Quietly

Lena had been infatuated with Ethan for almost a year, admiring him quietly from the sidelines. They worked in the same building, but their paths rarely intersected. Ethan was the kind of man who effortlessly commanded attention-confident, striking, and possessing a grin that could leave anyone speechless. Despite her constant daydreams, Lena had never mustered the courage to speak to him. But today was different, she told herself. Today, she would finally make a move. Or at least, try not to embarrass herself like usual. As she hurried into the bustling café, determined to be bold, her nerves began to unravel. She spotted Ethan standing at the counter, casually scrolling through his phone as he waited for his order, exuding that effortless charm she found so magnetic. "Alright, Lena," she muttered under her breath. "You've got this." Unfortunately, she didn't.

My husband and his employees went on a camping trip, and his assistant posted on social media. [We drew lots for the tents, and guess who ended up with the handsome CEO!] The post showed a selfie she took. Behind her, my husband was taking his shirt off. Someone left a comment. [A man and a woman alone together? Sounds juicy.] The assistant quickly replied with a smirking emoji. [I like a little excitement!] After I liked the post, it was deleted right away. Soon, my husband called me on video. In front of his crying assistant and several employees, he scolded, “Why did you like the post?! It was just a game! Don’t be so close-minded!” As I watched him hold the assistant in arms and comforted her, I quietly hung up. After ten years of loving Caelan Sullivan, I decided then and there to let go.

On our honeymoon tour, my husband and I faced an earthquake. I thought I was lucky to have booked a flight home, but then Ethan Parker snatched my passport and fled with my stepsister, Lily Foster. Stranded on a foreign land, I saw her new post. Lily: [Talking about clinginess, no one beats Ethan.] An attached photo showed their hands intertwined. In the chaos, someone stole my phone and cash. When aftershocks hit, I couldn't escape and got buried in a collapsed building. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day of the first quake. Seeing Ethan bolt from Lily's room, I didn't say a word, just quietly canceled his plane ticket. If they loved each other so much, I'd let them go on and be a doomed couple.

On our eighth anniversary, Claire Young announced that she had already registered her marriage with her childhood friend. She took him home, ordering me around as if it was only natural. "Move to another room. Stan loves sunshine." "Stan doesn't like sweets, so don't bake any when you're at home. He'd be upset if he saw it." I kept quiet through it all and bought a ticket to leave. My friend wanted to help me out of the predicament, but she didn't think it was a big deal. "He's just being dramatic again. Let him be—he'd be caving in just a few days." Everyone laughed at that, and quietly made bets as to when I'd come crawling back to Claire's feet. None of them knew I was already inducted into the national weapons program, and that I was really leaving.

I met my mate, Alpha Draven, at the bonding ceremony of our classmate Raven—seven years after I rejected him. But everything had changed. He was still handsome and prestigious, with his beautiful mate clinging to his side. And me? I stood there in an old-fashioned uniform, black-rimmed glasses perched on my nose— a relic from another world. Yes. We were from two completely different worlds now. In the middle of the ceremony, I overheard some werewolves whispering and laughing. "Draven, have you finally moved on from her rejection? It's been seven years, after all." His smile faded. "Honestly, I didn't even recognize her at first glance today." Their words struck me like claws to the heart. I couldn't breathe. So I left—quietly, halfway through the ceremony—before the pain could completely devour me.

When I went to the hospital for a checkup to see if my fourth IVF attempt had succeeded, I saw Daniel Cooper, who was supposed to be on a business trip. He was carefully supporting a young, beautiful woman as they walked out of the obstetrics and gynecology department. Her belly was unmistakably round, and she looked like she was ready to give birth at any moment. Daniel froze for just a second before stepping in front of her, shielding her from me. He explained, "Abby, the Cooper family needs an heir to carry on the lineage. Once the baby is born, everything will go back to the way it was." I heard the certainty in his words. So I smiled, nodded, and quietly tucked my test results away as he stared at me in surprise. On the day she gave birth, I left the divorce papers on the kitchen table and walked out of his life for good.

I merely brought up the wedding decorations, and my fiancé's first love ran out of the room in tears. Ian Murray slapped me so hard I fell to the ground. His face twisted in fury, teeth clenched with hatred. "Daphne, are you that desperate to get married? Afraid no one else will want you, so you're clinging to me, forcing me into it? Our wedding next week is postponed!" I held my face, but not even a ripple stirred in my heart. This made the eighth time he'd postponed it. I had been waiting for him since I was twenty-eight. Now, in my early thirties, I was still getting nowhere closer to being married. So this time, I quietly packed my things and chose to leave. Maybe this marriage didn't need to happen after all.

My fiance called me to post bail after he was arrested. When I arrived, however, I was informed that he was caught in a compromising position. "I came to protect Lily because I was worried for her safety," my fiance retorted, putting an arm around her shoulder. "But her boyfriend didn't believe me. Or is it the same for you too? Go post bail already." Nonetheless, I spied the lacy underwear poking out ever so slightly over his belt. In the past, I would have made a scene as I demanded an explanation. But now, I was as cool as a cucumber. When the cops asked what our relationship was, I paused in thought for a moment, before saying quietly, "His employer." Once I signed the papers, I texted my brother: [I'll go on that blind date. Schedule it for three days later.]

She loved the wrong Whitmore. Now she works for the one she can’t stop thinking about. Elara was always just a friend to Noah Whitmore, the boy she quietly adored for years. When he married her best friend, she had no choice but to move on. Now, four years later, she’s working as the assistant to Lucian Whitmore, Noah’s older brother. Cold, brilliant, and infuriatingly controlled, Lucian is everything she shouldn't want. But behind every clipped command and long silence, there’s a heat simmering just beneath the surface, one she tries hard to ignore. Then Noah returns. Divorced, familiar, and unexpectedly present. Suddenly, Elara finds herself pulled between the past she thought she buried and the man who makes her question everything. Noah never meant to break her heart. But Lucian might.

BLURB. Running away from an abusive pack and the possessive soon to be alpha, Gaines, Louisa Stone makes her way into the world alone and pregnant. Yeah, you heard right. Pregnant. And not only that, the baby belongs to the soon to be alpha of a rival pack, Travis. Her world couldn't get any more messed up With only herself to blame and her wits to use, she manages to thrive in the world with her children that is until the same kids unknowingly trespass into a pack’s territory whose Alpha is their father. And who also turns out to be her mate. Now, years of quietly living and escaping unwanted attention has come to nothing. She is caught between the desire to stay with Travis and the vicious attacks of Gaines. And sure, let's throw in a vicious witch who is determined to carry Travis’s child. What could go wrong?