Under Locke Mariana Zapata

“I'm so sorry, Leo,” I rasped, my voice barely a whisper. Tears of guilt and self-blame streamed down my cheeks as I stood before him, eyes cast downward. Despite the fact that I was his prisoner and he was my warden, I couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to him. I told him, “It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you go-” “Damn it, Alessandra. I don't want your apology,” Leonardo snapped, lifting my chin with a firm finger, forcing me to meet his gaze. His voice was hard as steel as he continued, “I want you to write a fucking essay about how much you think about me. How you crave my touch. I want to hear you say you love me, because I swear it in this life, mia principessa, there won't be anyone else but me.” ----------------------------------------------------- When Alessandra Scavelli is forced into marrying Leonardo De Castello, her childhood sweetheart turned feared mafia kingpin, her world is thrown into chaos. Leonardo, still madly in love with her, sees this as a chance to reclaim their lost romance. Alessandra, however, is torn by a secret mission handed to her by her family: infiltrate Leonardo's syndicate and bring it down from within. As she delves into Leonardo's dangerous world, Alessandra finds herself conflicted between her family’s demands and the undeniable pull of her own heart. The once clear lines between loyalty and love blur, and she must navigate a treacherous path where betrayal lurks at every corner. Will Alessandra follow through with her family's plan, or will she surrender to the passion that threatens to consume her?

BLURB Aurelia was weak. Despite being born with a beta bloodline, she didn't manage to awaken her wolf. Living with her stepsister and stepmother was hell especially whenever her dad travelled. One day her sister offered to make dinner, she had been grateful to be helped with the chores for once. Soon her sister brought in her dinner and Aurelia happily took the plate of pasta. But by the third swallow she quickly discovered something was wrong. "Do you feel uncomfortable? I guess the poison has set in. That's what you get for trying to steal my man" her sister Scarlett said smirking. Aurelia's eyes widened in disbelief "I didn't, he was mated to me, besides he already rejected me" Aurelia said gasping for breath with tears in her eyes. "How could..." she tried to say looking at her sister in disbelief. "Shut up!" Scarlett roared and slapped her. "You useless thing that can't even awaken your wolf. Slutty brat, you are a disgrace to this family. You are better off dead" Scarlett said as Aurelia coughed up blood. Scarlett quickly dragged her unconscious body to a river and dumped her in the deep end that flows into the sea. Aurelia opened her eyes weakly and stared as her sister as she was pushed in, her eyes pleading for mercy. She can't swim and she's poisoned too. Her sister has sentenced her to death. The water soon covered her head, and she was carried by the currents toward the sea. She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face waiting for the inevitable. She was already at the seabed, however just as she was slipping into endless darkness, she felt a strong pair of hands around her. It was the Lycan king!

She was more than just an enemy’s daughter. She was his… Clara Hale is looking for a fresh start, not a storm. But from the moment she crosses paths with Zachary Langston, her life is thrown into chaos. Her chance at employment is shattered, and she finds herself entangled in his bizarre world. When she saves his sister from danger, Clara hopes it’s her ticket to peace. Instead, she ends up stuck under Zachary’s roof, where the friction between them only grows. There’s something irresistible about his sharp hazel eyes and dangerous charm, and being close to him feels as reckless as it does unescapable. But Clara had a secrets of her own, which was hidden even to herself. Anyway, Zachary wouldn’t expect that this young clumsy woman would shake the walls around his heart.

“Chanda, Omega of the Montana pack shall be crowned the new Lycan Luna of all the West region”. Those where the last words Chanda expected to hear when she happily accompanied her Luna to the Goda Pack. Now forced to marry the ruthless and newly crowned Lycan King, she lives a new life worse than being an omega. But when she discovers the Lycan King’s secret agenda, she pays with her life. Given another chance at life, she returns with one thing on her mind. REVENGE. But what happens when she discovers all is not as it seems? Was there more to her death? Why was she given the second chance in another body? Find out more in Chanda’s story.

"No matter the price," I said calmly to the witch across from me, "I will buy the scroll that severs a mate bond." I am Jean Thompson, Luna of the Crescent Pack in name only, and mate—also in name only—to Alpha Felix Frost. In the five years I carried this title, I endured Felix's indifference, my in-laws' scorn, and the pack's cold neglect. All because I loved Felix. I believed, with a devotion that consumed me, that one day my sincerity would move his heart. But on the very day of our fifth anniversary—when I discovered I was carrying twins—I stumbled upon him leading the entire pack of warriors to the airport… to welcome his childhood sweetheart, Mary Lockwood. That moment shattered the last of my hope. When he returned, I hid the bond-severing scroll among a stack of business documents and set it in front of him. "What's this? If it's important, give it to me later—" Before he could finish, Mary's syrup-sweet voice slipped in between us, "Alpha, our reservation is about to begin." Felix didn't even bother to look. He pressed his handprint casually on the scroll, ending five years of our bond. Just like that, our mate bond was severed. But I walked away with more than freedom. I carried with me a secret that could shake the entire pack—two lives growing inside me. Twins, foretold to become kings of the werewolves: the Alpha heirs. Later, in a place far beyond his reach, I gained everything I had once longed for—respect, trust, and love. But Felix came back like a storm I could not escape. His eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling with fury as he trapped me against the wall. "I never agreed to sever our bond," he growled. "Where do you think you're going with my pups?"

