Skinny Thick

His blood is still on my hands when he presses me to the wall. He's not kissing me yet, just his breath at my throat and his fingers tugging the waistband of my scrubs like he owns what’s under them. "I kill for you, doctor," he growls, voice thick with threat and worship. "The least you can do is stop pretending you don’t like it." I should run, instead, I tilt my chin—and dare him to try. Dr. Elena Vance never meant to save a mafia king. One moment, she’s leaving a trauma shift. The next, she’s elbow-deep in blood, patching up a man with a gun under his belt and death in his eyes. That man is Dante Volkov. Russia’s most wanted heir. New York’s rising Pakhan. And now? Elena’s captor. His offer is simple: Marry him or disappear forever. She bargains for three months.Three months to resist the Bratva’s crown prince. Three months to prove she’s no one’s possession. But Dante doesn’t play fair. He wages war with his hands, his mouth, his voice—claiming Elena in every room, every breath, every ruined rule. And as old enemies rise and family blood spills, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear: Elena isn’t just married to the mob. She’s becoming one of them.

Everything had always come easy for Crystal. Her life was easy, loving parents and a brother who would stand by her through thick and thin. Unfortunately her life came crashing down when her parents died in an unfortunate car accident, following that, years later the heartless billionaire, Ryke Sterling forces her into a contract marriage. She tries to adjust to her new life as Ryke battles with his demons. She finds out a new world exists, one of sex, power, money and betrayal. Her once perfect life is completely turned upside down as it changes pattern like a kaleidoscope. Demons from Ryke's past threaten to destroy everything he had built. He struggles to overcome them while trying to keep the walls he built around himself up He watches as she tries to peel the layers off him while battling with the biggest form of betrayal from the people she loved the most. He realizes that he can't move forward if he doesn't stop running and faces his past and without it, he can't have a future to look forward to. He knows he has to make a choice, either set Crystal who could possibly be his future free or let the demons of his past consume them both. He fears he might ruin her but can you really ruin someone that already lived in ruins?

During the full-moon raid carried out by the Bloodmoon Pack, my squad accidentally strayed into a swamp thick with deadly silver mist. I had prepared for this. I always carried a moonstone that could protect against silver poisoning. But when I opened my leather pouch, all my fingers touched was a wishing doll woven from dried grass. I was about to reach out to the Elder Council through the mind link. That was when my Alpha mate, Jack Fraley, suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Easy, sweetheart. Don't be impulsive. I gave your moonstone to Lily. She's a fragile Omega. She needs protection more than you do." I clenched the straw doll, fury burning so hot that it nearly scorched away my reason. "Are you kidding me? Wearing this junk is no different from standing naked in the silver mist!" He frowned, completely unashamed. "Rowena North, you're my Luna. Protecting Omegas is your responsibility. Stop throwing a tantrum." I let out a cold laugh. "I'm a Luna, not a saint with no boundaries. And that moonstone was my mother's keepsake." After that, I didn't argue with him anymore. I severed our mind link without hesitation. Then, I turned to the Beta beside me and gave a clear order. "Contact the Elder Council immediately. I formally invoke mate bond severance. Effective now, every pack territory and alliance bound to my name is frozen."

For as long as I can remember, my family and I have been living in an underground basement that's completely shut off from the outside world. My parents have told me that the zombie apocalypse is terrorizing the outside world. The air is completely plagued with the zombie virus, and we'll die if we ever leave the basement. In order to save the supplies—which are already dwindling, to begin with—I've starved myself to the point I'm all skin and bones despite being only 18 years old. When I realize that there's only one last can of food left, I leave behind a suicide note. "Mom, Dad, now there's one less mouth to feed. You'll last a few more days." After that, I slit my wrist right away. Once I'm dead, my soul phases through the thick and heavy metal door. Bright sunlight illuminates the entire world. It's a beautiful, peaceful world filled with greenery. I can even hear birds chirping in the distance. Mom, Dad, and a bunch of people are throwing a barbecue party on the lawn. The mouth-watering smell of food being grilled permeates the air. So, it turns out that the zombie apocalypse is just a lie that's designated to trap me inside the fortress. I'm the only one who has died in this sunny, peaceful world.

Some people are trained to disappear. Others are trained to make problems disappear. Reid Calder operates in the space no one admits exists. His team is untraceable, unacknowledged, and brutally efficient. They are deployed when the mission cannot fail and cannot be traced. Control is the only reason it works. Distance is the only rule. Alexis Harper is not part of his system. She’s a linguistic and counterintelligence specialist designed for environments Reid’s team can’t survive. Unassuming when she wants to be. Invisible when it matters. Dangerous in ways that don’t leave bruises. She’s placed into his unit without his consent, into a world built on silence and authority, and she refuses to play small. They clash immediately. Reid sees her as disruption. Alexis sees him as arrogance wrapped in control. Their arguments are sharp, relentless, and impossible to ignore. Every room tightens when they’re together. Every exchange feels like a challenge neither is willing to lose. The closer they’re forced to work, the more volatile the tension becomes. Because some battles aren’t about dominance. They’re about restraint. And when two people trained to never lose control are pushed into constant proximity, the fallout is inevitable. Proximity Hazard is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance packed with covert operations, razor-sharp banter, forced proximity, and tension so thick it borders on reckless. Perfect for readers who crave dangerous men, brilliant women, and chemistry that feels like a threat.

