Serpent Breathing

"Why are you doing this?" He sighed as he walked around the bed to my side but he didn't answer. He leaned closer, and I closed my eyes. I could hear our heartbeats, and I could hear his breathing as well. If I didn't see how cold he was to me, I would have thought he was affected by me. But I knew better. I felt the shackle tighten around my neck as tears streamed down my face. It hurt that I had to be shackled, but what hurt the most was that it was my mate doing this. "Fuck." I heard him mutter under his breath. My hand was hoisted up and the chain around my wrist loosened. "Let's go." I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I stood up and followed him. I refused to look at him. I didn't know which was better, the chain or the shackle. Because regardless of what I had, they both meant the same thing - I was nothing but a mere rogue to him.  ¤¤¤¤¤ Stealing The Heart of My Alpha is the final installment in the Black Shadow Pack Series. While the story stands alone, I recommend that you read the series and the spin-off novels to gain a better understanding of the characters and the world I created. BLACK SHADOW PACK SERIES: Book 1 - HE'S MY ALPHA (Completed) Book 2 - THE BETA IS MINE (Completed) Book 3 - LOVING THE GAMMA (Completed) Spin-off Novel Book 1 - IN THE ARMS OF MY ALPHA (Completed) Spin-off Novel Book 2 - THROUGH THE EYES OF MY ALPHA (Completed)

"Please, don’t do this here” Donald cried, his white shorts were soiled. He trembled greatly and his breathing was ragged. “Donald, you stepped on toes. Toes which you couldn’t even bend over to buckle a shoe on it. The powers that be want to take a pound of their flesh” The man grabbed the blade and knelt on one knee. He caressed Donald's neck with his finger. “Don’t do this in front of my wife and kids. Let’s go elsewhere and talk” Donald sounded like he had resigned to his fate. “Any last word” The man ordered his men to lift Donald. “I don’t want to die like this, in front of my daughter” He whimpered. “If we wanted to kill you outside, it would have been easy. But we maneuvered our way through for a reason” the Man said, as he got up, and beckoned for a blade. ***************************************** In a world where crime rules, a world compromised by powers that be. A weak Alicia finds herself in such realms. The night her Dad is murdered is the beginning of her destiny. She is torn between two worlds; two twin brothers who are crime lords. Making a decision is difficult as she is only in the lowest chain of power. Weak, confused, and dejected, she must rise to the occasion. Vengeance, Sex, betrayal, and death are the order of the day. Alicia is faced with two twins who seek to kill each other. Will she ignite emotions in the very one who denied the existence of love? Watch out for "Taming His Big Monster"

On my eighteenth birthday, the High King summoned the heirs of the four great clans—the Vampires, the Werewolves, the High Serpent Clan, and the Merfolk. He laid their portraits before me and said, "Choose one to be your bondmate." I did not hesitate. I pointed to Damon—the werewolf with no noble bloodline, born in a forgotten corner of the realm. The entire court erupted in disbelief. Everyone knew who I used to love. Alpha Iris—the heir of the most powerful Lycan bloodline. For seven years, I chased him with blind devotion. No matter how harshly he treated me, I never gave up. I confessed to him over and over, sometimes right in the royal court. I even performed a blood-binding ritual—slitting my wrist—to earn the right to marry him. In my previous life, I got what I wanted—I married him and we performed the mate bonding ceremony. With that union, he inherited the High King's resources and rose to become the ruler of all four clans. However, what I did not expect was that after our wedding, he turned around and marked my adoptive sister. My parents were furious and sent her away. From that day on, Iris hated me with a vengeance. He surrounded himself with women who all looked eerily like her. One by one, they came—each more vicious than the last. With his silent approval, they tore me down, piece by piece, until I was nothing more than a joke—no longer the queen I once was. The suffering pushed me into severe depression. Only suppressants keep my wolf form from spiraling out of control. Until one day, my medication was replaced with a slow-acting poison. He was the one who did it. I died alone, locked away in the cold palace, a child still growing inside me. However, fate gave me another chance. In this life, I would not make the same mistake. When the High King once again asked me to choose a partner for the marriage alliance, I chose Damon—the one no one ever noticed—without even blinking. I thought I was finally free of the past. However, the moment the engagement was announced… Alpha Iris lost his mind.

