Short Story By Nick Joaquin

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?

“Cassie.” Everything around me froze. I stared at him without blinking for a second. “Cassie?” I repeated back to him. “The woman you brought into our house and claimed she was a distant cousin?” That was the moment I knew my marriage was over. Chloe Stone thought she had a perfect life, with a husband she loved and a future she had dreamed of since she was a child. But on the night of their fifth wedding anniversary, one text changed her life. Her husband was having an affair with another woman. Devastated, she walks away from her marriage with nothing but a suitcase and her pride. She leaves and tries to heal but it is difficult under the roof of a bitter father. Chloe lands a job in a powerful firm and comes face to face with Alex Blackwood, her ex-husband’s college rival, a powerful billionaire CEO with a guarded heart, raising a child on his own. Can two hearts shattered by their pasts, find love in the most unexpected second chance?

Alaric and I had been mates for five years, and I had believed with all my heart that I would become the first female Gamma of the pack by proving myself in the warrior’s trial. I had trained relentlessly, sharpening my claws and honing my instincts, ready to fight for my rightful place. But fate had other plans. Three days before the trial, I was ambushed by rogues. They didn't just attack me—they hunted me like prey. They tormented me with the silver knife so that my wolf was dead. The scent of death clung to me, my wolf howling in agony, desperately trying to heal, but the wounds ran too deep. As I lay barely conscious on the blood-stained sheets, I heard my husband's cold, indifferent voice. "Is she dead?" The witch doctor hesitated before answering, "No, but—" "It doesn’t matter," Alaric interrupted, Coat her wounds with wolfsbane and silver—make sure it seeps into her blood, burns through her veins, and poisons her wolf beyond repair. I want her body to reject her own nature, so she will never heal. There will only be one Gamma in this pack, and that's Serina." In that moment, the truth became clear—I had never truly stood a chance in the warrior’s trial I had dreamed of. The battle had been decided long before I ever stepped into the arena.

"Leave me," I said, struggling to get out of his grip… "Ahh," an unwanted moan escaped from my lips when he sucked on my neck harder. "If you want me to leave you then why do you call me daddy to tease me?" He groaned, having a hard time controlling himself. "Now you have to pay for it, my little dove." She closed her eyes in sensation knowing the dirty meaning behind those innocent words. She hated him, and his feelings were not different, but their desire was overpowering their hatred. . Monika is an Alpha woman who falls in love three times, but everyone rejects her, including her fated mate. She accepted her fate of being doomed in love until her ex returned to her life after knowing she hid her pregnancy for him. She was the mother of his child. He forced her to sign a contract marriage where there would be only lust and no place for love. What will she choose? If she said yes, then what would happen when a girl who is rejected by everyone gets accepted by a ruthless Alpha who is heartless as a rock? Wanna know? Read the journey of Monika finding love.

Eureka was forced into a marriage with Raymond Blackwood, the CEO who never wanted her. Lies, betrayal, and a broken heart sent her running.   Years later, she returns successful, with a teenage boy Raymond doesn’t even know exist, and the quest to find her daughter because she gave birth to twins, but one was stolen. When fate brings them together again, the truth behind their broken marriage starts to surface.   Can Raymond fix the damage he caused, or is it too late for forgiveness and love?

“You should have died.” His voice was cold. “But I saved you… and now you carry my heir.” I froze. “You’re lying.” “Am I?” His eyes burned into mine. Neglected by Mate, Accepted by His Brother Maddena thought finding her mate, Alpha Lucas of Fangsmoon Pack, would be her happy ending. Seven years of a childless union didn’t shake her loyalty—until she finally conceived… and he accused her of betrayal. Branded a cheater, sentenced to death, and cast into the sea, Maddena lost everything. But fate had other plans. Rescued by a mysterious Lycan King, Lucas’s estranged twin brother Damien, Maddena awakens in a world far from the cruelty she once knew. As truths unravel and forbidden feelings ignite, Maddena discovers a heartbreaking secret: her child doesn’t belong to the mate who betrayed her… but to the brother who saved her. Torn between vengeance, truth, and a love she never expected, Maddena must choose; return to the past that broke her or embrace the future that could heal her.

