Thirty Nine

On the day I received my prenatal test results, I heard a voice from inside my belly—my unborn child speaking to me. 'Mom, Dad will divorce you as soon as you give birth to me. His true love can't have children. That's why he married you. You're just a tool to give birth. Once I'm born, he'll divorce you, take me away, and go live happily ever after with her.' I believed every word. Without hesitation, I chose divorce. For nine months, I focused on carrying the pregnancy, planning to raise the child on my own. But on the day I went into labor, something went terribly wrong. The doctor said the baby was premature, and the position was dangerously abnormal. "The baby keeps flipping around inside you," she said. "It's like it's deliberately putting you through hell." Eight hours of emergency treatment accomplished nothing. In the end, it was a difficult labor—both mother and child died. As my consciousness faded, I heard that voice again. 'Haha. Dad never cheated at all. I lied to you.' Why would a child lie? I couldn't understand it, not even at the moment of death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day I first received the prenatal test report.

Amelia grew up noticing that her family never gave her much attention compared to a maid's child, whose daughter was showered by countless adoration and love by her own parents. At first, she thought that it was normal however, as years passed by, she grew to learn the unfair treatment her family was showing which caused her to grow cold with her blood relatives, especially with her father. One day, she was inside a bar taking drinks when a man who is assumed to be around his early thirty's approached her. The man was drunk and a little sketchy which made her want to avoid him but for some reason, she couldn't. There was something that was pulling her back into her seat, probably the foreign sensation or new found affection from talking with a stranger. The two will then start dating until a woman named Feline comes into the picture. She was also in love with Samuel which ultimately led to their rivalry. Amelia was in the middle of getting her revenge with the same woman when she reported her to her family. It led her to being scolded at home and finding out that all this time, Feline was her half-sister; the daughter of her father with another woman. Broken hearted from the notion, Amelia finds herself running towards Samuel's doorstep only to be met with another mischief. It just so happens that the same day she went to his house was the day; she met the same man she met at the bar that night. He reintroduces himself as Marshall and according to him; he was there with a restraining order in his hand.

The mafia king won't kill his nineteen-year-old son Leo when he finds out he’s weak and likes males. Instead, he sends him to hell. The Forge, a secretive prison camp hidden within the forest, is where affluent families send their "weak" sons, hoping to mold them into strong men. Leo was stripped of his clothing, shaved, and assigned the number 402; he was dug into freezing mud, subjected to beatings, and then left in complete darkness. Viktor, the strong, hardened guard, has been observing Leo with a wary gaze for years, acting as his personal handler. Viktor is meant to kill him. Instead, as the cameras stop rolling, Viktor lowers the whip, pushes Leo against the wall, and kisses him like a man who has been waiting too long. He moans into Leo's mouth, "I'm paid to break you, but I'd rather keep you." Every harsh day in the pit and every covert touch at night drives them deeper into the fire of forbidden love. But Leo's own father told Viktor to kill Leo and submit proof if he doesn't turn hard in thirty days. A jealous ex wants Leo to die. A shattered youngster from Leo's past is hiding a terrible rebellion. And the man Leo is falling for is the same one who was told to kill him. In a city made to break hearts, one wrong kiss may save them or set everything on fire. The Forge is a raw MM mafia romance that is dark, twisted, and dangerously addicting. Love is the most violent weapon of all.

