Stare Down

Betrayed by the man she loved the most, and a family that never loved her, Ivy finds her world crumbling down before her. She gets convicted for a crime she never committed, and her stepsister takes her place as the new wife of her billionaire husband. Fueled by anger and quest for revenge, Ivy returns with a whole new force and personality that threatens to take down those who ruined her life for ten years. Now, she's back- but with her secret babies, and a new partner. She's going to stop at nothing to take those who betrayed her down!

The moment I was pushed into the river by my six stepbrothers and drowned there, I was still clutching a piece of candy my mom had given me. When I open my eyes again, I curl up in my swaddle as a one-month-old baby. That's when I notice six children glaring at me darkly with their hands outstretched, ready to strangle me. As I stare at them, I begin cursing them out mentally. "Just you wait till the day I can speak, you bastards!" My mom rushes out of the kitchen instantly. "It's a rare occasion for me to cook for the family, so I told you to keep an eye on your baby sister. Why are you cursing all of a sudden?" The brothers swap glances with each other in confusion. The oldest brother, Alex Finch, scratches his head. "You must be hearing things, Mom. We were about to play with Meadow. No one was speaking just now." Upon hearing Alex's shameless words, I continue cursing him out silently. "You're the most shameless bastard I've ever seen! When I'm three years old, you'll plot to sell me to an old single man in the countryside! Screw you!" Mom's hands tremble slightly at that moment. She quickly picks me up, her eyes as wide as saucers. I flash a toothless grin at her in return. "Don't be scared, Mom. This time, I'll definitely protect you!" Watch as I, a one-month-old baby, send my bastard of a father as well as the six ungrateful brats to prison!

“I was fighting for my life and you were screwing my nurse?" I yelled, staring at them in disgust, “I am your mate. I gave you an heir, yet you got her pregnant.” I was going insane watching her big bump and a smirk on her lips. “Phoenix! You cannot blame me entirely,” Aramis repeated himself like a broken record. How dare he blame me for his actions? How dare he fuck my nurse and got her pregnant? Heck! I have seen her walk around in my crown. “I am leaving with my kids.” That’s when my decision made him let out a gasp and stare at me with teary eyes. He can now cry all he wants; I have made my decision. He will not see me or our kids again. .. Unloved and untrusted by her family, Phoenix endeavored to become the best warrior there is to protect herself and her pack. Only to have everything stripped away from her. Losing her mate, her father, and then her wolf. She lost everything and found herself caged by her second change mate, Alpha King Aramis. Just when a hope sparkled, her mate impregnated her nurse. Like her name, will she be able to burn and rise from the ashes or lose herself forever in the hatred of Alpha King Aramis? Will the ruthless Alpha King ever change and Phoenix as his mate? Follow on their journey to find out.

My family hates me for causing my brother's death. From then on, I become a child no one loves. Meanwhile, my cousin, Evelyn Green, who looks like my brother, becomes the apple of my parents' eyes. From the age of ten to 18, my days are a cycle of beatings and forced apologies. On my 18th birthday, Evelyn wears a gorgeous gown and basks in everyone's adoration, while I'm shoved around in a maid's uniform and hit like I'm not even human. In my darkest moment, Morgan Oakley, the mafia boss, saves me. He takes me home, and step by step, wins his way into my heart. Because of him, I learn what love can feel like. He treats me like a treasure and promises me forever. However, on the day we're supposed to register our marriage, he keeps me waiting for a whole day and night. He never shows up. As I'm about to leave, my phone starts buzzing. A text from Morgan pops up. "Jasmine, I'm sorry. I ran into an enemy and couldn't make it to the city hall. A storm's coming, so make sure you get home quick!" My heart clenches in panic. I'm about to text back and ask if he's okay when Evelyn's message comes right after his. "Jasmine, I'm the one he loves. He skipped marrying you today because of me. You must be devastated, right?" Then, she sends a video. In it, Morgan holds her gently, his voice soft as he comforts her. "Evie, don't cry. You once saved my life, so I'll do anything for you. If you don't want me to marry Jasmine, then I won't. I love you. I only took her in so I could keep her close. That way, she'd be right there when you needed blood." My parents were off to the side. They chimed in tenderly, "Don't cry, Evie. Morgan loves you. He only pursued Jasmine because of your condition. You have a coagulation disorder and need transfusions of Rh-negative blood whenever you get hurt." I stagger back when I hear that, dropping my phone to the ground. So, Morgan's sudden passion is laced with poison. He only pretends to love me just so he can turn me into Evelyn's walking blood bank! Everyone goes to so much trouble to hide the truth from me just so Evelyn doesn't need to suffer from her condition! Rain mixes with my tears as they slide down my face. I stare at my phone on the pavement as bitterness floods me. A thought forms—I want to leave them forever. I want to disappear so they'll never find me again.

