and a possessive future, Laura must choose: The devil who ruined her or the angel pulling her to his dark heavens.

She was his fated mate — until he cast her aside. Betrayed, rejected, and banished from her pack, Aurelia vanished into the shadows, carrying a secret that could change everything: she was pregnant with the Alpha’s children. Now, years later, she lives a life of quiet suffering in a rival pack, forced into servitude by a cruel Alpha who wants more than just her obedience. But Aurelia isn’t the same broken Luna who walked away. She’s a mother, a survivor, and a wolf with fire in her blood. When Silas crosses her path again and learns the truth, he realizes the cost of his mistake. But winning her back won’t be easy — not when the scars run deep, and enemies are closing in from all sides. Can Silas earn her forgiveness before it's too late... or has Aurelia already learned to live without her mate?

Tara Lodge isn't who she used to be. Once the picture-perfect daughter of a powerful Chicago senator, now a runaway hiding her identity and the scars from her past. After a night that nearly cost Tara her life, she vanished into a quiet Nevada town, determined never to be found. Until she met the Finch brothers. Jason is wild, and impossible to resist. A one night-stand with him left her breathless...and wanting more. Jeremiah is steady, intense and wickedly charming, slowly pulling her into his abyss. It doesn't help when she starts working as his assistant, and the flames grow fiercer. Torn between two brothers who both want her, Tara is stuck between passion and protection. But her past is catching up. And she'll have to fight to keep the life and love she has finally dared to build.