The Scent of Other Men’s Sins
Ruby · Completed · 6.1k Words
Introduction
Rosalind, the mentor I had respected for years, suddenly turned on me, cutting all ties in a fit of rage that landed her in the hospital.
My mother, Adrienne, transformed overnight, screaming abuse and kicking me out of her house.
And Dorian, my fiancé, publicly humiliated me at our engagement party, viciously calling off the wedding.
Driven to despair, I wandered into the street and was nearly killed by a car. In the shocking clarity of that near-death moment, I finally realized the twisted truth behind everyone’s sudden, violent disgust for me...
Chapter 1
Linnea's POV
My world fell apart the day I got scratched by my best friend Coralie’s cat, and she handed me that "miracle" ointment.
Rosalind, the mentor I had respected for years, suddenly turned on me, cutting all ties in a fit of rage that landed her in the hospital.
My mother, Adrienne, transformed overnight, screaming abuse and kicking me out of her house.
And Dorian, my fiancé, publicly humiliated me at our engagement party, viciously calling off the wedding.
Driven to despair, I wandered into the street and was nearly killed by a car. In the shocking clarity of that near-death moment, I finally realized the twisted truth behind everyone’s sudden, violent disgust for me...
"Jesus! Milo!" Coralie shrieked.
I grabbed my neck, gasping as hot blood immediately seeped through my fingers. Coralie’s Persian cat, erratic since giving birth, had suddenly launched herself from the cat tree, her sharp claws slicing right across my neck.
"Linnea, you’re bleeding! I’m so sorry, she’s been so temperamental lately," Coralie rushed over, pulling my hand away with a look of absolute horror. "Oh my god! Your engagement party with Dorian is this weekend. What if it scars?"
I grabbed a tissue to press against the wound, smiling as I patted her hand. "Don't panic. It's a small scratch. Dorian won't care. I'm just here to pick you up for Rosalind’s birthday gala. Are you ready?"
"Wait, I have just the thing!" Coralie ignored me, digging out a green metal tube. "I got this in Europe. It's a miracle cream for inflammation and scars! Here, let me put it on you."
She squeezed a pale green, viscous paste onto her fingertips.
A cold sensation covered my broken skin. Having entirely lost my sense of smell to a severe flu a year and a half ago, I couldn't smell a thing. But I was used to it. I’d taken my daily rhinitis meds that morning, and physically, I felt fine.
"Remember to reapply it twice a day so it heals before the party!" Coralie carefully massaged the ointment into my skin.
"Got it, boss." I checked my watch. "Now hurry up and change. Rosalind hates it when people are late."
To hide the bandage and redness on my neck, I borrowed a high-necked, backless black velvet gown from Coralie.
Half an hour later, we arrived at Rosalind’s French-style estate in Long Island.
The hall was a sea of designer gowns and champagne; half of Manhattan’s architectural elite was there. Rosalind, wearing a custom burgundy dress, was the undisputed queen of the architecture world. She was the mentor who had single-handedly elevated me from an unknown rookie to today's "Most Promising New Architect."
"Look who’s here!" Rosalind’s eyes lit up when she saw me. She opened her arms, proudly announcing to the room, "My perfect masterpiece, Linnea!"
"Happy birthday, Rosalind."
I hurried over, smiling warmly. Just as I had done countless times over the last six years, I leaned in for a cheek kiss. The heating in the hall was on full blast, and from rushing over, a fine layer of sweat had formed on my forehead and nose.
Just as my cheek was about to touch hers—
Rosalind froze.
Her nostrils flared sharply. In a fraction of a second, the proud, maternal warmth in her eyes shattered into pure, unadulterated disgust.
"Rosalind?" I asked, confused, reaching out to support her arm.
"Don't touch me!"
She violently recoiled, her heel twisting on the floor. Her champagne completely spilled across the expensive rug. She stared at me, her chest heaving, looking at me as if I were a monster carrying a deadly plague.
I stood there, paralyzed. "Professor... what's wrong? If you're not feeling well, we can go to the lounge..."
