Synonym Lifted

My husband Bruno's goomah was pregnant with their second child. At the family dinner, he caressed his lover Ava's rounded belly. "This one will be a boy, the future heir to the Marino family. As my wife, it is your duty to raise him." This was the second time he had openly acknowledged one of his bastards. I didn't make a scene like I had before. I just calmly lifted my head and looked Bruno straight in the eye. Raucous laughter erupted from the family members around the table. "Remember last time, when she acted like a madwoman? Looks like she's finally learned her place." "The Rossi family's businesses have all been carved up. What can she do besides be an infertile trophy wife? She'll be kicked to the curb sooner or later." Bruno's face was expressionless, allowing them to hurl their insults at me. I fought back the tears burning my eyes and even managed a small smile. "Bruno, let's get a divorce." Bruno looked as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, his lips curling into a dismissive smirk. "Liliana, if you can come up with the hundred million dollars you owe this family, I'll sign the papers right now. Otherwise, stop making a scene." I didn't argue, and just dialed an encrypted number. "I accept the terms we discussed." A lazy laugh echoed from the other end of the line. "A hundred million? Merely the cost of a port. I can have it for you anytime, my princess."

"Mmmn, Zane” I moaned amidst the heat of passion. The sexual urge was inevitable. “Imagine I’m right in front of you” He sounded soft, s*xy, and seductive. “I can see you shirtless with the s*xy abs you’ve shown me” I imagined his naked figure in front of me. “Good. Now imagine everything you want to do to me. I can also see you with a s*xy red bra on, revealing those juicy b*obs” “Mmmn I can feel your hands on my b*obs” I moaned loudly. A sudden knock on the door disrupted the s*x call that felt almost real, and I was extremely aroused. I disconnected the call to get the door. “Hmmn Finn” I moaned his name coldly, allowing him in. “Hi Rita” He smiled innocently. I stared at him seductively. I saw everything Zane told me to imagine earlier. Naked, hot, and sexy! I drooled, heavily aroused, and engrossed in my dirty imagination. I jumped on innocent Finn, pinned my body against him, and kissed him deeply. Looks like Finn understood the assignment. He didn’t resist; he lifted me in bridal style, laid me on the couch, and yanked off my clothes. ~~ He satisfied my sexual desires and made me feel like a woman. I gave Finn my body, and I didn’t care, but unknowingly, it was the greatest mistake of my life.

"Behold!" The Priestess yelled above the noise of the crowd. It became deathly silent. She could feel the malevolent eyes of the crowd on her and she didn't know why. "The Fox!" Cassidy let out a yip of horror that echoed in the silent village. A Fox Shifter. Cassidy was a Fox. Terror coursed through her smaller body. In all her pleading with the Moon Goddess, she had never thought she would be so terribly cursed. She would be torn limb from limb by the crowd. Shifting to the Fox was a death sentence. Neither prey nor an apex predator, the Fox was an outlier in Shifter society. The crowd roared as one as the High Priestess lifted her. "Run Cassidy, no-clan, and know that pain is only temporary." She whispered softly, before tossing Cassidy into the waiting crowd. All Cassidy had ever wanted was to survive her first Shift. If she didn't end up as prey, all the better. As the illegitimate child of the aging Alpha, and daughter of a rabbit shifter drudge, Cassidy knew the world was an unfair place for those who were not born predator. No one expected Cassidy to be a fox, least of all her. Reviled and feared by predator and prey alike, fox shifters were cast out from home and clan, into the wilderness. If they were lucky. And Cassidy had never been all that acquainted with luck. Rejected by her clan, beaten and broken, left for dead...Cassidy welcomed the darkness. But death will have to wait for her just a little longer. The Lycan King has need of a new assassin, and Cassidy is forced into his world of intrigue, politics, and romance.