Antonio has ruled the underworld for decades. A feared mafia boss with a trillion dollar empire, he operates between legitimacy and bloodshed, respected by allies and hunted by enemies. Violence is his language. Control is his law. Love has never been part of the equation except for his nine year old daughter, Ava, the only weakness he allows himself. When Ava is injured in a simple accident, Antonio brings her to a hospital in the States where he meets Dr. Minah Williams. Minah is everything his world isn’t: calm, brilliant, compassionate. A doctor in the middle of a brutal divorce, she’s spent years surviving an abusive marriage to a powerful AI specialist who discarded her for a famous model only to become dangerously obsessed when she finally begins to move on. Unlike everyone else, Minah speaks to Antonio without fear. And unlike anyone before her, Antonio listens. As an instant yet restrained connection forms, two dangerous worlds collide. Antonio’s enemies begin to circle. Minah’s ex hires investigators, stalking her from the shadows, unable to accept that another man one far more powerful has entered her life. Protection turns possessive. Desire turns deadly. And Minah is forced to confront the truth: Surrendering to Antonio may cost her the life she built… but refusing him could cost her everything. Because loving a demon always comes with a price.

"Little bunny, little bunny. Wolf is HUNGRY!" The voice taunted me, followed by an evil cackle. * "Run, rabbit. RUN!" A monstrous bellow boomed through the night sky and crashed into my soul like a sledgehammer. I could feel a chill sweeping across my body and my heart pounding in my chest. The echoes of howls and laughter followed me from behind as I ran for my life. ** Elisabeth's life had been harder than most since she was a child--a distant and often cruel mother and her never-ending cycle of addiction that had taken over her life. But on this fateful night, something far more sinister was lurking in the darkness, ready to take her away from it all. Massive figures appeared out of nowhere, growling and taunting her. She tried to scream, but nothing would come out; before she knew it, she was waking up in a world where Viking werewolves ruled with mysterious faeries at their side. Every five years, they traveled to the human realm, collecting ten girls for their mate run--and tonight, Elisabeth was one of them. With only a white dress and her bare feet, Elisabeth stood beside the other nine girls as the beasts prowled around them menacingly. A silver dagger pierced each of our wrists, signaling the start of the hunt! “We honor the moon goddess; let your blood lead your mate to you!”

The Devouring Queen is a paranormal revenge fantasy set between a blood drenched Lycan kingdom and a starving vampire empire, where every moon can crown a monarch or claim a corpse. The story follows Elara, once a gentle Luna who was betrayed and murdered on her wedding night. Instead of finding peace, she awakens three years in the past inside the stolen body of a hidden vampire princess. She returns to life in a world already preparing for her death, because in thirty nights the Lycan King must kill his true mate to awaken an ancient god beast. Now two women wear the same face, and only one can survive the prophecy that hungers for blood. Elara, reborn as a ghost wearing royal skin, abandons innocence and embraces the power she never had in her first life. With a quiet voice and a predator’s smile, she steps into a kingdom filled with secrets, manipulations and creatures who underestimate her. Cassius, the beautiful and broken Lycan King, is trapped between the woman he once loved, the version he helped destroy, and a prophecy that demands sacrifice. Their love is poisonous, irresistible and destined to end in ruin. As the nights slip away, Elara weaves a dark game of power and deception. She announces a false pregnancy, visits the chained original bride under midnight moons, and manipulates courts and armies with deadly grace. The mirrors around her begin to bleed, the lies thicken, and the prophecy tightens like a noose. The climax erupts in a courtyard filled with fallen soldiers, where the two identical brides tear the king apart to decide which destiny will rule. The kingdoms that remain have only two choices: kneel or burn.

Before our wedding, my fiancée, Sarah Hargrave—a professor of medieval history—held a private ceremony in a secluded chapel in the countryside. But not with me. Under the glow of candlelight, she cradled Benjamin Wheeler—her first love, his face gaunt from the cancer consuming him—in her arms. Her smile was soft, almost reverent, as she murmured, "In the eyes of God, vows made before the altar are the only ones that matter. Even if the law says I belong to Daniel, my soul was never his." And so, to the faint echo of hymns and the scent of old incense, they drank from the same silver cup, exchanged rings, and stepped together into the dimly lit sacristy—their makeshift bridal chamber. I watched. Silent. Motionless. No outbursts, no demands for explanation. Just the quiet dialing of a clinic to undo the vasectomy I'd gotten for our future. From fifteen to thirty, I had loved Sarah for fifteen long years. But in all that time, there'd never been room for me. That space had always belonged to Benjamin, my stepbrother. So I let her go. Afterward, I joined a geological research team bound for the isolation of Antarctica—a land cut off from the world, quiet and clean. Before I left, I handed Sarah a divorce agreement…and a final gift to mark the end. I never anticipated that Sarah, who'd always met my devotion with frosty detachment, who'd never once glanced back as I walked away, would look ten years older overnight.