“God, woman.” He growled as she shuddered. Suppressing his outlandish sadistic tendency, he stopped, still breathing heavily. His lungs burned, and his hard c*ck throbbed in his pants. *** Heartbroken, Charleigh Wrylee, a charming and driven associate architect, dedicates her life to her career. She grabs the opportunity when a new project promises her a promotion. Bryce Chase is a tough daddy and a great baker with only two goals in life—raising his child and managing his cake shop. But things change when he runs into a new girl. Even though their interests don’t align, it turns the heat between them, pulling them together like magnets. Will they be able to set their issues aside and follow their hearts instead? Or will they rather stick to what they’re fighting for; his shop and her promotion? *** Sometimes hiding the truth comes with a great price. That’s what the quiet and preserved Arizona Sky realizes after meeting Tripp Wrylee— a hardworking overconfident CEO of a top architectural firm. She finds herself doing things she never thought she’d do— marrying a man she barely knows and leaving her the next day.  Three years later, he comes back, asking for a second chance, filling the husband’s role he left empty, bringing out the other side of him that Ari never knew he had.  Things between them become surreal until his job is at risk, their relationship is in hot water, and the people she loves are against their relationship, but something between them is maybe worth saving.

At my lowest point that year, I took a job at a pet shop, where I was assigned to take care of a "gentle-tempered" silver-white Alaskan Malamute. Every time I went near him, he would lift his head and bury his nose against my chest, breathing in low, rough sounds that felt disturbingly like a grown man holding himself back. Especially when my hand brushed through his beautiful fur, his body would heat up, and his eyes would darken and burn with unmistakable possessiveness. Thinking he was sick, I rushed to find the shop owner. The owner gave me a long, meaningful glance. "He's not sick. But he only acts like this with you. "You need to bathe him, give him a full-body massage, and try giving him a little kiss. Otherwise, he might lose control." I had my doubts about the whole thing, but I didn't really have a choice. I went along with it anyway. Eventually, I told the friend who had gotten me this job everything that had been happening. After she heard me out, she went quiet for a second. Then, she looked at me strangely and said, "Have you ever thought that maybe you're not looking after a dog at all? What if he's actually a werewolf who can take human form, and he's in heat, using pheromones to mess with you because he wants to… You know, sleep with you?"

“Lucky advances toward her, and her breathing intensifies. He stop inches from her. “Are you sure?” he asks, his voice low and serious. “I’m certain,” she replies, trying to steady her voice. He studies her for a moment, then asks again, “I don’t think you understand what I’m asking. If I spend the night, I can’t promise to be a gentleman.” She looks at him boldly, her eyes unflinching. “And I’m not asking you to be one tonight.” Daniela Blackwood's life takes an unexpected turn when she gets into a car accident with a handsome stranger, Lucky Hamilton. What starts as a night of despair transforms into an unforgettable night of passion. However, weeks later, Daniela is shattered to discover that Lucky is married to her stepsister, Alicia. Conflicted and heartbroken, Daniela tries to distance herself from the man she unexpectedly fell for. Lucky, on the other hand, has his own side of the story and is determined to explain himself. But Daniela doesn't want to hear it, convinced that any relationship with Lucky is doomed from the start. A surprise pregnancy throws Daniela into turmoil. Struggling with her emotions for a married man and a cruel step mother, Daniela finds herself in a tough situation. The lines between right and wrong blur as she grapples with her growing love for Lucky and the reality of their situation. Can Lucky and Daniela’s feelings for each other overpower the chaos of their own lives? "The Married Man Who Loved Me" is a story of love, betrayal, and redemption.

