Principles And Design

My childhood sweetheart and my older brother both fell in love with Rose, the Omega who had just sought refuge from the Northern Pack. The one who broke our engagement said, "Grace is the kind of Luna who was born to stand beside an Alpha. I’m just not worthy of her." The other had forgotten our mother’s dying words. "Rose has suffered so much. If I share half the love I gave you with her, that wouldn’t be too much, would it?" On the day of my birthday, my mate chose to throw a party for Rose instead. On the anniversary of our mother’s death, my brother was happily celebrating with Rose and her mother, helping deliver her kitten. They went with her to the Snowpine Pack to take part in the Royal Totem Insignia Design Contest and personally draped the cloak of honor over her shoulders. And me? I set fire to the house that held all our memories. I drank a potion bought from a witch, severed every mind-link I had, and faked my death in that fire, then left the Northern Pack without a word. When news of my death reached Snowpine, those two men, who had already cast me aside, went mad with grief. They rushed back to the Northern Pack overnight and collapsed in front of the burned-down house, crying like their hearts had been ripped out.

I had just returned from studying design abroad when my grandfather insisted that he had already arranged a childhood betrothal for me. The moment I got back to the country, he dragged me straight to the Hunt family's residence to discuss the engagement. The adults talked endlessly, and I quickly grew bored sitting there. Slipping away quietly, I wandered into the Hunt family garden for a walk. Out of nowhere, a woman rushed toward me and slapped me hard across the face. "Where did this shameless woman come from? How dare you steal my things!" I covered my cheek and stared at her in shock. The woman lifted her chin arrogantly, her tone dripping with condescension, as if she were granting me charity. "That ruby on your hand was a birthday gift from the young master of the Hunt family. A poor girl like you—how could you possibly afford to wear it?!" I opened my mouth, about to explain that it was mine. But before I could say a word, she struck me across the face again. "Do you even know who I am? I'm the Hunt family's future daughter-in-law—the future Mrs. Hunt! The entire Hunt family will listen to me!" I pulled out my phone and, right in front of her, sent a message to the contact labeled Fiancé. "Lucas, there's a mad dog in your house. Are you going to do something about it or not?"

Book Three of the Fated Series. Follow Alpha Kade and Luna Elle of the Nightshade pack as well as Alpha Dante and Luna Ziyah of the Shadow Falls pack through the journey of a lifetime. Their story is filled with mystery, deception, chance, and fate all build up a precarious balance that will be met with adversity and roadblocks. There are many threats lurking in the shadows, awaiting the opportunity to wreak havoc on everything. It will take every weapon in our people’s arsenal to identify the threats before they can strike. Luckily, they have plenty of powerful allies on their side. However, that does not mean it is enough to come out of it unscathed. Ziyah's past is bearing down on her. The Klarish clan, the Dark Fae clan that had imprisoned and tortured her for thirty-seven long years until she escaped, are getting closer to finding her. It will be a bloody war, but everyone is fighting to free Ziyah from the chains of her past. The clan wishes to bind her to their will as an ultimate weapon. The fight for greed, but Ziyah's people fight for things much more important – love, family, and freedom. Which motivation is more powerful? Which holds more strength? One thing is certain for all of those involved – nothing will be the same ever again. ----------- Fated Series: - "Fated Rejection - Fated Claim" (Complete) - "Fated Soul - Fated Light" (Complete) - "Fated Power - Fated Destiny" (Ongoing) Dark Moon Series: - "His Hunt For Redemption" (Complete) - "Design of Fate" (Ongoing)

"Stop squirming, Babydoll. I won't let you go," he said without blinking his eyes, frightening Pearl as he restrained her body. "Who are you? I don't know you," Pearl answered fearfully. He stroked Pearl's flawless skin with the tips of his fingers, then took hold of her jaw. Pearl opened her eyes wide at once. Her breath stopped. This time, she will die. "You know me well, doll. You are my mate.” *** Pearl Rosental has one big dream: to get the best position at a famous design company, The Excellor Enterprise. Therefore, she worked hard to get the opportunity to participate in their internship program. Unfortunately, her father and stepmother forced her to marry Kellent’s only heir, Taggart. Pearl rejected Taggart as her mate despite his urgent need to imprint her. Later, she learns that Taggart is The Excellor's president and owner. Taggart never stepped back from his obsession when he found out about her. Pearl is more than just a mate; she also keeps a big secret about her blood, which captivates Taggart's cousin, Damian. Damian and his father, Matthew, have been trying to steal the Alpha’s crown for a hundred years. Damian falls for Pearl, leading him one step closer to becoming the next Alpha.

Nick Luton Lancaster, a CEO with unlimited wealth, where the world is subject to decisions on his hands. Emotions weren't part of his life—until one name began to disturb him: Luna. A young doctor with a straightforward, innocent, and sometimes careless. She doesn't live in a glittering world and let alone power plays. Her encounter with Nick stems from a professional relationship as a doctor and a patient—a relationship that should end once the diagnosis is complete. Pretend deal, a relationship that's supposed to be just a formality, was the beginning of emotional mess that Nick never imagined. In the midst of the Lancaster family's grand mansion, Luna is dragged into a world foreign to her—where one bracelet is worth more than a person's life, where the decision to marry is thrown out as cold as signing a business contract. Nick is convinced: all women are same. Money, power, and status are the keys to everything. He believes Luna will give up, sooner or later. But he realized Luna is different. She rejects Nick's proposal without glare by a wealth she can't even imagine. Their relationship is filled with tension, sharp dialogue, unexpected hilarious moments, and a closeness that grows without a plan. The usually cold and stiff Nick finds himself touching a woman unknowingly, protecting her, even apologizing, something he hasn't done to anyone before. On the other hand, Luna begins to see the other side of Nick: a tough man who is used to being alone and swears because he doesn't know how to express his feelings. When Nick again utters a line he never pulls back, "Marry me", Luna is faced with a life-changing choice. Stick to his principles, or step into the world of a man who rules everything, except for one thing: her own heart.

