The Bonds That Bind Us Taylor West

My dad died in a car crash. On the seventh day after his death, I hear him whisper in my ear, "Amara, save your brother. There are cracks in the old stone bridge at the village entrance... It will collapse... He will die." I immediately call my brother, Asher Langford, and he takes a different route out of the village. But that afternoon, the police report that a murder took place on that road. The victim is Asher. My sister-in-law, Delia Winslow, and I bury him in tears. On the seventh day after my brother's death, I hear my dad's voice again. "Amara, keep an eye on Jasper. Don't go to the back of the hill. The dead trees there attract lightning... There will be a thunderstorm in three days." That night, Delia locks my nephew, Jasper Langford, inside the house. But three days later, Jasper falls from a window on the 12th floor. Delia goes insane after losing her husband and son consecutively in such a short time. Holding back my grief, I leave my own son, Billy Calloway, with my husband, Felix Calloway, and help Delia lay Jasper to rest. On the seventh day after Jasper's death, I see my dad holding Billy's hand and looking back at me with a sorrowful expression. He says, "Amara... There are spirits looking for substitutes in the reed marsh in the village. Take care of Billy. Don't go..."

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

Akala ni Lila ay nasa kanya na ang lahat: isang mapagmahal na asawa at perpektong buhay. Magkakaroon na rin sila ng anak, at kambal pa ito. Pero nang traydorin siya ni Michael sa pinakamasakit na paraan, gumuho ang kanyang mundo. Sugatan ang puso at galit na galit, gagamitin ni Lila ang pangalang Violet Fields para unti-unting kukunin ang lahat ng meron si Michael—The company, the fame... everything. With this new identity and a fierce determination, Violet sets out on a path of revenge, ready to watch her ex-husband's world burn.

Yerin had always been a cold and self-centered woman, preferring to keep her distance from others. She believed emotions were a trap, something she could easily avoid. Her life was structured, predictable, and safe from the chaos of human entanglements. However, all this began to change when Elliot, her first love from high school, appeared at her workplace. Twelve years prior, Yerin had been a silent observer, watching Elliot from the shadows, captivated by his charm and warmth. She yearned for more than just friendship, but her timid nature kept her from expressing her feelings. Instead, she treasured the moments they shared as friends and buried her hopes deep within her heart. The unexpected reunion with Elliot stirred emotions Yue thought she had long buried. Their friendship rekindled, and Yerin found herself hoping once again for something beyond friendship. However, her hopes were dashed by the appearance of Hazel, Elliot's ex-girlfriend. Hazel and Elliot had a tumultuous yet enduring romance since college, a cycle of breaking up and reuniting that seemed unbreakable even after 7 years. Yerin realized she was on the outside looking in, and it seemed impossible for her to enter Elliot's heart when Hazel occupied such a significant space in it. Jayden, a handsome and charming man who was also Hazel's childhood friend suddenly approach her. With his keen perception, quickly caught on to Yue's secret, long-lasting crush on Elliot. Then, with a perceptiveness that caught her off guard, he quietly remarked, "I noticed the way you look at Elliot. You care about him a lot, don't you?" He offered a surprising proposition: for Yue to join him in becoming a third wheel in Hazel and Elliot's relationship.

Our Pack followed an ancient law: if a she-wolf wasn't bonded by the age of 23, the Pack had the right to assign her a mate, regardless of her will. Felix is my childhood sweetheart and fated mate, the Alpha of the Moonclaw Pack. But he postponed our bonding ceremony and is holding a mating ceremony with an Omega first, all because of that law. Felix pitied Omega, Valentina, who was already 22, afraid she would be matched with a bad mate. But he seemed to forget that after waiting for him for 5 years, I would turn 23 next month. My mother and I begged him to reconsider our mating ceremony only to be met with Felix's dilemma attitude: "You've waited this many years, what's a little longer?" "Besides me, who else would choose Valentina? Clara, you still have parents, but Valentina is poor, she only has me." "Please wait, after the mate bond ceremony with Valentina, I'll break it and then bond with you." Later, in order to prevent me from bonding with a slave, my mother hurriedly chose a mate for me. Coincidentally, my mate bond ceremony and Felix and Valentina's mate bond ceremony were on the same day. On the day I was being taken off in a luxury car, I passed by Felix handing him ceremonial flowers. When he saw me, he suddenly shifted into a wolf and blocked the car insane. Even after being hit and vomiting blood, he stared intensely at me and asked why I was wearing a wedding dress…

