When It Hurts So Good

Seven years ago, I, Gianna Moonwhisper, offered up the bloodline essence that had been passed down in my family for generations as a sacrifice. I did this to save Liam Howle, my mate who was dying from a curse. To prevent him from feeling burdened, I pretended to be a wicked she-wolf who only cared about power and status, and thus I dissolved my mate bond with him. Seven years later, powered by the strength he gained from my sacrifice, he is crowned Alpha. Meanwhile, I can only hide away in a dilapidated house as I cough up blood. Due to the regression of my bloodline, I'm slowly dying. Liam kicks open my door and tosses a bag of moonstones at my feet. His eyes shine with repulsion as he coldly says, "Do you regret it? Regret abandoning the person who could have made you Luna?" He's unaware that I have only three months left to live, yet his utter hatred for me has him wishing that I would hurry up and die.

Cara, a senior Psychology student, has always been haunted by the face of a strange boy from her childhood dreams. As she grows older, the boy is replaced by a mysterious man in her dreams. Determined to understand the connection, she seeks the help of her best friend, a psychologist, to explore the meaning behind these recurring visions. In her waking life, two elusive men capture her attention, but they remain distant. Instead of feeling lost, Cara embraces this mysterious journey, knowing it holds the key to deeper self-discovery. With the support of her friend, she begins to unravel the powerful message her dreams are guiding her toward, realizing that the answers she seeks are within her reach.

Riven Vale is Hollywood’s star boy—talented, handsome, untouchable. But when a late-night scandal with a billionaire’s son explodes across every tabloid, his once-soaring career crashes to dust. To quell the frenzy, his team ships him off to a sleepy coastal town in Maine, ostensibly “to rest and recharge.” Unofficially? He stumbled onto something dark: a clandestine meeting between studio executives and a shadowy investor, planning to traffic stolen military tech.He refused their hush-money,and the threats began. At the edge of a misty harbor stands Kael Quinn, a rugged carpenter with a haunted gaze and zero patience for movie stars. Riven doesn’t recognize him at first, but Kael remembers the boy who crushed a small-town heart in high school—and walked away without a second glance. This time, he’s not letting Riven leave until he makes amends. Only, Kael doesn't just want an apology; he wants the truth, the whole story, and he’s ready to use every tool in his belt to pry it out. “Tell me, Hollywood—do you kiss better when you're lying, or when you're scared?” Tension ignites into obsession as Riven fights to stay alive—and to win back the man he once broke. With every secret laid bare, they’re drawn together by danger, by guilt, by the promise of something more. But the label’s mercenaries are closing in, and in a town too quiet to be safe, love might be the deadliest risk of all.

Setiray has spent two years searching for her fated mate, losing hope as others find theirs. Her escape? A masked influencer known as Ace, whose charm captivates her online. Everything changes when she stumbles upon him in an empty parking lot and discovers his true identity. Instant connection or cold reality? Ace’s temperamental nature shatters her dreams, sending her confused and running. But his wolf craves her. As they clash—his obsession against her independence—they must navigate a wild dance of fear, desire, tension and the bonds of fate. Will Setiray melt his icy facade, or will his obsession tear them apart? Love and fear intertwined in this thrilling pursuit.

Angel Anzores was used by her aunt and uncle to pay off their debt after they hid her younger brother, Angelo, and threatened to sell him if she refused to comply. Left with no choice, the young woman had to obey the people who took them in after their parents died in a car accident. Salvatore Ravalli, known as "Tore" in the underground world, is a ruthless 35-year-old mafia leader to whom Angel's aunt and uncle owed money. He finds himself drawn to Angel. Will Angel be able to accept the man who initially threatened her using her own brother's life? What will Salvatore do when Angel discovers that he was involved in the accident that claimed her parents' lives, leading her and her brother into the life given to them by their so-called guardians? Can Salvatore save the woman he loves from the clutches of his equally ruthless enemies?

At a class reunion, I ended up getting together with my high school crush. However, one evening, as I was scrolling through a social media platform, I was suddenly bombarded with mentions tagging me in a shocking post. The content left me seeing stars. "My girlfriend has a car, a house, a great degree, and she's stunning. Yet, somehow, she's into me! Haha!" "To be honest, she's too exceptional, and it's kind of killing my sense of masculinity. Once I manage to get my hands on her assets, I'll have her give me two kids and then live life on my own terms. She won’t be able to control me then." "You guys can stay jealous. Not like you know her anyway, so what can you even do to me?"

"Are you married?" Douglass and Mitch, together for 4 years, living together for 1 year. Still passionately in love. On a day that seemed no different from yesterday, one they expected to be just the same. Mitch hears news that Douglass is getting married to someone else. A lover's marriage that everyone knew about except him. Though he tries to end things with Douglass out of sadness and betrayal. Douglass has no intention of letting Mitch go easily. But then, something unexpected happens. After desperately clinging and insisting they would never break up. Douglass completely erases Mitch from his memory overnight due to an accident. "If you're going to marry someone else, let's break up." "We haven't broken up yet. Because I never allowed it." Douglass, who once said this. Now says, "I was dating something like you?" "Just be angry with me instead. Don't talk like that." "You need to understand your position first. Why would I be angry at a mere omega like you?" He was facing Mitch with a cold expression never seen before.

My best friend and I marry into the Xylander family at the same time. Everyone says we're lucky. My best friend's husband is a master negotiator, while my husband is a bomb disposal expert. Their enemy abduct us after we've just discovered we're pregnant. He ties bombs to our bellies. When our husbands negotiate with the abductors, they choose to save Melinda Sutton, a woman they grew up with. The bombs are detonated, and we're gravely injured. After surviving the explosion, we decide to get divorced together.

My African American Mom married a rich Japanese man. As I moved the skeleton of my new bed next to the window, I felt a gaze focused on me. Outside my window, was the house next door. The house shape was similar to ours, so it also had a window facing mine at the same level. Standing there on the other side was a skinny Japanese boy. As soon as I laid eyes on him, he stiffened, then shyly smiled and waved. His hair was all over the place, seeing him in his tanktop I thought to myself that he must've just rolled out of bed. But wasn't it the afternoon already? The boy says something but of course I can't hear him with my window closed so I slide it open. "Eto....hi." He tried in English. If someone were to tell me later I'd come to care about him deeply, I'd find that hard to believe. For as long as I could remember I've always felt empty. And that emptiness, I hid on instinct.

After I finished the Luna training that every she-wolf dreamed, I went to my Alpha, Damien, with a request. To break our mate bond. "All this, just because I missed your ceremony to help my late brother's mate, Lilith, with the rogues in her territory?" A smirk twisted his lips, his voice a low rasp. I nodded, silent. "I gave my brother my word before he died. I swore I would protect Lilith. I can't break that vow! Why can't you understand?" he whispered, sighing heavily. "Stop being so childish! Why can't you be reasonable, like Lilith is?" I pushed him away with a chilling calm. Ten years. For ten years after our bond was confirmed, I gave up everything. Every hobby, every dream… all to learn how to be his Luna. Everyone in the pack thought I was helpless without him. That I couldn't even survive without his protection. But this time, I was done. He didn't know I'd already contacted the neutral packs in another land. I was going somewhere his Alpha scent could never reach me.