Present Mic

"A stubborn young woman never imagined she would end up married to a mafia boss." Amaya lives with the constant suspicion that the bubble of her reality will burst. Being the illegitimate daughter of an oyabun, the leader of one of the Yakuza clans, her life was a path to anonymity. Raised outside of mafia traditions by her American mother, who was a beautiful woman, she was not welcomed within the mafia's ranks. However, she was always warned that when her father needed her, she must present herself. Her life takes a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn when she's kidnapped from university and brought before her family. At a dinner where she is not only exposed to the top echelons of the clan but also showcased in front of other mafiosos, she captures the attention of one of them, someone who steals the future she had envisioned for herself. Alessio is the capo of the Camorra and a beast in his own right, making his word law. After his parents' murder and the fire that scarred part of his face, he needs to form the right alliances to strengthen himself with everything necessary to go to war against the Russians who seek to seize his territory. In pursuit of this, he strikes a deal with the Yakuza, one that results in him being married to one of the oyabun's daughters—a man who aims to deceive him. After extracting what he needs from Alessio, the oyabun plans to teach him a lesson by using his own daughter. Neither of them was prepared for what lay ahead.

I buried him myself. I stood at his grave with dirt on my hands and grief in my throat as I said goodbye to the only man I ever thought I would love. Kael was my betrothed, my mate, the boy who grew up beside me and became the person I built every future around. When the war took him it did not just take him — it took every version of myself that existed because of him. Years passed. The moon goddess, in her mercy, gave me something I never asked for — a second chance. Rowan was not supposed to happen. He was patient where I was resistant, steady where I was broken, and present in every way I had convinced myself no one would ever be again. I did not want to love him. And then I did not know how to stop. I was finally learning what it meant to choose life again. When Kael walked back through my door. Alive. Unchanged. And completely unable to explain where he had been. Now I am torn between a love that was written into my soul before I was old enough to understand what souls were, and a man who chose me quietly and completely when I had nothing left to offer. The elders say this is not a reverse harem blessing. There is no keeping both. I have to choose. But how do you bury someone you love twice?

Anita," her angelic voice calls to me. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Her soft, delicate hands caressing my face, sparkling green eyes grounding me from the dark past I wish I could forget. "You're safe, it's okay." I bring my hand up, running my finger over the mound of scar tissue. The constant reminder of that night. The raised bump covers the bullet fragment embedded in my sternum. She takes my hands as more thunder rumbles and tears roll down my cheeks. "Breathe Anita," she says in a soothing whisper. My lungs were burning with the need for air and it was then that I realized I'd been holding it. I take in a gasping breath and recall the first time my eyes met her green eyes. My sister had been lifted off me and my eyes opening had startled her. The first time she touched me gave me strength to hold on. I held her hand tight, trying to tell her what happened, but couldn't get enough breath to form words. Sitting in the present going through the same as I had five years ago. "They were all found, Anita. They can't hurt you anymore. It's just a storm. All the doors and windows are locked, the alarm is set. It's just you and me." "Will you keep the light on tonight, please?"

"You are trembling right in front of us, Beau, so you need to tell us exactly what you want," Dean whispered while adjusting my collar. "I need you to step back before I kill all three of you," I warned him while trying to ignore the heavy ache in my body. "You are producing slick right through your trousers, so I highly doubt you actually want us to leave," Seth murmured. "Get on your knees and let us take care of this heat," Rhett commanded. ~~~ I am the boss of the Southside Syndicate, and I have spent my life hiding a biological condition that would ruin me. I present as a dominant Alpha to the criminal underworld, but my body violently forces me into submissive heats. I survive by taking dangerous suppressants to hide my physical cravings from the men who would overthrow me. However, a violent territory dispute forces me to negotiate a merger with the Northside Triad, requiring me to live inside their secured estate. Rhett, Seth, and Dean are the most lethal Alphas in the city, and they immediately notice my medication failing. When my suppressants completely stop working during an attack, my greatest fear is realized. I expect them to destroy me when they find me begging for release. Instead, the three men decide to claim me, forcing me to balance my public role as a ruthless boss with my private reality as their submissive partner.

My name is Drexton Blackthorn. This is my story. Twenty-one years ago, I witnessed the birth of a girl, born not in innocence but to fulfil my deadly quest. Her cries were a testament to the hate and fire burning inside me, a reminder of blood spilled... and blood owed. Her body was smeared with the sinful blood of her mother. She was born into the same family that annihilated mine. Ixora Castellan. Two years ago, she walked into the trap I spent decades designing. Then my game of torment began. It was supposed to be a simple game of hunt, predator and prey. I ruined her physically, twisted her mentally, but I failed to shatter her heart, and that failure ruined me. I fell for the woman who was born for my destruction. The truth was supposed to stay hidden forever, but someone else had to interfere. Secrets spilled. Blood followed, and I lost my Ixora. Eighteen months later, she returns, but I know she's not Ixora, my firefly. She is a shadow, wearing her face, body and identity. I don't know where my obsession is, dead or alive? For the first time, I am weak and powerless. I want her back. As long as she is alive, I will burn the world to find her. She is not just a part of my past; she is my present, and I will make her my future. She is a sin that I want. My Nemesis.

