stomach growl

A week after I gave birth via C-section, Mark Whitman invited his friends over to celebrate the birth of our son. The crowd was boisterous—more than a dozen people. Not one of them bothered to remove their dirty shoes. The wooden floor was soon covered in muddy footprints. Mark came into the room and, without a hint of concern, ordered me out of bed. "Everyone's waiting outside. Don't just hide here and rest—you're embarrassing me in front of our guests." I had no choice but to push through the pain, forcing my body to prepare a huge meal for the large crowd, all on my own. When I carried the final bowl of steaming soup to the table, Lily Hoyte—whether intentionally or not—jabbed her hand against the wound on my abdomen. My hand trembled from the sudden pain, and the bowl slipped slightly, spilling the hot soup onto Lily's shoes. Mark's face darkened instantly. "What the heck did you do, Cammy? Lily rushed here right after her plane landed from overseas to see our son, and this is how you treat her?" The crowd quickly chimed in. "Come on, Cammy, no need to be so petty." "Mark and Lily grew up together. If there was really something between them, do you think you'd even be here now?" "Do you even know how much those shoes cost? They're limited edition—easily over ten thousand dollars. And you just ruined them." Lily stood up awkwardly, her eyes misting with tears. "If Cammy doesn't like me," she said softly, "then I'll leave. I don't want to be a bother." But Mark grabbed her hand in an exaggerated display of protection, his voice harsh as he turned to me. "Wipe Lily's shoes clean. Right now." His partiality for Lily made something sharp twist in my chest. My lips quivered as I fought back tears. "The wound on my stomach hasn't healed yet. I can't bend over." At that, his expression grew colder. "Don't use childbirth as an excuse. If you can't bend over, then kneel and wipe them. And if you won't, get out of my house!"

Trigger Warning: This book contains morally gray werewolves, aggressive mate bonds, and a love interest who doesn’t understand the concept of personal space. Forced intimacy? Physical, magical, boy on girl, girl on girl... Dubious consent? Why stop at the MMC? If you like your romance with a side of "this is probably a red flag," proceed with caution (and maybe a glass of wine). Unwanted by her own pack, exiled on her 18th birthday, Lyra's dreams were torn from her. What hope did she have for a better future? It's only when fate brings her to Alpha Veyron that she begins to understand the moon goddess has so much more in store for her. Will this Alpha force an eternal claim on her, denying her love forever? Or will he allow her to choose what to do with her future? CHAPTER PREVIEW: Lyra swallowed hard, her throat dry, but the words escaped her lips before she could stop them. “I’m a reject,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “The man who was supposed to be my mate chose my sister instead.” His palms slammed the wall beside her head as his roar blew the hair out of her face. Lyra flinched, recoiling. His growl deepened, reverberating through the small space. “Whoever rejected you is irrelevant,” he snarled, his voice dripping with finality. “You. Belong. To me.”

I gave Kenny everything—my love, my future, my dreams. I dropped out of school, worked multiple jobs, and sacrificed my ambitions to send him abroad. Seven years of loyalty, only to find him slipping a ring onto another woman’s finger. Back then, Kenny had nothing. I was his rock, his provider, his everything. But everything changed when he discovered the truth about his origins. "You're useless, Ivana. An illiterate nobody. I could never marry someone like you." His fiancee smirked, resting a hand on her stomach—pregnant with his child. Kenny, once the man who swore forever to me, now looked at me like I was dirt beneath his feet. That’s when I learned the painful truth: A man's love isn't measured in his lowest state, but when he rises. And Kenny had risen—without me. Shattered, I ran. I didn't know where until I found myself at a railway entrance, tears blurring my vision. "Having a bad day?" A deep, smooth voice pulled me from my despair. Josh Williams. A billionaire with his own game. He offered me a deal—one that would change everything. "Marry me. No strings attached. You need a fresh start, and I need a wife." But what I didn’t know? Josh was Kenny’s brother. And his proposal wasn’t just about saving me—it was about buying time. Then the wedding flyers surfaced. Kenny lost it. He couldn’t stand the idea of me being with Josh, and their father was even worse. An illiterate like me had no place in their family. And just like that, the battle lines were drawn—love, power, and inheritance at stake. This time, I wasn’t just playing. I was winning.

During the tenth year I had a crush on Ron, I was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer. With a critically ill notice in hand, I stood at the door to the room where my former classmates gathered, and I heard Ron holding his crush and cooing at her, “Just ignore it. Willow has been bothering me for ten years. If there was even a possibility of us getting together, we would have done so a long time ago. Honestly, I would never like her. Even if she continues bothering me for another ten or twenty years, I still won’t like her.” My former classmates cheered, and Ron looked like he was about to kiss her. I stood at the door and cried so hard that I trembled, but I did not dare make a sound. Ron, I would not be able to bother you for another twenty years. I was about to die.

A medical report shows me my husband's true colors. I've been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. Yet, my husband gives our life savings to someone else. I lunge at him to take my anger out on him, but he shoves me to the floor. "Lillian needs the money to open up a shop, you madwoman! So what if I've given her the money? "You have late-stage stomach cancer, so it's the end of the line for you! Why are you trying to compete with someone who has a long life ahead when you already have one foot in the grave? You can't expect Mom and I to lose everything because of you, right?" I sit dazedly on the floor. I've never found him more unfamiliar. After that, I sneak all my wedding gifts out, wanting to sell them for money. However, I'm told they're all fakes. My husband sneers. "I'm glad I had the foresight to switch them out for the real deal. You would've taken all the money if not for that!" Later, the hospital called to say there was an issue with their system. The names on the medical reports were wrongly indicated. I ask my husband, "Why are you competing with someone who has a long life ahead when you already have one foot in the grave?"

