survival

His steely gaze bore into mine, an abyss of emotionless darkness. "Marc-" "SHUT UP!" I flinched, a shudder coursing through me. He came on closer, his fingers tightening around my neck, a cruel parody of a caress. I met his frightening stare, I stared at him breathing heavily. "Just be still." I lowered my face, eyelids fluttering shut, as if seeking solace in the darkness. "I own you." His declaration resounding heavy in the air, an unbreakable chain binding me to this desire’s. In that moment, I knew - there was no escaping the clutches of this man who held me captive, body and soul. **************** In the heart of a city shrouded in shadows and secrets, Elena Santiago's life takes a dangerous plunge. Her father's debts drag them to the doorstep of Don Marco De Luca, an astute and enigmatic mafia overlord, thrusting Elena into a world of scary gambles and lethal allure. Boundaries blur between allegiance and survival as Elena must survive through a web of deception, where every move becomes a battle cry. With her family's future teetering on a razor's edge, she finds herself torn between defying the merciless Don and submitting to a life of total servitude. ******** Will she succumb to his desires… or hers?!

In "Desperate Measures," Reina Jackson finds herself in dire straits after her mother's passing and mounting college debt. Working at a coffee shop only adds to her troubles, as she constantly gets into trouble with customers and coworkers alike. Her only focus is on earning enough money to support her younger brothers, until she receives a shocking diagnosis. With her chances of survival slim, Reina meets Ian Bladell, a wealthy businessman who may be able to help her. Despite her desperation leading her to blackmail him, Ian is drawn to Reina's plight and her bravery in the face of her illness. As the two work together to fulfill each other's needs, they both find something unexpected: love. "Desperate Measures" is a heartwarming tale of two people from opposite worlds coming together to support each other and find happiness in the face of adversity.

CEO's Affair is a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and survival set against the dark, high-stakes world of the mafia. Isabella "Izzy" Romano is a single mother struggling to pay for life-saving medical treatment for her young daughter. Desperate for work, she takes a job as a waitress at a luxury restaurant, but her world is shattered when a dangerous mob threatens her. The last person she ever expects to save her is Dante Vieri, her former boyfriend turned ruthless mafia boss. Once a man who promised to protect her, Dante now demands that Izzy become his mistress in exchange for his protection. Trapped by her circumstances and the dangerous world Dante now rules, Izzy reluctantly agrees. As she is pulled deeper into his shadowy empire, old feelings of resentment and lingering passion resurface, forcing her to confront the man he has become and the man she once knew. The stakes escalate when Izzy’s long-held secret—Dante’s daughter—threatens to unravel everything. As the mafia world closes in, Izzy faces a devastating choice: reveal the truth about their child or risk losing everything to the empire that Dante has built. Torn between protecting her family and surviving in Dante's world, Izzy must navigate the blurred lines between love and loyalty, while Dante grapples with his own feelings of guilt and unresolved desire. In CEO's Affair, both Izzy and Dante are forced to confront their pasts, their deepest fears, and their complicated emotions for each other. Can they rebuild the trust and love they once shared, or will the deadly forces of the mafia tear them apart for good?

"No! I will never be your mate!" Ariel screamed, swiftly raising her gun and aiming straight at the heart of Elijah Jaeger, the Werewolf King. “You’re mine, Ariel,” he murmured with a possessive voice as he pressed me into the table, I looked up at him to see him placing the tip of the gun in front of my vagina. "What?!" My pupils widened. He was going to **** me with a gun?! I was shaking all over, and I started to back away in fear. "No, please. No..." I begged, crying. *** In the year 2200, humanity exists as slaves under werewolf rule, with humans ranked even lower than omegas, subjected to severe abuse daily. Ariel lives within werewolf-controlled territory. Smart and resilient, she wakes up each day with one burning desire—to shoot a werewolf in the heart with a weapon of her own design. Her father was killed by werewolves, and her mother couldn’t bear the heartbreak, passing away suddenly. Ariel is consumed by pain, yet she steels herself to stay strong because she has a twin sister, Alice, and a friend, Ron, to protect. She’s determined to make the werewolves pay for their actions. But fate is merciless; Alice, driven by her own desires, betrays Ariel, and even Ron—her ever-loyal friend—begins to believe that Ariel’s death could be his ticket to freedom. Ariel refuses to break. Her greatest motivation for survival is to kill the Werewolf King—the one she believes responsible for her father’s murder. But destiny has a cruel twist in store: on the very day she intends to kill Elijah, she’s discovered to be his mate! As she finds allies willing to stand by her, will Ariel abandon revenge, or will she choose to forge a new path with Elijah?