Christmas was just around the corner, and the head of the company asked us to choose between a bonus and a Christmas gift box for chocolate. I was not much of a sweets person, so I was the first to vote for the bonus. The intern collecting the votes immediately called me out by name in the team chat. "Ella, Christmas is supposed to be about the holiday spirit. Isn't choosing the bonus a bit materialistic?" Even the department manager tagged me. "Ella, the company values team spirit more than anything." In the end, everyone else picked the gift boxes. I was the only one who did not. When the Christmas party arrived, the intern had bought gift boxes filled entirely with nut chocolate. She knew I was allergic to nuts, yet she forced me to try some in front of everyone to show my team spirit. "Ella, this was bought with everyone's bonus money. You cannot just refuse, can you?" The next moment, I was struggling to breathe and a rash spread across my body. The intern looked at me with pure disgust. "Seriously, Ella, do you have to ruin the mood when everyone else is having fun?" I frantically searched my bag for my allergy medicine, but all I could find were a few pieces of chocolate. Seeing me in such a state, the intern laughed. "Medicine is only one part of it. You need more sweets anyway. I swapped your medicine for the chocolate in the gift box." My breathing was getting worse by the second. I quickly grabbed my phone and texted the CEO. [Dad, I'm having an allergic reaction. I'm at the…]

Determined to escape her arranged marriage, Camden Woods abandons her old life, fleeing her pack and her hapless groom on her wedding day. She has no plan, but she knows she can't live a life devoid of love with her father breathing down her neck and dictating her life for all eternity. In a twist of fate, she bumps into her true mate, a rogue named Clayton, during her escape, and their whirlwind romance ignites like wildfire. As they begin to build a life together, their love blossoms and their lives seem perfect. But nothing lasts forever, and their idealistic relationship is put to the test when Camden crosses paths with Matt, her unexpected second mate. A complex love triangle unfolds as Camden finds her heart torn between the two men, who seem locked in a fierce rivalry as they vie for her affection. As circumstances change and challenges arise, Camden needs to establish where her loyalties lie while she grapples with choosing which path is right for her. This choice will define her future. Should she stay with Clayton because of their shared history? Or does Matt's never-ending devotion and unwavering support make him the better option? She knows that either path could lead to happiness, but is happiness enough when destiny seems to have more to offer? In a world where love and destiny collide, Camden is forced to search her soul for answers and try to figure out whether the mate bond transcends true love, or whether it's the other way around.

Surrounded by the darkness, she wasn't sure what was this place. She was lost in this dark abyss and didn't knew the way out. She was tired now, tired of running in different directions yet reaching nowhere, tired of trying to be brave when she was everything but that. After few moments of silence when she thought nothing can go wrong now, she heard something. Sge turned and saw.. Nothing.. No! She was sure she heard that, it wasn't her hallucination. She was terrified yet didn't lose her facade of being the strong girl she is trying to be since the time she landed here. She looked everywhere but she wasn't able to locate the source, releasing a defeated sigh, she wandered her gaze above her and shrieked at the sight. He, with that terrifying yet the most attractive smirk on his face, was watching her from the building above her. He glared at her with those piercing eyes and evil look on his face. She didn't realized she was shivering and sweating badly and suddenly he was there just an inch away from her face. She felt like he snatched the oxygen from the atmosphere leaving her breathless. She started gasping for air. And then... Thud! She woke up sweating and breathing heavily. She observed her surrounding before taking a sigh of relief. It was a nightmare, again! But what's the gurantee it won't be a nightmare the next time? She knew her nightmare will soon turn to reality and this nightmarish reality will make her life hell. ••••••••••

[TRIGGER WARNING: Reader's Discretion Is Advised. This book contains mature themes, explicit sexual content, dark romantic elements, and strong language. It is intended for adult audiences(18+). Proceed with caution.] He placed a hand on my leg, and my breath caught. His hand slowly began stroking my thigh, sending a strange wave of sensation through my body. My fingers tightened against my dress as my pulse quickened. His hand moved slowly higher, sliding deeper into my thigh. My body stiffened as his fingers brushed against my panties. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. Is Master doing what I think he’s going to do? I thought, panic slowly rising inside me. He leaned slightly closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine. “Try not to moan,” he whispered, my breath hitched. I tried my best to stay still, forcing myself to keep my expression calm as the men around the table continued their conversation. But under the table, his fingers kept teasing the fabric of my panties. My breathing grew uneven, then his fingers suddenly slipped inside. A small cough escaped my lips as my body jerked slightly from the sudden sensation. Several heads turned toward me. “Are you okay, Mrs. Enzo?” one of them asked with concern. My face burned with embarrassment. “Is something wrong? Did you choke on the food?” another man asked. “I think she choked on the food,” Enzo said calmly as he looked at me, his eyes held a warning.