I have a deal with Aldric Cromwell, the so-called King of Equinox Street, a billionaire lawyer-turned-CEO. If I confess to him 142 times while wearing a wedding dress, he will cover his limited-edition Koenigsegg in flowers, drive me to the most magical castle, and give me the grandest wedding imaginable on my 143rd try. However, Aldric is nowhere to be seen that day. Instead, he makes headlines by renting out the entire Wondergrove Theme Park just to celebrate his sweet new girlfriend, Bianca Alvarez's birthday. Bathed in the glow of brilliant fireworks, they share a tender kiss, cameras flashing like stars all around them. That moment quickly becomes the top trending story on the internet. Meanwhile, I go viral in my own way for showing up in a wedding dress for the 143rd time outside his company building. Speculations and theories swirl about the mystery man I keep confessing to but never reveal. People also wonder how long it will be before I make the 144th declaration. When Aldric realizes I have faithfully kept our agreement, he promises me, out of pure guilt, that he will finally fulfill the vow he's made to me after the final confession. Dressed to the nines, he arrives at his company, driving that flower-covered, limited edition Koenigsegg, only to receive a final text from me. "There won't be a 144th confession, Aldric. We're over."

So… He was naked. And my back was a little bit sore? I couldn't freak out, I had to stay cool. There was no way he'd touch me, because he swore that he wouldn't… We didn't do anything… Correct, or… “Did we?” I muttered under my breath, breathing slowly yet unsteadily as my chest rose and fell. He scoffed. “Now don't play coy, after all…you were the one begging for it.” He said, as he leaned in... ---------- Erica is being asked by Denise, the daughter of the Elder she worked for as a maid, to sleep with Alpha Rowen, the Alpha of the Blood Moon Lycans Pack, in exchange for her mother's freedom trading her virginity in the process as Alpha Rowen only wanted a virgin mate…and giving Erica to him while under the influence of the drug she had prepared, Denise was sure to take her place on the red stained bedsheet. But the Alpha is not the kind that can be fooled by drugged food and drinks, though he still has to marry Denise for the sake of his reputation, he also goes ahead to make Erica his… But it doesn't end there…now that Denise is poisoned and Erica is accused of attempted murder, what would be the outcome of her fate after her execution? Being reborn in one Natasha's body, Erica is given a second chance to live again…she meets her new mates, the hot Triplet Alphas and is happy to live a new life of love, thinking the moon goddess had blessed her enough… What actually changed was her, and not the world, there was still Denise, and everyone that had betrayed her in her past life… Will she go ahead to live as Natasha? Or would the opposite be the case?

On my 20th birthday, my father hosts a dinner for our allied families. He lifts his glass with a smile and turns to his old friend, saying, "It's time my principessa chooses a husband from your sons." Without hesitation, I choose the youngest—Salvatore Carlo. Everyone is stunned. After all, I'm Estella Vinci, the eldest daughter of the Vinci family. I was born into wealth and power, with a father from a long-established Virellian mafia family and a mother from Montavira's ruthless DeNucci bloodline. And yet, I was hopelessly in love with Giovanni Carlo, third son of the Carlo family. In my past life, I got exactly what I wished for. I became his wife. He got what he wanted too. With my father's power, he became the heir of the Carlo family. But after we got married, my adopted sister Eleanor Vinci became his mistress. When my father found out, he was furious. He sent her far away in marriage to Norland. From that day on, Giovanni hated me with everything he had. He drowned himself in nightclubs, night after night, always bringing home women who looked just like Eleanor. He let them mock me and humiliate me. On my birthday, one of them poisoned my cake. I died with hatred in my heart at eight months pregnant. Now that I am reborn, I decide to let them have each other. But the moment I choose Salvatore, Giovanni loses his mind.

Johanna Thorne and her sister, Allison Thorne, marry into the Silverplume family, the most prestigious werewolf family in the Northern Wolflands, on the same day. Their husbands are the only pair of pureblood Alpha twins in the family—Carlin Silverplume and Uriel Silverplume. Throughout the continent's long history, fewer than ten such twin pairs have ever been born. They are seen as blessings from the Moon Goddess herself, a source of pride for the entire family. Johanna is wed to the calm and stoic younger brother, Carlin. Her sister becomes the mate of the elder twin, Uriel, the family's strongest warrior Alpha. But during a mission to hunt down rebel wolves, Uriel is tragically killed. His body is never recovered. With his death, his bloodline ends. The news devastates the matriarch. She weeps before the altar, crying that this is punishment for the Silverplume family. With Uriel gone and no heir left behind, one of the family's two remaining pureblood lines is now severed. The future of their legacy hangs by a thread. Three days later, the matriarch summons Carlin and Johanna to the council hall. Before the gathered elders and priests, she solemnly proposes a solution. "Carlin shares the same blood and bone as Uriel... In the name of our ancestral spirits, I ask that Carlin form a breeding pact with Allison to fulfill Uriel's unfinished duty." Johanna's hands clench tightly. She turns to look at Carlin. In that moment, she doesn't know whether she's still his Luna or just a sacrifice offered up to preserve the family's bloodline.

Unnatural murders have accumulated in the suburban area of Leonska State. The bizarre details of each murders confined the state police inside a hopeless predicament and as they widen their investigation it, the possibility of catching the perpretrator slowly died down. The police force knew that it would not take long before the case goes cold and unsolved. Paige Morsen, the sagacious, resilient, and the only female detective under the Homicide Unit received the approval of taking the case under her control. Despite the chauvinism she receives and invalidation from the police men in their force, she continued following the sketchy tracks of the killer, hoping she would mark the case as closed before the frantic race of the time would end. As she dives in towards the deep and twisted mind of the killer, she finds herself trapped inside a horrific cat-and-mouse chase with no other possible way out other than executing the killer himself. Would she be able to serve the justice? Or would it take another victim to again disappear before she could call it a case-closed?