The streets were his home, a cardboard box was the only roof he had over his head, an old jacket he found in the trash was his only blanket and for his meals. He stole and made sure that he was the first to get to one of the restaurants' trash every night to make sure that he had something to eat. His life changed when he stole from a mafia boss, whom everyone was scared of, he was known for being ruthless and killed without mercy especially those who betrayed and stole from him. He was a Russian man with a thick accent and a very powerful aura, that made many shivers at his presence without him having said a word. But when he met him, he gave him a job instead of killing him like everyone thought he would, his job was to be his right-hand man. He was the one who did all the killings and dealing with his rivals. He gave him the name White tiger, one that was born once in every generation, he gave him this name because he said that he had the courage, was smart and cunning. The man was very handsome, tall with broad shoulders and he looked very big for his age. His eyes though were distant, cold, and deadly. One could not look at them longer than a second. His name was Antonio Rodrigues, The White Tiger.

For four years, I worked three jobs to support my husband, Edward Godfrey, while he chased his PhD and battled ALS. And somehow, in all that time, I'd never stepped foot on his campus. Not because I didn't want to. Every time I brought it up, he had some excuse ready. When graduation came, I asked to go to his hooding ceremony. He shut it down fast. "It's just a formality. A bunch of lab nerds. You'd be bored. Once I bring the diploma home, we'll have a candlelight dinner." I didn't argue. Just helped him straighten his doctoral gown. But I couldn't hide how excited I was. So I dressed up. And secretly followed him. Onstage, Edward stood beside his wheelchair, voice thick with emotion. "I want to thank my wife. She stood with me in the lab, even while pregnant, helping me grind out countless precious data points." I froze. My hand pressed against my flat stomach. Cold crept down my spine. For four years, I'd busted myself raw to support his PhD. I went from the girl everyone on campus admired to a fish seller, reeking like seafood every day. Worked so hard I miscarried twice. So who exactly was this "wife" he was thanking?

Minsi is a twenty-five-year-old woman who was blessed with a curvaceous body. She is a calm, loyal, and good herbalist. But then those wonderful things about her aren’t enough for her fated mate, the Alpha of Maplewood pack. The man mistreated her just because she wasn’t his ideal type of woman. Tortured her because of her body. Said she wasn’t perfect to be his Luna and so rejected her and banished her from his pack. Heartbroken, Minsi had no choice but to walk away, not even knowing where she was going. This is until she almost lost her life, but someone miraculously appeared and saved her from being killed by the rogues in a thick forest. Just then, a new bond is formed between her and the handsome stranger. But she didn’t raise her hopes high, knowing about her bad past experiences with mates. “It’s okay. You can reject me. I won’t force you to accept me,” she said in all honesty. “Why should I reject you? I won’t reject you, sweetheart. Because I see you, the real you,” replied the handsome stranger. Minsi is given a chance to start afresh with her life however their is a web of secrets ahead of her that will threaten everything. Who was this man? What would be the fate of Minsi now that she was given a second chance by the Moon Goddess? And what secrets is he keeping?

My mother and I pushed ourselves, slaving away to pay for my girlfriend’s debt. The work was too hard on her, and she was soon diagnosed with lung cancer. By the time I arrived at the hospital with money for her treatment, my mother had taken her own life and left behind a note. “I can’t go on, Gab. The money is best put toward settling the debts. Noelle is a good kid. She loves you. She’s just lost her way. That’s all. You two should settle down once the debts are cleared.” I held my mother’s ashes and gave Noelle the thirty thousand dollars she had left behind. Back in the office, I overheard Noelle talking to several creditors. “Ms. Strom, Mr. Lamb has passed your test. What’s next on the agenda for him?” Noelle’s childhood friend, Charles, jumped into the conversation. “Gabriel has proven that he’s willing to be there for you through thick and thin, but will he stick around in wealth? Noelle pursed her lips. “I need to know if he genuinely loves me. If he isn’t blinded by greed when learning about who I am, I’ll marry him.” I stared at my mother’s ashes, tears rolling down my face. “Noelle, my mother was wrong about you, and so was I. I don’t want to marry you anymore.” I thought to myself.

“I, Alpha Draco of the Peony pack hereby reject you, Helena, as my mate. I refuse to have anything to do with you anymore. You will be banished from this pack, never to set foot on this land anymore or you will pay for it with your life” his thick voice boomed through the cold and dark cell where I was kept all day with no food or water. My chapped lips parted painfully as the flesh drew each other tightly. I couldn’t even beg or plead for mercy. It was a miracle that I was not even killed because I was probably the most hated person in the pack at that moment. He didn’t allow me to utter whatever I had in mind before he turned his back on me. My finger grazed his cold hand as I tried to hold onto him, I was late. The warm eyes that had always behold me now look at me with disdain. There was no hope anywhere, his extreme sadness was visible even through his back as his footstep retracted into the long distance. At the loud clunk of the prison’s door kissing its hinge, my whole world crumbled. The only thing left in me was the small life breathing in my womb, something Draco never knew of. Right there, I made the resolution to live for my baby and find out the truth behind what happened in the pack that night.