"Sign the papers, Estella." Marco slid the divorce papers across the mahogany table, his eyes fixed on Claudia, who hovered by his side with a victorious smile. "Did you really think a nobody like you could keep me?" Estella's throat tightened as she forced herself to meet his gaze. The diamond on Claudia's finger caught the light—his best friend now wearing what should have been hers forever. "You should be grateful," Claudia murmured, resting a hand on her belly. "Letting you go is the kindest thing we've done for you." When Estella married into the powerful Valdez family, she believed in love conquering all. Instead, she found herself cast out, Helena Valdez herself showing her the door when Claudia announced her pregnancy. Then Alejandro De Luca appeared—Marco's sworn enemy offering an unexpected proposition. "A contract marriage," he said simply. "You get protection. I get revenge." Together, they plotted to dismantle the very family that had humiliated her. With each calculated move, Estella reclaimed pieces of herself she thought lost forever. But revenge is a dangerous game. As their plan unfolded and tragedy struck, Estella discovered that survival meant more than settling scores—it meant learning to wield her pain as power. The quietest heart, after all, often hides the most dangerous storm.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

***EXCERPT*** "I could burn the world to ashes, and you would still be the only thing worth destroying," he whispered, his lips just close enough to feel my desperate, trembling breath, tears leaking down my eyes. "Your pain is beautiful, Tera," he whispered with a chilling smile. "It shows you're still trying to fight what you know you've already lost." *** Dr. Tera Williams thought her life couldn't sink any lower after signing the divorce papers her husband's mistress threw in her face. But when a twist of fate puts her in a prison cell, stripping her of her career and reputation, she realizes she hasn't even begun to fall. After spending three years in prison, she struggles to get her life back on track again by starting from her lowest. Despite all the hurdles she had to endure from her current boss, she finds love again with Ryan, a single father, who is madly in love with her. But just as she's about to marry him, her worst nightmare resurfaces: She finds out that she is still legally married to her obsessive ex-husband, Logan, who has been doing everything possible to win her back. How does she navigate her life when she is now trapped between two possessive men who are not willing to give her up for the other? Trigger Warning: This is a dark, intense romance with a few scenes of psychological manipulation, violence, and non-con. Recommended for mature readers.

𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉... 𝑯𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅. Lindsay Maxwell had once been happy in her marriage until a twisted turn of events ruined it all for her. She can't say, but lately, she has noticed her husband, Engel, has become distant and less affectionate; their marriage has been a cold place in their empty mansion. All she wants is to be separated from him. Engel Gunther, first of the Gunther sons with an alias of the devil himself, when his beloved wife turns her back on him, Engel is forced to show a side of him he has withheld for long, his greed getting the best of him just to keep Lindsay with him. To him, he was protecting his most prized possession; to her, he was hurting her.

No one has ever seen the mysterious heiress of the McKenzie empire, but everyone knows her name—Bianca McKenzie, the girl with power, wealth... and secrets. Craving a normal life beyond her last name, Bianca disguises herself as a man—Brian—to land a job in a company where women aren’t welcome. Hired by the cold yet devastatingly handsome CEO Justin Miller, Bianca is determined to hide her true identity, no matter the cost. But neither of them is prepared for the emotional collision that follows. What begins as friction turns into fragile friendship, then spirals into forbidden desire. One drunken night ignites a passion that changes everything. But when the truth is exposed, Justin feels betrayed and casts her away. He never meant the words. She never forgot them. Five years later, she returns—no longer hidden, no longer Brian, but as the stunning, untouchable heiress now set to inherit her grandfather’s kingdom. And she’s not alone… she carries a secret that could shatter everything. Now, with the media circling, a jealous ex on the warpath, and the man who once broke her heart trying to fight for her again, Bianca must decide: Will she protect her heart, or let the man who once destroyed it be the one to mend it?

He owns the night of this city, so he should also possess the most delicate white rose of the nation, Serena, a girl nurtured by love and art, his pure prey. Even though his brother also desires Serena, he’s certain she’ll never escape the palm of his hand. But is that really the case? Because Serena came for one purpose; to destroy this ruthless mafia king. Who is the real prey?