The Thief And His Mother

My mother has volunteered at our neighborhood church for over a decade. Christmas drives, Sunday service, any neighbor in trouble, she's the first one there. Everyone says God sent her to us. She thinks so too. She says God wants her to be generous, so she is. The thing is, when no one's watching, the generosity always comes out of my pocket. After she remarried, she doted on my half-sister Serena. Serena picked up a box of cold medicine for her, and Mom handed Serena the keys to my Tesla. Serena mentioned she needed to renew her car insurance, and Mom wired her the surgery fund I'd been saving for two years for my daughter Emma. That afternoon, Emma collapsed on the floor, lips turning blue, gasping for air. Her medicine was crushed into the carpet. Mom fished the last pill out of her pocket and dangled it in front of me. "Apologize to your sister, and I'll give Emma the pill." I got on my knees. But that same day, she gave away the cardiology appointment I'd spent three months getting. She gave it to Serena. What she didn't know was that the name on the appointment was her own.

Mate or be killed. Our world has become a dangerous place, ruled by the ruthless Soul Keepers—demon-like creatures that take pleasure in thrusting us into the mate hunt. Every five months, two shifters are selected, one male and one female, and they are cast into the treacherous Woods Of Abyss together. There, they must fend off beasts and scavenge for food, but there's one crucial rule: both shifters must mate before the five months expire or face elimination. My name is Hazel Bonfire and my life is turned upside down when I'm chosen for this brutal hunt. Unfortunately, the male selected to join me is none other than my step-brother, Ashton Rider. Thrown into a perilous forest, we must depend on one another for food, shelter, and warmth. Ashton is painfully aware that his mate can see everything unfolding between us, and each time he betrays her for the sake of the hunt, it destroys a piece of him. . .I hate what it's doing to us—all of us. I hate that we do not have a choice. But more than anything, I hate that I'm beginning to feel things for Ashton that I know will destroy the relationship we once had. . . forever.

My family is human. We were gifted a long life by the Thorne clan, something close to immortality. For generations, we’ve been their most loyal guardians. And I fell in love with Cedric, the vampire lord I was sworn to protect. For a hundred years, I was his secret. His sin. His only bedmate. I was his shield against dark magic. The sworn protector of his vast clan. I thought I’d earn the mark of an eternal bond. I was even ready for him to turn me. After all, on every blood moon, he would claim my body. Then, at the peak of an agonizing pleasure, he’d sink his fangs into my neck and drink my blood. He’d press his cold lips to my skin and whisper that I was his one and only. That no other blood, no other body, could make him lose control like this. But this time, the moment he was finished with me, he announced his eternal bond with Elsie, the pureblood princess of the Valerius clan. He smirked at the shock on my face. "You're just a human, gifted a long life by my ancestors. My bed warmer. You didn't actually think you could be my mate, did you?" In that moment, I understood. I was just a renewable blood bag. A tool with a purpose. For an alliance, for her, he sacrificed me. He cast me into the abyss and let the darkness swallow me whole. He thought the Guardian's Pact would chain me to him for eternity. But he forgot one thing. Every pact has a loophole. So I destroyed everything he ever gave me. Then, with my family's help, I vanished. But when the Lord of Eternal Night couldn't find his favorite toy… he went mad.

When my husband and I drop by his childhood home for Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law, Melissa Potter, is the only one busying away in the kitchen. Everyone else is on their phones. I've just taken a seat when Melissa begins to lecture me. "What, are you just going to sit your ass down and wait for food to come? Don't you know when to lend a helping hand? Am I supposed to exhaust myself for your sake?" From time to time, she keeps rattling the pots and pans loudly. "I can't believe those with healthy bodies want a 70-year-old like me to serve them! Does anyone here have any conscience?" Feeling a little uneasy, I gave my husband a tiny nudge. "Why don't you help Mom out?" After Melissa hears my suggestion, she gets even more pissed off. Thinking that this is my first Christmas with my in-laws, I don't really want to cause a scene here, so I get up to my feet and help her out. But the moment I enter the kitchen, Melissa delegates all the tasks to me. I endure my fury as much as I can while finishing the Christmas dinner preparations. When I'm about to head back to the dining table and dig in, Melissa suddenly speaks up. "Hold up. We got scores to settle before dinner."

He broke her heart when she was nothing… Now she’s back with power, secrets, and his child. Once a quiet, gentle omega, Lila was cruelly rejected by her fated mate—Alpha Evan—who chose a high-ranking she-wolf to strengthen his rule. Left in tears and disgrace, Lila vanished without a trace… only to discover the truth about her bloodline. She is no ordinary werewolf—she’s the hidden daughter of a royal Lycan line, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. Stronger and fiercer than ever, Lila returns years later with a secret Evan never expected: his son. But fate isn’t done with them. An arranged marriage forces Lila back into Evan’s world, where the sparks between them burn hotter than ever. His chosen Luna wants her gone. His pack sees her as a threat. But Evan? He starts to see the girl he once rejected in a whole new light. And Lila? She’s not here for love. She’s here for justice. Because this time, he’ll have to earn the heart he once threw away.

