9786 Book(s) Related to the last thing he told me a novel

Damien thought he could balance loyalty to his childhood friend and love for his angel fiancée. He had no idea he was dragging me into a living nightmare. Four years of false heavenly missions turned into endless torment upon the altar. The lies crumbled the moment my angelheart was torn out of my chest. After uncovering Chloe’s deception and his own heinous crimes, Damien meted out brutal justice, gave away all his ducal fortune as atonement, and leaped into hell, hoping to be reunited with me. From the divine realm, I watched him perish with cold detachment. Love that arrives only after everything has been destroyed deserves not an ounce of mercy.

For five years, my crime boss husband made me take off my wedding ring nine times—all for his precious damsel in distress.

When we first married, he promised me: "From now on, you're my queen, the queen of New Orleans."

But whenever Brianna came crying for help, he'd change his tune: "Mr. Parker saved my life, Claire. I owe his family everything."

And like a fool, I believed him eight times.

Eight times I watched from the shadows as he took another woman to our favorite restaurants.

Eight times I explained to the crew that our "separation" was just giving each other space.

Eight times I watched her move into my bedroom, use my dishes, sleep in my bed.

All for a man who kept making me slip off my ring, then slide it back on, over and over again.

Until the ninth time, when he said he needed to provide sperm for her fertility treatment, and I offered to leave.

He still thinks this is just another temporary break, expecting me to come crawling back in a month like always.

He'll never know I've already booked my ticket out of here.

On the day the apocalyptic flood swallowed the city, I died on a fractured overpass.

The man who crushed my fingers under his boot was my brother-in-law, the very man I had sacrificed everything to support. And standing safely out of reach, watching coldly as the muddy torrent swallowed me whole, was my supposedly sweet and devoted fiancée. In her arms, she fiercely clutched her "son"—who was hoarding the last of my survival rations.

In the very last second of my life, she nestled into the arms of her ex-boyfriend and left me with a single, contemptuous sneer: "Let's go. Forget about this useless trash."

It turned out that working my fingers to the bone and emptying my life savings had all been a pathetic joke—a long con orchestrated by a pack of bloodsucking parasites.

But when I opened my eyes again, I had returned to exactly one year before the apocalypse began.

My fiancée was standing there, holding a cup of hot coffee and sweetly begging me to invest another million into her brother's business.

I just smiled, gently pushed her hand away, and turned around to liquidate every single asset to my name. With that money, I secretly constructed a state-of-the-art, deep-sea underground fortress.

Later, when the monstrous floodwaters inevitably tore the city apart, they stood on the balcony of their doomed mansion, desperately falling to their knees and begging my icebreaker for salvation.

Sitting inside my perfectly secure command cabin, I took a leisurely sip of hot coffee and softly gave the order:

"Open fire. Don't let this trash dirty my deck."

Dorian, my boyfriend of three years, was a partner at a top-tier Boston law firm. He was gentle, refined, and absolutely flawless.
A week ago, he buried his face in my neck late at night, whispering that the city was suffocating him. He wanted to take me back to his hometown to meet Octavia, the grandmother who had single-handedly raised him.
I agreed without hesitation.
But on Crane Island, every night Dorian would slip out of our bed, using Octavia's gout as an excuse.
Until that night. I crept barefoot to Octavia’s door and pressed my ear against the wood.
What I heard wasn’t a sick old woman. It was Dorian’s heavy panting, mixed with the shameless, breathy moans of a young woman...

I'd been dating a mafia heir online for six months when I learned he'd meant to pursue my roommate.

He'd been given the wrong account.

I'd refused his money and returned his gifts. Grant Whitmore took that as proof I was hopelessly in love with him.

Then an anonymous number sent me his messages with a friend.

“Keep it quiet. I've got her roommate's number. I'll decide when I've figured things out.”

“Decide what? Date the roommate. This one will still be waiting when you're done.”

So he started dating her and muted my messages.

