Quietly Hostile

What was the right way to fight an enemy? As a mate or as a best friend? And in the end, I found my answer. "Mate!" I called to Arden and I waited for him to answer it. My mind began to plot how I would silently and quietly take down his father, his mistress, and himself to the grave. I would be the one to drive a sword through their hearts. I would become their worst nightmare. I would make them beg for daring to destroy my family. I felt my eyes moisten as I glared at him. I would be the last thing that they saw before they breathed their last. "Mate!" Arden answered. And in my mind, I knew that Arden had just signed his death warrant by accepting me as his mate. ********* On the night of Zira's mating ceremony, she is killed by her childhood bestfriend and mate, Arden Blackstone —a man whose family has done nothing but hate the Alpha's Household. After murdering the entire family, Zira is left for last. Zira finds herself in the void between life and death. The man who she had thought loved her, had only been using her to get to the throne and her parents —while the one whom she considered her enemy was the one who wanted to help her. The moon goddess appears to her and she gives her two options; To remain in the void to cry her eyes out or return to her old life and protect the moon crest from getting into the wrong hands. In the end she chooses revenge and Zira will stop at nothing until they are all destroyed.

My mentally impaired brother married a young, beautiful woman. She was a college graduate, kind and sensible. In just three years, she already had three kids.  My dad couldn’t stop smiling, always boasting to everyone about what a great daughter-in-law he had. However, I knew the truth. Every night, she would quietly sneak into my bed.

[WARNING STRONG MATURED CONTENTS] Beside me, I sensed his movement as he turned towards me, his eyes searching for mine. I purposely avoided meeting his gaze, instead focusing on calming my racing breath. But try as I might, my breath still trembled, betraying my inner turmoil. Despite my rapid blinking, a single tear escaped, making its way down my cheek. I heard the covers rustle as he shifted closer to me. His finger gently brushed against my face, capturing the tear. "I'm sorry, Hailey," his voice resonated in the dimly lit room, both deep and gentle. His touch was followed by a soft stroke through my brunette hair and a tender kiss on the crook of my neck. "I know this isn't what you wanted," he murmured, regret evident in his voice. "It doesn't matter," I replied quietly, my gaze still fixed on the ceiling. His apology felt like a stab to the heart, but I couldn't hold him responsible. Our circumstances were far beyond our control.Swallowing hard, I tried to push down the ache in my chest. "It was unavoidable, it isn't your fault," I muttered, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. He sighed heavily, running a hand through his dark, tousled hair. His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I allowed my cheek to rest against his strong chest, finding some solace in his comforting presence. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat brought a sliver of comfort to my shattered emotions. "I wish I could have given you more time to get to know me before all of this," he confessed, a touch of bitterness seeping into his words. "But those old Elders insisted on sealing our union immediately."

Mia Johnson's life has been filled with heartache and mistreatment, after her father leaves. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her mother poisons her and her father possesses the antidote to a poison that plagues her, but he remains distant, seemingly never to return. As Mia turns eighteen, her mother devises a shocking plan to secure a business , offering Mia's hand in marriage to a man named Carlos. Trapped and desperate, Mia's life seems destined for misery until a mysterious man enters her life. On a fateful night, a stranger quietly slips into Mia's room, offering food and concern for her well-being. Their chance encounter marks the beginning of a unique connection, one that will leave Mia questioning the true intentions of this enigmatic man named Dave. Days later, Mia meets the same handsome stranger in a shopping mall. She looked up at him. "You were the man in my room that night..." "Do you let men in your room at night? If you don't want visitors, don't skip your meals," Dave responds stubbornly. Mia discovers that Dave is adopted by her own biological father, a man of immense power and influence in the country. But their relationship takes an unexpected turn when Dave confesses his true feelings. "Big brother wants to you, Mia," Dave admits, leaving Mia shocked and confused. Struggling to come to terms with her emotions, Mia rejects the idea of romance with her "brother." However, Dave is determined to shed the brotherly label, longing to become her partner in love. “No… you are my brother and ten tears older than me…” she says while trembling. Dave takes a step towards her. “Who cares about being your brother? I want you… I want to make you mine, forever…”

"Her knight in shining armour or her kidnapper?Allie has loved Jay forever. But he sent her away when she was eighteen and forced her to live her own life, away from the street and the gangs. Away from him. It had hurt, but she’d done it. For ten years she'd built a career and a life separate from him. Now he's back and he wants what belongs to him.Furious that Allie was hurt while out of his protection, Jay decides it's time to bring the woman he loves home where she belongs. Whether she wants to come or not. He's done lurking in the shadows, watching but never touching. She was always his. The difference is, now she knows it.Will Allie quietly accept her new life and let her old one go? Or will she fight the man she's loved her entire life because she can't risk losing herself again...Because You're Mine, Mine to Keep is created by Nikita Slater, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."