Isabella Sinclair, a thirty-two-year-old billionaire heiress, dislikes men and never intended to get married. However, her convictions were put to the test when she had a one-night stand affair with a strange guy, Liam Blackwood. ********** Liam grabbed her wrist tightly and in a swift movement, he lifted her and dropped her on the bed. He pinned her hands on the bed with one hand, while the other hand slowly caressed her lower abdomen. A sudden gasp escaped Isabella’s lips as his gentle touch landed on her lower abdomen. He leaned into her and moved his lips near her ear. She flinched in fear. ‘Are you going to bite me like I did? Don’t be petty!’ she snapped sharply as Liam’s lips grazed her earlobe, his breath fanning against her skin. He chuckled slightly at Isabella’s outburst, and in an unexpected move, he flickered his tongue into her ear. She froze! She liked it and wanted him to do it again, but instead, he whispered, ‘Young lady, have you forgotten? No contact! Why do you keep throwing yourself at me, little girl!’ “What! ‘Little girl’? How dare he!” she screamed in her head, but in reality, she liked how possessive and dominant Liam is. He freed her, releasing his tight grip on her hands and jumped off the bed. He grabbed his car keys from the bedside table and walked towards the door. “Liam! The contract! Do you want me to change it? And by the way, this is your second night here, and you haven’t given me a foot massage yet,” Isabella called out as he placed his hands on the doorknob.

“Why does everyone assume I need a tragic backstory to justify what I am?” Adrian said, strolling slowly toward me like he had all the time in the world. His eyes locked on mine as he continued, “Oh no, honey. It isn't because mummy dearest died giving birth to me. Or because dear old dad was too busy to tuck me in at night" He stopped when he was directly in front of me. So close that his tall frame was towering intimidatingly over me. I lifted my chin stubbornly to look him in the eye, refusing to cower. He smirked at that, his hand going to swipe a stray strand of hair from my face. “Some of us,” he murmured, “are not broken.” His eyes darkened. “Some of us are just simply… evil.” ~ I was dragged to the execution block in chains, accused of being a monster the world had erased. Then the Alpha's wolf claimed me as mate and forced him to halt the execution. In a world where hybrids were hunted to extinction, I was the last mistake left alive. The last thing Lucien Dreadmoor wanted was his mate being the single weapon that could completely wipe out wolves from existence. The bond tied us together anyway, trapping me in his keep, his rules, his control. He called it protection. I called it a cage. As war stirs at the borders and a vampire prince begins circling, whispers spread that my blood could start another war… or end it. The Alpha wants to break the bond. The Vampire wants to claim me. And somewhere between fate and freedom, I must decide which monster I am willing to stand beside… and which one I am willing to become.

"You just shifted," was how the King responded, a fire in his eyes that seemed to make Kendra feel like she was melting. "Y-yes sir," she stammered before standing up fully, though she kept her eyes down again. She wasn't sure where to look. "I was confirming, not asking," he says, though his voice is not unkind, but curious. "Incredible. A female Alpha. A thing not even of legends." He stood up, and crossed the space between them in an instant. The mouthwatering scent was now overwhelming her. He lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers. Electricity spread from the spots where his fingers touched, and her breath hitched. Their eyes met, and his was now as wide as hers. She finally heard her wolf, confirming what was starting to dawn on her. Mate. Kendra was the daughter of the Beta of her Pack, and while she had that strong wolf blood in her veins, she hadn’t shifted at 13. Rather than despairing, she threw herself into her future, where she would be an Advocate amongst humans, asking for wolf rights and hoping that being unable to shift would put them at ease. However, on her 18th birthday, something unheard of happened- she shifted. Now, she has to juggle handling her newfound responsibilities, her conflicting feelings with the former Gamma’s son, Derek, and on top of all of it, her mate bond with Lycan King Kenzo, who despite being cold and distant to many, grew to be warm and kind to her. Will she be able to disregard her feelings for Derek and live happily with Kenzo, or will she reject her mate bond, and risk losing everything, to be with a man who seems to be hiding a secret from her?

