The Stepfather

+++✦+++ She looked up at me with those soft, damn eyes. I stepped in closer, my hand lifting before I even thought it through, and I brushed the tips of my fingers against her cheek. Warm. Delicate. Curious. I watched her mouth part slightly, her lashes lowering just a bit. "Can I kiss you?" I heard myself say. It surprised me. I don’t ask. I take. But she wasn’t like anyone else. With her, I found myself wanting permission...wanting her to want me back. She blinked, caught off guard, but something in her softened. And after a breath, she slowly nodded. I leaned in, brushing my lips over hers in a gentle and slow motion, like I was trying to memorize her taste, savoring the moment. But, that one kiss was enough to set my nerves on edge. I pulled back slightly, watching the way her cheeks turned pink, her eyes wide, her lips still parted like she hadn’t expected it to feel like that. And fuck, I hadn’t either. I leaned in again, but paused when I realized she was leaning toward me too, unconsciously. She didn’t even realize she wanted more. And this time, I didn’t ask. +++✦+++ In a city plagued by crime and violence, a young woman fights to stay hidden from her sadistic stepfather and his ruthless gang. In her journey to uncover the truth about her forgotten past, she crosses paths with a dangerous and mysterious stranger in the most unexpected manner. Together, they embrace their twisted fate by striking a deal and altering their lives through a tale of romance and mystery. +++✦+++ ✦ 𝐷𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛. ✦ +++✦+++

Blurb: After Diane Harlow loses her step-sister, the supposed heir of Red moon pack to an accident in the fields, her stepfather and other sisters then decide to sell her out because they hold her responsible for the death of their sister, Becky.Diane, who is a human grown into a werewolf family at the time is seen as worthless and since her mother, who was the king’s wife was dead, they feel that she’s no longer of any importance to them.To further punish Diane, her step father and his children then decide to sell her off to the infamous dreadful Alpha, Alpha Michael Zale of Silver crest pack.When Diane learns of her father’s decision to sell her off to Michael, she tries running away only to fall right into the Devil’s clutches.Fate decides to punish her further by making the monster, Michael her Mate!!With hurt and betrayal in their hearts, they set off on a wild adventure of hate, secrets, wonder, and above all, love.Main characters:Diane Harlow: 20, red-haired, green eyes, curvy, short. She is strong, sharp-witted, resilient, and also sensitive. She was wrongfully accused of the death of her Step sister; and thus was sold to the reputable Alpha Michael by her step father as a means of getting rid of her.Michael Zale: 24, dark haired, gray eyes, well built body, tall, tattooed skin. Brutal, proud and a ruthless Alpha. Audrey’s mate. He is strong, tender hearted, but built walls around his heart.Alpha Henry Bale: 51, Brown haired with dark eyes. An average man with enough power under his grasp. Self deserving. Brutal and ruthless. Diane’s step father who sold her into slavery because he holds her responsible for the death of his daughter

"Let's play a game." "What game?" "One that involves you not screaming." ★★★★★ I'd been the perfect girlfriend to my star hockey player for two years. Stood in the rain at his practices. Drove hours just to watch him warm benches. Wore his jersey like it meant something. And he repaid me by fucking his way through half of Chicago—including the sister of the one man he's been obsessed with for years. Zane Mercer. The NHL's most dangerous player. My stepfather's worst enemy. And the man who looked at me like I was something worth destroying the world for. One impossible offer. One desperate bet. One night that changed everything. Zane doesn't do fake. He doesn't do half measures. When he tells me I'm his for two months, he means it. In every way that matters. But Zane has secrets buried so deep they connect to my family's past in ways I never imagined. Dark secrets. Deadly ones. What starts as a transaction turns into obsession. What starts as revenge turns into something I can't walk away from. And what starts as a lie might be the only truth that matters. They say some men are too dangerous to love. They're right. But I was never good at following warnings. ********** This book contains explicit sexual content, dominant/possessive behavior, morally gray characters, family conflict, and themes that may be triggering. Intended for mature readers 18+. This isn’t your normal hockey romance. It’s dark, raw, and unrelenting—where obsession, desire, and power collide, and nothing is off-limits.

