Shell Collectors

His dark eyes roved her body from head to toe as he sized her up. The intent in them speaks volumes of her ruination. "Strip!" She stiffened and blinked in a haze of raw fear as he prowled towards her. Involuntarily she took a step back then another and another all the while keeping her fear-filled eyes fixed on him before her back touched the wall. She flinched and the very next second he was looming over her like a crazed beast. He rested his arm on the wall above her head and leaned down peering at her big hazel hues with that evil smirk dancing on his sinful lips. "Are you afraid, human?" His deep raspy voice and his aura were ominously dark and dominant that her knees buckled. Her chin jutted out in a fearful tact as she tried not to cry in front of her tormentor. His smoldering eyes fell on his favorite items, her trembling plump lips, and quivering chin. "Strip for me Ava or else," He edged closer as his hot raspy breath caressed the shell of her ear like the whisper of death as he continued. "I will not hesitate to tear your clothes!" He growled, animalistically.

"I loved you maxwell, I really did" I yelled at him as tears fell from my eyes " and I loved you too, I still do" he said as he moved closer. "Then why did you make me wait so much before admitting it to me?" I yelled at him. I watched him as he looked down " Max why?" I asked " Because I'm scared.. damn it!" he yelled ***** Scarlett is a normal high school student in her third year, she lives with her father and her younger brother, her mother left her father when she was ten years old and through the years her dad has been both a dad and a mum to she and her brother. with the help of Maxwell, Scarlett's childhood friend who is also her best friend, Scarlett learns how to break off her shell and she falls in love with her best friend who is oblivious of that fact. what will happen to those feelings now when a new guy suddenly appears next door and also in school, it feels magical as they both touch hands.. will Scarlett end up with maxwell or the new guy.

The Protagonist of the story : Fayth Aurora Valentino is just another average teenager. She is the epitome of the word introvert, who would rather be buried in her books than do anything else. She was hoping to complete her senior with very little problems and finally be able to attend the universities of her dreams. But what happens when suddenly the ground beneath her feet opens up wide and suddenly she is falling into an endless void. A fourth war that threatens to finish the last set of humans, breaks all over the world and this time, hope is something that is no longer existent. A girl who was always cocooned is thrown right in the middle of a battlefield, fighting for something that she doubts will survive any longer. Fighting for the people who will ultimately betray her. The lines between right and wrong get so blurred that she often slips. Hurting strangers to protect the ones she loves, is it right or wrong? Is a question that looms over her head all the time. Enemies become friends, while the ones she trusted the most stab her in the back, literally. Fayth finds herself turning into someone that she isn’t sure whether she loves or hates. Everywhere she turns she finds herself losing the people she loves. Everything seems to be drawing out her energy leaving behind an empty shell made up of only pain and sorrow.

Thea had everything she ever wanted; her family, friends, loving fiancé, and beautiful son. Since she had lost her parents in an accident, she was the head of the house, raising her younger siblings until they could start their life. She's proud of her baby sister for coming out of her shell, finding the man she loves, and raising three children. As for her brother, she worries, but that doesn't hide the affection her best friend has towards him. Her brother is a bit dull on romance. Thea thought it would just be the three of them, but now there are more to surrounded by people she cares about and love. Thea loves having a big family. What can go wrong? Engaged and can't wait to marry the woman who brought joy and love into his life. Rex Wolfe decided to celebrate their engagement in Hawaii and show her where she grew up. Rex knew Thea had planned to celebrate on her grandfather's yacht. Everything had gone smoothed when a group of armed men infiltrated as the leader demanded the money his uncle owed them. Rex wasn't sure why because his uncle had been dead for years, and the man who killed him was none other than the man once his father and uncle called "Brother."

Ellie is a shy, lanky teenager, thrust into a world she doesn't belong in; a place whose students are worth more than their weight in gold. So Ellie 's plan is simple; keep her head down and focus on her studies. Be invisible. But her plan shatters the moment she spills grape juice on Carter; the school’s golden boy, untouchable because of the power his family name possesses. Ellie 's life implodes. What begins as an accident quickly spirals into a literal nightmare. Carter makes Ellie his target, and the torment rapidly escalates until one evening they reach a humiliating agreement. Over time, lines blur adding a delicious layer of confusion to their twisted dynamic, one that neither of them care for. But just when she thinks he can't take it anymore, salvation comes from an unlikely source; her favorite teacher, one he has secretly admired. As this forbidden relationship blooms and Carter is fended off, Ellie can take a deep breath again. Everything is finally ok. Until it isn't. The ultimate betrayal leaves Ellie shattered, sitting amidst the broken pieces of her recently found happiness. She becomes a shell of her former self, shutting out everyone trying to reach her, which shockingly includes Carter. Why? Why is he suddenly desperate to get in touch with Ellie ? And will he succeed? Or will it not matter anyway because she's too far gone?

The annual ranking of the most popular Werewolf Academy professors had just been released and, once again, my Alpha mate, Trevor, took the number one spot. In an interview with The Wolf Tribune, he touched the bond ring on his hand and gave a helpless smile. “If my Luna sees this, she’s probably going to get jealous again tonight.” Everyone said that he was hopelessly in love with me. However, in the blink of an eye, rumors about him and one of his students, Rin, were spreading through the entire pack like wildfire. Trevor kissed me, coaxed me in bed, swore that he only admired Rin’s talent and promised to let me decide her fate. Hence, I arranged for Rin to study abroad in a neutral territory. Who would have thought that she would be ambushed at the border by rogue wolves on her second day away from the pack. Her wolf spirit was shattered and she was left a broken shell of herself. The whole pack was rife with rumors that I had set a trap out of jealousy, trying to destroy her because she was close to my Alpha. Even Trevor did not trust me. He rushed off to be by Rin’s side that very night. When he came back, he had already removed his name from our mate registry and instead registered himself with Rin. I uttered the words, one by one, “Trevor, let’s end our bond.”

