The Beginning And The Friend

Mistakes? I’ve made plenty. The biggest one? Falling head over heels for Brian Lockwood—my brother’s best friend and the captain of the school’s basketball team. For years, I lived in the shadow of my one wish: for him to see me as more than just Simon’s little sister. But how could he, with Lyla, his perfect girlfriend, glued to his side? Then everything changed. Lyla cheated, Brian’s heart shattered, and he was desperate for a distraction. That’s when he came to me with a deal—a no-strings-attached arrangement where we could give each other exactly what we wanted. I saw my chance. I thought I could make him fall in love with me. But I didn’t account for how messy things could get—how keeping it all a secret from Simon would twist everything. And when Brian crossed a line I couldn’t forgive, I knew it was time to let go of my high school crush. Fast forward three years. I’m over him. Or so I tell myself. Except now Brian’s back, no longer the heartbroken boy I knew but a leading basketball star with one goal: to win me over. I swore I wouldn’t fall for him again.

Amelia was always the outcast, mocked for her size and ignored by everyone but Dylan Thane, the only light in her dark school life. She fell for him, of course. Who wouldn’t? But her heart shattered when Dylan, her best friend, seemed to fall for the very bully who made her life miserable. Desperate to be seen, Amelia struck a deal with a mysterious old woman for the perfect body. The new Amelia turned heads but not Dylan’s. Because he had always loved her as she was… and had never betrayed her. Now, the true cost of beauty is coming due and it’s more than she bargained for.

Cynthia is a pregnant cheerleader. Her boyfriend ghosted her immediately after she told him the news. Her brother's best friend, the hockey captain Asher, threw a party and invited all of her boyfriend's flings, and they unite to dump him in public. Cynthia said, "Thanks for always being a big brother to me." Asher raised his eyebrow and asked, "Brother? How about your baby’s dad?"

~"Why is the best fruit always forbidden?"~ Alecander Blackford is that perfect Alpha blessed with the face of an angel but cursed with overbearing parents who would not stop tailing after his ass. After he runs away from the pack to stay at his aunt’s house, he did not expect that he would meet his mate who turned out to be more than he had expected and everything he was not. Soft, caring with a touch of defensive instincts, Elristeya Larsen is just that girl who has two parents that were in love since forever and a brother who would do anything to make her frustrated. When she meets her brother’s new best friend, it turned out to be the Asshole that had slammed the door in her face, Alec. She was undeniably captivated by his hypnotic orbs and the way he looked like everything a human was not. Like a different breed. Alec’s entire plan to stay away from her as far as he could begins to fall flat right before his own eyes. No matter how he tried to ignore her, like a moth to a flame he was attracted to her. When circumstances fell into place, they slowly began to get closer, creating more connection and strengthening the bond between them. Elristeya soon realized that Alec was no prince charming of hers but her beautiful downfall. Her perfect nemesis. Her flawless damnation. Theirs was the mate bond that was never supposed to be formed. Forbidden right from their births and when they try to fight against the fate that binds them, ugly and haunting secrets, capable of ruining them both and those they cherished, from the past are unleashed, threatening the soul bond they shared.

Being the only child to the Queen of Castle Grey, lost within the confines of mount Trenon, Kilvic is made to learn a number of things best suited to the heir to the Elzcrid bloodline at the hands of tutors handpicked by his mother. However, his fifteenth birthday sends him beyond the reaches of his mother’s domain. She has tasked him with the duty of learning more. Understanding greater things than she can teach him, greater things with which to cope with the curse upon his bloodline as she had been taught by her father and mother. Finding himself in a new kingdom, in an academy designed for only the most elite of mages, Kilvic is tasked to survive the new things he will come to learn, while struggling with the chaos of human association, as he comes to understand that while he may know a great deal about the world from the castle archives, it is a different thing to experience them. The association between people isn’t as easily deciphered as the books made them seem. As he struggles with the task of becoming a mage and a student along with surviving new friendships, failure threatens him at every turn and people prove pettier than the books would have him believe. Yet, despite all these, somewhere hidden in the shadows of the kingdom, a creature stirs, taking from the academy the one thing it values most. Kilvic must survive the trials of the academy, keep his friends, best his first enemy, and ensure that what stirs must not cause more damage than the kingdom can bear, lest the supremacy of Castle Grey be called into question in realms beyond that which most know. And all in time to attend the Winter Hall Fest.

