The Licked Hand

After two years of marriage, I believed I was living the dream—until the day I gave birth to our long-awaited heir. The house was filled with joy as my husband's family arrived, bearing gifts and ready to bestow a name upon our child, as tradition dictated. But the happiness of the day shattered in an instant when my husband walked in, hand in hand with his childhood sweetheart. In front of everyone, he announced not only our divorce but also his engagement to her, as if I had never mattered. *** "I’m divorcing Stacy," Jason announces, his voice unwavering, "to marry Nicole Cruz, my childhood sweetheart." He points to the woman standing before him who smiles and waves at everyone in the room. My world tilts on its axis. The words echo in my mind, louder and louder until they drown out everything else. What is going on?? "But why?" I whisper, my voice barely audible, even to myself. I'm unable to believe his betrayal. Jason doesn’t even glance at the child in my arms. "Because this has been a long time coming, Stacy. I’ve only stayed this long out of obligation and not love." Important Author’s Note: This is a rewritten version of my book The Alpha’s Betrayal: Reclaiming His Rejected Luna. From Chapter 12 onward, the story takes a new turn with fresh twists and drama. Thank you for reading—I hope you enjoy this new version!

"I can't be with you," he states, and I look up at him in outrage. "This isn't right." I take a step closer to him, pressing my body on his and feeling him responding with desire. "Look me in the eye and tell me that it feels wrong." He doesn't move. But he doesn't turn away either when I lift my hand to his chest, letting my hand trail down. "Don't," he warns, but I can only hear lust in his voice. "Dont' start a game that you can't finish." I don't listen. I let my touch speak for itself, to let it translate all the need I feel in my body right now. I go lower, much lower, until he finally snaps and grabs my face, devouring my lips and pressing me up against the wall. "You asked for this, and now I have to claim you." *** Astrid Marshall has always been infatuated with her best friend's dad, former Alpha Klaus Slate. At first she thought it's just a childish crush, but she later finds out that they're connected in ways that she can't comprehend. They're fated mates. He's the man of her desires, but she's his temptation, the woman he's forbidden to have.

I dated my younger brother’s best friend, Dylan Lane, for three years. More than once, he told me how much he loathed arranged marriages and how he hated being chained by family interests. However, one night, after another bout of indulgence, he wrapped his arms around me and begged me sweetly to design a wedding ring for his fiancée—someone he had never even met. The smile froze on my face, yet he just said indifferently, “Aren’t people like us all destined to marry for our families' benefit?” Seeing the blood drain from my face, he even chuckled. “Vee, don’t you tell me you're still as naïve as a 20-year-old girl, thinking I would ever marry you? At most, we're just… pillow friends." Later, I agreed to the marriage my family had arranged for me. Dylan showed up on my wedding day, disheveled and red-eyed. He fell to his knees and begged me not to leave. I stood beside my new husband, hand in hand, and smiled faintly as I chuckled. “Didn’t you say people like us were born for arranged marriages? I’m simply doing what you always wanted me to do. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

Patricia could not ask for anything more in her life but to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. She has beauty, intelligence and perseverance but when their company got buried in debt, she has to save it by getting married to the son of a well-known business tycoon in the country, Callum Teo Velasquez. Callum Teo Velasquez on the other hand was almost perfect in the eyes of women, with his handsome face, good fashion, and richness, many are obsessed with him. Are they able to get the freedom they want or will things become more complicated for them? Or will the blaze be the way for the two of them to land on good terms?

"I love you but you love me?" "I sacrificed all my youthful feelings for you, but you refused?!" "If the door of the heart is closed, don't open it again!" ... "You gave me everything, you pursued me for more than 20 years? Is that why forcing me to love you?" "Leave me alone, find someone new!" "Love me, what's the use of you? Apart from sickness and pain, I don't give you anything!" "If that's the case, don't expect to escape from my hand!"

"This is the body donation agreement, Mr. Lewis. Please sign here." Joel Lewis looks at the paper before him. His hand trembles as he grips a pen. The other party can sense his hesitance. They say considerately, "Body donation is a big thing, and it's normal for people to change their minds at the last minute. You can go home and discuss this with your family—" "I've already signed it." Joel smiles bitterly. "Family" is a term that's beyond him. There's no longer any space in his wife's heart for him, after all.

When Josie is thrust into a living arrangement with her high school bully, things get out of hand in the most dangerously delicious way. Josie Lee is left homeless when her off-campus roommate changes her mind at the last minute. Luckily, she runs into a guy looking for a third roommate. With high hopes, she goes to check it out and runs into Maverick Booker, her high school bully. The close proximity brings out all their sins, wants and desires. But when long-buried secrets come to light, an unexpected hell is unleashed on the LSU campus...

Juniper, a rebellious princess, follows her deceased boyfriend into the underworld. Little did she know that she would become one of the candidates to marry the Underworld Prince. Now, she must compete against 20 women from various worlds for the hand of a man she doesn't even want. This is a nightmare... Luckily, her grandmother has sent her an assistant — a ghost wolf! But in reality, he is a ghost boy... Juniper's adventures in the underworld and her entanglements with these boys will lead her to places she never imagined. Where will her journey take her?

Ginny's whole life was changed forever when she was kidnapped from her bed by a vampire, never to be seen again. She starts her ''new normal'' as a simple house slave, but soon becomes the Master's lover. Days, weeks and months seem to pass by in no time at all and it's not until Ginny meets the Masters older brother that things really start to get out of hand…**Rewrite of a book series I have posted on another platform. Please read VERY important note/trigger warning before you commit to reading this book**

"Ms. Stout, please read the requirements carefully. Once you submit your personal profile and sign up, all of your information will be sealed. You must then enter the research institute within 15 working days. Until the research results are made public, you will not be allowed to leave." The response from the National Academy of Sciences Research Institute came quickly, accompanied by a form. Shermaine Stout stared at the screen, but the mouse in her hand suddenly felt as heavy as lead. The door to her room suddenly swung open, and Shermaine blinked, quickly closing the laptop without a trace of emotion.