Nikita's curse wasn't something that could simply be fixed, like a broken chair or a shattered vase. It was an immutable part of her, woven into the very fibres of her being. Accepting this truth had been a necessary act of survival, one she had embraced long ago, and she knew that the sooner others accepted it, the better. Cursed at a tender age due to her father's unkindness, Nikita was fated to bring death to anything she touched. This curse was a punishment meant to ensure that her father’s bloodline ended with her. The gravity of her curse revealed its brutality when, at just six years old, she accidentally killed her own mother with a simple touch. As years went by, her father's harsh reign eventually met its end, and Nikita inherited his throne, becoming the leader of her pack. However, at her father's funeral, destiny intervened in the form of Rykor, the son of a man who had so cruelly cursed her. Intrigued by the dark and cold Nikita, Rykor saw more than just the curse that shadowed her existence.

Like a moth is drawn to a flame, she's drawn to him even when she knows the consequences. She has been attracted to him the very first time she saw him, only that she had no idea how hard she is going to fall for him, how deeply she is going to care for him. Nathalie is an only child, the heiress to her billionaire family's fortune. She isn't interested in the family business, instead she finds comfort in drawing, painting and photographing. Lucas has an assignment to carry out and damn right he's going to do it, he mustn't let one amazing girl with a honey brown hair and eyes sway him. But can he? He came into the house hiding under the mask of being a bodyguard but it is much more than that. Both his survival and that of his twin sister depends on it.

Gwen, an omega who ran away from her pack because she was wrongly accused of starting a rumor, finds refuge in a rival pack. There, she catches the eye of the handsome Alpha Blake, which makes her old mate Derek jealous. Soon Gwen starts getting visions, but as the visions become more intense, revealing a chilling human plot aimed at harming all werewolves, whispers of a forgotten prophecy start to emerge. It speaks of a chosen one, marked by destiny, who holds the key to the survival of the werewolf race. Could Gwen be the one they've been waiting for? With the threat of war looming, Gwen finds herself navigating through suspicion, her growing feelings for Alpha Blake, and a newfound gift she never knew she possessed. Can she overcome the odds, unite the divided werewolf packs, and fulfill the prophecy before they face total annihilation at the hands of their human adversaries? Keep reading to find out.

Lily Bashwood's only crime is looking exactly like the recently dead daughter of Don Grander. She is only a poor server at a wine shop. When she is kidnapped, and forced to impersonate their dead daughter just to be Christopher's wife, billionaire heir to the Bridger Empire for one year, she is left without a choice, especially when the life of her only brother is threatened. Lily is thrown into a world of wealth, lies, deceit and foul play, the survival against the enemies being the wife of Christopher have accumulated, and navigating the complex personality of the dead girl she is impersonating; wild, adventurous, and luxurious, a sharp contrast from the life Lily is accustomed to. The marriage contract is to last a year, and Lily is to play by the rules of Don Grander and his extravagant wife for their personal gain. As Lily plays her role, she realizes there is more than meets the eye with everyone in the world of the rich. Will she be able to keep herself from falling for the handsome billionaire? Will Lily survive a year without being caught, or will she be swallowed up by the woes surrounding her? Only time will tell for Lily Bashwood.

In an effort to escape her abusive step-parent, Lyla rejects her pack and flees, but wanders into the Blackhaw pack where she is taken captive alongside other rogues like her and sold to world ruthless alphas. Lyla, now captive of the world's second most cruel alpha, has to find a way to survive or probably escape. But unknowingly and much to her surprise, her every action makes him fall in love with her. Then he gives her a tantalizing offer of freedom or to stay and become his Luna. Becoming a Luna was quite beneficial to her mostly but she runs. Lyla runs because she has no sensual feelings for him and also because he is like a ticking time bomb and could go off any second. And yes he did go off two weeks after she left. This isn't your usual romance book, it is based on survival of the fittest 'regardless' of love, which is exactly what Lyla is struggling to do as a rogue without a master or a pack.

A single misstep, and the consequences were severe. I am Moxie Guerra, known to all who know me as a devil with the face of an angel. At the age of seventeen, I am a woman with high standards in every aspect of life. I insist on the best food, the most luxurious clothing, and when it comes to men, they must be extraordinarily wealthy, attractive, and well-known. Born to my father's mistress, who passed away after my birth, I am scorned by my father's second family. As the daughter of a mafia boss, I was brought up in a perilous environment. No one perceived me as patient or kind. Instead, I was feared, much like my father, which was my Achilles' heel. However, when I discovered that my father had arranged my marriage to the richest son in the country without my approval, my rebellious streak surfaced. I wasn't just the daughter of a mafia boss for appearances. I was as obstinate and egocentric as my father. I decided to flee to a place where my father would least expect me to be. I stopped at the nearest bar for some liquid courage before driving to my mother's hometown. It was a humble province, filled with trees and dirt roads, a stark contrast to my opulent lifestyle. But my survival was more crucial than my sophisticated tastes. However, my car broke down in the middle of a vast highway on the way there. Despite being inebriated, I managed to survive. A man in a black Hummer arrived and came to my aid. His smile was menacing and disconcerting.