Still Water Runs Deep

Layla and Kael's ordinary love story. Sunset over sunrise, coffee over water and pain over love. To a simple crush, to unbelievable throwback and getting back the life together. A life where Layla would love to share with Kael. But who would thought this will be the ending? "See you tomorrow, mommy?" "Yes, see you tomorrow love."

After my sister died, my parents forced me into a ten-year contract with my Alpha brother-in-law, Ethan Brooks. I became Luna in name only—and stepmother to his ten-year-old son, Daniel. At the Full Moon Festival, they placed on me my dead sister’s crown—her favorite. And in front of the entire pack, Daniel splashed holy water across my face, that cold smirk a mirror of his father’s. "Don’t think becoming Luna means you can replace my mother! You’re just a thief! What gives you the right to host our festival? You should strip naked and get out of me and Dad’s pack!" The holy water was ice-cold. And staring at the child I’d raised for ten years, all I felt was… relief. Fine. The agreement’s over—I’m leaving. But then why, after I walked away, are both Ethan and Daniel suddenly begging me to return?

Betrayed by the mate she loved, Lulu—the last elemental fire wolf—lost her heart to Alpha Scott’s treachery. His sorcerer tore it from her chest to empower his mistress. But fate refused to let her die. With her mother’s sacrifice and Alpha Caspian’s hidden aid, Lulu was given one final year to reclaim her stolen heart. Yet she carries a secret Scott never knew—his child growing inside her. Morpheus Bloodworth, the elemental water wolf who hides behind the mask of Alpha Caspian, awakens feelings she never thought she could feel again. But as Elder Ruth’s sorcery fades, Scott begins to realize his sins and demands Lulu back as his Luna—along with the heir she carries. Now Lulu must choose: vengeance or forgiveness, fire or water, the mate who betrayed her or the one who would die for her.

I slide into the bath and let my muscles melt. My mind drifts—back to dinner, the city skyline glittering behind Tommy’s head. I close my eyes, biting my lip. One hand trails beneath the water, slow and lazy. I don’t mean to. But it’s all still so fresh—the way his hands felt on my skin, how deeply he— Except, it’s not Tommy I’m imagining anymore. It’s the doctor. Suddenly, it’s his fingers I’m imagining spreading me open. That cool composure cracking as he groans my name into my neck. “Oh, fuck,” I moan, breath catching as the orgasm rips through me like a shot of white lightning. My back arches against the porcelain. Water sloshes. “Dr. Cole,” I gasp before I can stop it. And then I freeze. What. The. Hell. **************************************************** He’s her gynecologist. Her client. And her boyfriend’s father. What could possibly go wrong? Beth thought dating Tommy was the start of something stable. Sure, he was cocky and impulsive—but charming, right? Until the red flags started piling up. The gambling. The secrets. The mood swings. The way he always blamed her when things went wrong. But then she meets his father. Dr. Stacy Cole. Silver fox. Calm. Collected. Everything Tommy wasn’t. And she already know him. He’s her OB/GYN. Her firm’s newest client. And the man who makes her body betray her every time he’s near. Beth knows she should stay away. But when Tommy starts spiraling and Stacy starts looking less like a boundary and more like a lifeline… she’s forced to face a terrifying truth: She might be falling for the one man who could destroy everything. Taboo. Addictive. Slow burning. Emotionally dangerous. This isn’t your average age-gap romance.

My parents made Dana and me settle it with rock-paper-scissors. Loser had to marry the Baillieu heir—the so-called "freak." I won. Then flipped the script. "Cool. I'll take Blake. Dana can have the empire." Last time? I was dumb in love with Michael—Dad's adopted golden boy. Chose the company, stayed behind, and handed Dana off to Blake Baillieu. Big mistake. Six months in, Dana was gone—wrecked by that marriage. Right before she croaked, she texted Michael blaming me. Said I lost the game and ditched the deal, dumping Blake on her. Michael? Snapped. Dude went full psycho. Turns out, he and Dana had been sneaking around for years. He dragged me behind the Baillieu estate and forced a dozen intellectually disabled men to assault me. "If it weren't for your cruelty, Dana would still be alive! You'll pay for everything she suffered!" I was over eight months pregnant—almost due. Begged him to stop. Begged for my baby's life. He didn't care. Kept ordering them to take turns. Even when my water broke, he just watched. Both my baby and I died that night. Now? I'm back. And this time, I rewrote the story. Step one: marry Blake.

