Don't Blame Me

On my fifth birthday, my parents showed up at my birthday party later than usual. They brought with them a skinny little girl who couldn't seem to speak at all. I rushed over, hoping to hug Mom, only to get knocked down by her. That was how I fell into the ten-foot cake that my parents had specifically picked out for me. Buttercream filled my nose and mouth, suffocating me to no end. When I managed to climb out of the mess, I burst out in tears and asked Dad to cuddle me. But Dad retracted his hands while looking conflicted. "Don't blame your mom, Willow. From now on, you must take good care of Maple, your little sister. As long as Maple is happy, your mom will be happy." Later on, the mean kids in the neighborhood shove Maple Thompson, my new little sister, into a pile of sand. I rush over to protect her immediately. Once we get home, I mimic my parents by drawing a bath so that I can clean Maple up. That's when Mom suddenly barge into the bathroom and slap me heavily across the face. "You've already enjoyed our love for the past five years! Why are you still greedy for more? I can't believe you're trying to drown Maple right now!" Mom's eyes have gone bloodshot. She drags me by the hair and stuffs me into the washing machine. "Only a washing machine is capable of cleanse that filth out of your soul! You can only scramble out of the washing machine and apologize to Maple once you've decided to quit bullying your sister!" In the living room, Dad lowers his voice. "Keep your voice down when you're chewing Willow out. Maple is about to fall asleep. Don't go around waking her up now." Mom doesn't want to look at me anymore. Instead, she slams the lid onto the washing machine forcefully. I can't get out of the machine. What she doesn't know is that the washing machine will activate. "The 212-degree-Fahrenheit wash cycle has been activated." Scalding hot water is soon dumped onto my body. It hurts so much that I gradually lose my consciousness. Will Mom love me again once I'm squeaky clean after the wash cycle?

Mate. Everyone in my pack dreams of hearing that one word at the Mating Ball, but for someone like me—a shadow wolf—this word may sound like a death sentence. I'm Asena Jordart, the illegitimate daughter of the great warrior, Erebus Jordart, and my wolf spirit is still asleep. For someone like me, a love game might become a gamble where life is at stake. Foolishly, I decided to risk it all for the one I loved, Kylar Venelo. The Alpha's son found his weak mate unworthy of becoming his Luna. Not caring whether I would live or die, he rejected me before the entire pack, savoring every second of my agony. The Fates decided I didn't die. I found my new life high in the mountains. I found a teacher who trained me to fight, and I found my life's purpose. As a leader of the resistance group, I fought against Alpha King Khaos's tyranny and saved lives. Then the Fates mocked me, forcing me to return to my old pack and help those who mistreated me. In order to free the members of my old pack and my dear sister, I had to give up on my own freedom, becoming a captive of Alpha Khaos's most brutal general, Alpha Kaan. Surprisingly, I found that being close to this vicious man was equally terrifying and fascinating. Once I tore through the layers of the cold-blooded killer, I found someone for whom my heart began to thunder. Now I begin to fear that he might be my second chance mate… And another rejection will surely be my death.

It's the Werewolves' Hunting Festival today. It's been three months since I found my mate. During the festival, male werewolves will give the prey they've hunted to their mates. It's a way to show their strength and love for their mates. However, my mate, Chris Ashwood, tells me to give up on him and pick another mate, seeing as there are so many other outstanding Alphas around. I nod calmly and agree. In my past life, I disagreed and insisted on marrying him. However, he didn't mark me after we got married. In fact, he was stargazing in the desert with his true love when I was shot by a bounty hunter and gravely injured. Perhaps this is just a game of heart-hunting that should never have begun.

In a world where love's course is never predictable, Anastasia Perry's life took a dramatic turn on her wedding day. Upon discovering her groom, Matthew Smith had been cheating on her through a video. She made a heart-wrenching decision: to run away, leaving her own wedding in chaos. Now, two years later, Anastasia returns. Anastasia is now married to Matthew's uncle, Harry Smith. Her unexpected reappearance rocks Matthew's world. Harry and Anastasia are involved in a secret contract marriage in order to save his inheritance. The question lingers: Can Anastasia prevent herself from falling for Matthew all over again? As Harry finds himself falling for Anastasia, can he convince her to make their one-year contract permanent? Will Matthew's secret plans to destroy his uncle succeed? With emotions running high and a web of complicated choices to navigate, their story unfolds in a captivating dance of secrets, forgiveness, redemption, and the ultimate question: Can love truly conquer all?

Alora After surviving an abusive childhood and aging out of the foster system, Alora learned to rely on no one but herself. She’s finally built a quiet, stable life—working the overnight shift at a 24-hour diner, keeping her head down, staying invisible. Until everything changes. When her car won’t start outside her apartment, she’s forced to cut through a dark park to make her shift. She expects inconvenience—not violence. Not teeth. Not the kind of attack that leaves her broken… and remade. She wakes in a cage, disoriented and terrified, only to discover the truth: she’s been turned into something she never believed in. She has a wolf now. Worse—she’s something the werewolf world isn’t supposed to have. A female alpha. Rescued from the pack that abducted and changed her, Alora barely has time to process what she’s become before another complication crashes into her life—her mate. Killian. Powerful. Dominant. Unyielding. He expects her to accept the bond. To claim—and be claimed. Alora refuses. She didn’t choose this life, this power, or this world. And she won’t choose a man who thinks he can decide her future for her. But Killian isn’t used to hearing “no.” And he’s not going anywhere.

"Turn," he growls, and I can see that he's barely containing himself. I immediately face the wall and wait for the next command. It feels dirty, like I'm his sex toy, but I love it. "Hands on the wall, feet apart," he says. He kicks my feet apart at the same time as he gives the demand, just as impatient as I am. He pulls out my hips so I'm leaning forward, then smacks my ass. He groans deeply in his throat and says, "Seeing your ass jiggle under my hand is f-cking beautiful." I'm squirming, wishing I could put my legs back together to get some friction. "Please Cass, I need it," I whine in a voice that doesn't sound like my own. "You know I can't resist when you beg, my angel," he praises, then slams into me brutally and starts f-cking me hard. *** Alexa relocated to Chicago to work as an assistant and Cassio was exiled by his older brother, the don of the biggest Italian mafia family in New York. Alexa is Cass's assistant at Ombra, the company he built over the 10 years he's been in Chicago. Both are independent and have no interest in love. A mistake at work turns into an opportunity and Cass offers Alexa a contract as his fake girlfriend to keep women away. The two make a great team and in such close proximity they discover that their sexual chemistry is off the charts. Alexa just has one condition and Cass easily accepts. Don't fall in love. As their fake relationship develops, Alexa learns that Cass isn't the upstanding businessman she thought he was and Cass learns that his heart can still beat. Too bad it takes Alexa's kidnapping for him to realize how much she means to him.