Empty Smiles

Heartbreak is supposed to kill a wolf’s spirit, but Aria Vale refuses to die quietly. Humiliated before her entire pack when her fated mate publicly rejects her, Aria returns home, shattered and furious, only to find a black envelope waiting on her bed. Inside lies an invitation to a deadly challenge known only as The Game: “Survive, and win what your heart desires most.” With nothing left to lose, Aria enters a realm beyond her world, an ancient castle suspended between life and death, where each dawn brings a new trial of survival. Competitors vanish one by one, hunted by the magic that governs the Game. But not everyone is what they seem. One contestant, a charming, infuriatingly optimistic wolf named Kael, seems more interested in keeping her alive than winning himself. His warmth disarms her, his smiles irritate her, and his secrets could destroy them both. Now Aria must survive the trials, outsmart the goddess who created them, and decide what freedom truly means: breaking her bond to the mate who betrayed her, or risking everything for the wolf who was never supposed to love her.

Adrian Vale is powerful, successful, and untouchable. At twenty nine, she is the CEO of Vale Noir Group, admired for her intelligence, respected for her leadership, and protected by a family no one dares to cross. Adrian is kind, warm, and loyal, even as powerful men orbit her world, each drawn to her for different reasons. A brilliant lawyer who challenges her mind and tempts her restraint. A businessman from her past who knows the woman she used to be. A dangerous connection she never fully escaped. But danger does not always arrive openly. Celeste Ashford is charming, helpful, and always close. A friend who smiles easily and listens carefully. When envy turns into entitlement, proximity becomes a weapon, and betrayal sets off a chain of events Adrian never sees coming. Whispers turn into threats. Threats turn into violence. And a reward is placed on Adrian Vale. Forced to confront the cost of being desired and the danger of being known, Adrian must decide who truly deserves her trust and how far she is willing to go to survive. This is not a story about a woman waiting to be saved. It is a story about power, desire, loyalty, and what happens when the wrong person gets too close.

I'm betrothed to Hylton Miller from the moment I'm born. For as long as I can remember, he protects and loves me like I'm already his wife. Even if I get a tiny splinter on my hand, he holds it carefully as he gently clips it away. That is, until the young woman his family sponsors offends a client and is about to be sent to Zubania. He drugs me with a glass of wine. When I wake up, I'm in a foreign country and trapped in an illegal factory. Here, I endure inhuman abuse, torment, even humiliation... At my lowest, when despair almost swallows me whole, that sponsored young woman appears before me in a pristine, custom-made white gown. She smiles sweetly and presses the play button on a voice recording. And from the speaker comes the voice I long for every day and night. "It's fine. Alina's the young lady of the Winslet family—they won't do anything to her. But Priscilla? She's different. Worst case, I'll make it up to Alina when she gets back…" In that moment, it feels like someone tears my heart open with their bare hands.

Jayden resumed speaking, his voice full of command. "Our new Luna is someone we all know well. A kind, loving, and brave soul—she is the most beautiful woman on this earth." A tint of red crept up my cheeks. I straightened my gown, ready to go up the stage. "It's none other than… Daisy Andre." Immediately I heard those words from him, my shoulders dropped, my face tightened. The smiles that once decorated my face vanished, leaving me with a frown. ****** Ashley gave her heart to Jayden, the Alpha of the Oakwood Pack, believing he was hers forever. But when he chose her best friend, Daisy, as his Luna instead, Ashley was crushed. Banished, humiliated, and rejected, she was left to pick up the shattered pieces of her life. But fate had more in store for her. After a near-fatal car accident, Ashley wakes up to the news that she is pregnant—with triplets. Now, Ashley has to make a choice: to raise her children on her own or go back to the man who broke her heart and demand he take her back. Will she find the courage to forgive Jayden, or will the wounds of the past deny her the future she deserves?

Right before my wedding, my fiancé, Benjamin Gray, holds another wedding at an old settlement with his true love, who has lung cancer. He holds Jennifer Robinson close and smiles tenderly at her underneath the starry sky. "According to the local customs here, the woman whose wedding is held first is considered a man's actual wife. I might have already registered my marriage with Samantha, but she's more like my mistress." Everyone cheers and blesses them as they toast each other and enter their room for the night. I witness all of this, but I don't cry or kick up a fuss. Instead, I make an appointment for an abortion. I've loved Benjamin for 15 years, but I still can't compare to Jennifer, who is my stepsister. If that's the case, I'll let him go. Later, I join a geological exploration and research team in the South Isles and am cut off from the world. All I leave behind is a divorce agreement and a divorce gift. Benjamin has never cared for me, so it's odd that he loses his mind overnight after my departure.

