Subtle Pride Wallpaper Novels & Stories

Raquel Renaud has spent her entire life overshadowed by the brilliance of her younger sister, Camille—the epitome of beauty and perfection. Raquel has long accepted her role as the family's overlooked daughter, enduring subtle humiliations and a constant sense of inadequacy. When her parents arrange her marriage to Alvaro Bernardi, a strikingly handsome and wildly ambitious businessman, Raquel dares to hope that this union might finally grant her a life of purpose and love. To Alvaro, Raquel is just a tool to fulfill his family's obligations. He hates her—her looks, her existence, even her audacity to love him. Alvaro’s contempt turns to betrayal when Raquel discovers the cruelest truth: Alvaro is having an affair with Camille, her younger sister. The betrayal shatters Raquel to her core. With her heart in ruins, she walks away from the wreckage of her marriage, keeping one devastating secret: she’s pregnant with twins. Five years later, Raquel returns—not as the woman once overlooked and discarded, but as a force to be reckoned with. Her beauty, strength, and newfound grace now turn heads, leaving everyone who once dismissed her in awe. Beneath her dazzling transformation, Raquel hides the wounds of a past that refuses to heal. When fate thrusts her back into the path of Alvaro—a man now consumed by the weight of his past mistakes—and Camille, who has woven herself deeply into Alvaro’s life, old secrets begin to unravel, threatening to tear everything apart. In a world where love is laced with regret and revenge, Raquel must fight her fiercest battle yet: to protect herself, her children, and the fragile happiness she’s painstakingly built. Will the ghosts of her past rise to destroy her, or will she finally take control and emerge victorious in the story of her own life?

THE BILLIONAIRE'S MISTRESS _From sharing his bed to sharing his heart_ SYNOPSIS/BLURB "I thought so too. You don't remember the safe word." Jaxon had a tone of mischief in his voice. His Hazel Green eyes burned her down to her soul. Roxanne kept moving backwards till her back was against the wall. "Please, I don't want to do this." She begs. Jaxon is already very much aroused and the beast in his groin begs for release. Her begging only turns him on more. So innocent! Roxanne knows she can't do anything now, so she decides to give in to him. "Now that's what I want to see. Less struggle, more obedience. You're now my Pet. " Now get on your knees." Jaxon orders. Roxanne, a 24-year-old gymnast with heavy financial burdens, steps into the world of Club D'Lux, as an exotic pole dancer. Her first performance sparks a connection with Jaxon Hearst, the owner. When a fan gets too close, Jaxon helps her , revealing his true identity and making a shocking proposal as he's drawn to her beautiful and subtle nature. The hunger to possess her burns inside of him. He offers Roxanne a risky deal; become his mistress, and he'll take care of her financial worries and cover her father's medical bills. But as she enters Jaxon's life, shedding his layers, she discovers his dark secrets and desires that push her boundaries. As they engage in this consuming relationship, Roxanne finds herself trapped between her desire for Jaxon and her fear of his control. Can she tame his wild heart, or will their passion leave her in ruins?

Lila Reid’s life of privilege has always felt like a gilded cage. As the wallflower daughter of the powerful Richard Reid, she has always shy away from the cameras due to her traumatic experience when she was a kid. But when a series of sinister threats against her family emerge, her father hires his best friend, Caleb Marshall to be her bodyguard. Caleb Marshall with his commanding presence and rugged good looks, awakens something dark and primal within Lila. She can't help but be drawn to the way his eyes linger on her, the subtle brush of his hand against hers that sends shivers down her spine. The forbidden nature of their attraction only intensifies her desire. Every stolen glance and accidental touch fuels a hunger she’s never felt before, a need she knows is dangerous but impossible to resist. Caleb Marshall known in his other life as Alpha Marshall has always been a man of honor, fiercely loyal to his best friend Richard Reid. Protecting Richard’s daughter, Lila, was supposed to be a straightforward task, but the moment he saw her, he felt an overwhelming pull. She is his second chance mate, a bond he thought he’d never feel again. The fact that Lila is human and already promised to another man only adds to the torment. Every moment he spends with Lila is a test of his restraint. Her scent, her closeness, the way she looks at him with a mix of innocence and desire—it drives him to the edge. He is consumed by a dark, primal need to claim her, to mark her as his despite knowing the consequences. The forbidden nature of their attraction gnaws at his control, making every touch, every heated gaze a battle against his deepest instincts

EYES OF THE ALPHA Synopsis Cindy has never existed outside of being watched. In a modern city where supernatural power is fueled by public attention, she has built her entire life on visibility. Her relationship with Kenny, a dominant alpha werewolf whose strength depends on fear and admiration, looks perfect from the outside. But behind closed doors it is controlled, suffocating, and slowly hollowing her out. Everything shifts when she meets Michael, a beta werewolf who exists completely outside the system she has devoted herself to. He cannot be impressed by her influence or moved by her performance. He sees straight through her and what unsettles her most is that she doesn't want him to stop looking. But wanting Michael means confronting everything she has refused to face. Kenny's grip on her identity. Her own addiction to validation. The difference between being desired and being loved. When Michael returns transformed into a hybrid alpha carrying power that breaks every rule of their world, the personal becomes catastrophic. Ancient vampire Dain arrives in the city not to rule the supernatural order but to destroy it entirely. He understands Cindy's psychology with a precision that feels less like perception and more like a weapon, and he is not subtle about using it. Caught between Kenny's possession, Michael's truth, and Dain's corruption, Cindy watches the system she built her worth on collapse around her. When the attention finally goes dark and no one is watching anymore, she is left with the only question that has ever mattered. Who is she underneath all of it? EYES OF THE ALPHA is an original dark romance novel exploring identity, emotional abuse, and what it truly costs a woman to choose herself. Rated 18+.