In the seventh year of my relationship with Ruby Carrington, she picks me up from work in the heavy downpour one evening. When I open the door to the front passenger seat, I notice a puddle of water on the seat. A strand of short hair is there as well. Ruby grips the steering wheel without even looking at me. "I just dropped off an intern from the project department at his home. He didn't bring an umbrella with him, so he was drenched." As I sit on the damp seat, I feel my heart slowly going cold as well. "Ruby, you knew very well that I'm severely germaphobic." Ruby just chortles in response. Her tone is filled with impatience and exhaustion. "It's just a seat, isn't it? He's younger and funnier than you, not to mention he's also more handsome than you even when he's drenched in the rain. "I tried having a relationship with him. Being with him is definitely a lot more interesting than with you. But I'll still marry you, though. As long as you pretend not to know anything about my affair, we can keep this relationship going." Rain continues streaking down the window outside, and yet, I find the air inside the car even more suffocating than the rain itself.

Avani is the last earth dragon in the world. Not only that, but he is also the last male dragon. The other three remaining elemental dragons, air, water and fire, are all females. Unless he mates with one of the other three dragons, the race of pure dragons will die out. Since he snubs the idea of finding a mate, refusing to allow anyone to claim him and therefore control him, he has taken over as protector of the forest. The hunters are always searching for supernaturals to force into their Arenas, a modern-day gladiator fighting ring. And now, they are capturing supernaturals to experiment on, creating a new race of hybrid creatures. Because Avani can shift his emerald-green scales into the black of onyx, those he saves have started to call him The Dark Protector. Merethyl is an elven princess. She and her brother, Yhendorn, are captured by hunters when her family is attacked, her parents slaughtered in front of her. She and Yhendorn are held captive, experimented on, until one day they find a way to escape. As they flee, Yhendorn is re-captured sacrificing himself to make sure Merethyl gets away. As she runs, the hunters chase her, trying to run her down. Avani hears her and flies to her rescue, killing the hunters that are after her. When he realizes that she smells better than anyone he’s ever smelled before, he knows he must get away from her. He cannot allow her to have the total control over him that claiming him would give her. But Merethyl has nowhere else to go and she needs Avani’s help to rescue her brother. Will Avani be able to resist the charms of the elven princess, or will he fall to her, claimed, making her his dragonrider?

What do you do when you meet the one person that makes you feel alive, but at the same time kills you deep down inside? Would you stay or run away? For as long as Leia can remember, she had always felt different compared to everyone else. She remembers the exact day her life had changed for the worse — the day she shifted for the first time and lost control of her wolf, only to wake with her mother’s blood on her. Horrified, her own father sells her to another Pack. She had no idea in this Pack, she would meet somebody who could get deep inside her and look her darkness straight into its eyes. Alpha Viktor has only ever known death ever since he killed his own parents on his first shift. Known as the Dark Alpha, he was feared by everyone, making him lonely. Until her. But when Leia realizes she doesn’t like what the darkness in her does, she runs away from Viktor. Only to find out that it might be too late as she is pregnant with his heir. Will she ever be truly free or is she destined to live a fearful life with the Dark Alpha? What happens when she finds herself in another Pack and the Beta turns out to be her destined mate? Leia must decide whether or not she should choose the darkness or the light. Rated 18+ for explicit content (sexual, violent, and dark themes present). Book 2 of His Heir Series, but can be read as a standalone. :) Book 1 is Banished With His Heir.

I should step back. But I don’t. His hand slides to my waist, firm, deliberate. Not asking. Claiming. My stomach tightens, heat curling low, and I feel every inch of him before I even see him. He’s behind me, close enough that I can feel his breath at my neck. My pulse stutters as his fingers trace slow, unhurried circles up my back, and I know I should pull away… but I can’t. His lips brush my neck. Not a kiss yet, just the promise of it. My head tilts back before I can stop myself, back arching like my body is betraying me. Then he speaks. Low, calm, in control “Don’t make a sound.” A shiver runs through me. Not from fear. Not exactly. From… him. He’s in control. I can’t fight it. I don’t want to. And somewhere deep inside, I realize the terrifying truth: I’m letting him have me.

Rowanne Steele thought she had it all. A perfect marriage to Jett Carter, heir to the Carter empire, and a future filled with love. But when Jett dies in a tragic car crash, her world shatters. Her mourning days aren't over, still clinging to his memory, drowning in grief and loyalty to the man she thought she knew. Until one night, a hidden truth rises from his belongings and everything Rowanne believed about her husband was a lie. Lost and heartbroken, she runs into the only arms that feel safe, Eli Carter, Jett’s younger brother. What begins as a moment of comfort in the rain turns into a mistake neither of them can forget. A mistake that feels far too much like fate. Rowanne swears it can’t happen again. Eli refuses to let go. Whether forbidden or not, he’s determined to claim her. And this time, he won’t lose.