Read Cherry Blossoms After Winter

“Ms. Arnold, you really should sign this divorce agreement. Otherwise, I won’t be able to answer to Mr. Fisher.” Jeremy Fisher’s personal lawyer, Cole Stewart, stood in front of Hailey Arnold with an anxious expression. In his hands were a freshly printed divorce agreement, the pages still crisp. This was the thirty-third time Jeremy had asked to divorce her. The first time, Hailey climbed onto the rooftop and jumped. She survived but broke one of her legs. The second time, she slashed her wrist with a small knife, and blood flooded half the bathroom. The third time, she swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills and spent three days in the hospital having her stomach pumped. … Every single time, she had used death to force Jeremy to compromise, but this time, she was tired of it.

I was the Beta’s daughter. He was the Alpha’s brother. Not to mention, he was the new Latin teacher at our High School. He reminded me of all that was good in our world. The world hadn’t quite hardened him enough to feel comfortable turning a blind eye. His eyes looked at me with genuine kindness. I needed him to turn a blind eye though. I needed him to not look and let me go. The only way I was going to survive is if I didn’t stand out until I graduated. I was already caught between my Alpha and my Father as they played their own games of succession within our pack. With a few months left, I didn’t need any complications. Nor did I need a mate. Instead I found both.

At the year-end company meeting, I was announcing the bonuses when a new employee suddenly raised her hand. "Over at the other company, they handed out two boxes of imported cherries at their annual party," she said, shaking her phone. "And we only get performance bonuses?" The video, maliciously edited, went viral online and hit the trending list the very next day. I had the finance department cancel all the year-end bonus transfers. "If cherries are what really count as a gesture of goodwill," I said, "then this year's year-end benefit will be cherries—fifty boxes per person." When they saw the mountain of cherries piling up before them, the employees who had once joined in mocking me panicked instantly. One by one, they cried and apologized, begging me to reconsider.

On the eve of our wedding, Trevin Hoffman's childhood sweetheart, a mercenary who had vanished for five years, was struck by a deadly love spell during a mission. When her teammates dragged her back to him, she was covered in blood, barely clinging to life. Trevin, usually calm and composed, lost control. Ignoring my protests, he locked himself in with her for the entire night. I sat outside that door, sleepless until dawn. The next morning, when I demanded an explanation in hysteria, he shielded her with his body and snapped, his mask completely gone. "I couldn't just watch Wren die. One wild night before marriage, what's so wrong with that?" At that moment, I was disillusioned. My love for him vanished in an instant.

Wolves are born, not turned. Rex fell in love, finding his mate in a human, which was forbidden to do, if he acted on that urge he knew the punishment would be severe. After saving his human from a group of Alphas trying to turn a human into a chew toy. Surprising the Alphas, Rex ran in and took off with his human. Spending time with his human made Rex realize he couldn’t live without him. Finding a long forgotten ritual, Rex was able to turn his human into a wolf so they could remain together. The consequences from that decision ignited a war between the Sire Lines, wolves from all corners of Gaia having their wolves and humans together in one body, tempering the bloodlust of their inner wolf brought a peaceful balance to the wolf. Some wolves being unhappy with the awakening of their humanity, a few started putting together a team of wolves, armed with a plan to eliminate Rex and his mate to satisfy a very old grudge, gaining the favor of Vuk Majka, the Mother of Wolves, to aid their cause. Vuk’s sister, Pandora sides with Rex and his wolves trying to keep Nature and Creation from wiping the slate clean, remaking Gaia from the ground to the Heavens.

Calista Harlow is a young woman feeling as if she's on top of the world and ready for anything. Anything, except for a tragedy that shakes her to her very core and changes everything. She has responsibilities now that she can't handle, a new life that she never asked for and so much grief that she can hardly function. No longer a quiet, happy girl, she begins to live her life as if she has nothing to live fore anymore. From drunken dares to life-threatening shenanigans, she is willing to do anything as long as it makes her feel alive again. The only question is; will she live through it? She will if Wyatt Kestrel has anything to say about it. He intends to save her from herself, even if it means she drags him down with her. All in all, it should make for one wild winter.

I was the biological daughter of the Stone Family. With my gossip-tracking system, I played the part of a meek, obedient girl on the surface, but underneath, I would strike hard when it counted. What I didn't realize was that someone could hear my every thought. "Even if you're our biological sister, Alicia is the only one we truly acknowledge. You need to understand your place," said my brothers. 'I must've broken a deal with the devil in a past life to end up in the Stone Family this time,' I figured. My brothers stopped dead in their tracks. "Alice is obedient, sensible, and loves everyone in this family. Don't stir up drama by trying to compete for attention." I couldn't help but think, 'Well, she's sensible enough to ruin everyone's lives and loves you all to the point of making me nauseous.' The brothers looked dumbfounded.

My sister and I were reborn on the very day we were to be sent to the Demons as sacrificial vessels. That day, our husbands, the God of Water and the God of Fire, came to rescue us. However, this time, without any discussion, we made the same choice. We refused their rescue and willingly offered ourselves to the Demons. In our previous life, after they saved us, the Demons captured the God of Water's young apprentice as a replacement. In the end, she was flayed and had her bones torn out, dying a brutal and tragic death. Because of that, the God of Water and the God of Fire came to hate my sister and me deeply. They spread rumors that we were the Twin Blossoms of Ruin, destined to destroy the world, and forced us to the point where our souls were completely annihilated. When I opened my eyes again, my sister and I had returned to the moment when the Demons first captured us. We exchanged a glance and then announced in front of everyone, "We are willing to become the sacrificial vessels of the Dark Lord and the Demon King. Take us with you." The God of Water and the God of Fire left with their young apprentice, who was completely unharmed. They were relieved that they had finally protected the one they truly cared about. Only later did they realize their mistake, but by then, they were consumed with regret.

Okay so this is for everyone whose imagination has never once behaved itself. You know who you are. To my fellow freaks who read with one hand on the book and the other doing you know what (wink wink) and to the innocent ones who are absolutely lying about being innocent. This is your safe space, your no judgment zone and your new favorite material for everything in between. We don't talk about what we do with good books and I'm here to make sure you have them deeply inked and ready. You're welcome and I'm not sorry!! ✦ Warning This collection contains dark themes, such as dubcon, violence, slapping, degradation, anal, MMF, and more. All characters depicted in these stories are above 18 years of age.

I could hear the thoughts of the poorest girl in the entire school. At our campus ball, she deliberately ate food that contained nuts to give herself an allergic reaction and blame me for it. With tears streaming down her face, she cried, "I know you don't like me! I know you look down on girls as poor as me, but you can't bully me like this!" Everyone believed her and turned on me, including my fiancé, Mark Hawkins, who was expected to form a political alliance with my family through our engagement. He pinned me in place and demanded that I apologize to the 'victim'. I shook my head, trying desperately to explain that it was not me who put the nuts in her food. That was when I heard the thoughts of that 'poor' girl, Alice, ''So what if she's the mafia don's daughter? I still brought her down. Being defended by her rich, clueless fiancé feels incredible!' I was stunned. Before I could react, Mark pushed me to the floor and said firmly, "Helen, apologizing won't kill you." A disbelieving laugh slipped out of me. I wondered if he would still say the same thing if he could hear Alice's thoughts. When I finally gained the ability to share the thoughts I heard with someone else, I chose Mark without hesitation.