Zia Hidalgo knew she was asking for too much. Her husband, Damien‘s heart came with a hefty price. A price that could never be paid, even if she slaved for him for years and abandoned her dreams just to remain by his side, supporting him from the shadows for three years. But what happens when in just one day, all that Zia has ever wanted is dangled in front of her and snatched away by the same family and man that she had sacrificed her soul for in the most cruel way? Zia decides the best way to get her pound of flesh back is by destroying the one thing that Damien loves more than anything in his life. His pride and career. …and what better way to do it than to steal the heart and attention of Ethan Hawkins, the Nation’s most wanted husband and her ex-husband’s Boss. Ethan Hawkins is the man who would go to hell and back for the woman he loves, even if she’s clearly a manipulative daredevil. At least she was HIS. His Little Daredevil.

"I, Leila Steen of the Lycan King's Pack, rejecgt you, Lucas Lavoie, Alpha of Kingfisher Pack."
 "You think this stunt will win me over? You're gravely mistaken." In her past life, Leila, a Lycan princess, cast aside her pride to appease her mate, Lucas - a cold, merciless Alpha whose heart belonged to another. While Leila groveled for scraps of his affection, the entire kingdom whispered of his torrid affair with Josephine, his true love. Scorned and discarded, Lucas drained every ounce of Leila's worth, leaving her to perish in agony on an operating table. Reborn with fire in her veins, Leila vows to reclaim her destiny and sever ties with the man who shattered her. But after her bold rejection and demand for divorce, Lucas, once repulsed by her very existence, undergoes a shocking transformation, pleading for a second chance. Unmoved by his groveling, Leila turns away, her gaze fixed on a new horizon - and into the arms of Darren, Lucas' fiercest rival, whose dangerous allure promises a future forged in passion and power.

“I will never love you.” She said, giving him a last look of detest. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you...” He said as he kissed her neck. She tried to push him away but he held her arm, nuzzling, “I’ll wait for the moment when you’ll beg me to take you to the deepest depth of pleasure.” *** When two Alphas with an inability to love destined together unexpectedly as mates then their distinctive territories would only serve as an excuse to arise resentment because none of them would leave their pack. The egoistic Lucille Dayle would never step down and so does Leonel Alvarado who caprice for a mate. When one urges to shatter their baseless bond while the other wants to forge one, this would lead to the labyrinth of darkness and seduction. Lucille would endure all tortures to save her pack from the blood thirsty lunatics but Leonel would reach the depths of hell to possess what belongs to him too. In the possession of power and pride, who will bend its knees first?

“Who are you?” She stopped just when her hand made contact with the door knob. “Alpha Isabel Martinez” she replied in a voice that wasn’t hers. Dylan Dwight, the second son of the Alpha of the Greenwood pack couldn’t find a mate on his eighteenth birthday like every other male werewolf of his pack. Even after three years he still is mateless. This resulted in him having a fallout with his dad, and being scorned by members of his pack. Not able to do anything about his predicament, Dylan resigned himself to accept his fate, but he didn’t have enough time to do that as he was kidnapped by his own mate. What happens when he discovers he isn’t mated to just anyone, but an alpha. Not only is his mate an alpha but the very first female alpha in the history of werewolves. To make matters worse, Dylan’s mate is the Alpha of the Pride pack, the most feared pack in the world and Greenwood’s rival pack. Will Dylan refuse to betray his people and return to his pack or will he give in to the mate bond?

"The kingdom of Far Shore still resents Donnelly, its neighboring land, for forming an alliance with those filthy High Clifters and then defeating them in war. Twice! They really must pay for such an insult. And what better way to prick their pride than to steal their lovely, revered princess, mutilate her a little, and then ransom her back to them for a hefty sum. So, the king blackmails stable hand, Farrow, into accepting the mission of kidnapping Princess Nicolette and bringing her back to Far Shore to meet her gruesome fate. With his sister’s life on the line, Farrow reluctantly accepts the quest and travels through desert and forest, only to find Nicolette eagerly awaiting his arrival with her bags already packed and good to go, spouting off insane nonsense about being his destiny and one true love. What follows is a crazy, eclectic adventure that brings two lost souls together and helps them learn who they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to do in this ever-changing journey called life. A Love Mark Fantasy Romance! Can be read with ONE TRUE LOVE."

On the day before the marking ceremony, my Alpha mate, Zev Briarwood, is wounded in a battle and loses his memory. He forgets everything… including me. To help him restore his memories and Alpha pride, I go all out. I seek out an evil witch to trade my precious heartblood and fangs for her magic, nearly dying in the process. I sketch jewelry designs day and night, selling them just to earn money and to find every possible memory cure. When I drag my battered body to visit Zev at the clinic, I overhear him laughing with his buddies. "Your acting's next level, Zev! Kira still hasn't figured out you're faking it, and you've delayed the marking ceremony!" A buddy snickers. Zev gulps his wine and grins. "I'm definitely winning the bet that I'd sleep with 100 women at parties. Once I've had my fun, I'll go back to her for my mate duties and complete that marking ceremony."