The Illusion

***WOLFBANE SERIES BOOK 4*** TERRI Being raised by an alpha meant my life was never truly my own. Now, after being forced into a mate bond I never wanted, even that last illusion of freedom is gone. My only goal? Keep my head down, survive, and escape. Too bad that just got a whole lot harder. Because now, a brooding, untouchable alpha from another pack is living under my roof. He’s cold, closed off, and haunted by a past darker than my own. He’s the last person I should want. But my wolf has other plans, and every time he gets close, I forget why I should stay away. The only problem? He’s made it clear he’s not mine to claim. NIKOLAI I should have died with my pack. Instead, I’m left leading the few survivors, doing whatever it takes to keep them safe in a world that wants us dead. The last thing I need is a distraction—especially not the pack princess. She’s way too cheerful, carefree, and already claimed by another. I should ignore the way my wolf reacts to her, the way every instinct in me demands I get closer. But I can’t. And if I let myself have her, I might just lose what little I have left. *Content Warning: This is a romance with dark themes including explicit adult content, graphic violence, offensive language, and other content some may find offensive. Read at your own risk.*

Four years ago, my twin and I planned to run away from the pack together. She never showed up, so I took off alone. Since then, I often venture near the borders to check if I would see her, but I've had no luck. Just when I decide to disappear and never go near the pack again, I meet my mate. He's none other, but Alpha Jett, the new leader of the Night Storm. The same pack that I escaped from. I'm not under any illusion that he could make me Luna of the pack he snatched out of the hands of my monster of a father. Not even when he willingly reunites me with my twin. But when I attempted to reject him to be free from the bond, I did not expect to get labeled defiant and be thrown in prison. Then, his Luna-to-be tries to kill me. Now, the full moon has passed, which means waiting another twenty-eight days for Alpha Jett to release me from the mate bond. I refuse to wait in prison and be tormented by the scent of my fated mate on the she-wolf who tried to kill me. So I plan another escape. With help from those whom I believe are on my side, I gain my freedom again. When the time comes for us to break the bond, Alpha Jett will surely find me. He always does. But one of us will die before I let him take me captive again to his accursed pack!

“Isabella you are too tempting I can't control myself around you, so if you think that we are going to be friends forget it, it's not happening I want you as you want me, and your reactions today have given me confirmation that you carve for me too. Break off your engagement to Alex and be my woman, I promise you, you will not regret it. We can be together for as long as it last.” He whispered huskily. His last sentence shattered the illusion around Isabella and she stared at him with a confused expression and said. “No, I can’t.” “ Can’t or won’t, Isabella," He said and started kissing her passionately. ******************************* Isabella was proposed by her best friend Alex Waltz but she rejected him, as she had always loved him as a friend. But after he made a deal with her, she agreed, as she had her own reasons for the arrangement. But soon Adam, Alex’s business partner walks into their lives and she realizes that she was getting more and more attracted towards him. Adam on the other hand thinks that she is a gold digger and got engaged to Alex only for his money. But he couldn’t resist her charm and gets attracted to her and gradually becomes obsessed with her. And in between their love triangle Alex’s ex-girlfriend, Gracie returns back and claims that she is Adam’s girlfriend. Isabella falls in love with Adam but before she could realize it her past comes back knocking at her door. And when Adam realizes his true feelings for her she had already left.

Celeste was married to a Mafia Don, Xenois Kingston on a contract marriage, that would last 6 years. The deal was that Celeste would give him children during that period and after the end of the 6 year contract, he would offer her $100,000,000,000, divorce her and keep the children as his. Celeste, an orphan, abandoned by the orphanage she grew up in at the age of 18 had nothing to lose and agreed to the deal. 6 years later, Celeste is now 24 years and mother to triplets boys; Lake, Troy and Soren. The contract is coming to an end this month and rumors has it that Xenois true love Claudia Hale is returning back to the city after 6 years of absence. Xenois handed her the divorce papers that morning only for him to get into a car accident on the way to the hospital and suffers from amnesia. To Xenois, he's in love with his wife and kids and a very attentive father and husband and is surprised to find out that Celeste planned on divorcing him. He is determined to make his wife fall for him and be a better father to their children. Things seem like a fairytale for Celeste who is desperate to hold on to this illusion after she had fallen for her husband in their third year of their marriage and stayed with an unrequited love. She knows what she's doing is cruel but she wants to enjoy it while it lasts. But Claudia Hale won't rest until she gets rid of the obstacle named Celeste and marries her heartthrob Xenois. Will Xenois recover his memory and better yet, once he does, does Celeste still stand a chance at winning the heart of her husband or would she be accused of having a hand in his amnesia.

