Smiles Softly

My anxiety spiked during our wedding photoshoot. A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. My fiancé, Caius—the Falcone family heir—was helping his adoptive sister, Fiorella, try on my wedding dress. He didn't even spare me a glance. He was on one knee, focused on adjusting the lace on Fiorella’s hem. Before we’d even left the shop, Fiorella posted a selfie in the dress. She was all smiles, my fiancé standing beside her, posed like her groom. Calmly, I pulled out my phone. I sent a message to a painter I keep on retainer. "A royal portrait. The two of them. Old-world style. Use the cheapest materials you can find. I want the frame dripping with fake diamonds. Make it look like trash." I'll have it sent to Fiorella. A wedding present. The note will be simple. "A work of art as priceless as your bond. Best wishes on your wedding."

For eight years, Cecilia Moore was the perfect Luna, loyal, and unmarked. Until the day she found her Alpha mate with a younger, purebred she-wolf in his bed. In a world ruled by bloodlines and mating bonds, Cecilia was always the outsider. But now, she's done playing by wolf rules. She smiles as she hands Xavier the quarterly financials-divorce papers clipped neatly beneath the final page. “You're angry?” he growls. “Angry enough to commit murder,” she replies, voice cold as frost. A silent war brews under the roof they once called home. Xavier thinks he still holds the power-but Cecilia has already begun her quiet rebellion. With every cold glance and calculated step, she's preparing to disappear from his world-as the mate he never deserved. And when he finally understands the strength of the heart he broke... It may be far too late to win it back.

At the party, my daughter deliberately raises a question to my husband. "Daddy, since Ms. Lloyd is having your baby, does that mean we'll be living with her in the future?" He places the nicely cut steak onto my plate and answers softly, "Your mommy and I made a deal—whoever betrays first will disappear from the other's life. I can't afford for that to happen, darling, so this must stay a secret. Even when the baby is born, I will never let Mommy find out about them." Then, he signs to me, "I'll always love you." My eyes turn red-rimmed without him noticing. Little does he know, my hearing was restored a week ago. He doesn't realize I've learned about the mistress he's been hiding either. And he definitely doesn't know I've secretly bought a ticket to volunteer-teach in the Seru Plateau. All I have to do is wait for the paperwork to clear in seven days. Then, I'll disappear from his life for good.

"I'm not going to forget you." He said solemnly, pausing to take my hands in his. I relished the feeling of his rough palm against my smooth ones. ~~~~~~ "You're raising your voice, Weston!" Mrs. Smith half yelled. "You're raising your voice at me, all because of her!" "I should probably go." I said softly, before turning and walking out of the room. ~~~~~ "My parents want me to begin the mating ritual with someone three full moons after I'm officially made Alpha." He finally admitted. My eyes widened in surprise and a bit of dread. "B-but...you haven't found your mate yet." ~~~~~~ Ella Badmus has been in love with her best friend for as long as she could remember. She's used to being his priority just as he was hers. Now he's turning twenty-five and getting ready to be the pack's Alpha. A lot's changing and there's nothing she can do about it.

On the 99th time we fall into a frosty standoff, my girlfriend, Christina Davenport, does something she's never done before—she caves and breaks the silence. But she only does so to give me a way out because she's about to leave on a month-long business trip with her longtime crush, Adrian Blackwell. This time, I, Jeremiah Kane, don't argue with her. Instead, I make her breakfast and see her off with a smile. Christina pinches my cheek and smiles at me as if I were a puppy. "You're being such a good boy today. When I get back, I'll say yes to your marriage proposal, okay?" What she doesn't know, however, is that the people who are truly intending to leave don't make a scene. A month later, she returns home glowing with happiness, only to find a completely empty apartment. That's when the panic sets in.

