Romans & histoires Under The Oak Tree 273

I am in such a rush to pick up my daughter, Ava Pennington, from school that I don't have time to change out of my work attire. At the kindergarten gates, I run into the mother of one of her classmates, Candice Austin. She sizes me up from head to toe and says, "You must be Ava Pennington's mom." I politely nod. Just as I am about to say hello, her expression suddenly sours. "It's no wonder your daughter dresses so skimpily at school. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?" I am so mad that I nearly forgot to respond. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Candice clicks her tongue and grows even more aggressive. "Nonsense? Your daughter wears skirts to school every day. She's distracting my son so much that his grades have slipped." Her words leave me utterly speechless. How is her son's failing grades somehow Ava's fault? When I don't respond, she gets bolder. "Look at you dressed from head to toe in cheap junk; how can you afford to send your daughter to this elite kindergarten? You must have pulled some shady strings to sneak her in through the back door, didn't you?" Has she lost her mind? Since when does Ava need strings to attend the school I built?

WARNING: **This story is about a love so forbidden and a passion so intense, it might just burn you. Consider yourself warned.** ____ "Lucian shouldn’t have been near you,” he growled, his voice rough velvet. “I told them you’re under my protection. Under me.” ___ He is Manhattan’s most ruthless CEO. Cold. Powerful. Untouchable. But behind the sharp suits and devilish smirk hides a secret darker than the night itself— Joachim Knight is a vampire. When Yvette, a scandal-chased celebrity agent, crashes into his world, she expects another arrogant billionaire with too much money and no soul. What she finds instead is danger wrapped in seduction, a man who makes the air crackle with heat every time he’s near. His kiss burns like fire. His touch feels like sin. And his possessive words leave her trembling: "You’re mine, Yvette. Under my protection. Under me." But the more she craves him, the more she discovers the monstrous truth he hides— and the blood-soaked secrets that could ruin them both. In a world of lies, power, and forbidden hunger, will she resist the Devil’s kiss… or surrender to the dark passion of a 570 year old vampire who would destroy anyone who dares to touch her?

"Why can’t you just leave me alone?" Valentina snarled, breath hitching as she shoved against the bark of the tree behind her. He stepped closer, eyes glowing with an untamed hunger. In one swift, possessive motion, he pinned her hands above her head, his lips grazing the pulse at her neck—dangerously close to the spot only a mate should touch. “Because, little wolf,” he whispered, his voice dark velvet against her skin, “you belong to me—and I’m done pretending otherwise.” _______ Stabbed by the man she once loved and betrayed by the friend she trusted most, Valentina was reborn in the ashes of heartbreak. No longer the obedient luna of the Shadow Crust pack, she rises from the shadows to reclaim her life—and her power. But home is no longer safe. Her pack is in ruins. Her father? Bewitched by a mysterious woman named Carmella. And fate? Cruel, as always. Because waiting for her in the heart of the storm is the man she should never desire—Andres Donovan, the cold and dangerously obsessive Lycan King… and her second-chance mate. He watches her with eyes full of secrets, speaks in riddles that echo of a past she can’t remember, and touches her like he’s been starving for centuries. But as enemies close in, alliances fracture, and war brews over the divine blood flowing in her veins, Valentina must decide: Will she fight fate again… Or surrender to the one man who could ruin her—or save her?

She fell for him under the guise of love, in return he watched her die with no knowledge of life blooming in her…a piece of him. But she doesn't stay dead and returns a different person, an ancient incarnate now filled with spite and a deathly need for revenge. “Where is my child, Kael?” Demands from a cursed man with a grieving heart will fix nothing compared to the cost her resurrection had come with. Because there's a lot more beneath rising from six inches under…

After 18 infamous gang leaders of Wicked Valley stumble upon me, they adopt me and work hard in raising me. Since my dads refuse to let me get in contact with all males while showing their violent sides to everyone else all day, I run away from home out of anger. I've left home for three years so far. Throughout the years, I've gotten into a passionate relationship. But on the night my boyfriend, Vincent Gray, proposes to me, he has the nerve to lace my red wine with drugs. Then, he ties me up and delivers me back to Wicked Valley. "The 18 bosses of Wicked Valley have posted a lucrative bounty on a young woman with a phoenix tattoo on her arm. It so happens that you have it. "My younger sister, Wendy Gray, has offended someone out there. Only by giving you to those bosses can Wendy's life be spared!" Then, Vincent adds sorrowfully, "Don't worry, Noelle. I'll definitely include you in my family tree once you're dead. I'll make sure that you won't die without a family." As I stare at Vincent's phony expression, deep down, I'm elated. It's been three years. Finally, someone is taking me home. While faced with Vincent's shocked look, I smile while snapping my fingers at the group of people, who are about to pick me up. "What are you waiting for, everyone? Prepare some seasonings! We're eating good tonight! Let's have lamb soup!"

