Novels by Dare Win

Logan’s POVIt had been a long night of thrashing around on the forest floor. I had woken up after what seemed like an inconceivable amount of time but it was only just a few hours. I knew because it was early enough for Mike to bombard me with calls and texts about going out. ‘Club Equinox is popping tonight where are you the girls here are insanely hot,’ his last text read. I couldn’t be bothered with that. Not after what had happened.Mom had also called a couple times. I remembered why I had gone to the woods in the first place; our fight.Well, she had wanted me to settle down, she’d gotten her wish now. Ironically, my mate was a rogue, a werewolf's pack's natural enemy.I noticed the men on the ground and remembered what had happened. She’d taken them down so expertly that I wondered how she got into the situation in the first place, how they’d managed to ambush her. I thought about stories I’d heard about rogues. There were known to wreak havoc among packs. If she was a typic

Elise’s POV"And then she defeated the bad men and saved the emperor," mom said.I couldn't get enough of this story. She'd told it to me a million times and everytime I couldn't wait for the next time she told it to me. "Then what happened?"Mom knew that question was coming because I'd asked her the same question every time. This was our little ritual. She would tell me the same story and I'd ask her how it ends. It never failed to make her laugh. I loved seeing my mom laugh. She hardly did that these days with everything going on.She giggled as she answered me. "But El, you know how it ends.""But I want to hear it from you, mom"Mom gave a relenting sigh. She knew better than to argue with me. "She brings honor to her family and is rewarded for her bravery. Won't you let me tell you another story, El?"Snuggling deeper into my blanket, I prepared myself for my impending sleep. "I don't know mom. Do other stories have a girl who saves her emperor and bring honor to her family."Mo

I hurried down the stairs and out of the building. I knew mom would give me an earful if she caught up with me and I didn’t want to deal with all that at the time. I decided I’d walk to my apartment instead of waiting for her. I’d only made it a few blocks when she pulled up beside me and not wanting to cause a scene, I got into her car.“What were you thinking? What is wrong with you?” she asked. Straight to it, I thought.‘Why did you bring me here today?”She was gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were turning white. “All I want is the best for you. Why can’t you see that? I thought if I brought you here today and you saw how happy these people were you’d realize what you were missing out on. You can’t possibly want to live like this forever Logan. It’s no way to live.”Over and over again with this same thing. I was just about sick of it. “I told you how he used to bully me when we were kids, right? I’d tell da and you and you’d tell me he was just playing with me a

A couple of minutes later, I was dressed and as I walked down the stairs, my nose was blessed by a savory aroma. Walking into the kitchen, my eyes were greeted by the sight of a delectable feast that almost made me cry.My mom had somehow made a feast out of nothing. When I looked in the fridge, all I saw was a bunch of cold things in packages. I could make a decent sandwich but my mom had made French toast, egg, bacon, hash browns, and other stuff that I couldn’t even identify.I walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “Eat,” she said as she cleaned the pans she’d used.“Don’t mind if I do,” I said as I grabbed a plate and heaped my plate with food. Nothing cures a hangover like a hearty meal and it didn’t get any heartier than this.My mom turned around and looked at me with that same look. This time though there seemed to be worry mixed in. “So,” I started as I stuffed my face, “where are we going?”“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” I rolled my eyes at her words but her dismis

Logan’s POVBodies moved in unison to the beat blaring from the speakers above, grinding against the girl I was dancing with. Her hair kept getting in my mouth as she swayed from side to side. Great. I had so much sweat on me, most of which wasn’t mine. Just great. At least I’d numbed my mind with alcohol. I could barely make out the images before me, the thronging bodies a little more than a blur. My head felt as if a construction crew was in it, jackhammering my consciousness away. I felt like I was on autopilot with my body moving on its own accord, almost like I was going through the motions of something I’d done a million times before.I had been there before. I knew exactly how all this would end; with at least one of the girls I’d just so happened to meet at the bar in my bed, have some mediocre sex, and wake up with a diabolical hangover. Why did I do this to myself? Nothing about this was appealing to me but what was the alternative? Be mated, get married, and live a long, u

I sat in my office, staring at my CEO certificate.‘Congratulations. You’re ready to run a company!’ The golden words said.sI couldn’t believe how far I’d come since I last read those words. The last few months were loud and rough; the betrayals, the struggles, all the pain – it was all finally over.I stared at a picture on my phone – one of Jesse and I at a company event. We were mid-conversation, laughing our asses off at something. For a second, I wanted to be back then. I was care-free then, with no worries on my mind.My phone buzzed, startling me. Jesse texted that he was coming to my office.After a few minutes, the door opened and Jesse walked in carrying two cups of coffee. “Figured you’d need some fuel.”“You know me too well.” I accepted the warm cup from him.“I do.” He sat down and took his own cup. “Which is how I know there’s something on your mind.”I sighed, taking a quick sip and setting down my cup. “I can’t help it. I keep wondering ‘what next?’, you know what I