Addy Walker once believed love was supposed to be loud—felt in bedtime stories, laughter in the kitchen, and the warmth of arms that made the world feel safe. That’s how it was before her mother died. Before her father changed. Grief hollowed him out. The man who once teased and protected became a shell—quiet, cold, unreachable. Then came the bottles. The slammed doors. The bruises. Addy, now eighteen, has learned to survive in silence—walking lightly, speaking carefully, hiding her pain beneath long sleeves and polite smiles. She works long hours to keep food on the table while her father sinks deeper into debt and addiction. One night, she comes home to a dark, freezing house—again. The electricity is off. Again. And she knows why. She confronts him, her voice sharper than it’s ever been. He denies it at first, but the truth is already spread across the kitchen counter in final notice bills and losing betting slips. He’d gambled away the electric bill money on a horse. The argument erupts. He screams, she stands her ground. When he slaps her, she doesn’t flinch. Something inside her shifts. She’s done waiting for the man he used to be. Addy packs a bag. She’s leaving—for real this time. No plan. No destination. Just freedom. But as she storms out into the rain, a long, black car pulls up to the curb. A man steps out—tall, broad-shouldered, older. His face is hard, almost frightening in the shadows, but he’s striking. Dangerous. And calm.

Sometimes love finds us in the most unexpected places—through the most unexpected person. At 40, Daniel’s life is a careful balance between raising his three children and running the family business. After losing his wife, he built a cold, impenetrable shell around himself—one he has no intention of breaking. Deanna, on the other hand, is full of dreams. With just one year left before earning her degree in Arts, she’s focused on one thing: making it to the opera stage. But when her best friend Harry begs for her help, her life takes an unforeseen turn. An outdated family rule threatens to keep Harry from marrying his pregnant girlfriend. The only solution? His older brother, Daniel, must marry first. To help him, Deanna and Daniel agree to a fake relationship—a temporary arrangement that should have been simple. But the pull between them is undeniable. She brings warmth into his cold world, while he offers her a love she never expected after a painful breakup. Together, they begin to build something real—something worth fighting for. Yet, not everyone wants to see them happy. Between outside forces determined to tear them apart and their own fears whispering doubts, their love faces an uphill battle. And with a 15-year age gap standing between them, one question remains: Can they defy the odds, or will reason win over the heart?

My daughter was born with silver poisoning in her blood—passed down from me—which made it hard for her to sense her wolf, and even harder for her to shift. I worked tirelessly, taking on every job I could, to earn enough money to find a cure for her. One night during a late shift, I saw her. My daughter, dressed like a princess in an elegant, Silverlight-woven gown, sat at a table in a high-end restaurant. With her was my mate—supposedly bedridden and paralyzed—wearing a tailored haute couture suit. Across the table sat the famous she-wolf of our pack, the daughter of a respected elder. They had ordered a lavish dinner, the bill totaling over $500,000. After the meal, I overheard my mate ask our daughter, “You remember how to tell the story, right?” She nodded and replied, “Yes. I’ll tell Mom we were working as werewolf junk collectors all night, collecting waste paper crates, and in the end, we only earned enough to buy half a loaf of bread.” My mate smiled, pleased with the answer. The she-wolf then gifted my daughter an entire collection of newly released moonstone jewelry. Before they left, my mate tipped each waitress $5,000. I stood frozen, tears falling as the truth shattered my heart: my mate—and even my beloved daughter—had been lying to me. Even in dormancy, my wolf mourned. A colleague saw me crying and asked what was wrong. I forced a smile and said, “I’m just happy. I got $5,000 tonight. It would’ve been even better… if it hadn’t come from my mate, the one who’s supposed to be paralyzed and lying in bed.” No one knew what I had sacrificed to be his mate. I waited for an apology. But it never came. So I made my decision. I called my father—the one who had been waiting all these years for me to return as his heir. When I disappeared from their lives, just as they had always secretly wished... That’s when they finally began searching for me across the world.

Alexander Gracias is the youngest CEO in Littleton Global’s history. Brilliant, ruthless, and utterly untouchable. Women are easy distractions he never lets too close… until the night he sees her. A mysterious stripper with hypnotic green eyes who vanishes before he can get her name. But fate has a wicked sense of humor. On day morning, she walks into him. demure, professional, and wearing a name tag that reads Mackenzie Jordans. His new secretary. His forbidden temptation. Mackenzie has spent years hiding a dangerous secret, one that could destroy the life she’s carefully built. By day, she’s the perfect assistant. By night, she’s Ramona the seductive performer stripper Now he’s determined to own her in the boardroom and beyond. But the closer he gets, he see she was a hard shell to crack. In a game of power, desire, and dangerous secrets… Who will break first? Excerpt from the book: “You look like you don’t scare easy,” she murmured as she came closer, her voice a low purr barely audible over the music. “I don’t scare at all,” he replied, taking a slow sip. She smiled at that, circling behind him. “We’ll see about that.” Her fingertips brushed along the back of his neck, feather-light. Then she came around to face him again, planting one heel between his knees. With a languid roll of her hips, she lowered herself onto his lap, her hair spilling over her shoulder, brushing against his cheek.