"I should have known..." Rosalind ground out, her voice trembling with extreme fury and palpitations. "The disgusting things you've done behind my back! I thought you were just a hard-working girl from a humble background. I never knew you were this ruthless. There is nothing you wouldn't do to claw your way up!"
She suddenly doubled over in agony, clutching her chest and gasping for air.
"Rosalind!"
"Security! Throw her out!" she shrieked with the last ounce of her strength before collapsing onto the carpet.
Chaos erupted. People screamed; someone called 911. I tried to rush forward to help, but two massive security guards grabbed my arms, dragging me forcefully out of the estate.
Like a madwoman, I jumped into my car, tailing the ambulance all the way to Mount Sinai's emergency room. I paced the hallway, cold sweat soaking the back of my high-necked dress, the scratch on my neck burning hot.
Finally, the ER doors swung open. Out walked Rosalind’s eldest daughter, Chloe.
"Chloe, how is she? What exactly happened?" I rushed up to her.
Smack. A vicious slap landed hard on my cheek.
My head snapped sideways. My ears rang.
"You have the nerve to show your face here?" Chloe practically spat the words, pointing at the exit. "My mother had a severe heart attack. Right after she woke up, the first thing she told me was to sever all ties between you two. You are no longer her student. Take your sickening tricks and get the hell out of our sight!"
"That’s not fair! I don't even know what I did wrong!" I yelled, breaking down.
"You don't know? You're a cheap slut!" Chloe hissed a vile curse and coldly ordered hospital security to throw me out.
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When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?
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"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
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Pawn of the Starless God
Instead, a god found me.
One moment, I was bleeding beneath the neon glow of the city, my life slipping through my fingers. The next, a glowing blue screen appeared before my eyes, offering me a choice that was never really a choice at all.
Accept the Summoner’s Mark. Or die.
Now I belong to the Death Game — a brutal cosmic system where ordinary people are turned into Players, thrown into impossible missions, and forced to survive horrors designed for the amusement of gods.
Every trial has rules.
Every monster has a weakness.
Every victory comes with a reward.
And every reward makes me less human.
My name is Nerissa Valehart, and I refuse to be anyone’s pawn.
But surviving the Game means trusting the one man everyone warns me to fear.
Veyren Ashford is ruthless, powerful, and dangerously beautiful — a veteran Player with blood on his hands and secrets in his soul. He says attachment will get me killed. He says love is a weakness the Game always punishes.
Yet when death comes for me, Veyren is the one standing between us.
In a world where gods gamble with mortal lives, monsters hunt from the shadows, and desire may be the deadliest weakness of all, I have only one goal:
Survive long enough to cross the board.
And make the Starless God regret choosing me..............
LOVING MY BILLIONAIRE STEPSON
There was also a twenty-year age gap between them, Michelle didn't care because their relationship was the only ray of sunshine in her rather bleak world. And when he popped the question she was more than happy to say yes. Michelle thought she had found her happily ever after, but she couldn't have been more wrong. With each year that passed Elliot became more of a stranger and less of the man she had fallen for, neglecting her and looking the other way when his mother treated her poorly, that was until the day their 5th anniversary rolled around, she caught him in bed with her sister.
Her love is replaced by hate, a swooning affection now burning rage. Well, two could play that game. That night, she dials her stepson's number with a single text that will change their lives forever.
‘I need you tonight’
Game of Destiny
When Finlay finds her, she is living among humans. He is smitten by the stubborn wolf that refuse to acknowledge his existence. She may not be his mate, but he wants her to be a part of his pack, latent wolf or not.
Amie cant resist the Alpha that comes into her life and drags her back into pack life. Not only does she find herself happier than she has been in a long time, her wolf finally comes to her. Finlay isn't her mate, but he becomes her best friend. Together with the other top wolves in the pack, they work to create the best and strongest pack.
When it's time for the pack games, the event that decides the packs rank for the coming ten year, Amie needs to face her old pack. When she sees the man that rejected her for the first time in ten years, everything she thought she knew is turned around. Amie and Finlay need to adapt to the new reality and find a way forward for their pack. But will the curve ball split them apart?