"At seventeen, Lizzie Thornton left her hometown of Fair Haven to pursue her musical dreams—and to run from Trent Younger, the boy who broke her heart. Now a successful singer, Lizzie returns to Fair Haven nine years later. When she runs into Trent at her brother’s wedding, she discovers he’s no longer the shy boy she left behind. He’s a sexy, confident man who knows what he wants—and what he wants is her. When a night of passion results in unexpected consequences, Lizzie must grapple with prior heartbreak and with accepting that she still loves the one man she could never forget. Trent Younger grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and he fought tooth and nail to establish himself as one of the most successful restaurateurs in Fair Haven. Yet he’s never forgotten Lizzie Thornton, the girl he adored, the same girl who left him to pick up the pieces of his life after tragedy struck them both. As Trent uncovers the layers of Lizzie’s guarded heart, he realizes that he doesn’t just want her in his bed. He wants her in his life—forever. Yet even as love rekindles, their pasts threaten to drive them apart. Unless they confront their demons, Lizzie and Trent may jeopardize a love that has already withstood the test of time."

When Cole Harrington ran away from our wedding for the seventh time because of his childhood sweetheart, the Harrington family personally came to apologize. "We'll add another five kilos of gold to the bride price. Three buildings in the Southwest. And nine prime-location storefronts in the city center. Consider it the Harrington family's compensation." Before the words had fully settled, a careless laugh from Cole came through the phone. "Grandpa, do you really think she's worth that much? Believe it or not, I could pick up a random rock off the street and still coax her into being completely obedient. "Instead of wasting all those assets on her, why not give them to me so I can invest them in Liv's gallery?" Henry Harrington hurriedly hung up the phone, then looked at me with an awkward expression. Soft snickers rippled through the crowd. Everyone was waiting for me to swallow the humiliation in silence, just as I had before. But this time— I had already received this kind of "compensation" six times. The novelty had long since worn off. The same was true for Cole himself. After a moment of thought, I raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the crowd—at the illegitimate younger brother whom Cole had always despised the most. A smile slowly curved across my lips. "The man that I marry becomes the heir to the Harrington family. That was our deal, right?"

*** This story has steamy scenes that are not suitable for minors.*** Isabella 'Izzy' Garcia is a thirty-year-old female werewolf who enjoys her freedom all too much. She is content with her well-balanced life except for that one thing that causes her anxiety every year — the mate-finding ceremony. And being thirty means that she will soon be trapped by the mate bond that all werewolves suffer from. For her, it is nothing but a permanent prison — the only blight in her werewolf existence. When the mate-bond-sentence has been announced, she realizes that she will not only suffer from one mate, but from three mates! And she knew then, that the Moon Goddess must have hated her so much! Miles Bennett is Izzy's friend and confidant, originally a pack outsider who climbed the rank until he became a Beta. On Izzy's thirtieth birthday, he confessed his love for her, only to be rejected on the same day. Landon Hayes is the proud alpha of Izzy's pack. He is a confident alpha who offered Izzy the position of Luna the instant his mate bond with her activated. But like the rest of her mates, his offer was shot down the instant it was uttered. Carter Grayson is Alpha Landon's beta who is flirty and always has an unrequited love for Izzy. He has always been jealous of Miles, but never wanted to be just a friend to her. He is very vocal about his mate bond with Izzy and believes that the Moon Goddess has finally listened to his pleas. And he is very certain that he won't waste the opportunity given to him.