the art of showing up

“Do you, Alex Snow, take Jennifer Walker, to be your lawfully wedded wife?” My soon to be husband looks at me with the eyes of a beast, ready to rip me apart at any second as he says tightly “I do” Although he just vowed to take me as his wife, to love and cherish, his ‘I do’ vowed something else entirely. It was an oath to make me suffer horribly at his hands. As soon as the words “I do” left my own mouth I was certain, I just sealed my own fate by marrying Alex Snow. In a small town called “Snow” known in all of Alaska for its huge illegal smuggling business on the border of America and Canada, Alex Snow; the new leader of the Snow clan that controls and dominates the smuggling territory, forces Jennifer Walker into marrying him against her will. After his father gets murdered by Jenny’s father, Patrick Walker, the Snow clan vows to take their revenge on the whole Walker bloodline. But killing the responsible man, sends both families into a blood feud as both clans vow to make the other one pay. The only way to stop that bloodbath from turning into a massacre, and claiming more innocent lives was a peace offering in the form of marriage from both families. Jennifer’s world turns upside down as she turns out to be the one Alex Snow asked to marry specifically in order to stop that war. Her only thought at that moment was “He is going to make my life a living hell” *The town Snow and everything it represents is real inside the world I created in this book. It’s as real as you believe it to be, but It doesn’t exist in real life*

Even before marrying Wayne Cooper, I knew he had a fierce sister-in-law. He would always tell me to never get into a fight with her. After we marry, we spend Christmas Eve at his parents' house for the first time. I'm forced to bustle around in the kitchen as I prepare a feast for over a dozen people. Meanwhile, Wayne's family lounges in the living room. They chatter away while enjoying the fruits I've washed and sliced. As I place the last dish on the table, Wayne's brother and sister-in-law, Kyle Cooper and Lucy Wren, arrive. When I want to take my seat, I discover there isn't one for me. That's when Lucy snorts and says sarcastically, "I heard you're a good wife who's obedient and easygoing, Melanie. I have to say that your cooking is… mediocre, though." This infuriates me. I'm about to retort when she turns to my mother-in-law. She says, "I think you should do the cooking from now on, Gloria. Your food is delicious…"

Naomi spent her summer reading books and planning how she will stay invisible so she can finish off her last year of high school drama-free. But all those plans go down the drain when an unexpected Asian family of a widowed mother and her teenage son moves in across the street. Even though Naomi tries to keep her distance from Hero so he doesn't find out about her heart disease, he seems to have taken a liking to her. Naomi's cousin Riley had called dibs on Hero but his interest lies elsewhere so she often blames Naomi for trying to steal Hero. Most of the girls at school fawn over Hero because of his good looks and height which spell problems for Naomi since he keeps hanging around her. The more Naomi tries to stay away from Hero the larger her curiosity grows and even though Hero has secrets of his own to protect from Naomi's prying eyes he can't stop himself from wanting to know more about her. The two try to deny their feelings to try and protect their secrets but jealousy starts to show its face when Josh asks Naomi on a date and Hero hooks up with a random girl at a party in retaliation. Who will break first? And spill their secrets?

Alessa found herself in the unexpected role of replacing her older sister as wife, after the latter refused to marry a man who had supposedly suffered burns to ninety percent of his body during a terrible accident. However, Alessa's adoptive father's motivation was purely financial, as he wanted to take advantage of the fortune the deformed man had. So Alessa was pressured into marrying this billionaire tycoon. Once she arrived at the mansion, her life became a daily challenge, as she had to deal with a superficial and appearance-obsessed husband, while facing personal insecurities due to her own body. The pressure to live up to the physical standards imposed by society aggravated her self-image, especially as she didn't fit the traditional standards of beauty. However, behind the billionaire's façade was a secret that escaped everyone's notice: a supernatural dimension that encompassed his entire family lineage. This mysterious secret was about to unite Alessa's fate with that of the billionaire in unimaginable ways. Thus, Alessa's life became a complex labyrinth, intertwining relationships, superficial appearances and hidden secrets. She would have to navigate these challenges to discover the true meaning of this unusual relationship and unravel the mysteries surrounding the family of the man who became her husband.

"You are no wife to me, do you get it?" He said, stepping forward crushing my already thinned personal bubble. "I am marrying you because of circumstances. The sooner you feed that to your peanut size brain, the better it will be for you and me. Do you understand?". Pushing me back against the wall with so much force it made me grunt at impact. Intense pain shot through my body when he pressed himself on me. It was like he was trying to ram me into the wall or something! - idiot- Big fat S-O-B. All these curses were going through my mind. All I want to do now is scratch his arrogant face and give him a feel of his own medicine. However, in this compromising position, I am right now! I can hardly move. So, all I did was look straight into his eyes and glared back with the same intensity. I try to break free by pushing and squirming. Alex had me in a grip so tight it felt like a hulk holding me down, so hard that it was painful. I tried to look away, but his voice made me freeze. "Answer me. Do not look away when I am talking to you bit*h!”. “Do-You-Get-What-I-Just Said? Or do I need to make myself a little clearer? hmm?" "Yes, I get it. I'm-Not-Your-Wife." "Believe it or not, I have no interest in being your wife," I said, more like spat it out, it was like poison coming out of my mouth. "Why are you smirking at me ?" he asked. Completely oblivious to what is about to come. I composed my happiness concealing it with my ‘I’m am innocent, like a kitty look’. "Oh, you're about to find out," I said.

