The Martyr By Nick Joaquin

R18 Helen Zachary’s life had always been tranquil and quiet, until one fateful windy evening. She was on her way to her boyfriend’s place to surprise him for his birthday when an unexpected event occurred. She found a young man covered in blood on the road. Helen wanted to help him, so she stepped out of her car and approached him, only to discover that it was a trap. He had pretended to be lifeless so as to make her feel pity for him. Helen was battered by the young man that night, and his companion raped her. Anger was the theme of the day, and she pledged to exact vengeance on the young man, known as Steven Alfredo, a Mafia boss. Steven had just escaped from prison, and he takes delight in seeing others suffer, but after meeting Helen for numerous times, he resolved to be a different person. ‘However, what happens when Helen confuses Steven’s twin brother for Steven? And if his twin falls for her, will she reciprocate the feelings and abandon her plans to exact revenge on Steven?’ ‘And what happens if Steven also falls for her? Who would Helen choose? Steven, his brother or her boyfriend?’

“Say it,” Kael growled, his hand tightening around her throat—not enough to hurt, just enough to remind her who he was. “I’m yours,” Maya whispered, trembling. His lips hovered near hers, breath hot. “Even after I left you to die?” She swallowed. “Even now.” He kissed her like a curse—hungry, dangerous, and full of things he’d never say aloud. --- Maya never believed in fate—until the night her skin burned with the mark of the most feared Alpha in the realm. Weak, powerless, and exiled for a bond she never asked for, Maya finds herself hunted by the same man fate chose for her: Alpha Kael of Silverclaw. He claims she’s a mistake. A curse. But Maya is more than just a fragile girl. She’s the second chance of a woman long thought dead. Kael once loved Andrea, a powerful and noble wolf who descended into madness under a deadly curse. Her death shattered him. But when Maya bears the same mark and stirs the same soul-deep bond, Kael believes it’s the curse reborn—and rejects her violently to protect them all. Now on the run, Maya is saved by Rowan—Kael’s former Beta and best friend turned outcast. As truths unravel and passions ignite, Maya becomes the center of a dark prophecy that could destroy everything. But fate doesn’t care who you love. And true mates never stay strangers for long.

The night of Lara Taylor’s engagement to Vaughan Dabrowski changes the entire course of her life and leads her down a path from which there is no return. Not only is she betrayed by the one person in the whole world that she thought she could trust, she also finds her fated mate, a Rogue Alpha named Dex Russell, who is as dangerous as he is handsome. Dex tricks her into thinking he is in love with her, and after deciding to be careless and impulsive for once, Lara finds herself in a complicated situation where she is the butt of the joke. After the events of the horrendous night cause her to be exiled and hunted by her own packmates, Lara finds herself in unfamiliar territory with an insatiable thirst for revenge and hiding a terrible secret. Years later, Lara is given a lifeline by a stranger. His request is simple: he wants her to seduce a man and extract his darkest secrets from him, secrets that will uncover the intentions of a secret organization designed to destroy powerful packs. Lara accepts the offer, not knowing that the man she is meant to seduce is the man who fooled her all those years ago, and who on top of that, doesn’t recognize her. In this way, she is given the opportunity to avenge herself and ruin his life just as he ruined hers. Will Lara see the task through and ruin Dex, or will she be tempted by memories of the past?

Savina was the last witch of the powerful clan of Witches Canary. But due to conspiracy, her clan was slaughtered by the Golden Wolf Clan. Savina's father sacrificed his life for her to escape. She went into hiding for a few weeks before she was caught by the second-generation alpha of the clan that slaughtered her clan. Savina became a slave of the ruthless Alpha Desmon. She endured the hardships of being a slave just to take revenge on Desmon, who is the son of the late alpha of the Golden Wolf Clan. What if she suddenly falls in love with her enemy? Will she be able to take her revenge on the clan that slaughtered her clan? What if she discovered that there was a conspiracy about what happened to her clan?

