Why Humans Avoid War

All Dahlia's life she had been told to run. Her mother told her to run the day she died. Her sister told her to not let anyone stop her, the day she left. And her wolf told her to enjoy it. And she does. At the age of 17 she is the fastest in her pack. Her wolf only making her faster. During a training run with her training group the Luna introduces a new student. An alpha's son from an allied pack. Could he be her mate? Or her best friend's mate? Do either of them want to be a luna? Does it even matter since many alphas choose a mate?

To encourage overall development, the kindergarten had asked each student to create a hand-drawn poster. My daughter Holly refused my help and insisted on doing it all on her own. Little did I know, most of the other children had their parents do the artwork for them. In comparison, Holly's delicate strokes were quickly dismissed. Not only was her work discarded into the trash, but her teacher also called her out in the parent group, criticizing her for being careless with the assignment. As I racked my brain trying to figure out how to help Holly regain her confidence in drawing, I was surprised to see Holly's artwork among the winning entries in the state-level children's art competition. But the signature wasn't hers—it belonged to another student from her class.

Azra Kononovich and her two best friends are about to have the ultimate experience in New York City. They're going to spread their wings and live like the wild girls they dream to be. Now all they have to do is just say yes to everything: new adventures, new jobs, and probably new sweethearts. Easy, right? Wrong. Little did they know that being an adult takes more than just being one. It takes experiences and talent. But where do they get the experience without having experienced it? And none of them have any talents. That's the problem. To top it all, they fall for the same girl. So what is going to happen next to the three musketeers?

At the award-giving ceremony of the end-of-the-year gala, my boss, George White, suddenly announces that he will be adding a bonus round on a whim. "This is the annual department evaluation! The department that comes last shall come onto the stage and receive a tiny encouragement from me!" The huge screen lights up at that moment. The sales achievements accumulated by all departments are being shown in a ranking system. The sales department is ranked first. The operations department comes second, and the marketing department gets third place. As for the administrative department, the sales achievements shown on the screen are none. After all, that department has no KPI to achieve at all. George beams at us from the administrative department. "Everyone from the administrative department, come on up and receive your prize!" Two people can be seen carrying a basket of brooms up the stage. Everyone bursts into laughter instantly. "Come now, sweep away your bad luck with the brooms! Try not to come up as the bottom-ranked department again next year!" George personally thrusts the brooms into our hands. Camera flashes go off beneath the stage—people are clearly taking photos of us. The people from the sales department are the ones laughing the hardest. "Finally, the peeps from the administrative department are getting the recognition they deserve!"

In a war-torn world, Noura is desperate to escape the clutches of a dangerous warlord who wants to force her to marry him. Her only hope lies in Khalid, a man driven by a promise to protect her to her father. But as they journey across dangerous lands, Noura begins to question everything she knows about loyalty, trust, and the man who saved her. With every step, the lines blur between protector and captor, and Noura must face the terrifying truth about Khalid's obsession—and her own feelings. Will she find freedom, or will she be trapped in a bond darker than the war she's fleeing?

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU FIRED ME!” she screeched, looking like she’d just lost a leading role on Love & Hip Hop. “I’M THE BEST EMPLOYEE YOU EVER HAD, YOU STUCK-UP BITCHES!” Then boom, she picked up her laptop and chucked it across the room like she was auditioning for the shot put in the Olympics. Trevor gasped. “Not the MacBook!” “I’M NOT LEAVING! YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO DRAG ME OUTTA THIS MUTHAFUCKA!” she screamed while kicking over her filing cabinet and knocking the shared Keurig onto the floor. The damn machine sputtered its last brew..... Without Warning follows the unexpected and passionate love story of Sienna Carter, a strong,  witty, but unconfident woman who wasn’t looking for forever, and Knox Michaels, the charming younger brother in a powerful Chicago family known for their business, influence, and drama. What begins as heated encounters quickly spirals into something deeper, something neither of them saw coming. Their chemistry is undeniable, but with family secrets, jealous exes, workplace politics, and complicated loyalties surrounding them, navigating their relationship is anything but simple. When Sienna discovers Knox’s dark past, the once thought to be the carefree bachelor is thrown into a whirlwind of fear, surprise, and overwhelming love. Determined not to lose her, Knox steps up, claiming his future with Sienna even as both of their families reel from the news. As the two try to merge their worlds, tensions flare, siblings clash, friends turn into rivals, and unexpected alliances form. With an announcement party meant to bring everyone together turning into a powder keg of secrets and emotions, Sienna and Knox must decide if their bond is strong enough to survive the storm, because love, like life, doesn’t always come planned. Sometimes it comes, Without Warning

“If you think I would not touch you, think again.” His breath fanned her face as he backed her into a corner. What made her think he would restrain himself? “Just because you’re William’s daughter, that means nothing to me. You could warm my bed just fine if you’re going to seduce me with your body like this. Tell me, what would you ask in return?” He bit her earlobe and she whimpered. Melissa Franklin’s dad named his best friend in his will, rather than his only daughter. She can’t have access to her inheritance until she turns 30, which is seven years away. Klyde Henderson, a man twice her age, became her legal guardian. But the man’s respect for her father does not extend to her. In his eyes, she’s a useless brat. Melissa needed to find a way to get her hands on her inheritance. That’s when the seduction games began.

During the school holidays, I took my daughter to a park. I had barely entered the park entrance with my daughter when a supercar crossed the solid line and rear-ended us. The man who jumped out came storming toward me, furious. "Do you even know how to drive? Do you know how much this car costs? You can't afford it even if you went bankrupt!" I was about to argue back since he was clearly the one breaking traffic rules. But I froze. That car looked painfully familiar. Wasn't that the supercar my mother gave me the first year I took over the Milton Group? Even the license plate was identical. My wife, Hazel Bishop, had told me the engine was broken and that she'd sent it to the dealership for repairs. I met the man's arrogant stare. "Is this car really yours?" He paused, then grinned smugly. "My wife bought it for me. It's limited-edition. Someone like you wouldn't understand. Go call your family and sell your house. You owe me 200 thousand dollars." Sneering, he added, "Don't try anything clever. My wife's the GM of Milton Group. She has serious connections. She'll be here any minute." I let out a cold laugh. So Hazel canceled on our daughter today, not because of a business meeting, but because she was out spending the holiday with her lover and his kid instead.

All I ever wanted was to be accepted, but being a female born from Alpha warrior's blood gave me no chance in my pack that didn't allow their female wolves to train. My younger twin sister was my parent's favorite, due to the fact that she was the pretty, prim and proper daughter. I, on the other hand, was the rebellious, free-spirited daughter, that did my own thing, knowing there was no way I would ever please my parents like my sister could. The future Alpha of our pack took a liking to me, and in the darkness of the night, we would meet in a clearing deep within our territory to secretly train. With the upcoming Mating Ceremony approaching, Zane confesses to me that he has intentions of making me his Luna, and it felt too good to be true, which later to find out it was. My father announces at breakfast, that Zane intends to take my twin sister, Aira, as his mate and the next Luna of our pack. My heart is shattered once again, and I find myself not able to cope with all the pain I have endured over the years. It was at that moment that I let my wolf take over to take all the pain away, but when I woke up, I found myself without my memories of my past life and on foreign pack lands.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Underneath the bright lights, the man makes me lie facedown on the bed. Then, he pushes my waist down from behind, seemingly looking for the best spot. I feel something odd press against me and cry out, telling him to stop. He doesn't, though. In fact, he grabs hold of my belt.