Harlequin Frost is in an arranged marriage for two years when she overhears a conversation between her husband, Victor Cross, and his best friend, Liam. Victor admits he is going to ask her for a divorce. When he does tell Harley that he wants a divorce, she is nothing but cold and she lets him see her anger for the first time. Victor starts noticing sides of his wife that he never knew were there. Harley realizes that she has lost everything about herself just trying to be the kind of woman he could love. Victor swears she was hiding her true self while Harley insists, he would have seen these sides to her if he had attempted to get to know her. When his first love comes back to town, Victor tries to bully Harley into making concessions in their divorce agreement to try to hang on to Daya while Harley refuses to budge. When Victor's half-brother comes back from abroad, he takes an interest in Harley while Harley is just trying to concentrate on growing her jewelry design firm. She doesn't even notice that Victor's best friend and his half-brother are trying to get her attention until her best friends notice and point it out to her. Will Harley find love with Liam or Daniel? Or will she and Victor reconnect and try to make their relationship work?

After finally convincing her father to give her a year of freedom before she takes on the alpha position, her father allows her to celebrate in a club with her best friend, Dex. With him nowhere to be found and a persistent bloke named Ryker sniffing around her ass, the last man on earth she'd expected to save her was Alpha Kaden Kyson, whom her father loathes with every drop of his blood. She wakes up in Kaden's bed and instantly realizes she made her biggest mistake. She rejects him, only to go home finding his mark on her neck, leaving her in shock, about to beg her father on her knees when he says the last thing she expected of him. As it turns out, her father holds very strong principles on the mate bond. To him, it's the most precious, sacred bond to a wolf and one must not break it. So, he breaks his longest-time rivalry with Alpha Kaden for sake of his daughter, and arranges an alliance between the packs through marriage. Eloise is relieved of her father's decisions and gives the bond a chance. All seems to be going well, when on one fateful day, she announces her pregnancy to her father first out of excitement. But before she got to tell Kaden, pictures of her naked with another man flooded the news, bringing shame to her family and most of all, breaking her father's trust. The marriage is called off, and he announces her unfit to rule the pack and she never will. What breaks Eloise's heart even more is that her father starts beating her. Kaden refuses to see her or answer her calls. Desperate, she seeks Dex who helps her escape her father undetected, chasing that sliver of hope for new beginnings.

"Part One: TakenJessie Coford had a plan: work hard, save money, open her own restaurant. She sacrificed her relationship with the man of her dreams to get it. Then, in the blink of an eye, she lost her job and her apartment and her life crashed around her. Until a letter taking her to Fort Mavis, Texas, and an unexpected windfall.Part Two: TamedShea Prescott was astonished when million Cruz Castillo chose her to design his new home on his ranch. They hardly traveled in the same circles. But Cruz had been hot for Shea since he first saw her and at their first meeting the chemistry between them ignited. Cruz coaxed her deeper and deeper into a whirlpool of erotic sex, awakening latent sexual desires and bringing her orgasms beyond her wildest imaginings. Her body screamed yes at his every touch, but will she say yes to the most important question?USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and paranormal to erotic. and has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.Taken by Surprise is created by Desiree Holt, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."

A video proving that Zachary Groff, the fake scion, has set me up is exposed. Following that, my parents and fiancee, Leta Quinlan, stand firmly by me, offering me love and support. I hand the evidence to them, giving them full trust and authority to handle the matter. They tell me that Zachary died in a car accident after being chased out of the house, and I choose to believe them. But then, in the fifth year of my marriage, I have an unexpected encounter with Zachary, who should have already been dead. He is carrying a young girl in his arms while holding tightly onto Leta's hand. He says, "Leta, if not for you and my parents, I probably would have been locked up by Harvey Groff, that heartless man. "Thankfully, Mom and Dad destroyed the evidence and even opened a jewelry design studio for me. You even sacrificed your own marriage so that he doesn't suspect a thing. "Thank you for everything you've done these five years!" "Let's just say that I am making amends to Harvey on your behalf. I'm just glad that you and our daughter are happy and well." It turns out that the happy family, which I thought I had, is just a massive web of lies spun by my parents and Leta. My parents, my wife, and Zachary are the ones actually living happily as a family, while I am just a fool who spent the last five years being deceived. I no longer want to have love—whether familial or romantic—that is not solely mine.

The world snapped back into focus, the memories of my brutal end crashing into the present. I was back—right here, right now, the exact moment Jarrold Jameson was trying to hand me that obscenely expensive purse. In my past life, he'd had a nasty fight with his precious Cindy Mayford. To make her jealous, he decided to use me as his pawn. I'd been stupid enough to love him once, but my pride had revolted. I'd refused to be a stand-in. It didn't matter. He kept engineering "accidental" run-ins, crafting one public misunderstanding after another, all to get a reaction from Cindy. I had done nothing wrong. I gained nothing. But I became Cindy's enemy. Her jealousy festered until it turned lethal. She had me kidnapped. The men she hired left my body shattered and broken. And Jarrold? He held his sobbing darling close and whispered those unforgettable words, "She got what she deserved." In the end, they stepped right over what was left of me and walked off into their picture-perfect life. Now, staring into his smug face, a cold clarity settled over me. This time, everything would be different. I snatched the handbag from his grasp. "A present for me?" I asked, my voice sweet, a sharp, calculated smile on my lips. "I love it. But just so you know, for next time… I've always preferred the classic design from her family's brand. That's the one you should be buying me."