Grace Hammond lost the most important person in her life, her grandmother, Juliet. Left with little beyond a failing farm and not much clue how to run it, she's trapped-- either she gives up three generations of roots and leaves, or she finds some help and makes it work. When a mysterious letter from Juliet drops a much needed windfall in her lap, Grace knows she has one chance to save the only place she's ever called home and posts a want-ad.The knight that rides to her rescue is Robert Zhao, an Army veteran and struggling college student. A first generation Korean American, Rob is trying desperately to establish some roots, not just for himself, but for the parents he's trying to get through the immigration process, a secret he's keeping even from his best friends. Grace's posting for a local handyman, offering room and board in exchange for work he already loves doing, is exactly the situation he needs to put that process on track.Neither is prepared for the instant chemistry, the wild sweet desire that flares between them. But life in a small town isn't easy. At worst, strangers are regarded suspiciously, and at best, as profoundly flawed-- and the Hammond women have a habit of collecting obscure and ruthless enemies. Can their budding love take root in subtly hostile soil and weather the weeds seeking to choke them out?

"Did you think you could run away from me? is that it, Cat?" Ace asked, his hand tightening around her neck at every seconds. Catherine gasped her hand resting on Ace's as she fought to tear his hand off her. "I asked you a question, kitten. Did you think you could run away from me?" he questioned yet again, this time his voice was so gently that it sent shivers down her spine. Ace doesn't need to shout to show off his dominant bully side, he was like a predator, setting his trap quietly and killing cruelly. "I....I...I never tried to run, Ace. I won't try it ever." She gasped out, Ace smirked and brought her face closer to his. "That's right, Catherine. You are for me, mine to use however I please!" he said and slammed his lips on hers. *A dark highschool novel*

The day Yancy Shepherd died, Benedict Page poisoned our dinner. His eyes were wild, and bloodshot, as he watched me writhe in agony. There was a madness in his gaze, but worse was the hatred, a disgust so deep it twisted his face into something unrecognizable. "If it weren't for you forcing your way into our lives, Yancy wouldn’t have died from heartbreak. You ruined us! It’s all your fault!" A photo slipped from his trembling hand and landed at my feet—Yancy at twenty, looking radiant, her smile as bright as a blooming flower. I collapsed to the ground, my strength fading fast like a rose withering in the final grasp of winter. Helpless, I waited for the darkness to claim me, consumed by despair and bitter regret. Why hadn’t I listened to the system and killed him when I had the chance? But when I opened my eyes again, everything was different. I stood watching Benedict flee our engagement ceremony. My brother moved to chase after him, but I quietly raised a hand, stopping him. This time, things would be different.

My mom had a sudden heart attack, and the medical bills were piling up faster than I could breathe. I was desperate, so I turned to my rich boyfriend, hoping he could help, or at least offer some kind of solution. But instead of the support I expected, he unleashed a tirade that hit harder than anything I'd ever heard. "So this is why you're with me? Just for my money? You're no different from those other women throwing themselves at me. You're all the same—pathetic and shameless!" Before I could even react, he shoved me out the door. Later, when he finally understood the full story, he handed me a bank card, no questions asked. "Candice," he said quietly, his tone almost remorseful. "The password is your birthday." I didn't say a word. I just let the card drop onto the floor and walked away without looking back.

“Don’t…” Her voice shook, eyes meeting his, heat rushing to her cheeks as every little thing that happened to her crashed into her like a punch to the gut. She suddenly felt so lonely. “Don’t leave me. Please” Rowan’s eyes flicked between hers. “I didn’t plan to, darling.” “Take it off,” he ordered quietly, pulling his fingers away, causing her to whimper. Born to a family that despises her, a twin sister that bullies her, and the Beta’s wolfless daughter, Alicia Meyer only has refuge in one person, her boyfriend, Tom. She thought he was different until she discovered him in bed with her sister. A conspiracy led to a one-night stand and things took a 180-degree turn. Alicia was claimed by Tom's notorious uncle, Rowan, to be his mate. Abandoned and uncared for by the royal family, Rowan Sharp, the illegitimate son of the Alpha King, rose to the top, becoming an infamous and powerful Alpha of the strongest and fearful pack, Bloody Claw. Now, he is a thorn in the King’s side and a threat to the Alpha heir. Survival is all Rowan's ever known, and his only goal is to enact vengeance on those who once mistreated him. He never expected to discover his fated mate in the middle of an investigation in his brother’s pack. He’d never wanted a mate, yet Alicia Meyer took his breath away at first sight.