Summit Pierce County Library Novels & Stories

“I, Castiel Vexthorn, hereby reject you…” His voice cut through the room like a blade, each word dripping with venom. “What is your name?” He didn’t even know my name. The humiliation hit harder than the rejection itself. I met his gaze—those cold, storm-gray eyes that seemed carved from granite. “Estelle Frost.” I kept my voice steady, refusing to let him see me falter. “I reject you, Estelle Frost!” His words thundered in the air, the weight of the mate bond snapping inside me like a brittle twig. **** They called him a cursed king. He called her a mistake. A weakness. When pack healer Estelle Frost accompanies her Alpha to a summit of Alphas, she expects nothing more than long hours tending to warriors and ignoring the sting of her fiancé’s betrayal. One night. One drink too many. One bed she should never have fallen into… and she wakes beside Castiel Alaric Vexthorn, the feared Alpha King who despises humans. The next morning, he discovers she is his fated mate and rejects her without mercy. But fate is not so easily severed. Because weeks later, Estelle learns she’s carrying the heirs of the very man who swore he’d never want her. And the cursed Alpha King will burn the world to claim what he’s just thrown away. *** “I should hate you, Dove. Heck, I want to but…” His storm gray eyes looked into mine and slowly, ever slowly, he leaned closer and captured my lips. I gasped, my hands flying to hold onto his broad chest. He seized the moment to slide his tongue through my lips and I let out a tiny moan. The kiss wasn't gentle. It was demanding. Possessive and filled with want.

Lena thought graduate school would be about focus, discipline, and finally proving to herself that she belonged in the world of academics. Books, research, and long nights in the library—that was the plan. Romance had no place in it. Especially not with the one man who should have been completely off-limits. Professor Jace Carrington is everything Lena was warned about. Brilliant. Confident. Dangerous in his quiet control. His lectures command attention, his presence silences a room, and when his eyes find hers across the crowded lecture hall, she feels both seen and undone. He is a man who draws lines with precision—and a man who knows exactly how to make someone want to cross them. What begins as a spark of curiosity turns into stolen glances, late-night office hours, and conversations that blur the line between mentorship and something far more intimate. Jace’s rules are simple: no one can know, and she always has a choice. But rules are easy to write and far harder to follow. The deeper Lena falls, the more she realizes this isn’t just attraction—it’s obsession, it’s surrender, and it’s freedom all at once. Secrets, however, have a way of surfacing, and on a campus where whispers spread like wildfire, forbidden love can burn everything in its path. Lessons After Dark is a steamy, character-driven romance filled with power, temptation, and the dangerous pull of a secret relationship. For readers who crave tension, intimacy, and the thrill of crossing every line you were told not to, this story will keep you turning pages long after the lights go out.

A concerned sister… Chloe Madison would do anything to find her missing brother. When she stumbles upon some information that leads her to a nearby military science facility, she doesn’t hesitate to sneak under the barbed wire fence and steal some files. Everything seems to be going to plan. That is, until a handsome soldier finds her with her hands in his filing cabinet. Instead of reporting her, he lets her go. She hurries home, his golden eyes all she can think of. A broken soldier… Captain Jackson Wolfe just returned from a hellish tour of duty in Afghanistan. Scarred and hiding terrible secrets, he is sent to a desk job. He just recently found out the hard way that he was a werewolf. Not only that, as far as he knows, he’s the only one of his kind. He knows he shouldn’t be around people and keeps to himself until he sees Chloe stealing files. He knows he should stop her, but her scent and something in her eyes stops him. A coverup worth killing for… When Wolfe follows Chloe to the library, he discovers that he’s not the only one of his kind. Someone doesn’t like that Chloe has been digging around, threatening to expose the secrets of her brother and the wolf shifters. In fact, they’re willing to kill to stop her. Wolfe knows that he must protect Chloe. After all, she may be the only thing that can save him from himself.