For years, I lived unseen, unwanted, and unloved. I was always the one that was overlooked. Still, I thought I was lucky. I had a home, a little daughter who adored me, and a husband whose rare smiles made me feel like I finally mattered. But that illusion shattered the night I was kidnapped. When the flames closed in and I screamed for help, my husband never came. He left me to burn, to die as quietly as I had lived. But fate had other plans. When I returned, I wasn’t the same timid woman he discarded. I was reborn, stronger, sharper and breathtakingly beautiful. The world that once mocked me now worshipped me. And him? He looked at me desire dripping from his eyes, not realizing who I truly was. He begged for a chance, pleaded for my love. But it was too late. I had already married another man. And this time, it was my turn to play the game.

Callahan Hastings is relentless when it comes to getting what he wants, and what he wants is me–to be his private chef in the Hamptons for the summer. My dream job served to me on a silver platter by one of the wealthiest members of Pembroke Hills Country Club. The only catch? He’s my ex-boyfriend’s older brother with a reputation for being as charming as he is cunning. But Cal doesn’t take no for an answer. He draws you in with flirty smiles and extravagant promises. I should have seen him coming, but I didn’t. I should have stayed away, but I couldn’t. His playful touches and burning gaze have ignited a fire in me. The more I resist him, the more irresistible he becomes. I've always known there's an expiration date on the job–an expiration date on us. But leaving isn't going to be easy with Cal on his knees, begging me to stay...

Walang kinatatakutan ang bilyonaryong si Rainne Leon Marquez — hindi ang sakit, hindi ang kasalanan. Pero nang matikman niya si Ari—the billionaire's fuck buddy, doon siya tuluyang nalulong — sa katawan, sa halik, sa init na mas matindi pa sa kahit anong droga. Matagal nang nilulunod ng platinum-selling singer na si Rainne ang sarili sa mga gamot. His body is a trap of wounds, his soul barely holding on. Unti-unti siyang nauubos — pero doon lang siya nakakaramdam ng buo. Hanggang sa isang matinding aksidente ang tuluyang bumasag sa katawan niya... at ginising siya sa mas mapanganib pang tukso: Ari Valencia, the cold, devastatingly beautiful private nurse assigned to save her... or ruin her softly, like a secret sin. Dahil sa pagitan ng isang pasyente at nurse — bawat halik ay kasalanan. Bawat gabi ay bawal na kalayaan. At kung hindi sila titigil, init ng laman ang maaaring magpabagsak sa pangalan nilang dalawa.

When Jo turned 18, her life as a human was no more. A series of events throws Jo on a journey of discovering her past while falling in love and defeating enemies she never expected. Every hurdle they face is strength for Jo and Nikko, her fated mate. And she will do anything to prove that she is the Luna he, the pack, and even the wolf world are searching for.**When I opened the door, I got a breath of evergreen and lavender. Then the door shut behind me, and I felt tingles all over my body as I was pushed up against the wall."I forgot something, so I had to turn around and come back," he said softly as he lifted my arms above my head, using one of his large hands to pin the wrists."What did you forget?" I managed to choke out as he trailed his free hand down my arm, sending sparks and tingles in its wake."This." And he grabbed my face and pushed his lips onto mine.**Becoming a Luna is written by Kelsey Gittings, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

“I love you” I whispered and he went rigid, his head snapped up and his blue eyes darkened. “Don’t you ever say that” he growled, clenching his fist “Why?” I asked and held his hand, he averted his gaze, staring at his former love grave. “I can’t love” he said, “I am just a zombie, My heart died with her years ago” Arthur said, pointing at the grave, he looked at me studying my face, “Just don’t say that again please” “It’s okay” I said softly, “But it just don’t change the fact that I love you. And I am ready to be a good wife” I said, Arthur gaze hardened. “That’s your problem,” Arthur said, “I don’t want you to say that, and know your place” His statement hurt, but I faked a smile, and he nodded and walked away, I stared at his lover’s grave and dropped my necklace on it. Maybe she was worthy to wear that more than I.