Ever heard of a “wife for hire”? Absurd, right? Well, it was a brand-new concept to me too. As I stared at the billionaire sitting across from me, one thought rang loud and clear in my mind.“This man has lost it.“ How did I go from interviewing for a cleaner’s position to this? An offer to “marry” a billionaire? The words had barely left his lips before I scoffed, unable to help myself. “Is this some kind of joke?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him, skepticism dripping from every word. He tilted his head to the side, his expression oddly calm. His brows lifted slightly as his sharp gaze locked onto mine. “Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice steady yet tinged with what seemed like guilt—or maybe embarrassment. “Did I offend you? If I have…” “I mean, no offense, but… look at you. You’re tall, handsome, rich,” I continued, gesturing toward him as if to underline my point. “Any woman out there would swarm around you, dying for the chance to be with you. So, why me? Unless there’s more to it. Unless there’s… a motive.” … After being handed divorce papers at the hospital—mere moments after losing her baby,Amber refuses to fall apart. She is not weak. She is not pathetic. She won’t waste tears on the heavens or wait for Karma to settle the score. Instead, she vows to become Karma herself. However, fate leads her to an encounter with him, a wealthy, enigmatic billionaire with a haunting past and a son who longs for a mother. Drawn to her striking resemblance to someone from his past, he makes her an audacious offer. One that could change both of their lives forever.

Ten years ago Sarah Connor was betrayed by her mate when a jealous, power-hungry witch casted a spell making the whole kingdom think she was an evil witch. She was cast to the dungeons by her mate despite their past together and tortured for information she  didn't know. It wasn't until days later when she realized that her mate wasn't going to save her and they wouldn't be able to reform the bond they once had. She flees from her kingdom, friends, family and life to find somewhere to feel safe.  Legolas, the alpha king, who was under a spell from a witch for years until he was able to break free. Upon being free and killing the witch who messed up his life, the fog lifted, relieving the real memories of what happened and the horrible treatment of Sarah. Legolas was heartbroken at the news that he had hurt his mate so badly that she had fled and hadn't surfaced even when it was announced that the witch and her spell were no more. He went in search of her in the dark realm and found her with a child called Aleena. Aleena was eight years old and grew up in a small pack. They kept to themselves and never had any real problems. She graduated from high school a year early at the age of seventeen. She was starting her freshman year of college when her quiet little small town life got turned upside down. Her mother had a deep secret that she had kept this whole time and now it could cost her, her daughter. After a visit from the moon goddess herself, Aleena is faced with a choice. One that is life or death not just for her but her kind as a whole.

“We shouldn’t be doing this, Blaze.” I whispered as I tightly clutched his silky shirt, even though it felt so right, even though everything inside me burns brighter when he looks at me— even though my knees buckled right now, when he slowly slotted his firm thigh between my legs. “You know you want it.” He slowly pressed his index finger into my mouth, and my eyes fluttered shut when he pressed an open kiss against my jaw. “But- my brother...” I mumbled around his finger, as I forced my eyes open. He lifted his thigh and pressed it against my core and I let out a stuttered cry as I threw my head back, my knees threatening to give out this time. “... doesn’t have to know.” —————— To hide her dark secrets, Tessy Roper is content with playing the good girl of her college. She keeps up to her grades, doesn’t drink or smoke or go to notorious college parties, and most definitely doesn’t involve herself with pant-dropping bad boys like Blaze Colt - feared gang leader and her elder brother’s best friend. But things take a turn for the worst when her dark secrets get exposed to Blaze Colt and the only way to protect it is to strike a dirty deal with him. Through this sinful man, she’s introduced into a world of whips and chains and one demanding master who’s determined to unravel every perfectly aligned piece of her body - and heart.

Four years of loving Marchello Enzo taught me one thing— it was finally time to let him go. He was the Don of the Marchello mafia empire. And I was supposed to become his Donna—his partner, his equal, the woman who stood at his side. But the moment his childhood sweetheart returned, radiant and adored, I understood something painfully simple: The title of Donna was never meant for me. It belonged to her. So before I walked away, I made three quiet decisions— First, I tossed the wedding ring he believed I treasured, and altered my million-dollar wedding dress to the measurements of the woman who had always held his heart. Second, I packed every extravagant gift he had ever given me—and donated them all to charity. They had once felt like proof of love; now they were nothing but proof of my foolishness. Third,I reclaimed a position I once abandoned for him—one I had turned down twice because he wanted me at his side. This time, I chose myself. My work. My life. A path that did not depend on his promises. On the day of his wedding, when he lifted the bride’s veil and realized it wasn’t me… the ruler of a billion-dollar underworld empire shattered. He tore the city apart looking for me— But he never found me. Because by then, I was already thousands of miles away, buried in my work, building the life he never believed I’d choose. I held the one secret he never imagined he’d lose: our child.