Serena’s POV Matagal kong inakalang hawak lang ako ng kontrata—isang papel na pumirmi sa buhay ko, sa katawan ko, at sa kalayaan ko. Pero ngayong nakahiga ako sa tabi ni Damien, natatakpan ng init ng balat niya ang lahat ng sugat sa puso ko, alam kong mali ako. Hindi na kontrata ang nagbubuklod sa amin. Hindi na utang. Hindi na desperasyon. Ako mismo ang pumili sa kanya. Dahan-dahan niyang hinila ang kumot pababa, inilantad ang bawat bahagi ng katawan kong kanina pa nanginginig, hindi dahil sa takot kundi dahil sa pananabik. Mainit ang hininga niya sa leeg ko, at ang bawat halik na inilapat niya ay parang panata na hindi na niya ako bibitawan. “Wala nang papel na nagdidikta sa’yo, Serena,” bulong niya habang pinapadaanan ng labi ang balikat ko. “Ako na ang pipiliin mo. Ako na ang kailangan mo.” Napapikit ako, hinayaan ang katawan kong lunurin ng bawat haplos niya. Hindi na ito transaksyon. Hindi na ito kasunduan. Ito ay kagustuhan naming pareho. Nagtagpo ang mga labi namin, mas mariin, mas buo—parang wala nang bukas. Ang bawat paghinga niya ay naging akin, ang bawat ungol ko ay naging kanya. Hanggang sa wala nang natira kundi ang mga katawan naming nag-uusap, nagsasanib, nagtatakda ng bagong simula. At sa gitna ng dilim ng kwarto, habang pareho kaming nilalamon ng init at ng pagmamahal, alam kong wala nang atrasan. Ako si Serena Villareal. Hindi na bilang alipin ng kontrata, kundi bilang babaeng kusang nagpa-angkin, kusang nagmahal, at kusang nagpasakop—sa lalaking siya ring nagpalaya sa akin.

"Can anyone else make you feel the way I do?" He whispered roughly while trailing kisses down my neck. A soft moan escaped me as I held him tightly "You aren't even my mate." His playful smile turned into a devilish smirk, "And do you think I care about that, little one? Mate-bond or not, I am going to make sure that you are MINE." ........................ The peaceful life of Delilah Dimitri was flipped upside down when she crossed paths with the ruthless and vicious cursed Lycan King, Xander Stoneheart. On her 18th birthday, after shifting into a wolf, Delilah's only hope in this cruel world is her true mate, Alpha Ethan. But to her disappointment, he rejects her and wants nothing to do with her. Heartbroken and shattered, Delilah is so done with the supernatural world. But little does she know that the heartless Lycan King has started to have forbidden feelings for her and is not yet ready to let her go. Adamant to make her his own, would the devil ever be able to win Delilah's heart? What about Xander's own true mate who he needs to break the curse?

The Mafia circle in New York City was a tangled web, where power shifted in the blink of an eye. The Dusk family, once a powerful force in the underworld, was now reduced to nothing more than a pawn in the game. Their only hope for survival was to marry off their daughters, securing the support they so desperately needed. I, Seraphina Dusk, was sadly one of those daughters. In my past life, I had managed to secure myself a powerful marriage. I married Silas Vane, the head of the most influential mafia family in the country. My sister, Lila, was less fortunate, ending up with Jaxon Westmore—whom she believed would save her. I gave Silas a son and a daughter, and in return, my family was gifted wealth and power. But my sister? She was not so lucky. Jaxon wasn’t the man she thought he was. Instead of honoring the marriage or alliance, he squandered his time on models and strippers, leaving Lila discarded by both him and our father. One seemingly ordinary day, Lila invited me to lunch—never did I expect that she would kill me, drove a knife into my heart. Then she killed herself. And now here I was, reborn, back when our father first told us that Lila and I have to marry for the family. And this time, Lila called her shots on Silas Vane. That’s when I knew. She was reborn as well. Let her have him, then. She had no idea what kind of man he really was.

Rejecting her one true mate, Alpha Anton Bates, after all the horrible things he and his father had put her through. Nala thought moving into a new land and studying to become a doctor, her life would run smoothly, and she would have a wonderful new start, but it is not as she seems. Her being away from Alpha Anton his love for her has turned into an obsession one that is not healthy for him and dangerous for Nala. But that is not all happening within poor Nala's life. While trying to ignore her alpha mate another alpha's eyes met her. How will Nala get away from these two now or does she don't want one to leave her side. "Get engross in an intriguing read." FACEBOOK PAGE: A.K.KNIGHT INSTAGRAM: ATHAN941