“Don’t freaking touch me you liar!” Diana yelled, the tears spilling down her face. She couldn't believe the man she loved and trusted had lied to her. “You told me you loved me!” “Yes, I do. Diana, listen, I…,” Xavier gasped, his voice breaking. He knew he was losing her. His heart ached. He had never meant to go this far with her. He had wanted to hurt her but it hurt worse to see her like this. “You're all the same. I never should have loved you. I hate you! You're dead to me!” She screamed and walked away from him. Xavier chased after her, yelling her name but she shrugged him off, slamming the door in his face. Diana Pierce had always wanted love. She couldn't have it. Not after her ex husband Julian had cheated on her with her mother and tore her life apart. Now, Xavier, the savior she had dreamed of had been a secret sworn enemy out to get her from the start. What will she do when she finds out Xavier truly loves her? Will she ever forgive him? What happens when she learns her family isn't all that great and had been responsible for a heartache that had tormented him for years? Read on to find out!

The Alpha’s 90-Day Luna: Ruin of the Alpha (Book 2) The contract was for ninety days. The obsession is for an eternity. I thought I had escaped the wreckage of my past when I walked away from the altar and into the arms of a stranger. I thought I was hiring a temporary shield against Blake Turner’s greed and Riley Knox’s betrayal. I didn't realize that by signing my name at the Downtown Civic Registry, I was handing my soul to the most lethal predator in the Blackwood Territory. Connor Vale. To the world, he is the Obsidian King—the ruthless Alpha behind Vale Media Group who rules the industry with shadow and steel. To me, he was a calculated risk. But as the scent of dark cedar and rain consumes my senses, the truth emerges from the darkness: Connor didn’t just happen to be at the registry that day. He has been stalking my shadows for years, waiting for the moon to finally break me so he could claim the pieces. Now, as I fight to reclaim my throne on the international stage, my enemies are closing in. Sloane Pierce and the remnants of my old pack are determined to see my reputation torn to shreds, using every dirty tactic to expose my secrets. They think I’m alone. They think I’m vulnerable. They haven't met my husband. In this world of shifted loyalties, fated obsessions, and cold-blooded revenge, I am no longer the prey. With the most dangerous Alpha in the territory backing my every move, I will ensure that those who tried to ruin me are crushed under the weight of the Vale legacy.

The moment we witness the last surviving child in the safehouse getting pinned to the wall by a zombie before having his guts torn out, all the men in the team break down mentally. "Captain, didn't you claim that Selene kept rambling nonsense because she had gone crazy out of fright toward the zombies? Isn't that why you reassured us to keep watch while you and Madeline watched the sunrise on the summit? "Why is it that my newborn has already gotten devoured by a zombie as soon as I return to the safehouse?" Quinton Morwood goes deathly pale at the accusation. My heart feels as though it's gotten torn into pieces as I stare at the tragedy. In my previous life, when the zombies attacked the safehouse, Quinton, who was the captain of the defence team, had taken the entire team with him just so he could watch the sunrise with Madeline Moore at the mountain summit. I did everything I could to summon everyone back to the base. That was how everyone's lives were spared from the zombie attack. But Madeline was pissed that she did't get to watch the sunrise, so she left the safezone angrily on her own. That was how she got grabbed by a zombie and eaten by a horde. By the time Quinton and his squad killed the entire horde, he just hugged Madeline's femur to his chest without saying a single word. On the day I gave birth to my baby, Quinton hacked my limbs off before throwing me into the roaming hordes of zombies. I could only watch as the zombies tore my flesh off my bones before Quinton saved me again by healing me. The cycle kept going on and on until I witnessed the last piece of flesh being torn off my body. "You're the one who killed Madeline, you wretched woman! Since you like competing with her that much, I'll make sure you'll die a worse death than hers!" When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day the zombies are attacking the safezone.