“I'm going to make you forget every reason why this is wrong. By the time I'm done with you, the only thing you'll remember is my name on your lips.” “This is insane… we shouldn't…” “Shouldn't what? Touch you like this? Make you come apart in my hands? Your body has already decided, sweetheart. It's screaming yes even when your mouth says no.” Raina thought inheriting a mansion would solve her problems. She was wrong. Instead, it came with two problems: a mansion full of secrets and two men who wanted to own every part of her. The first one is pure temptation. Lucien knew exactly how to make her beg, fucking her rough and desperately. The second one, Darius, wanted to ruin her in the most delicious ways. He didn't just want her body, he wanted to possess her soul, to make her his in ways that should have terrified her but only made her burn hotter. Lucien was her step-brother and Darius was her stepfather and professor, both off limits. Both made her wolf howl with lust. When the past came hunting with claws and bullets, Raina discovered she wasn't just fighting for the inheritance but also got her life. But some men will burn the world down to keep what's theirs, and she was about to find out just his far two obsessed wolves would go to make her theirs forever. Some inheritances come with a price. This one might cost her everything. Yet, this wolf doesn't share… does she?

Eliara has always lived at the bottom of the Black Crest Pack. After her stepfather’s death, pack law forced her under the same roof as her two alpha stepbrothers. The future rulers of the Black Crest Pack and billionaire CEOs of the most powerful tech corporation in the region. They strip her of status, turn her into a servant, and remind her daily that she is nothing more than an omega with no protection. When her mother’s mate's bond weakens and illness strikes, Eliara loses the last protection she had. Whatever little status she once held vanishes overnight. What no one knows is that Eliara carries a forbidden secret. A rare healing power her mother warned would get her killed if discovered. The alphas are hiding secrets too. Cursed by the Moon Goddess, they weaken and collapse every full moon, their wolves silent and their throne at risk. When a violent confrontation leaves the alphas dying before their pack, Eliara makes a choice that changes everything. She heals them. The bond snaps. And Eliara learns the truth too late. Her cruel stepbrothers are her destined mates. Before she can escape the consequences of that bond, Alpha Eric Lewis enters the picture. Alpha Eric Lewis, the Alpha General, billionaire, and their greatest enemy steps in with an offer they can’t refuse. To save their throne and erase their debts, the twins are forced to give up the one thing they never wanted but can no longer live without. Eliara is offered as a bride. Rejected by her mates. Married to their enemy. Bound to a man who wants her power and her heart. Now the alphas must chase the omega they broke. Because losing Eliara won’t just destroy them. It will bring their pack to its knees

"Some loves are written in the stars. Others are carved in sin." Sophia Chen never met her stepfather; she was too busy living her dream abroad to attend her mother's wedding. Two years later she returns home exhausted and broken from a failed relationship, the man who opens the door isn't just her mother's husband. He's everything she never knew she needed. Marcus Reid is hot, tall, intelligent, and trapped in a loveless marriage with a woman who sees him as nothing more than a convenience. The moment he meets Sophia, something shifts inside him, something dangerous, something he can never act on. For months, they orbit each other in agonizing silence. Late-night conversations. Stolen glances. A tension so thick it threatens to suffocate them both. Marcus struggles against thoughts that invade his most intimate moments with his wife, while Sophia battles a desire that grows stronger every day. Then Diane asks for a divorce. Six months later, they bump into each other again, no longer bound by marriage, no longer forbidden by law. Just two people who've denied a burning desire for too long. But freedom comes with a price. Because Diane didn't just leave Marcus for another man. She left because she knew. She'd watched them fall for each other in real time. She'd heard Marcus moan Sophia's name in their bed. And now that they're finally together, she's going to make sure they pay for every stolen moment, every forbidden thought, every lie they told themselves. Some secrets destroy families. Some loves are worth the ruin.

“I don’t know how,” I whispered. “Can you show me? Please, daddy.” He should have said no. Instead, he said, “Lie back and open those pretty legs. Let daddy take care of that for you.” When I shattered all over his fingers he looked at me like I was the most devastating thing he’d ever seen and said, “That’s my sweet girl.” Three days later he put me on a plane to London and didn’t look back. ----- She has spent three years across an ocean trying to unlearn her Stepfather; his voice, his hands, the way he said her name like it cost him something. She almost managed it. Then he called to say he was getting married again and he needed her home. Now she’s back in Boston, sleeping under his roof, watching him plan a future with someone else, and pretending she doesn’t still want him the way she did at nineteen. He is doing the same, pretending. Controlling. Building walls and calling it protection. But three years haven’t changed what’s between them. If anything, the distance made it worse. He sent her away once to save her from him. This time, she isn’t leaving. Some things are wrong in every way that matters, and still impossible to stop. WARNING: This book contains explicit erotic content and is meant for mature audiences. It explores desire, power, and complicated relationships without holding back. Please proceed only if you’re comfortable with that.