At the end of the day, my colleague, Melody Christie, came to find me. She wanted me to cover her night shift. I turned her down because I had commitments after work. That night, she was caught abandoning her shift and she got fired. Melody blamed me for it. Just when I was almost going into labor, she pushed me down the stairs. "Do you know how hard I worked to get this job? If it was not for you, I wouldn't have been fired! If I'm going down, I'm taking you down with me!" I died, and my baby did not survive either. When I opened my eyes once more, I was back to the same day when Melody asked me to cover her shift. Only this time, I knew the truth. Turns out, she had left her shift for a rendezvous with my husband.

Six years ago, Adeline lost everything…her mate, her clan, and the life growing inside her. The fire took her home. The betrayal took her heart. Now, under a false name, she lives quietly as a doctor in the human world, hiding her wolf and her past behind calm hands and a steady smile. Until the day fate decides to test her silence. In the middle of the palace square, a little girl tugged at her sleeve. Her small hands were cold, her eyes too pale for someone so young. “I don’t feel good,” she whispered. Adeline knelt and gave her a piece of candy from her satchel. “Eat it slowly, sweetheart. It’ll make the hurting stop.” The girl smiled, soft and trusting…and Adeline never imagined that moment would change everything. Because the child she comforted that day wasn’t just anyone. She was the Alpha King’s daughter. When their eyes meet again, time stops. The bond they thought dead stirs back to life. The little girl clings to Adeline’s coat and calls her “Pretty Aunt.” And Vincent, the Alpha King who buried her six years ago, can only stare at the woman fate refused to erase. Two boys who look like him. One daughter who smells like her. A secret that can’t stay hidden forever. Because love may break, wolves may fall…but the bond between mates and blood always finds its way home.

I'm the best plastic surgeon in the industry. Hendrick Twain is a regular customer of mine who has gotten his manhood enlarged nine times via surgery. But after I performed the latest surgery on him, he decides to linger around in my clinic instead of leaving. He keeps showing off his brand-new luxury watch while gloating to me, "Isn't this watch pretty, Dr. Yard? Winona was the one who gifted it to me." Upon noticing my lack of reaction, Hendrick approaches with a smile on his face. Then, he lowers his voice. "What's the use of preserving your chastity, anyway? Winona prefers to be with a plastic hunk like me, who's gone through nine manhood enlargement procedures, than be with you, Mr. Au Naturale." As I stare at Hendrick's face, which has gone under the knife countless times for minor adjustments, I remember the excuses Winona Grahm made to my face every night to avoid going home. Just the memory makes my gut churn in disgust. All of my grievances and disgust turn into ice at that moment. Finally, I take the wedding ring off my ring finger and place it on the desk gently. Then, I grab my phone and dial the number, which I haven't called in the past three years. "Dad." I sound eerily calm on the phone. "Since Winona thinks marriage is nothing but a joke to her, then there's no need for the Grahm family to continue existing in this world."

