Playing The Game Quotes

Seventeen-year-old Elara Ward has spent her life being forgotten and shuffled between foster homes and small towns that never remembered her once she’s gone. But the dying town of Willowmere is different. The air hums with whispers, the lake no longer reflects the moon, and something ancient is stirring beneath the willows. When Elara follows a strange light into the woods one blood-red night, she crosses the veil and a boundary between the human world and the Lumenwild, a realm of living moonlight and haunted shadows. There, she’s marked by an ancient power known as Moonfire, a symbol burned into her skin that pulses with the rhythm of the twin moons above. Saved by four mysterious men who are named Cael, their golden-eyed Alpha; Kian, the lightning-tongued rogue; Auren, the silent watcher; and Nyx, the shadow who walks between worlds and Elara learns that her arrival has reignited a prophecy buried in legend. The Riftborn, creatures of bone and smoke, are returning, and the mark she bears is both a weapon and a curse. In the heart of the Lumenwild’s glowing forest lies the Sanctum, a stronghold where wolves walk in light and the Moon’s will is law. There, Elara begins to uncover the truth, her crossing was no accident. The veil didn’t just let her in but it had called her home. As the moons draw closer and the bond between Elara and the wolves deepens, she must choose whether to embrace the power that could heal a broken world… or unleash the one that could end it. Because the Moon is awake again and she remembers her chosen.

"You’re making a mistake," James smirked, lounging beside Chloe. "You’ll never find someone better than me." Betrayal shattered Sarah Winters’ world. She thought she had it all until she walked in on her fiancé tangled in bed with her best friend. Humiliated but determined, she refuses to be a victim. If James and Chloe think they’ve won, they’re about to be proven wrong. Elliott Remington is a billionaire CEO, ruthless in business, and completely uninterested in love. Under pressure to marry, he needs a wife to silence his father and secure a critical deal. Sarah needs power, status, and a way to erase the sting of betrayal. They signed a contract for marriage. One year. No emotions. Strictly business. But playing pretend isn’t so simple when lines begin to blur. As jealousy ignites, hidden pasts unravel, and unexpected feelings surface, Sarah and Elliott find themselves trapped in a game where the biggest risk isn’t losing control. It’s falling for each other. And when the truth about Sarah’s past comes to light, the stakes become even higher. Revenge brought them together. Love was never part of the plan. But when the contract ends… will they be able to walk away?

After three years of marriage, I finally got pregnant—my mafia husband treated me like his queen. Every day felt like heaven, until she came back—his first love, Eloise Rosenveil. On his birthday, after answering Eloise’s usual call, he turned to me and said softly, “Darling, you’ve been working so hard carrying our child. There’ll be too many people at the party—I don’t want you to get hurt.” But that day wasn’t just his birthday. It was our one-thousandth day of marriage. So I decided to surprise him anyway. I baked a mango cake and went to the party. Only to find him playing a kissing game with Eloise, surrounded by laughter and cheers. When he rushed to explain himself, Eloise, consumed by jealousy, pushed me—and I lost the baby. With the child gone, my heart died too. Since he had always loved his first love, I decided to grant his wish and walk away. But why… why did Lawrence lose his mind searching for me everywhere after I left?

Carol Rivers was used to playing with fire, and she lived her life by her own rules—until she fell for the wrong man. Antonio Conte was an older man who seemed to have it all, and Carol couldn’t resist his charm. But their fiery romance is cut short when she catches him cheating. His betrayal shattered her, and she drowned her sorrows with alcohol, only to end up in the bed of a dashing stranger after a heated one-night stand. Carol had yet to come to terms with her break up with Antonio when he appeared again, but this time he claimed her by force, kidnapping her and holding her against her will. Her rejection had set him off, and she realized he wasn’t a normal man, but a ruthless mafia lord. Now forced to become his sex slave, Carol is robbed of her freedom. But what happens when she meets the stranger from her one-night stand, and he turns out to be the son of the man she despises the most? Caught between father and son, Carol becomes a pawn in an explosive game of lust and power. Will she break free from the chains of her fate? Or will she burn it in the crossfire?

📖 Full Synopsis (Professional, 30-Chapter Summary) In a realm where the abyss bleeds whispers into men’s hearts, Aria, a gifted warrior bound to light, finds herself tethered to Lucien, a man scarred by an ancient mark. Their alliance begins in unease but quickly deepens into fragile trust, even as shadows stir within him. As armies clash and kingdoms fracture, Rowan, the enigmatic elder, and Kael, a fierce commander, fight to keep their ranks united. Yet Lucien’s mark grows restless, seeding betrayal, suspicion, and fear. Aria stands at his side, convinced that his humanity can be preserved, while others believe the abyss has already claimed him. The march to war spirals. Battles scar the land, alliances fray, and Lucien’s struggle becomes the fulcrum of fate. In the Breaking Storm, shadow and flame engulf the battlefield. Lucien teeters on the edge of becoming a weapon of the abyss. Aria refuses to yield, her voice anchoring him even as his blade rises against her. Kael’s blood is spilled in defiance, Rowan binds the storm in desperate runes, and Aria steps into the abyss itself, whispering her vow. In the climax, Lucien shatters his own blade, breaking free from the darkness—but not without scars. The storm collapses, leaving silence in its wake. In the aftermath, enemies bury their dead side by side. Kael rebuilds broken ranks, Rowan warns that the abyss never releases its scars, and Aria tends to Lucien’s healing—both body and soul. Though the mark lingers faintly beneath his skin, her vow holds stronger: never again will the abyss take him. The book closes on dawn: the storm passed, the stars returned, and two hands held fast against the dark.