Ella, after losing her child and womb to her abusive boyfriend, spiraled into a life of despair and emptiness. With no dreams left to chase and her past haunting her, she gave up on everything and began to live her life drinking in clubs. But one fateful encounter with Damien Rojas, a charismatic billionaire and CEO of the biggest fashion industry in Texas, changed everything. A one-night stand turned into a lifeline when she requested that he offer her a job in exchange for their night together. Damien, impressed by her designs and charisma, offers her a chance to rebuild her life at his company as an intern. Unknown to Ella, her best friend Sylvia, Damien's ex, who was also his personal secretary, wasn't ready to let go of Damien. Things took a spiral twist when Damien accused Sylvia of embezzlement and fired her from the company immediately. Ella was immediately promoted to Sylvia's former position, causing gossip to spread about her relationship with the CEO. As sparks fly between Ella and Damien and certain truths begin to unfold, Ella is torn between saving her best friend and falling for the man who had caused her best friend's downfall. What would Ella choose? Her loyalty towards Sylvia or her feelings for Damien?

I built them up. I gave them everything. And they destroyed me. I thought love meant sacrifice. I thought friendship meant loyalty. But I was wrong. I bankrolled my boyfriend, helping him rise from nothing, believing in his dreams. I took my best friend under my wing, giving her everything she never had. But while I was away, enjoying a much-needed girls' trip—the one she conveniently backed out of—they were busy betraying me in the worst way possible. I found out by accident. A simple call from his phone, meant to tell my best friend I was back, turned into the moment that shattered my world. "My baby." Those words on the screen made my stomach drop. And then I read more. "I’m just after her money. Once I get enough, I’ll leave her. I’m collecting from her and her father. I’ll use her and dump her." Every message felt like a dagger to my heart. The man I loved, the friend I trusted—they had been plotting against me all along. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. What do I do? Do I confront them? Do I scream? Do I fall apart? I want to wake up. I want this to be a nightmare. But it’s not. This is my reality. And I don’t know what happens next.

I know it’s wrong to want my dad’s best friend, a man who was old enough to be my dad, but what could I possibly do when I see him in my dream and imagination each time I close my eyes? What could I do when this desire keeps driving me nuts, when I keep getting wet down there just at the sight of him? I tasted the forbidden fruit, and I liked it. I liked every inch of it, and now I can’t bring myself to stop wanting more…

He shouldn’t have imagined her lying naked on his bed. She shouldn’t have imagined his devilishly handsome face between her legs. But it was too late. Kiara began noticing Ethan's washboard abs when he hopped out of the pool, dripping wet after swim practice. Ethan began gazing at Kiara’s golden skin in a bikini as a grown woman instead of the girl next door he grew up with. That kiss should have never happened. It was just one moment in a lifetime of moments, but they both felt its power. They knew the thrumming in their veins and desperation in their bodies might give them all they ever wanted or ruin everything if they followed it. Kiara and Ethan knew they should have never kissed. But it's too late to take that choice back, so they have a new one to make. Fall for each other and risk their friendship or try to forget one little kiss that might change everything. PREVIEW: “If you don’t want to kiss me then... let’s swim.” “Yeah, sure.” “Naked.” “What?” “I always wanted to try skinny dipping. And I really want to get out of these clothes.” “What if someone catches you... me, both?” “We will be in the pool, Ethan. And no one can see us from the living room.” I smirked when I said, “Unless you want to watch me while I swim, you can stay here.” His eyes darkened, and he looked away, probably thinking the same when I noticed red blush creeping up his neck and making his ears and cheeks flush. Cute. “Come on, Ethan. Don’t be a chicken...” “Fine.” His voice was rough when he said, “Remove that sweater first.”

Lesley Hummer, my husband's sister, lies to me about being unable to conceive. She wants me to help her produce a child. To my shock and horror, my husband and mother-in-law agree with her! I refuse to give in, so they drug me and force me into bed with my her husband. When the pregnancy comes to term, I give birth to a daughter. My husband and his family go nuts because it's not a boy. They kill the baby before my very eyes! They even take away all my organs that can be exchanged for money. Then, they continue searching for a surrogate for Lesley. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the day Lesley kneeled before me to beg me.