Twenty-sixth

Emily is the adopted daughter of a billionaire family. They adopted her after the loss of their own daughter in a bid to comfort themselves. However, when she was twenty one, the original daughter of her adopted parents came back and after the DNA tests proved that she was their child, their joy knew no bounds as they began to celebrate her. Emily's fiance, Louis acted as a source of comfort to her around this time because her parents neglected her, providing their attention to their daughter instead. They were set to get married in two months but that was until she saw a post on a blog, stating that her sister and her fiance Louis, were getting married. She had an accident and nearly died but none of her family members showed up, leading her to believe that indeed they had lost all touch of love for her. She gets home to find a piece of condom in the trashcan, suggesting that her fiance has been busy while she was in the hospital. She confronted him, telling him if what she saw on the blogs were true and he finally admitted to it, saying he loved her sister more than her and he would be getting married to her.

Nearly twenty years ago, a vicious Alpha slaughtered hundreds of werewolves in cold blood in order to steal their pack lands. Winners write the history and Alpha Carlos Rivera made himself the hero of his tale. He claimed that he devised The Expansion, a plan to unite the surrounding packs to defend them all from a rogue war, for the common good. Enola Grey was made an orphan in The Expansion and grew up on the united pack lands, never knowing she has Celtic Alpha blood running through her veins. Kallan O’Cleirigh, a Lycan clan leader, travels to the united pack lands in search of his pretimarei, his precious love. But Kallan will have his work cut out for him; his mate is a strong-willed, independent she-wolf and will have to fall in love with him of her own volition whilst resisting the pull of her werewolf mate. Will Kallan be able to win the love of his pretimarei? Or will Enola succumb to the undeniable pull of the werewolf mate bond? Enola might think her life is plain and boring, but as the twentieth anniversary of The Expansion approaches, her final year of college will prove to be anything but.

On the day Moon Spencer received the Medal of Honor, she made a public declaration of love on live television to her accompanying military medic, Xavier Quinn. “If it weren’t for Xavier, I’d have died in that storm at sea. He is the most important person in my life.” At the same time, her husband, Nathan Johnson, was lying on his deathbed at home. For years, he had taken care of Moon’s parents and raised their child alone. The strain destroyed his health, and he had little time left. He never expected that after twenty years of sacrifice, he would not even hear a word of thanks from her. What truly broke him was their daughter’s comment. “Dad, don’t you think Dr. Quinn and Mom are perfect together? You should leave sooner and make room for him.” Nathan collapsed in fury and regret. He died that night. When he opened his eyes again, he was back to the night before Moon left for her coastal deployment. This time, he refused to stay behind as the forgotten man who kept everything running. In this life, he would pursue his own dream.

A NOVEL ON STOCKHOLM SYNDROME BOOK 1 OF A THREE BOOK SERIES *TRIGGER WARNING* This book contains scenes that some readers may find disturbing… and also slightly annoying. “Miss. Iris, do you believe she has a point?” she asked and returned to her seat once again. “I don’t think so, her father and uncle deserve to go to jail.” My answer extracted a smile from her like she was proud of my response. “My name is Christine; I am a renowned medico-legal psychotherapist. Been in the business for over twenty years and that is what a case of Stockholm syndrome looks like. In my years of experience, we see situations similar to this but its our job to help the victims realize” “Wow…” I started, really amazed at what she had said and what her work entails. I was only concerned why they locked me in a room with a psychotherapist “it must be difficult at times” I added. “yeah, its difficult every time” she laughed “but today isn’t about me, I have a question for you.” There was a brief pause in between before she carried on “Does Hunter deserve to go to jail?”

Getting married should be one of the wishes humans tend to make, especially to be with the one they love, right? But what happens when a human wishes for nothing in his or her life, but wealth, and nothing else, not even happiness? Meet Emma Maxwell, a twenty five years old wealthy lady, who had been broken many times, because of love, and for that, she vowed to never fall in love again. Like every other person, Emma had always wished to know the feelings of love, to give and to get it in return, but relationship never seemed to be her thing, as she always ended up being the victim of one sided love. After trying series of relationship, without any, working out for her, she decided to give up on love, and started sleeping around with men. As she always said to any man that approaches her for love "that shit ain't for me, I just wanna get laid, and we go our separate ways. But what happens, when her parents, especially her mom, desperately wants her to get married, and not just getting married, but to her friend's son? Do you think she'll agree to it?....