The Northern Citadel was supposed to be my sanctuary. Instead, it became my cage. After surviving the crushing collapse of the Hit, I thought the worst was behind us. I was wrong. My mate, Logan Pierce, nearly gave his life to shield me from the falling stone, proving his devotion in blood. But as he heals within the walls of the Lawson Estate, a new shadow looms over our fated bond. My parents, the powerful Alphas of the North, no longer see Logan as a lowly Southern wolf—they see him as a threat to their control over me. While Logan recovers, a legendary opportunity arises: an apprenticeship with the world-renowned shifter designer, Draco Wesley. It is the break my career needs, but it comes with a deadly price. Draco’s interest in me isn't just professional, and his scent stirs a dormant power in my blood that threatens to upend the Great Houses. As Madison Lawson weaves a web of sharp cruelty to reclaim her status as the pack’s golden child, and old enemies like Roman Volkov move in the underworld shadows, I am caught in a lethal tug-of-war. Logan is burning with possessive rage, his wolf snarling at the distance between us. Draco is offering me a throne in the fashion world. And my family is preparing to trade my freedom for a border treaty I never agreed to. In a world where Alpha Blood is the only currency, I must decide: Do I play the role of the dutiful daughter, or do I sharpen my claws and claim my own territory? The hunt has just begun.

Although born into opulence, Hermione Watson Pierce has always felt like a mere pawn in her parents' ruthless game of power. Her voice has been silenced since childhood, her autonomy suffocated by the weight of expectation. Behind the facade of luxury, Hermione has discovered a devastating truth: her life is not her own. As a result, she has learned to suppress her emotions, earning her the reputation as the icy queen of the corporate world. However, when her parents demand she undertake a task that will irreparably alter her future, Hermione decides to seize control of her destiny. That's when Aiden Mendes enters the picture – a charismatic playboy with a reputation for recklessness. But beneath his carefree exterior lies a complex web of scars, forged in the fire of his dysfunctional family. Aiden's coping mechanism is to indulge in the excesses of life, using his charm and good looks to keep people at arm's length. Yet, when he's threatened with disinheritance unless he marries the enigmatic Hermione, Aiden reluctantly agrees. For him, it's a mere contract marriage, a means to an end. But when they meet for the first time, Aiden is blindsided by an unexpected attraction. It's love at first sight, but his notorious reputation precedes him, and Hermione's disdain is palpable. As their contract marriage turns into a battle of wills, Aiden must thaw Hermione's icy heart and prove that there's more to him than meets the eye. But can he convince her to look beyond his reputation and take a chance on love?

Calla Pierce has loved Miles Bennett, Blackridge High’s golden boy hockey captain for as long as she can remember. So when one reckless summer night finally gives her everything she thought she wanted, she mistakes it for the beginning of something real. She is wrong. By the end of summer, he calls it a fling. By morning, he is back with his perfect girlfriend and Calla is left with a secret that could ruin all of them. Then Ryder Monroe returns. The hockey team’s former power forward, the boy suspended after a violent incident that nearly destroyed Miles, the one everyone calls dangerous. No one expected him to be back at school, but here he is and closer to Calla than she ever imagined. Now she is stuck tutoring the one boy her best friend hates most, the one who watches her like he knows her, the one who doesn’t look at her like she is a second choice. Every challenge feels like a thrilling dare, every touch feels intentional, and every rumor about Ryder starts to feel less like truth and more like manipulation. Then suddenly, Miles wants her attention again, and the truth about last year’s incident is more complicated than anyone knows. Caught between the safe love she has chased for years and the dangerous connection she never saw coming, Calla must decide. Is love supposed to protect you, or ruin you in the best possible way?

"Don't! Stay right there!" she yelled. Killian’s face instantly hardened, He hated those words. He hated the boundaries she kept trying to draw between them. "You know how much I hate it when you say that.." he gritted, He didn't stop moving, until he invaded her space, "And you know how much I fucking hate it when you step away from me, Elara." He looked entirely unhinged. "If I have to destroy your entire world, bleed your family dry, and break your wings just to keep you under my roof... I will do it." He murmured, with a breathless smile.. "W-what?" she whispered.. "Over and Over Again.." he vowed, his hands suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his chest. He leaned down, his lips brushing her "And I will ruin absolutely anyone who dares to stand in my way." he delivered the final, chilling promise. ~︎~ On the night of her engagement party, Elara Pierce’s perfect life shatters. Her father is arrested, her family’s empire collapses, and her cowardly fiancé betrays her. Desperate and hunted, she flees straight into the path of Killian Vane, the most ruthless, terrifying billionaire in the corporate world. He offers to free her father and clear his name. The price? Nothing. But in his world, "nothing" is always the most expensive price tag.