“Elena,” he says. My name has never sounded more filthy. He slams the door shut behind him with a kick of his foot and I flinch. My hand remains behind my back, it is a good thing he does not notice that my hands are now free. He inches forward and I take as many steps back as I can until I hit the wall. He comes even closer until his ugly face is mere inches away from my own. I can smell the stench of his wolf as he roughly grabs me by the chin. I quake uncontrollably, it is as if a wave of parasitic worms has taken hold of me, his touch is repulsive as it is nauseating. This man, who is old enough to be my father leans in and smiles. My eye starts to water and a sob escapes my lips. ****** Elena is a wolf-less girl who hails from a long line of omegas. One day, the enemy pack comes demanding for tributes, virgin girls to work as their slaves and to save her family, Elena volunteers to become one. She ends up a slave to the alpha of the enemy pack where she is horribly tortured. All hope seems lost and all she wants to do is to die, but then her savior comes in the form of Hunter, the alpha of the Storm Riders pack. Hunter takes one look at her and realizes she is his one true mate. But the only problem is, she has already been claimed by the alpha of the enemy pack. Will Elena be set free and allowed to choose her own path and happiness? Or will she be forever doomed to live in the shadows of her scars and past?

Once in a millennium, the Phoenix will rise. The earth, the shifters, even the planet will call to her, pleading for her help. When they do, she always answers their call. Each time, she will choose a young woman who is deserving of carrying her fire, someone who is loving and caring, but with an inner strength that is difficult to break. Emmi Johnson is a human orphan who was kidnapped by The Mean Ones, grotesque shifters who wanted to create an army to destroy the elemental dragons and other hybrids. The dragons saved her and the others who were being held hostage, but the damage was already done. The Mean Ones were injecting her with their Komodo dragon DNA to make her into a shifter. The pain was excruciating, but the headaches that began soon afterward were worse. Ajax is a human runaway that was captured and experimented on by The Chief and Oliver. They injected him with earth dragon and elf DNA, turning him into a dragon hybrid. When Emmi senses chaos around her, something inside of her begins tearing at her insides. The screeching in her head makes her head throb. Ajax is the only one who can calm the fury inside her. Emmi is terrified that something’s wrong with her. Doc Everett can’t figure out what she is. That is until one day when the danger becomes so great that the Phoenix rises, melding itself to Emmi in a dangerous display of fire that is stronger than any fire dragon’s. Can Ajax help Emmi to find herself? Can she accept that she is no longer human, having been chosen by the ancient Phoenix? And can she become one with her shifter spirit before the danger that threatens them all comes for them?

Garren Ryuu, the God of dragons, has waited over five hundred years for his mate. An equal on all fronts. But when he comes face to face with his mate at long last, he is forced to make a decision. Turn his back on his people and their traditions for his heart or break it and accept the life of a mad king. It's a dark and dangerous path that only the strong survive. So will fate be on his side or is she just another cruel obstacle set to take him down?

"Why are you doing this?" He sighed as he walked around the bed to my side but he didn't answer. He leaned closer, and I closed my eyes. I could hear our heartbeats, and I could hear his breathing as well. If I didn't see how cold he was to me, I would have thought he was affected by me. But I knew better. I felt the shackle tighten around my neck as tears streamed down my face. It hurt that I had to be shackled, but what hurt the most was that it was my mate doing this. "Fuck." I heard him mutter under his breath. My hand was hoisted up and the chain around my wrist loosened. "Let's go." I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I stood up and followed him. I refused to look at him. I didn't know which was better, the chain or the shackle. Because regardless of what I had, they both meant the same thing - I was nothing but a mere rogue to him.  ¤¤¤¤¤ Stealing The Heart of My Alpha is the final installment in the Black Shadow Pack Series. While the story stands alone, I recommend that you read the series and the spin-off novels to gain a better understanding of the characters and the world I created. BLACK SHADOW PACK SERIES: Book 1 - HE'S MY ALPHA (Completed) Book 2 - THE BETA IS MINE (Completed) Book 3 - LOVING THE GAMMA (Completed) Spin-off Novel Book 1 - IN THE ARMS OF MY ALPHA (Completed) Spin-off Novel Book 2 - THROUGH THE EYES OF MY ALPHA (Completed)

On the day of our daughter's birthday, my husband brought the daughter of his true love home.The little girl had her arms wrapped around my husband's neck. She pointed at me and asked, "Dad, who is she?"My husband tried to comfort her. "Baby, she's the nanny that I've hired for you."I tried my best not to be affected by the pain in my chest and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Frost, Please pay me for the work that I've done for the past seven years..."My husband laughed angrily. "You're such a gold digger!"Well, I indeed love money. Why couldn't I love money? I was dying and needed to make preparations for my daughter in advance. Not only that, but I also would make them all pay the price!