Straight Punch

“What do you want, Aria?” I swallow hard, my palms sweaty. “I need to talk to you. About... us.” His look doesn’t alter, and for a second, I worry if he’s just going to walk away again. But he doesn’t. Instead, he straightens up, his gaze never leaving mine. “There is no ‘us,’ Aria,” he replies, his voice flat and cold. I feel a knot building in my throat, but I go forward. “You felt it, didn’t you? The tie between us. You can’t refute it.” He approaches closer, and for a minute, I think I see something flicker in his eyes, something that nearly seems like sorrow. But it’s gone as swiftly as it appeared. “You’re not my mate, Aria,” he replies, his voice tightening. “Don’t fool yourself.” The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I take a step back, my vision fading as the weight of his rejection slams over me. My heart feels like it’s being pulled apart, piece by piece. How can he say that? How can he deny what’s so painfully clear to me? “Damian, I...” I whispered, but he cut me off, his voice colder than ever. “I don’t want you, Aria. You mean nothing to me.” And with that, he turns and goes away, leaving me standing there, crushed.

Nora has spent her life in the shadows of her stepmother’s cruelty, surviving on scraps of dignity in a world where power is everything. As the daughter of a disgraced Alpha, she has no standing, no allies, and no future except the mate bond she secretly hopes for. But fate doesn’t just hand her a mate, it throws her straight into the path of Derek, the Lycan King himself. Nora’s next step could either crown her… or destroy her.

My father was a highly respected criminal investigator, and my mother was the head of the ER, dedicated to saving lives. However, I was a regular at the local police station. I fought, caused trouble, and earned the title of “the most hopeless kid on the block.” The first time, I publicly insulted my newly transferred cousin at school. My father dragged me straight to the police station in front of everyone and had me locked up for a full day and night. The second time, I led a gang of thugs to block my cousin’s way home in an alley. My mother was so furious, she dumped me deep in the mountains, leaving me to be bullied by a lecherous bachelor. The third time, I stole a keepsake from my cousin and tossed it down a sewer. My father put the handcuffs on me himself and sent me straight to juvenile detention. Five years later, I became a key informant in an anti-fraud operation, helping the police crack a major nationwide case. The media rushed to report the story, and journalists packed my parents’ house to interview the “hero’s family.” However, my parents just scoffed over the phone. “Her? A hero? We will only believe she is changed for the better when she is dead.” So why was it that when they saw me lying in a pool of blood after shielding a hostage, they finally cried?

The day after I marry the powerful Don Lucio Ferrari, news breaks that his childhood love, Bella Bianchi, has died by suicide at home. When he hears the news, he locks himself in his study for three days and three nights. When he finally reappears, he walks straight up to me and says, "You will never replace her." For ten long years, he acts as if I don't exist, refusing to speak to me. During the chaos of a mafia shootout, when a gun is aimed straight at my heart, he instinctively throws himself in front of me. "Viola, the biggest regret of my life is marrying you. If there is a next life, please let me go." In the end, he is hit by multiple bullets while saving me and dies of blood loss on the way to the hospital. At his funeral, everyone points fingers at me, saying I bewitched their Don and caused his death. The day after his funeral, I take my own life at his grave. When I open my eyes again, I am reborn three days before our wedding. This time, I decide not to cling to him, choosing instead to let him be with the person he truly loves. But now, he seems to regret it, and I can feel it.

Silvanus "Silas" Alvarez is fantasizing over a girl who is unfortunately his niece—Athena Aine Alvarez—to his horror. For him, Athena is like an enchantress straight out of his grandmother's tales. A princess he wishes to protect. A damsel in distress that needs a knight in shining armor to save her from a beast. And yet, Silas is both a knight and a beast. Because the mere thought of her makes him a beast—a sinner who deserves hell for having a forbidden desire.

Alpha Nickolas Edgemont has only had a love for his son. After his chosen mate died giving birth to their son he never allowed himself to fall for another. His heart longed for his wife who was lost to him. But when Carson brings home his friend who he claimed had no family his whole world is rocked. It seems Riley Tavoloni was his fated mate and was a male Omega. Nick was straight though.