"A Game of Mirrors. A World of Nightmares." When a group of high school friends hears about “The Reflection Game,” a supposed urban legend said to reveal one’s true destiny, they can’t resist the temptation to try it. The rules seem innocent enough: light a candle, stand in front of a mirror, and chant a mysterious incantation. What starts as a fun dare quickly turns into a nightmare when the mirror fractures, pulling them into a dark and twisted version of their reality. In this sinister mirror world, nothing is as it seems. Their reflections are no longer harmless—they’ve come to life, embodying their worst fears, regrets, and buried secrets. The friends soon realize the reflections are not just malevolent; they are determined to replace them in the real world. As they navigate this dangerous realm, the lines between reality and illusion blur, testing their sanity and relationships. Trapped in an escalating fight for survival, the group must unravel the mirror’s dark origins and uncover the truth about its curse. But every step forward reveals another horrifying revelation, and escaping may require them to sacrifice more than they’re willing to give. Will they outsmart their reflections, or will they lose themselves in the shadows forever? The Reflection Game is a gripping supernatural thriller that delves into the fragility of trust, the weight of secrets, and the consequences of crossing boundaries best left untouched. Filled with spine-chilling twists, heart-pounding suspense, and a touch of psychological horror, this tale will keep readers on the edge of their seats, questioning what’s real and what lurks beyond the mirror. In this distorted reality, every crack in the mirror reveals dark truths about their deepest fears and buried secrets. As the friends struggle to survive, they must confront it.

Ethan Blake and Julian Cross are Hollywood’s favorite rivals—two A-list actors whose off-screen feud is as legendary as their on-screen performances. For years, the media has played up their animosity, feeding into the narrative of two stars who can’t stand each other. And Ethan is fine with that. Julian is arrogant, reckless, and far too good at getting under his skin. But when they are cast as romantic leads in a high-profile LGBTQ+ blockbuster, everything changes. Forced into close proximity, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. Heated arguments behind the scenes turn into charged moments neither of them can ignore. A single off-script kiss during filming shatters their carefully constructed walls, sending both their careers—and emotions—into uncharted territory. The media explodes with speculation. Rumors spread like wildfire, and their public feud only adds fuel to the fire. A PR crisis forces them into damage control, but every interview, every staged moment, only makes it harder to deny the truth simmering beneath the surface. As industry backlash looms and personal stakes grow higher, Ethan finds himself at a crossroads. He has spent years playing it safe, hiding behind his carefully curated image. But Julian refuses to be another script he follows. He wants something real. In an industry built on illusion, can two men who were never meant to fall for each other survive the spotlight’s harsh glare? Or will fear and fame tear them apart before they even have a chance? Enemies on screen. Lovers behind the scenes. But can they survive the ultimate Hollywood scandal?

He was supposed to be a pawn. Now I want to make him my king. Eli thought freedom meant escape. But freedom is just another illusion when the devil himself wants you. Trapped between the violent love of the men who broke him and the dangerous allure of the man who owns his next breath, Eli must choose: return to the past that nearly destroyed him… or surrender to the enemy who might ruin him in ways that feel a little too good. Lies. Lust. Power. Obsession. In this game, love isn’t pure. It’s deadly. Elias Carter willingly walked into hell. He sold himself to the Rossi Mafia under the disguise of being a victim when in actuality he was an FBI agent. He planned on taking down the devil, Luca Rossi the Mafia boss, from the inside out but things take an unexpected turn when Luca suddenly becomes interested in Elias and so did his second in command, Matteo Marino. One saw something pure he wanted to tap into and the other saw something pure that he wanted to ruin. Elias becomes entangled in their brutal games, burning touches and whispered threats that set his body on fire. A bond which should have never existed, began to bloom. The truth is exposed and Elias is faced with two impossible options: destroy them or become one of them. Now, his past wants him dead. His future belongs to the people he was meant to destroy. And his heart? It was never his to begin with. He was now trapped in a world where love wasn't soft, it was war. And he lost.