Ruby Rose Castillo, a twenty eight years old hardworking secretary at Whitlock's Group of Company, due to the influence of alcohol, she bravely accepted a dare of her friend to kiss the most handsome man in the bar. Upon laying eyes on Adam Whitlock, she was convinced that he was the most handsome man...not just in the bar but also in the whole world. So, without any hesitation, she kissed him. When her lips touched his. She become mindless. She wanted him to touch her intimately. She wanted to devour the man who made her body burn. She wanted to taste the decadence that was Adam. And that kiss turned into a hot and intimate encounter at the backseat of his car. He claimed her body, made her taste heaven, made her shout in ecstacy and made her a woman. After that night, she wanted to forget the man who made her climax. She wanted to convince herself that everything's happened was just a dream. But how can she forget him...when the next day that she meet her new boss...it was Adam...the man who pleasured him last night.

All he ever wanted was freedom… and love. Twenty two year-old Noah has lived a life trapped behind bruises and locked doors. Raised by a cruel father and an indifferent stepmother, his days have been filled with silence, pain, and the desperate hope that one day—someone would see him. Save him. But salvation never came. Instead, he’s sold—like property—to a powerful mafia boss under the guise of an arranged marriage. Cold, ruthless, and feared across the underworld, Damian Moretti doesn’t need love. What he needs is a husband who can serve as a political pawn in a war of families. Noah is everything Damian didn’t expect: fragile yet unyielding, terrified yet defiant. And while their marriage begins in chains, something begins to shift in the shadows of their forced union. As secrets unravel and danger stalks every corner, Noah must decide: will he be caged forever by the choices of others—or rise and claim the life and love he was always denied? In a world ruled by blood and power, can a boy who was never wanted become the heart no one can live without?

"I'm dying," I told him. "So, I figured I might as well lose my virginity to the hottest guy on campus before I go." ----- Ellie Carter never expected to be twenty one, single, and terminally ill with only six months left to live. But with nothing left to lose, she makes a deal with the campus badboy, Beck Ryder, to have one reckless and unforgettable night. It was supposed to be a one time thing. But somewhere between the late night cuddling, the constant teasing and the surprising discovery that he's not just the resident campus fuckboy (turns out he actually has a heart), Ellie catches feelings against her better judgment. Now she has to live with the knowledge that she's falling for Beck, and he might be falling for her too. How will she survive when she finds out that she might not be dying after all? Will the consequences of her actions come back to bite her when a vengeful ex enters the picture? Or can the throwaway fling turn into something real? If she thought dying would be hard, it turns out that living is way messier.

Rosalia Marina was eighteen when her father sold her to clear his debts. By twenty, she was no longer just another girl trapped in a trafficking house, she was chosen. Auctioned into a marriage she never consented to, Rosalia becomes the wife of a powerful mafia patriarch who believes ownership is the same as salvation. In his home, she learns how to survive by silence, patience, and control, even as her body is treated like a debt that must be repaid. A year later, everything changes when his son returns to claim his place as heir. Cold, judgmental, and determined not to become his father, he sees Rosalia as a woman who traded herself for power. What begins as contempt slowly fractures into something far more dangerous, desire neither of them can afford. Torn between guilt, longing, and the quiet mission she has carried since the day she was sold, Rosalia must decide whether survival is enough, or if destroying the system that enslaved her will cost her the only man who ever truly sees her. In a world where loyalty is currency and love is betrayal, wanting the wrong person can be fatal.

The day Yancy Shepherd died, Benedict Page poisoned our dinner. His eyes were wild, and bloodshot, as he watched me writhe in agony. There was a madness in his gaze, but worse was the hatred, a disgust so deep it twisted his face into something unrecognizable. "If it weren't for you forcing your way into our lives, Yancy wouldn’t have died from heartbreak. You ruined us! It’s all your fault!" A photo slipped from his trembling hand and landed at my feet—Yancy at twenty, looking radiant, her smile as bright as a blooming flower. I collapsed to the ground, my strength fading fast like a rose withering in the final grasp of winter. Helpless, I waited for the darkness to claim me, consumed by despair and bitter regret. Why hadn’t I listened to the system and killed him when I had the chance? But when I opened my eyes again, everything was different. I stood watching Benedict flee our engagement ceremony. My brother moved to chase after him, but I quietly raised a hand, stopping him. This time, things would be different.