Rice By Manuel Arguilla

After being accused of killing her father, Azura Riverstone runs away from her pack when her mate and husband orders his Gammas to hold her as the captive. Torn between hurt and betrayal from her mate and step-family, she decides to seek the Alpha King for help but the only way to get to him is participating in the Alpha combat where only Alphas are allowed. How will she find the true murderer of her father when her ex finds her and offers a deal which she can't deny?

**This book contains a trigger warning. Mention about rape and torture in this book. Please read with caution** "Our marriage is nothing but a deal," he said looking at the girl, her green eyes met his cold silver eye, and both of them glared at each other. "For any rules you break, I will claim any part of your body," his gaze grew dangerously darker at his word. ************* Ashley Harlow was at the top of the world, living the perfect and luxurious lifestyle as the legitimate daughter of the well-known Daniel Harlow. But sadly, a one-night stand put an end to that and brought her life upside down and that of her family's name to the ground. To restore his family's reputation, she was forced into marrying Damien Albrecht, a young, ruthless, obnoxious, brutal billionaire and the head of a mafia gang in exchange for her father's company.

Sienna Halloway has always been different, the crescent-shaped birthmark on her skin is proof of that. But when a near-fatal car crash lands her in the clutches of a hidden world, she discovers just how different she truly is. Marked as the prophesied ‘Lunar Key’, she holds the power to alter the fate of the shifter world a world she never even knew existed. Ronan Draven, the brooding Alpha, wants to keep her safe. Kael Blackthorn, the rogue shifter with a haunted past, wants to unravel her mystery. And Thorne Silverclaw, the arrogant dragon prince, wants to claim her as his queen. As tensions rise and passions ignite, Sienna is caught in a dangerous web of power, prophecy, and undeniable attraction. But when betrayal strikes from within, and an enemy with an agenda of his own comes for her, Sienna must harness her untapped powers or risk losing the men who have vowed to protect her and her own life. In a world of shifters, secrets, and fated bonds, love may be Sienna’s greatest strength... or her ultimate weakness.

When the hunter falls for the monster, blood isn't the only thing that gets spilled. Damon's life has always been simple—track, kill, repeat. As a ruthless vampire hunter, he's known for his cold precision and his refusal to let emotions cloud his judgment. But everything changes the night he crosses paths with Luciano, a seductive vampire prince with centuries of secrets and a voice that sounds like sin. Luciano should be Damon’s enemy. Instead, he's a temptation wrapped in shadows dangerous, alluring, and far too familiar. Bound by a history neither of them fully understands and a fate that refuses to let them go, the two men are forced into a deadly game of betrayal, loyalty, and longing. But in a world where war brews between light and dark, and the past refuses to stay buried, can a hunter truly love the thing he was born to destroy? Or will Damon and Luciano’s love story end in the same blood-soaked tragedy that birthed it?

"Call me Alpha, little wolf" Damien snarled looking at the girl who just walked into his office. "One thing that you need to understand, me being your wife does not and will NEVER mean that you're my Alpha" Natalia snapped. *************** Being born a rogue, Natalia has always wished to be part of a pack, somewhere to belong and call home. But when both Damien and Natalia’s worlds collide, in what humans call marriage; both the mafia and wolf worlds are shaken.

Dominic is set to take over as godfather of La Famiglia but when his father is brutally murdered the vultures settle and the seat is up for grabs. Intrigue, murder, and family secrets will unfold in this thrilling dark mafia romance as Dominic takes on the role as the head of the Vittori family. Lovers will become enemies and alliances will be tested. Federal agents are watching him, his family is in danger and old feuds are renewed when Dominic loses someone he loves. There's a thin line between love and hate and Dominic will stand with one foot on either side as he fights to the bitter end to get his revenge. Please note that this book is filled with trigger chapters. Read at your own risk.

"Do you love him?", He asked I again tried to speak but he cut me off. "YES or NO". I nodded in YES. I love him in a brotherly way. "I thought that you were different, but I forgot about your background. I had purchased you from the red-light area. Soon or later, whore like you would have surely shown their true color, isn't it?" He drily laughed. And then, held my arm harshly and started dragging me, god knows where? He didn't even care that I was in pain. I keep staring at his face. I can't believe the day which I always wanted to come i.e. when I will actually be free from this cage, will come. But I was not feeling about him. It made me feel that I had started loving this cage...He pushed me away, and two arms collected me before I could have fallen down. I know that it belongs to my brother. Struck by physical pain and mental shock, I could bear it no longer and fainted in his arms. I finally understood that the most intolerable thing in a relationship was cheating. Without trust, our relationship was so vulnerable!

"Ryan we can't do this!" I pleaded, knowing I had already fallen into his temptation. He trailed his thumb softy on my collar bone, our gaze met and I melted instantly in those alluring eyes of his. "Yet, we can't deny our feelings," He uttered huskily and captured my lips with his, every ounce of restraint in me drained off as I succumbed to him. ~~ After two years of living in Bradford, UK with her broken father, Hailey recently moved back to Albany in New York to stay with her mom's remarried family to complete her finals in a new high school in her stepfamily's city. The weather, her stepfamily's lavish and luxurious lifestyle, and most importantly her stepbrother, Ryan, were all troubling for her. Ryan, The handsome, popular, and athletic rich guy of the school was every girl's dream while Hailey thought having a popular stepbrother like him would make her stay a lot easier in her new school, instead it turns out Ryan has made up his mind to wreck Hailey's life to the worst. Soon enough, Hailey noticed that Ryan has been having a grudge toward her for years for reasons she couldn't place her mind on.

She was ruined in a single night. Now she’s back—with a new name, a hidden past, and a score to settle. After a betrayal that destroyed her future and shattered her reputation, Astrid arrives at an elite warrior academy across the ocean—unrecognizable, untouchable. No one knows who she really is… not even the cold, unreadable combat instructor whose rejection once broke her. He calls her Mouse. Pushes her. Watches her. But his wolf knows. As sparks ignite beneath blood, secrets, and silver, enemies close in from every side. A jealous rival, a missing heir, and a dark conspiracy that’s been waiting to strike. She wanted revenge. She didn’t expect to fall for him again. And this time, loving him might cost her everything.

She never expected to fall for him. Jack Smith, the city's most notorious playboy, was everything she thought she should avoid. She was just a nobody-or so she believed. But when her fiancé cruelly discards her for a business deal with a billionaire heiress and frames her brother for a crime he didn't commit, she's left broken and desperate. With no one else to turn to, she seeks help from the one man she swore she'd never rely on-Jack Smith, the billionaire who had always seemed out of reach. But as secrets unfold, she discovers she's not the nobody she thought she was. She's an heiress in her own right, with more power than she ever imagined. Now, her ex-fiancé wants her back, realizing too late what he lost. But has she already fallen for Jack, the man who's shown her a world of wealth, power, and a love she never thought possible? In a battle of hearts and fortunes, she must decide: reclaim her past or embrace the future with the man who stole her heart?