Leah gave him everything, her trust, her heart, even the future she thought they would share. But Shane's smiles always found her sister, Mary, and the man Leah loved never loved her back. Broken and humiliated, she leaves to the ruthless Northwind Pack, determined to bury the past and build a life where no one can make her feel invisible again. What she doesn't expect is Darien. Cold, dangerous, and the Alpha's advisor, Darien is nothing like the wolves she's known. He sees through her walls with unnerving precision, challenges her at every turn, and refuses to let her fade into the background. But Darien carries secrets of his own, and the pull he feels toward Leah doesn't fit into his carefully laid plans. Caught between a bond she never asked for and a destiny she doesn't understand, Leah must decide: will she guard her heart behind the walls she built to keep her safe, or will she embrace the power rising within her and become the wolf she was always meant to be? In the North, not everything is what it seems. The Northwind Pack remembers its legends, and some bloodlines refuse to stay buried.

When 24-year-old Lila Carter returns home for the summer, she expects an empty househer mother is away on a three-month cruise. Instead, she finds Julian Reyes, her mother’s dangerously handsome 39-year-old husband, the man who’s fueled her forbidden fantasies for years. With the house to themselves, the tension that’s been simmering since Julian married her mother finally ignites. Stolen glances turn into midnight swims, whispered touches become breathless, sheet-clenching nights, and every moan is caught on hidden cameras neither of them knew existed. They’re careful. Or so they think. One stormy night changes everything. One secret lens records it all. Soon, a faceless blackmailer has every explicit secondthe pool, the laundry room, the master bedand the price of silence is climbing fast. If Lila and Julian don’t pay, the first clip goes straight to her mother. Caught between scorching desire and the threat of total destruction, they’ll risk everything to keep their darkest fantasy alive… even if it means burning their old lives to the ground. A high-heat, age-gap, forbidden step-romance loaded with sneaking around, possessive passion, heart-pounding close calls, and sex so intense it’ll leave you aching for more.

In a world where traditional roles are shattered, meet the enigmatic pair—Alpha and Omega. The Omega defies the stereotype of weakness, while the Alpha discovers he's not as omnipotent as he once believed. Forget about white fur, black fur, or any fantastical notions. In this reality, she doesn't cook, he does, and they both possess an unexpected allure that transcends the ordinary. There are no damsels in distress here, and crowns like "Alpha King," "Red Alpha," or other such titles are merely empty words. She's a rogue, and he's an alpha, but fate has a way of twisting expectations. Bonds form and bonds break, but who said they were meant for each other? Mates may come and go, but that doesn't define their worth. He doesn't require a Luna, and she has no use for an alpha. When the Alpha stumbles, it's the Omega who tends to his wounds. And remember, the Alpha and Omega here aren't bound by conventional gender norms. Buckle up for a story where "forever" takes on a whole new meaning. Discover their captivating journey in "Alpha and Omega," where the lines between strength and vulnerability blur, and destiny takes its unpredictable course. Don't miss out on the secrets that await. Enjoy the suspense!

After Nathan Seville stands me up for the seventh time we're supposed to register our marriage, I finally cut all ties with him—completely and on my own terms. If he shows up at a gathering, I don't go. If he's invited to perform at the college anniversary, I leave early. The moment my company decides to work with him, I resign on the spot. Even on Christmas Eve, when he shows up at my house with gifts, I make up an excuse about needing to visit someone. Calls? Blocked. Socials? Deleted. My strategy is simple—cut it all off. I don't reach out, and he has no way of finding me. For the first 30 years of my life, I spent most of it loving him with everything I had. I cared for him, supported him, and waited for him. But after being left hanging for the seventh time at the City Hall, I finally wake up. I don't want to live like this anymore. Even if I end up alone, it's still better than spending night after night waiting in an empty house that never feels like home!

Luna Baxter and Simon Fulmer have been married for five years. One day, she receives a provocative voice message and intimate photos from Simon's first love. They're sent from his phone, too. "I've only been back in the country for half a year, but he took the bait as soon as I laid it. He's prepared blue fireworks for me tonight, but I don't like the color blue. To avoid wastage, you can have them on your wedding anniversary." Luna and Simon's fifth wedding anniversary comes a month later. She looks out the window at the blue fireworks lighting up the sky. Then, her gaze lands on the empty seat across from her. Simon's first love challenges her again. She sends her a photo of them having a candlelight dinner. Luna doesn't cry or kick up a fuss. She silently signs a divorce agreement and asks Simon's secretary to prepare for a wedding. "What are the bride's and groom's names, Mrs. Fulmer?" "Simon Fulmer and Sophie Sutherland." Seven days later, she flies to Naavi to give them her blessings. She throws them a wedding.