Mila was never meant to live. Her pack allowed only one child in each home, but her mother gave birth to twins — Mila and her brother. To keep them safe, her mother cut Mila’s hair and raised her as a boy. When the truth came out, her family was dragged before the Alpha. He made their mother choose which child would die. Her brother clung to their mother and the Alpha gave the order. Mila watched her family burn. She was taken away, sold into the army, and forced to fight under a false name, Mathias. Hiding as a boy, she trained, endured, and swore that she would one day kill the Alpha who destroyed her home. But years later, fate led her into another pack. There, she met a broken prince — a man with one leg and too many scars. When she saved him, the mate bond awakened. He saw her as a blessing. She saw him as a weapon. What began as survival at first, slowly turned into something she didn’t plan for — love. But in a world built on lies, even love comes with a price.

They say when life throws you a lemon, you should turn it to a lemonade, even though some things weren't just intentional. “For the next three years, you will work under my son, Anthony. You will obey him unconditionally and assist him in developing the first humanoid robots. It’s all stated in the contract.” Melissa, a brilliant first-class robotics engineer, signs a binding contract to save her only sister who urgently needs surgery. Not only must she work for Anthony—the arrogant CEO of the Morgan Group—but she must also marry him. Throughout the contract, Anthony treats her like a lowlife, belittling her at every opportunity and even stealing credit for her achievements, convinced she would never dare to leave. But as the three years draw to a close, her supposed knight in shining armor, Josh, shows up as he promised. Will Melissa walk away from Anthony, reclaim her freedom, and rekindle the spark with Josh? Or will Anthony realize too late just how much he stands to lose when the countdown to their divorce begins? And what if there was more to the accident that left Melissa’s sister in need of surgery—and forced Melissa into this contract? If you want to feel first hand what it means for a lady to possess her possession, then get over here!

In a brutal all-male cadet academy where discipline is law and weakness is quietly erased, obedience is not requested—it is engineered. Elias enters the institution for survival. Debt, obligation, and limited options leave him with one rule: endure. He believes discipline is a tool, something external he can master and leave behind once his training is complete. He is wrong. The academy does not simply train bodies—it reshapes awareness. Silence becomes instruction. Proximity becomes pressure. Choice erodes long before it is ever questioned. Elias draws the attention of Instructor Vale, a senior authority figure whose control relies not on punishment, but on restraint. Vale does not command often. He observes. He waits. He allows Elias to adjust himself—until obedience feels voluntary and resistance feels unnatural. As training intensifies, Elias finds himself isolated, refined, and increasingly dependent on the presence that once unsettled him. The line between discipline and desire begins to blur, forcing him to confront a dangerous question: is he being controlled, or is he choosing alignment? In a system designed to strip autonomy while calling it order, Elias must decide whether obedience is something done to him—or something he is willing to claim. Under Orders is a slow-burn psychological MM novel exploring power, conditioning, and the unsettling intimacy of control—where submission is not demanded, but learned.

"Why did you buy me? Someone like me can't possibly be your mate." He chuckled low, exhaling the toxic smoke from his cigarette. "Darling, I'm not looking for a mate. I am looking for a slave." ---- After the tragic massacre of her pack, eighteen-year-old Alora Augustus was forced to enter an auction block, bruised and beaten. With her hopes washed down the drain, she decided she wouldn't go down without a fight. Mysteriously, she found herself bought by Alpha Conrad, the feared leader of the Ironfang pack, and a man whose heart is said to be as cold as ice. Even so, rumor has it that he has the charm to make every woman he beds to fall for him. If he thinks that she'd become one of his collections, then he's dead wrong. But little did she know, Conrad did not choose her randomly. He has secrets connected to the murder of her family. He thought she'd be a submissive and obedient slave. He didn't expect to see the fire in her eyes and the stubborn courage she carries with her like a crown despite being ripped off of dignity. In a world where power is everything, Alora struggles to survive while playing the dangerous game of love and trust. Is falling for her heartless captor be the end for her?

Asya is the most promising ballerina the Royal Ballet has seen in years. Wildly ambitious, back-breakingly disciplined, and immensely driven, she has only one objective: prima ballerina. There is nothing she won't do to earn this once-in-a-generation title. But behind her ballerina grace she hides dark secrets of an inhumanly strict mother, pushing her body to cruel limits, and serial hookups with male dancers. Roman Zharnov is the star of the Russian ballet: young, successful, arrogant, beautiful, and worst of all, talented. He's come to London for a fresh start after earning himself the nickname 'the bad boy of ballet'. It is during a rehearsal that his eye falls on Asya, a nineteen-year-old soloist with spitfire in her eyes and a raw talent capable of silencing an auditorium. But Asya has a partner, and she wants to stay as far away as possible from the Russian prodigy with a reputation that won't seem to leave him alone. In the competitive world of classical ballet Asya is climbing the ranks, earning coveted parts and building a name for herself as a promising soloist. But all the while she is playing a dangerous game behind the curtain. Roman has found the one ballerina that can keep up with him and wants her to partner him, but he will soon realise that animals can't do what she does.