The Summer Solstice By Nick Joaquin

You’re not a bad person, Mercy. I know that.” “How do you know?” she asked, challenging him. She stared into his eyes and asked again. “How do you know, August?” “I know because….” He stopped. The words weren’t coming out of his mouth. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to answer that question with mere words. August leaned toward her, stopping just short of meeting her lips with his. He couldn’t just kiss her without her permission, but how could he blurt out the question? He couldn’t, so he waited. Mercy’s long eyelashes brushed his face as she held her breath. He moved a fraction of an inch closer to her, and Mercy lifted her face, moving toward him. His lips brushed hers, and then there was no reason for words. She just knew. *** A lost woman in the woods... Memories that won't return... A past that must be found before love can remain. Alpha August Reeves finds a beautiful woman injured in the woods. When she awakes, she remembers nothing. Her mysterious powers tell him she's a special shifter, but when others come looking for her, he realizes it's not her powers that make him special to her. Can August keep Mercy safe and help her discover her past so they can build their future together?

"I told you not to touch me," Audrey said. "In front of people," He reminded her. Audrey could feel the smirk in his voice. ~~~ Audrey's seventeen years in the Grey Blood pack were like a caged animal. She lived each day dreading the next unexpected thing the Alpha could punish her for. Audrey tried hard to understand the mysterious dream she'd been having, but nothing made sense to her, she was lost. She wished to be freed from the Grey Blood pack, but she lost all hope of survival when she found herself locked and chained in the cold dark dungeon. She hated him, she cursed him as her blood drained from her. She was happy to die and go away from that monster-alpha. Audrey awoke in a magical world where she learned everything about herself, she cultivated herself to become the strongest wolf and witch alive. One item though, led her back to the last place she wanted to be. Alpha Aloha Lake ruled the Grey Blood pack, the largest and strongest pack in the States. He was known to be brutal, even the mafia feared him. Nothing or anyone bothered him, except one; the damned bitch Audrey. He hated her, and he would make her pay for her mother's sins. But he could not kill her...yet. Alpha Lake emotionlessly stared at Audrey's bleeding body that lay on the cold dungeon floor, he ordered his beta to dispose of her without a second thought. One year later the enemies met again. Will hatred be the only emotion they share? Could they resist the fatal attraction they felt for each other?

The Empire rules on the wings of dragons. Riders are hand-selected for training from childhood, and Anzi is one of the rare few who wait to hatch theirs this year. Until she discovers the terrible truth that the dragon riders are not partners with their dragons: they're slavers. The dragons are bred in captivity and enslaved from within the egg, and they are nothing but mindless shadows of what their once-noble species used to be. After two hundred years, the surviving dragons in the wild are coming back to rescue their brethren. How they survived the Purge, no one knows, but they are angry and they are coming, in fire and in storm. And as she struggles to come to terms with the realization that the nation she loves so much that she would give her life for it may be nothing more than propaganda and illusion, she discovers something else: The dragons who survived the Purge are shifters, able to hide in human form. And Anzi has met one of them already. Her mate.

Stained by the moon Orphaned on her eighteenth birthday, Lily Ashcroft should have inherited her wolf powers. Instead, she was cursed. Betrayed by her uncle. Granted a second chance by the Owl Goddess, Lily pays a cruel price. Her power will only awaken if her destined mate falls in love with her. Forced to flee from her Pack, Lily’s only hope is to find her mate, break the curse, and finally become normal again. But fate is merciless. Her mate is Alpha Gavin—cold, ruthless, and unmoved by love. He believes in power, not destiny. And his betrothed mate, Kia, has everything Lily does not. But when enemies close in and ancient curses demand breaking, Gavin realizes too late that the broken girl he rejected may be the only one who can save them both. If she doesn't destroy him first.

Humans and Werewolves co-exist but its a rarity for a human and a werewolf to be mated. Iandor finds himself not only saved by an Alpha but also to be mated to him.

Devine Miller, known as Devi, is a powerful combination of beauty, courage, fearlessness, and mystery. Her unique personality shines through, and she feels that no man can match her. However, Hugo Ivanov—a serious, cold, and domineering individual—came into her life. Despite her courage, Devi finds it difficult to bring her strength and courage out of it. Can Devi ignore Hugo, especially since he is slowly breaking her stubborn personality? Can they lead to an unexpected understanding despite their equal characteristics?

In a world filled with unexpected twists, follow Theia, a young woman haunted by the fear of losing her beloved grandmother, who has 100 days to live. Theia was sold into slavery by the person she least expected. When an Alpha male seeks a slave, who turns out to be more than he bargained for; his destined mate.

PART 2 - OWNED BY THE BULLY - IS OUT NOW! Alice only wanted to help her younger brother when she confronted his bully. She ends up agreeing to do whatever Adam wants in return for him leaving her brother alone. He goes one step further, befriending and protecting her brother, but only for as long as Alice agrees to follow his orders. Orders that become increasingly difficult for her to agree to.

[*Reverse Harem*] Growing up at her uncle's place, Anila was strictly controlled by all the outdated values in the small town. The worst thing was her uncle trying anything he could to stop her from leaving. But one day, a hot stranger Xaden appeared and handed Anila an offer from a university on the mysterious "Were-land". On the plane there, Xaden surprisingly revealed his true identity as a werewolf and introduced himself as Anila's "fated mate". Before Anila could process all the crazy news, she realized Xaden wasn't her only mate..... ---“Now, welcome to Zelds’ university, the best magic school available in all of Wereland.”Jet engines whir, the door sealing me inside as my eyes bulge out of my head in shock.Witch professor? Magic School?---Then I felt it, all over my flesh, that undeniable connection, the same one I felt when I first met Xaden.My eyes gravitated down the hall, knowing where to look in an unfamiliar place, butterflies left the confines of my stomach and fluttered in my skull, when my breath holds in my lungs, I have found them.That’s right. Them.

On the party of our seventh year anniversary, Luca Romano wheels me into the venue. Both of us are dressed to the nines. Our daughter, Sofia Romano, suddenly leans into Luca's ear and says in fluent Bellavian, "Dad, Ms. Celia is eight months pregnant now. Once she gives birth to my little brother, will they be living with us?" Celia Amato is Sofia's private tutor. At the moment, she's staring at us jealously from a short distance away. Luca lowers his head and tucks in the blanket on my lap lovingly. Then, he replies in Bellavian, "I've made a vow to your mother that I will never betray her. So, once Celia is done with her labor, I'll send them to another country overseas. If you miss your little brother, we can visit them together." Once he's done speaking, he tries to kiss me. I lower my head quietly to avoid the kiss. Luca doesn't know that I understand Bellavian because I've grown up in Sisse, Bellavia since I was a kid. He also has no idea that my legs were fully healed a week ago, and that I've uncovered the evidence of his affair with Celia in the estate's wine cellar. Of course, he doesn't know that I've promised my grandma that I'll return to Bellavia and take over the family business. Once all the paperwork is done, I'll set off on a lone journey, and I will never return.