On the one evening following her mating ceremony, Ada caught her supposed mate and his own sister in an incestuous relationship with each other. He coldly and dispassionately murdered her before she could get away. Being blinded by the illusion of bond and manipulation, the betrayal was not expected by her. But the Moon Goddess granted her another occasion. Born a year before death, Ada recalls everything. This time it is blood she wants. When secrets come undone, she finds out that the man who killed her was never meant to be her match; he was merely a cheat who had cast a spell to inherit her powers. And the one she thought her foe? He turns out to be her true destined mate who was marked by the Moon Goddess. It is now up to Ada to pursue a course of vengeance or to accept the relationship that she never realized she was destined to ever have. ______________________________________________ "I died believing in the wrong man," Ada sneered. He bent in, eyes aglow. "Then this time trust the right one. Trust me. Give me a chance." She squinted. "Do you want to take vengeance for what they did to you? Then I swear that I will give you their hearts and tender them to you myself." "I can deal with this, myself, she snapped. "I don't want you involve in this." "I know you are," he said, moving in closer, voice gruff. "But it is my duty to keep you safe, so I am getting involved." She was about to protest when he interrupted her-- “I have lost you before, Ada, to those monsters. I am not going to allow them to take you from me again."

Anne rose: "To burn with the fire of unrequited love and keep hoping for it to be returned one day is the greatest punishment one can bring on oneself." My life took an unexpected twist when I married the enigmatic billionaire, Nicholas Hart. Despite sacrificing my dreams and family for Nicholas, our marriage remains loveless. A glimmer of hope emerged when I discovered that I was pregnant after four years of marriage but a shocking revelation in his office shatters all of my illusion of happiness – his first love has returned after five years, reigniting old flames. Maybe, I was never enough or I was just not her. After four years of endless devotion and love, I realized my husband's heart belongs to another woman, instigating me to make a heartbreaking decision of divorcing him. Nicholas Hart has burned me with the fire of his betrayal and I was nothing but ashes. I made the most reckless decision to leave him– I faked my death to leave the man who refused to leave me even after shattering my heart into tiny unfixable pieces. ….. Nicholas Hart: She was the best thing that ever happened to me and I realized when it was too late. In the end, she became all of my 'I wish' and 'what ifs'. …. Five years later, Anne Rose Swift is living her life as Roseanne De Luca with her son in a foreign country, away from Nicholas' world. An incident causes their worlds to collide again. Will Anne Rose give another chance to her husband? Or will she move on with her new life? Are they still bound by the thread of fate? Or would they cause immeasurable pain to each other's heart again?

"I've purchased you, which only means one thing; I own you. I own every bit of you, Margarette. Your body, your heart, and even your soul. You are mine. And no one can take you away from me." Possessive, cold-hearted, and ruthless. That's Xavier Ivanov, a Russian Mafia boss or also known as the devil himself. He cares no one but himself. He kills people for money and satisfaction. He runs illegal businesses and is one of the most influential yet dangerous people in the world. People were afraid of him. They despise his existence. He's a living Satan, and people tremble upon seeing him. It was quite impossible to tame a devil like him. No one can tame Xavier, or so they thought. Margarette Ferrero. She is a total opposite of him. An angel sent from above and was bound to burn an evil like himself. She is sweet, loving, yet naive. Being purchased by a powerful mafia boss from the dark market, Margarette was supposed to fear him. However, that was the total opposite of what she felt. Oddly, she felt safe and saved. And Xavier was beyond amused and enthralled by the naive girl. People were afraid of him, but that is not the case with Margarette. He's her saviour, her angel, and her owner. No one owns her but him. Two people with different personalities, different worlds, and different stories to be told. Is it possible to find love amongst the odds? Does love know no boundaries? Or was it all just an illusion? When secrets begin unfolding themselves and then the past that was buried six feet below the ground resurface, will the love be strong enough to keep the two people together? Or will the past change what is present?