‘He was going to reject me.’ My stomach twisted violently. Why had I thought this was a good idea? My palms grew clammy around the ring, my mind screaming at me to retreat, to salvage what little dignity I had left. ‘What kind of person pulls a stunt like this?!’ My own voice taunted me mercilessly. ‘This is it, Claire. Game over.’ But instead of the anticipated rejection, Giancarlo reached out—his hand brushing mine, sending a jolt up my arm as he plucked the ring from my fingers. The motion was fluid, deliberate, like he’d done it before—and then… “I do,” he said simply, his voice steady as he slid the ring onto his finger yh with mad confidence. ~~~ Claire Bennett’s perfect Valentine’s Day proposal ends in a disaster when she catches her boyfriend with another woman. In a fit of rage, she forces an engagement ring onto the finger of the first man she sees—a suave and mysterious passerby who shocks her by playing along. But Claire’s spur-of-the-moment fiancé isn’t just anyone. He’s Giancarlo Fiore Caruso—her ex’s boss and the ruthless CEO of her company. A fake engagement, a trip to the Maldives, and an undeniable connection soon turn her spur-of-the-moment decision into something she can’t control. Sparks of desire fly despite their stark differences, and attraction simmers just beneath the layers of deception. But will Claire’s impulsive decision mark the beginning of something real—or a recipe for heartbreak?

Helena Whitmore was never meant to be Adrian Cavendish’s wife. But when her world crumbles, he’s there—with an offer she can’t refuse. A marriage built on necessity. A deal written in ink. But Adrian doesn’t do anything without a reason. And from the moment she steps into his world, she realizes—this was never just business. Because Adrian has secrets. Secrets that make her pulse race and her stomach twist. And the most dangerous part? She’s not sure if she wants to run from him… or straight into his arms.

I barely have time to react when my back collides with the cold wall of my room. Gray’s hands slams against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. his chest rises and falls. “You’re a coward,” he breathes his voice raspy. I swallow hard. “And you’re an asshole.” He smirks, but there’s no humor in it. “Maybe, but at least I don’t run from what I want.” I try to shove him away but with one hand he catches my wrists, pinning against the wall above my head. My breath hitches. His grip isn't painful, just firm and possessive. “You keep looking at me like that,” he murmurs as his lips brush against my jaw causing me to tilt my head, “but then you pretend you don’t want this.” “I don’t,” I whisper and even I don’t believe myself. Gray’s lips twitch, as if he’s amused. Then before I can stop him, his lips crash against mine. I gasp and that’s all it takes for him to deepen the kiss, his free hand sliding to my waist, pulling me against him. heat pulls in my stomach and moves between my legs. I should push him. I should slap him, make him stop… But I don’t. Because the moment his tongue brushes against mine, I’m gone. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… He is my tormentor, my stepbrother, my worst nightmare. Yet somehow in the dark, when the world isn't watching, he becomes something else, something forbidden. We're never meant to fall. Never meant to crave. But here we are, heading straight for disaster.

One sacred rule in the Silver Frost Pack: siblings can never be mates. Until the moon goddess decided to play a cruel joke. Killian Fenrirson would kill anyone who dared look at his little sister. As the pack's feared enforcer, protection runs in his blood. But when forbidden desires start haunting his dreams, the very sister he swore to protect becomes his sweetest temptation. Faye has always lived in her brother's shadow, safe in his unwavering love. That is, until his touch starts burning through her skin and his growl sends shivers down her spine. Now, every moment together is both ecstasy and torture. But someone in the pack has been watching. Waiting. When jealousy ignites into murderous rage, buried secrets claw their way to the surface. Blood will stain the snow. Bonds will shatter. And one of them will discover just how far they'll go to claim what was never meant to be theirs. In the Silver Frost Pack, forbidden love doesn't just kill—it devours.

I stepped inside the office and sat before the doctor. But my thoughts suddenly drifted. "Mr. Blackwood?" The doctor’s voice pulled me back to the present. "How is she?" The doctor sighed, flipping through Natalie’s chart before meeting my gaze. "She suffered a severe head trauma. We managed to stabilize her, but…" He hesitated. My stomach twisted. "But what?" "She has retrograde amnesia. Right now, her memory is… fragmented. From what we’ve assessed, she doesn’t recall the last five years." Ethan froze. "How do you mean, five years?" "She believes it’s still 2018. In her mind, she’s still your wife." The words punched the air from my lungs. Still my wife. "This kind of memory loss can be temporary or permanent—we can’t say for sure. She may recover bits of it over time, or it may come back all at once." The doctor’s gaze softened. "It’s important, Mr. Blackwood, that no one tries to force her to remember anything. Pushing her could make things worse, even more dangerous." I swallowed hard, my pulse roaring in my ears. Five years of pain, five years of regrets—wiped away. "Can I see her?"I pleaded. The doctor hesitated before nodding. "Go easy on her....And Mr. Blackwood?" "Stay strong." ^^ Five years ago, Natalie Elise Blackwood walked away from her husband, Ethan Blackwood. After discovering his betrayal, she left without a trace. But when a tragic accident erases her memories, she wakes up believing she’s still Ethan’s devoted wife, unaware of the past that tore them apart. Seizing the opportunity to fix his mistakes, Ethan is determined to keep her by his side, even if it means hiding the painful truth. But when the memories return, will Natalie stay...or will history repeat itself?