When secrets hide in the shadows, love becomes the light that dares to expose them. Amber, a brilliant aspiring lawyer, and Miguel, a captivating student with a guarded past, find themselves entangled in a web of desire and truth. As their hearts collide, so do the risks—because this love could heal their wounds… or tear them apart. Step into a world of emotion, risk, and redemption. Amber and Miguel’s story will leave you breathless.

Sira, a poor maid struggling to make ends meet, faces daily bullying and humiliation at school. On her 19th birthday, during a werewolf mating ceremony, she discovers that Eros, the cruel and arrogant alpha, is her mate. Despite her repulsion towards him, she feels an inexplicable pull. Just as Eros publicly rejects her, humiliating her in front of the whole pack. Sira is hurt she ashamed, but that still didn’t mean she didn’t want the alpha to be hers. And she would do anything to make sure of that.

Tania Hale is the last Luna from the Blue Moon Pack. At the age of 17, her kingdom, Porthove gets attacked by a strong rival pack known as The Demilune Pack. She watched her parents get killed and burnt while some of her people are taken as slaves, including herself to the Kingdom of Crescida to be ruled by the Demilune Pack under the leadership of their tyrant King, Alpha Avalon. She endures 7 more years of pain, agony and slavery and on the day that marks the anniversary of her parents death, she is to be married to King Avalon's aggressive son, Lexi. Tania escapes from Lexi, finding her way into the woods with the werewolves of Demilune Pack chasing after her. She gets saved by Talon Ashford who she later discovers to be an Alpha who had gone rogue from Crescida. Talon seems to hold many secrets which Tania is determined to discover. But as time progresses, the flame of love fans between them and one by one, Talon's hidden secrets unfolds, taking a toll on their love life and Tania's quest to save her people from slavery. Will she choose to choose to save her people, forfeiting her relationship with Talon or will she choose to remain with him?

Lillian or Lily Torreltini is an Omega born of an Alpha father, this made her be on her father’s and pack’s bad side as a disgrace and a worthless child, and in order to get rid of her, she gets auctioned off and Sold to Alpha Don, A powerful unmated Alpha Don who suddenly realized that Lily was his mate after he purchased her from an auction house. He forced Lily to become his Luna and he introduced her to his pack, not until his father, the former Alpha of Crimson pack and the leader of their family Mafia organization refused her as his Luna because she's an Omega. And had another She-wolf prepared for him. However, Nikolai isn't ready to give up on Lily, even when she constantly rejects him. He suddenly finds himself obsessed with her. And the powerful Alpha Don would put his life on the line just to protect and make her his.

Born with a rare and dangerous hybrid blood, Zirah was thought to be the person cursed by the goddess, and this was not going to do her any good. Zirah was the only child of the Oakwood family and was the daughter of the then Alpha. Due to greed, her mom's lover attacks her father, and snatches the throne, killing both her parents. Zirah has to suffer under the torment of this man, and it was not going to be easy. Cursed for her bloody scent, and having the power to cause doom, Zirah is despised among her peers, and taken as a slave by her abusive stepfather who always tormented and abused her… Until she gets rid of him and decides to run away. Far away into the world where no one could find her, to run from her past, Zirah ran. Almost dying, she feels a majestic aura surrounding her, and the dominance sweeps from far away to her side. She found herself in the arms of Noah, one of the greatest Alphas of the city, Zirah passed out as Noah with lust-filled eyes, wanting to possess her and have her at all costs. But then, he scents her and notices she has a bloody aura.

"You need money; I need a wife."    Peony Sinclair, a workaholic girl, crosses paths with Mattia Luigi D'Amato, a notorious mafia boss with a deadly secret. While Peony works hard to pay her dad's medical bills, Luigi lives a double life, doing dark things that no woman survives. He killed every woman who had sex with him.   Due to the rising bills in the hospital, Peony needs to find a job that will pay her a large amount of money. As desperation drives Peony to seek lucrative job opportunities, their worlds collide. She had ended up in the auction after being deceived by another woman who promised her a lucrative opportunity.   Will Peony's resilience and purity be the beacon of change for Luigi? Or will she face the same fate as his other victims?