“S..top! I don’t want anything to do with you.” She stuttered out in a fluster once he backed her into the wall. “Oh! Is that so, little Nymph!” The nickname sent shivers down her spine as it brought back emotions she so desperately wanted to forget. She bit her lips to regain her clarity and then sent a kick towards his crotch. He had expected it though so he caught her leg with a smirk and then his hand began to climb up her thighs. She gasped clearly not expecting that. “ You might not want anything to do with me but your body does. And it is so truthful in showing it.” He sniffed at the air “ I can smell how wet you are for me.” Almyra found herself married to Xavier after a one night stand gone wrong. She decided to give her all into the marriage as she grew to love him but it clearly wasn’t enough as he was never present physically nor emotionally. She finally got fed up so she gave him what she thought he wanted. Divorce papers. So, can someone explain to her why her supposed to be emotionally detached husband is suddenly clinging onto her and not letting go. He is suddenly a romantic and a tease that makes her heart beat erratically. Mr Farrell, please stop! We are divorced.

“Sin dumme-maranii. Maran dumme-Sinia.” All Sins are humans; all humans are Sins. The king’s curse made it impossible to detect a Sin’s existence. One cannot be born as a Sin and a Sin cannot give birth to a Sin. It cannot be controlled by anyone nor anything. Only fate will determine. The moment all Sins turned to ash, stories and theories about them spread like wild fire. Through the mist of misleading plots and opinions, only a few people truthfully know what really happed at that moment. Twenty years after the king passed, a young man was able to find out that he was a Sin. He claims to be the reincarnation of the late king as he had visions of the past. Relying on his instincts and trusting his visions, he travelled the world in search of Sins like him to resurrect the wrecked honor of the fallen angels. He was able to find some and that’s when the new era of reborn Sins began. The young man became the new king of Sins. Together, they searched for Sins all over the world and began to form a new union that will protect and guide Sins to be able to live alongside humans. The cycle went on until another tragedy occurred which disintegrated the foundations of the union. Twenty years from the present, the king was rumored to be killed by an alliance that were in charge of capturing Sins for experimentation. To this day, Sins are in hiding. Sins try hard to live unnoticed by anyone. My name is Rayne Martin and I am one of them. I am a Sin. .. 

After an accident, Averie's life changes drastically. She is hunted by two groups of werewolves that she never thought existed alongside humans. The werewolves from the demon pack want to get something from her, while the werewolves from the righteous pack just want to protect humanity and avoid the world plunging into chaos because of her. However, one person steps out and protects her at all times: Lance. He claims to be her protector, unaware of his hidden agenda in approaching her. While protecting her from danger, the two of them fall in love and vow to only love each other until their next life. But fate loves to play jokes on Averie's life. She discovers that she was the reincarnation of Avaria, a wicked and powerful black fairy in her past life, destined to bring disaster to humanity. The soul of Avaria has been dormant inside her body, waiting to awaken at the right time. But the cruelest twist of fate is that the person she loves and trusts the most is a werewolf protector from the righteous pack, who harbors the strongest desire to kill her. Lance is the very person who had taken the life of Avaria in her past life and is destined to do so once again in her present life. Will they defy their ill-fated destiny to attain the happiness they yearn for, or will they ultimately destroy each other, fulfilling Avaria's thirst for revenge? Can Averie succeed in proving that she is the true owner of her body, not by any woman from her past?

Christian Knight was about to marry Andrea Donovan and start a fresh life. Andrea was a gorgeous and respectable woman. She liked Christian since her college days but couldn’t muster the courage to express her feelings to him, as she knew that Christian was interested in Diana Roger, the mute girl. Years later, destiny played cupid for Andrea and Christian, and their families fixed their marriage. Andrea was over the moon, and it was hard for her to believe that Christian was finally going to be her forever. *** To escape the haunting nightmares and hallucinations about one particular woman, whom he thinks he has never met before, Christian agreed to marry Andrea as she was beautiful, smart, and a generous woman, completely compatible with his status, but little did he know that meeting with a stranger at the Coffee House will change everything for him. *** What will happen when destiny plays its cards? Would Christian be able to accept that he had been married before? Will he choose his present over his past or follow his way back to his former wife? Would Mishka be willing to give another chance to Christian or she has already moved on in her life? Will their love pass the test of time and commitment to come out victorious or did their love story end long ago? Follow the other half of Christian and Mishka’s tale to witness if second chances really exist or if healing a broken heart is beyond repair. All Right Reserved © Author Anika 2022

In a world where the powerful Elders ruled with iron fists, the Marked Ones warriors cursed and gifted with abilities beyond mortal understanding were bound to serve. Among them, Lyla, a fierce and unyielding leader, emerged from the ashes of war with one purpose: to shatter the chains of the Elders and claim the throne for herself. After years of bloodshed and sacrifice, Lyla did the impossible she destroyed the Elders, dismantling their legacy of domination. But victory came with a price. Her rise to power awakened something far older and far more dangerous: the Forgotten Kings ancient rulers who had existed long before the Elders, hidden in the shadows of time, waiting for the right moment to reclaim what was once theirs. The city of ruins that Lyla thought was a stronghold of the past turned out to be a gateway to a prison for the Forgotten. Her mere presence, her power, unlocked the seals that held them back, and now, the ancient kings stir, whispering through shadows, testing her strength with apparitions and phantoms that defy life and death. Lyla, unyielding and defiant, refuses to kneel. With the Marked Ones by her side, she begins a journey to understand the true nature of the power she wields, a power that may have never belonged to the Elders, but to something much older, much darker. As the boundaries between past and present blur, Lyla must decide if she will be a mere successor to the throne or its ultimate conqueror. But with the Forgotten Kings watching her every move, and the shadows growing restless, the true war for dominance over the world has only just begun.