“Believe me, Dominic, the child is yours,” I pleaded, my voice low with desperation. “How can I believe you?” he questioned condescendingly. “You married me for money even though I was impotent, and now you’re saying you’re pregnant for me? If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” “I’m not lying, Dominic. I care about you,” I begged, my voice trembling. I reached out to hold his arm, but he flinched away. “This is probably some plan to tie me down, but it won't work. That baby is not mine! You and I both know I can’t have children. Just pack your things and leave my house. Here are the divorce papers,” he said, flinging them on the bed before walking out. I crumbled onto the ground, feeling the immense pain of his rejection and distrust. Ruby’s life fell apart when she got pregnant for her contract husband, who is impotent. She tried to prove her innocence to the billionaire, but he didn’t believe her and divorced her. Even worse, this man wasn’t just the father of her baby but also the father of the daughter she had through artificial insemination. Two months later, Ruby showed up at her ex-husband’s company, announced as one of the major shareholders. This time, she was back stronger than before. Having inherited her stepfather’s wealth, Ruby returned as a billionaire and swore that Dominic, her ex-husband, would not come near her child. But everything was different when she returned. She found Dominic regretful and remorseful. Not only that, she was now wanted by another man, a hot billionaire who was the talk of the town. Will she forgive Dominic, or will she explore the new love coming her way?

Sera Quinn had one job. Marry a dying man, keep her head down, and wait. Nobody told her that Damien Voss did not die on anyone's schedule but his own. She was twenty two years old when her stepfather sat her down at the kitchen table and explained her options. Her mother was sick. The bills were swallowing everything. And the most powerful billionaire in the country was lying unconscious in a private hospital ward with his family desperate enough to pay a small fortune to any woman willing to stand beside him at the altar. All Sera had to do was say yes. She said yes. She had no other word left. She moved into his mansion and tried to be invisible. She talked to him in the dark of his room every night because there was nobody else and because she was sure he could not hear her. She told him things she had never told anyone. She told him she was scared. She told him she was pregnant. Then she overheard four words that changed everything and she ran before the sun came up. Four years later she had rebuilt herself from nothing. A career. A spine. Twin children with their father's eyes. A case file she had been building alone, one quiet hour at a time, that connected a road barrier report to a name that would put people in prison. She had one rule. Stay away from Damien Voss. Then her four year old daughter hacked into his private server and left him a message. Damien was already in his car before Sera found out what her daughter had done. He was not coming to talk. And Sera Quinn was finally done running.

Mate. I froze mid-step, Venom has never said that word before. I've suddenly forgotten the Rogues I was chasing, my whole attention now on the emotions I was feeling. My vision sharpened, focusing on the faint sound of labored breathing just ahead. My heart hammered in my chest as I walked closer, the bond pulling me forward with an urgency I hadn’t felt in decades. The first thing I saw was her hair, a messy dark bun with strands of white, unusual yet unique. She sat curled up against the base of an old tree, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, shoulders trembling. Her thin, tattered sweater barely shielding her from the cold air. She looked... fragile, a word I never thought I’d associate with my mate. Ariel’s life has been anything but easy. Orphaned as a child and left in the care of a cruel stepfather and stepbrother, she’s endured years of emotional and physical abuse. Despite her circumstances, she’s always felt something stirring beneath the surface—an unexplained restlessness, vivid dreams of running under the moonlight, and a deep connection to the forest around her. Zayn, the alpha of the Shadowcrest pack, has spent years searching for his fated mate, the one who would complete him and stand by his side to no avail…he had finally given up on ever finding her. His pack thrives under his leadership, but his heart has grown weary, doubting the Moon Goddess’s promise of a mate. When a chance encounter leads him to Ariel, he’s stunned to discover that the fragile, broken girl is his destined partner—and more than that, she’s a wolf completely unaware of her true nature.