Amalie finds herself trapped in a fate worse than death. As a spirit wolf who cannot shift, her existence is considered a bad omen by her pack. Fated to Easton, the cruel and manipulative future Alpha of the Hallowed Moon pack, her life becomes nothing more than a series of cruel games and harsh punishments. But the arrival of the fearsome Alpha Jericho turns Amalies world upside down. Jericho, a powerful Alpha with a devastating past, harbours secrets that could destroy them both. His sudden interest in Amalie is not coincidental—she holds the key to his vengeance. As hidden truths slowly surface, Amalie must decide if she can trust the enigmatic Alpha who promises freedom from Easton. With each passing day, the stakes grow higher, and Amalie is drawn deeper into a deadly plot that could either set her free or seal her fate forever. ** Jericho growls softly and pushes my panties to the side – just enough to bare the hollow of my groin. Her rubs his nose along the spot where my leg and groin meets, and without any warning sinks his teeth into the soft flesh right below my hip. He gets to his feet and wipes a droplet of blood away with his thumb. He stares at it for a moment, then curl his full lips around his finger while he looks straight at me. He doesn't attempt to hide the bulge in his trousers, acting as if this is the most natural thing in the world. "You have to remember, Amalie," he says gruffly, "that this is not a real bond.” Bewildered, all I can do is stare at him and nod.

I leaned over her, brushing a kiss on her lips. “One last thing. Do you want me to gag you, or are you good?” She tilted her head, smirking. “What, are you worried my moans might be too loud for your neighbors?” I laughed outright. “Honestly? I don’t give a damn how loud you get. In fact, I want you to be as loud as you want. The louder, the better and that means, I’m doing a good job.” I winked, then moved past her, settling between her thighs. ***** In a marriage reduced to cold silence, Lena Marsh’s anniversary ends with an empty chair and a breaking point. Then Adrian Blackwood steps in, her billionaire boss’s dangerously seductive brother. His gaze strips her bare, promising to ruin her with slow, filthy touches that leave her trembling and soaked. One forbidden night, and she’s addicted to the way he claims her body like it’s his birthright. But obsession has eyes everywhere. Her boss watches with possessive hunger, his stare dark and unyielding, and he wants her locked away from everyone, especially his brother. And when her husband Noah finally wakes up, he fights dirty to reclaim what he ignored, his renewed passion bruising and desperate. Caught between three men who crave her in wildly different ways, a reborn husband, a reckless lover, and a controlling boss, Lena isn’t just tangled in lust. She’s the match. And when secrets ignite, she could burn their entire empire to the ground.

My name is Emma. At 31, I am doing well for myself. I’ve got a great job. Or at least a well paid job, my boss loves me, and my girlfriends think I’m great. More important than anyone's opinion is that of my housemate, and best friend in the world, Scott. Scott thinks the world of me and always tells me to be myself. So why do I feel the need to lie outrageously on dates? From rock-climbing to Muay Thai: when it comes to prospective boyfriends, I am compelled to embellish my C.V. with unlikely porkies that alwaysbackfire - with hilarious results. I have Craig to blame for that - he really shattered my sense of self-confidence and self-worth. But then I turn the spotlight on Scott, and he wishes he'd never brought it up. With a penchant for checked shirts and Harry Potter-style specs, I decide he needs a makeover and to experience the abysmal dating world. My friendship with Scott began in the most unconventional way. His past life had made him homeless and isolated, but he saved me. And now we are inseparable. My dating disasters began when my relationship with he-who-must-not-be-named ended. Waking up with a pounding head, a dry mouth, aching limbs and a random arm draped over my waist, I struggle to get up and then stumble to the bathroom. I rubbed my eyes and stare at the hungover, half dead panda eyed loser staring back at me. What started out as a lighthearted challenge with Scott, became something more. We were prepared. But nothing could prepare us for the surprise results! Before long, I realise that our lives will never be the same again.