“Do you think he’s going to kill her?”My head had been on Jesse’s chest all morning. We talked and talked until I finally decided to bring up a burning question I had.“Who, Deandra?” Jesse asked.“Yeah. Those cops seemed like they would probably leak the details to Don Simeon, and apparently, he’s some big shot in the criminal underworld. So?”“I don’t know. Proba–”A loud knocking – no, banging on his front door jarred up alert. WHo the hell thought now was a good time.I reluctantly got off of him so he could go and check it out. I quickly put on some clothes just in case.“Ashley?” I heard him say.It had been ages since I saw his cousin so I went out to see her. Who I saw next stopped me in my tracks.“Mom?” Jesse said, standing stiffly at the door.Celia was standing on his doorstep looking like she’d been sentenced to death.“I’m sorry, Jesse. She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Ashley said before turning to me. “Hey, Remi. I’m so sorry about this.” And just like that, she wa

“I knew you’d come around.” Deandra poured herself a glass of scotch.As some sort of power move, she made us wait half an hour before we met with her. Sitting in her office, for hopefully the last time, my heart was pounding a thousand beats a second. My mind was reeling. There is no way she was going to suspect us right? I mean, someone who’s had to deal with so many crooked people would be able to spot crooked behavior. Maybe this was a bad idea.Jesse squeezing my hand soothed me a little but the anxiety remained. Only this time, it was a shadow in the corner of my eye as opposed to a looming figure blacking out my vision.“And you even brought little Miss Perfect with you.” She smiled and took a sip from her cup.“I’m only here because you threatened Jesse,” I spat. “I can’t stand being near you.”I crossed my fingers, hoping she would take the bait.“Oh, so she’s the knight in shining armor and you’re the princess?” She asked, cackling. “Either way, I didn’t threaten him. I gav

I couldn't believe how much my life had changed. Things were going so much smoother without the drama from all the enemies I inadvertently made along the way.Better yet, Jesse and I had been making up for lost time. That part was amazing. Zero complaints there. I was firing on all cylinders, almost like all the stress was dulling my senses and now that they’d all been cleared up, I could finally see things. My judgment was impeccable.Which is why I noticed the uneasiness in Jesse. We were in a doughnut shop, satisfying my sugar cravings. He had been trying to hide it the whole time, checking his phone when he thought I wasn’t looking, fielding calls, until he eventually turned off his phone.“Jesse,” I placed my hand on his, “what’s going on?”He dropped his doughnut and sighed. “I thought I was hiding it well. It’s Deandra.”Hearing her name was like a shock. I knew she wasn’t done with us but why was she back so soon? “What does she want?” My voice showed more worry than I’d int

“What? You’ll try and kill me again?”“Stop saying that!” She stomped her feet and crossed her arms like a child throwing a tantrum. “I did that once! Can’t you let it go? Damn, why do you always have to bring that up and ruin the vibe?”Mission accomplished. I hoped Jesse heard everything.“I didn’t want to have to do this, Remi, but you’ve left me no choice.” She snapped her fingers, and like something out of a movie, two hefty men walked out of the shadows, flanking Debbie on both sides. “These men will teach you a lesson now,” Debbie said as casually as if she was ordering a burger. My stomach dropped when the men started to approach me. Run! The voice in my head screamed, but my feet were rooted to the spot. Everything went into slow motion. I couldn't run away from her again. But if I didn't, her men would do unspeakable things to me. Jesse would want to help but I couldn't put him in danger for my fight. Visions of Oscar from the previous day flashed in my mind. I cringed

“To-together?” I stuttered. He probably thought I looked silly with the massive grin on my face but I didn’t care. I was right where I wanted to be, staring into the eyes of the man I loved.My phone buzzed, ruining the moment we were having.It was a text from an unknown number so I didn’t bother.“You’re not going to get that?” Jesse asked.I shrugged. “I don’t know who it is.”He nodded thoughtfully and sat down. I began to feel awkward standing aimlessly in his office. I was hoping he’d say something to ease my tension but he didn’t. He didn’t even look bothered.“I’ll just… go.”The walk to his door seemed a mile long and my legs moved haphazardly like I forgot how to walk but I eventually got to the door. “Um, Remi? Do you want to get dinner la–”“Yes!” I turned around before he could even finish his sentence. I mentally smacked my forehead.“Cool.” He flashed me a smile. “I guess I’ll pick you up after work. When do you get off?”I burst into laughter – a bit exaggerated I wa