My Alpha mate Kieran’s new assistant was his childhood friend. She kept using work reports as an excuse to flirt with Kieran. Kieran yelled at her and said that if it weren't for their childhood friendship, he'd kick her out of the pack immediately. I was his one true mate. But just days later, he put his childhood friend Meredith's name on my life's work - my breakthrough research on silver poisoning treatment. When I confronted him about it, he just brushed it off, telling me to think about the bigger picture. At the annual Healer Excellence Awards ceremony, Meredith wore a designer gown and walked on stage as the chief healer to accept the award. Kieran sat in the audience, leading the applause for her. All the camera flashes and congratulations became a joke at my expense. The next day, as I was about to board my flight overseas, Kieran rushed to the airport like a madman to stop me. His eyes were bloodshot as he gripped my wrist: "I was just having fun with Meredith. You're the only Luna of this pack. But if you really leave like this, I'll have you removed from the pack healer registry." His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I spoke each word deliberately. "Kieran, you're way too full of yourself." After landing, I dialed another number: "Alpha Garrett, let's begin the plan to establish the new healing center."

"You can't walk away," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear. "Not now." I never should've followed him. I knew it the second I saw his dark, predatory eyes lock onto mine across the bar. But I couldn't stop myself. I was drawn to him, to the danger simmering beneath his cool, controlled exterior. "One night," I told myself, "just one night." But it wasn't just a night. It was a raw, thrilling ride into darkness, where he took control in ways l'd never imagined. "Do you like it when I make you beg?" he growled, and I did. God, I did. By morning, I was tangled in his sheets, marked by his touch, my body still aching from the things he'd done to me. But when I opened my eyes and saw his face in the cold light of day, reality hit like a punch to the gut. The man l'd spent the night with, the one who made me surrender in every way possible, wasn't just a sexy stranger. He was a mafia kingpin-one of the most feared men in the city. And me? I'm the future district attorney, the one assigned to take him down. "You belong to me now," he said, his voice a deadly promise. And as much as I wanted to deny it, I knew he was right. But what happens when the lines between law and lust blur beyond recognition?

This book is authored by Drunken Angel. "Kill the bitch!" Someone in the crowd yells. I use my hands to shield my head as whips and blows rain on me. My screams fall on deaf ears as more kicks and punch land on every exposed part of my body. "Stop!" prince Evan's unmistakable authoritative voice roars and the mob immediately scatters away from me. He doesn't sound as pissed as before. Did he learn the truth? "Give the girl a quick death!" Oops! Guess nothing changed. The soldier plunges the sword deep into my chest. My life doesn't flash in front of my eyes. I only feel like I am falling into a dark void. **************************** All was well with Talia's life until her mother was falsely accused of attempting to murder the powerful Alpha Prince. Evan, the future Alpha King, is the perfect embodiment of male beauty and royal grace. But Talia was utterly disappointed when he fails to see past his mother's evil lies. To save her mother's life, Talia boldly demanded to be punished in place of her mother. She died under the sword of the soldier. But the moon Goddess had another plan for her. She was reborn three years later and determined to take revenge on all of her enemies. But real shock hits her when she finds out that she is King Evan's mate, the same man who doomed her family. Will she accept his help in getting them back?

“Why do you love talking so much?” I demanded with a scowl. “Because I want you to clearly remember that you’re about to get nasty with a man.” He answered as he grazed his lips lightly against my jaw, a feathery motion which made me shiver slightly in response. I opened my mouth to say something in reply but he jerked my mouth against his fast, stopping whatever I was about to say with a kiss. ****** After unknowingly getting dragged into a dangerous mess and being on the run with a man who has a death penalty threat hanging over his head, two things out of five were very clear to Mark. One, his straight ass wasn’t as straight as he used to think. Two, he was ridiculously falling for the ‘number-one’ most wanted person in more than five countries. Recklessly, unhinged. The fact that he had a girlfriend back at home was the last thing on his mind. It was a very reckless and emotion filled adventure for both men, where one had to prove his innocence to the world or forever be on the run until whenever he got caught. While the other one has to throw caution to the wind for the first time, grow past his fears and beliefs and go for what his heart wants, despite how wrong it feels.