When my husband, Lucius Croft, and I were on a flight that was heading toward our honeymoon destination, his childhood friend, Belinda Todd, suddenly appeared before us while pregnant. She claimed that she had bought an economy-class ticket and that she wanted to go on a vacation with us. Not only did Lucius not reject Belinda, but he also wanted me to give my first-class ticket away to her. I turned his suggestion down. So, he helped Belinda occupy the first-class seat next to us. When I realized that an old lady was the owner of that particular seat, I did everything I could to convince Lucius to return the seat to her. Unexpectedly, Belinda was so mad that she got off the plane right away. On her way home, she got into an accident, which killed her and her unborn baby. Lucius attended her funeral calmly. But on the day I was supposed to go into labor, he tied me up in the car and staged a car accident on purpose. "This is all your fault! If it wasn't for you, Belinda never would've died! You deserve to make it up to her with your life!" I could only watch the car drive into the tree in total despair. All I saw was a huge explosion and tongues of flame around me before I completely lost consciousness. When I open my eyes again, I see Belinda standing before me with her belly jutting out. This time, I no longer stop them. What they don't know is that the inconspicuous-looking old lady is actually a member of the esteemed Howard family, also known as the global business powerhouse. She's also the grandmother of the richest man in the world, Ethan Howard.

What I thought was fictional turned out to be real, and I eventually fell under the spell of the two beasts that shifted under the moon. Meet Jasper, the young man who lives next door and whom I trust the most. Then I met Damon, one of my class's most mesmerizing and strange students. They aren't just good-looking teens because they have a secret that only I know. And knowing their secret is what will put me in danger. The closer I get to them, the more dangerous it is for me. The moon will show what kind of creature they are. And what are they? It's a secret!

Betrayed by blood. Saved by fate. Bound by a fire no exile can extinguish. After being wrongly accused of murder and cast into exile, a weak she-wolf must navigate a world where danger waits behind every tree—and love burns where she least expects it. Mira has spent her life overlooked, dismissed as a burden despite the quiet strength she carries within. But when the head chief of her pack is murdered and the blame falls on her, Mira is stripped of her home, her name, and her future. Cast out into the wilderness, she prepares to die alone—until fate leads her to the border of a strange new pack. There, Mira is rescued by a bold girl and her quiet friend, Elric—a sword-wielding warrior raised among humans, who carries secrets behind his cold gaze. Forced to prove herself through brutal trials, Mira begins to rise in a way no one expected. But Elric sees something in her—something fierce and unclaimed. And though they clash at first, a hidden fire begins to kindle between them. When war arrives at the new pack’s doorstep, Mira and Elric fight side by side. As steel meets fang, Mira realizes Elric isn’t just human—he may be the key to unraveling the conspiracy behind her exile. And when a nearly stolen kiss threatens to change everything, Mira is left questioning who she really is—and what she’s truly capable of becoming. In a world where wolves follow strength, and secrets can kill, Mira must embrace the fire inside her or be silenced forever. After all, exile wasn't the end of her story. It was only the beginning.

Matthew Moore, a young ruthless business tycoon of a powerful empire, the Prince Monarch. His words were iron fists, none in the business world would dare challenge. At day, his strong domineering aura exuded in the world of loyal followers and attractive women. Yes, attractive women! He was not a player but he was cursed. Coz at night, this ruthless gorgeous billionaire would shift into the most terrifying beast --- the strongest werewolf in their pack. Riona Grey, a she-wolf with enchanting beauty. A daughter of a rogue and a rejected she-wolf. They live in the shadows because of their identity and the only way to get accepted was to produce an heir for the current alpha king, Victor Moore, Matthew's own brother. On the night of their mating, Riona, who was against the arranged marriage, escaped for her freedom. She ran through the misty forest, stone-deaf of the growling of the Alpha king's loyal followers. Till she accidentally tripped into a root of a thousand-year-old tree and fell into a bottomless pit. ...where Mathew was having s*x with a model. Out of rage, he dragged the dumbstruck young lady. "Punish this stvpid servant who barged in my room!" he roared at his bodyguards in his mansion. "Let me go. I'm not your servant, Mister!" she yelled at him instead. "Kill her!" he ordered, nonchalantly. As Matthew glanced at Riona before his bodyguards took her away, he felt something stir inside him. His wolf also felt a sudden urge to kill the men who put their hands on Riona. There was something about Riona. Matthew was confused. Why did he suddenly want to hold her? Little did he know, Riona will play a big role in his life. To cure the curse or to fortify it, that is the question.

Shadow Stalker and Isabella Romano were the best of friends until one fateful day when they watched their peaceful village ruthlessly attacked by a savage pack. In the aftermath that followed, one experienced the death of a parent, the other disappeared off pack lands without a trace, and when they finally reunite years later, sparks fly, hearts break, passions smolder, and one wolf's betrayal could spell the end of life as they know it. Warning: This series is copyrighted under New Zealand law. All works related to The Fated series belong solely to Venom01. Any attempt to list any part of this on a website under a different name will result in prosecution.