"The goddess has chosen you to carry my pup. This is not a marriage, it's just a breeding arrangement. You —" "I'm not interested in any of your breeding whatever —" "It's not a choice. It's either you do it freely or by force. You sure know I don't like my patience being tasted." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aria Kyncaid was mistaken as her twin, and was forced into having sex with the drunk Alpha Adrian of Moon Crescent Pack who chased her out the following morning. Her mum and her sister, Arya, accused her of stealing Arya's man. Heartbroken, she decided to leave the pack, Alpha Adrian was instructed by the priestess to find the girl he slept with, that she had been chosen by the moon goddess to carry his pup. Alpha Adrian found Aria in his pack and informed her of the priestess instructions. She refused and he threatened to force her into it. Aria had no choice but to follow him to his mansion. That night she shifted and discovered another shocking news — Alpha Adrian is her mate. With Aria near her, Alpha Adrian's resolve was threatened because of the growing feelings he had for her. Aria fought the mate bond initially, but as days rolled by, she found herself being drawn to him. Breeding arrangement was slowly becoming more when Arya, Aria's twin, struck with her evil machination, putting a rift between them with the excuse that Aria stole her man. Would Adrian defy Arya's schemes and reclaim her second chance mate and would Aria be claimed by her mate, despite her sister's evil schemes?

Amora Cortez gave Duncan everything—her loyalty, her silence, her love. He gave her nothing but cold stares and a divorce. To the world, Duncan Alonso is untouchable—a ruthless billionaire with power in his veins and fear in his name. But beneath his perfect control lies a secret…He is Alpha. And Amora was never meant to be his weakness. Humiliated and broken, Amora walks away from the marriage that was never real—determined to rebuild her life far from the man who never chose her. Until she discovers the truth. She’s pregnant. With the Alpha’s heir. Refusing to let her child grow up unloved, Amora disappears—starting over with a new identity, a new life… and a secret powerful enough to start a war. But wolves don’t forget. And when Duncan begins to sense that something…someone…belongs to him, his instincts turn deadly. What starts as suspicion becomes obsession. What he uncovers will shake his empire to its core. Because the woman he discarded… Is his fated Luna. And the child she carries? The future Alpha is with her. Now it’s no longer about love. It’s about possession. And Duncan Alonso has never lost what was his.

I used to believe fate was cruel. Taken as a child. Forgotten by the family who should have fought for me. And bound to an Alpha who only ever looked at someone else. For three years, I’ve lived as his wife in name only— a ghost in my own home, unwanted and unloved. When I told Matthias I was pregnant, I thought something might change. But his golden eyes burned with fury. He called me a liar. A mistake. A deceiver. Then she came back. The sister I thought I’d lost forever. The woman he grieved. The one he truly loved. The one his mating bond was connected to. Now, just as I’d walked away and reclaimed my freedom, Matthias decides he wants me back. But it’s too late. Because Alpha Cassiel Aldric—the coldest, most respected Alpha of them all, held me tight… and said, “Mate. You are mine.” Now I’m caught between two Alphas: One who threw me away. And one who would burn the world to claim me.

“Are you deaf? I said the marriage is over.” His voice rose, sharp and final, “From this moment on, I, Damon Cross, reject you, Amber Smith, as my mate.” --- Amber Smith is the wife of Damon Cross, the powerful alpha of the silver moon pack and a wealthy, charismatic CEO. To the outside world, she is the lucky woman who got married to the rich and handsome CEO. But behind closed doors, she was nothing more than a complete stranger to him. On the day she was supposed to reveal her pregnancy to him, Amber comes home to find him in bed with his ex girlfriend. In an attempt to escape the pain, she makes the decision to leave the country, burying her feelings behind her. Six years later, she returns to the country, no longer the timid omega she once was. But as the world's most prestigious CEOs. And this time around, she's not the one chasing love.

In the werewolf kingdom, a she-wolf's happiest day is supposedly when she meets her predestined mate. But for weak omega Lyra of the Crescent Moon pack, this fated day brings nothing but humiliation and heartbreak. Her chosen mate rejects her and chooses her cousin Athena , her longtime bully and tormentor. Devastated, Lyra flees the mating ceremony and goes to a bar to drown herself in sorrow. In her despair, she has a one-night stand with a stranger and becomes pregnant. Shunned by her pack, gossip about her unwanted pregnancy spreads like wildfire. Lyra decides to escape the shame by running away for good. Her already sorrowful world is thrown into further chaos when she ends up crossing paths with the stranger from that fateful night. And it turns out he has a chosen mate who will stop at nothing to get rid of Lyra. Meanwhile, Lyra's former mate, who once rejected her, now seeks to reclaim her upon learning she alone holds a special power that can save his ailing mother, the Luna of their pack. Lyra finds herself trapped in a whirlwind of emotions as people only want to use her for their own needs. Or will she finally carve her own destiny in the face of those who betrayed her trust and wrecked her dreams?