My Life As A Werewolf
Lexington makes it crystal clear: most new turnlings die before the second full moon, and if she survives, she belongs to his pack. But to Jo, this isn't a terrifying curse—it's the content gold she's been waiting for. She starts documenting her bizarre, terrifying, and surprisingly entertaining supernatural life, determined to make her 'My First Shift' vlog the biggest sensation on VidHub.
Her antics quickly draw the ire of the most powerful being on the continent: Merrick, the lethal and uncompromising Lycan King. He sees her rogue vlogging as a threat to his world’s secrecy, and tasks Lexington with the impossible: bring the feisty new wolf to heel or face the King’s wrath.
Unbeknownst to Jo (and the King himself), Merrick recognizes her as his fated mate—a destiny he has vowed never to accept. As Jo's bright, defiant personality starts to chip away at the sullen, dangerous existence of his pack, the King finds himself helplessly watching her channel, falling a little more in love with the chaotic wolf he's supposed to silence forever.
Jolene's journey is a battle for survival, not just against her shifting body and dangerous Alpha, but against a destiny written by a Lycan King who loves her too much to ever claim her.
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
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From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
The Last Tribrid: Hunted & Hollow
That’s what the blood in the woods says.
That’s what Astrid saw with her own eyes.
And that’s what should have ended it.
But it didn’t.
Because her death wasn’t the beginning of justice.
It was the beginning of the hunt.
As grief fractures their world, Astrid and her friends are forced to confront a terrifying truth—someone isn’t just killing.
They’re choosing.
Marking.
Watching.
And now, the circle is closing.
What started as a single investigation quickly unravels into something far more dangerous, pulling them into a web of ancient forces that have been waiting… watching… and are no longer willing to stay buried.
Enemies rise from places they never thought to look.
Allies become something else entirely.
And survival begins to demand impossible choices.
Because some lives can only be saved by sacrificing others.
As power awakens inside Astrid—wild, unstable, and willing to burn everything in its path—she’s pushed to the edge of what she can control… and what she’s willing to lose.
Even if it costs her everything.
Even if it costs them.
Because this time, they aren’t just being hunted.
They’ve already been marked.
(this is a continuation of 'the last tribrid')
Rebirth Of The HighSchool Villain
When he chose Jane Sinclair over her, Aurora lost control and on graduation night, she died after drinking a poisoned wine, not knowing who poisoned her. With her last breath, she wished for a second chance and woke up one year before her death.
This time, Aurora refuses to be the villain. She breaks off her engagement, stops chasing Adrian, and walks away with her pride intact. But the more she ignores him, the more Adrian wants her back.
And when his cold, mysterious half-brother Marcel, the one who was supposed to die, returns and begins to fall for Aurora after she saves him. Now the brothers are at war.
One wants the girl who stopped loving him. The other wants the girl who saved him. But Aurora isn’t chasing anyone anymore. She’s rewriting her fate.
Will Aurora be able to change her fate? Will she return back to Adrian or choose Marcel? Or will fate turn her into the villain again? There is only one way to find out.
Take note, that names, characters, location are all fictional.
Protectors Of Her Warrior's Heart
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Tali is forced to face the father she believed abandoned her and a powerful council determined to use her for their own ends. Stranger still are the abilities awakening within her—powers no one understands, yet everyone seems desperate to control.
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When the council betrays the Protectors and attempts to steal her newborn son, it ignites a war that will shake every realm.
Now Tali stands at the center of a conflict far greater than herself. The answers to ancient mysteries, the fate of her child, and the future of countless worlds all rest on her shoulders.
Surrounded by mates who love her fiercely and refuse to leave her side, Tali will battle enemies old and new, forge powerful alliances, and discover just how strong she truly is.
Because this war won't be won for her.
It will be won with her.
And together, they will fight for their future, their family, and a love worth crossing realms to protect.
Accardi
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.
Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
Mated to Her Alpha Instructor
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?