Including the one where I'd already dumped him.

But when I went three days without texting the heir to another crime family, he messaged first.

“No hubby today?”

In my last life, my younger brother made a contract with an S-rank ghost, but it turned out to be completely useless, while I contracted a B-rank ghost, the Starving Ghost, which could not only devour monsters but also consume other awakened humans' ghost servants to evolve.
Under my protection, my family went from scavenging for scraps to living in a luxury mansion inside the government safe zone.
But on the eve of a ghost tide attack, I was prepared to stay behind and defend the base while sending my parents, my sister, and my younger brother away first.
Instead, they killed me, all to take my Starving Ghost so they could have an easier time surviving on the road.
After I died, they didn't even have time to tame the Starving Ghost before it devoured every one of them.
When I opened my eyes again, I had somehow returned to the day we formed our ghost contracts, and this time, my younger brother chose the Starving Ghost.

On our graduation trip, my boyfriend and I ran into three killers in the middle of nowhere.

I stripped for them. I played nice. I told them whatever they wanted to hear.

That gave my boyfriend the chance to run. He came back with the sheriff’s deputies, and they saved me.

But when we got back to campus, word got out that three men had taken turns with me.

Every single day, strangers tore into me online:

【Three guys at once. Be honest, she liked it.】

【A real woman would’ve fought to the death to keep herself clean. Why’d she throw herself at them like that? No shame at all.】

【If that were me, I’d have deleted myself.】

My boyfriend got colder with me by the day.

Then, right after he got his slot at the state police academy, he broke up with me. His reason:

“I’m sorry.

“Every time I look at you, I can’t stop picturing all those guys on you, and I just…

“You’re dirty.”

Those last two words were the straw that broke me.

In my despair, I walked off the edge of a cliff.

And when I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day we ran into the killers.

When the apocalypse arrived, my girlfriend, driven by vanity, exposed my unlimited resource space and incited starving people to kill me and feed me to the zombies, while she herself stepped on my flesh and blood to become the "savior goddess".
But she didn't know that I mutated amidst the pile of corpses and awakened into the only zombie tyrant.
I corrupted the space, cut off food supplies, led a horde of tens of thousands of zombies to besiege the city, and threw a bounty at the starving mob: "Use her flesh and blood to exchange for a bite to eat."
Watching the once-lofty Mother Teresa torn to pieces, kneeling at my feet weeping and begging for mercy, I laughed. Moral blackmail? Sorry, I'm the Zombie King now.

For ten years, Elena Rossi built Don Nico De Luca’s empire from blood, bullets, and broken promises. She was his shield, his strategist, his most loyal woman, until he gave another girl the tenderness he had always denied her. When Elena finally walks away, Nico thinks she can be replaced. But without her, his throne begins to crack, and the woman he took for granted rises into a future that no longer has room for him.

I was once the daughter of the Alpha of Dawn Pack.
After my parents were killed and I was kicked out of the Pack, I was left with nothing.
I was brought back to William’s Pack and became the one he treasured in the palm of his hand.
When the car accident happened, he shielded me with his body, saying he couldn’t live without me.

But after I was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, all I wanted was to quietly leave and not burden him.
However, after I tried to escape from the wedding, he captured me and imprisoned me.
Refusing to eat and losing weight, it was just the toll of my illness.
But he thought I was intentionally torturing him.

When his "resurrected" ex-wife, Jessica, returned,
At the celebration banquet, I merely gagged once while eating.
He flipped the table, shoved garbage into my mouth, and screamed for me to die.
I hid in the bathroom, wrapped in his clothes, vomiting blood, and no medicine could stop the cold shivers.
For the first time, I called him and begged him to let me go.
But all I received was his scolding and the merciless hang-up.

"I gave Julian Sterling everything: my love, my loyalty, and the child I carried in my womb. In return, he watched my best friend push me down a flight of stairs and did nothing as I lost my baby.

Now, my brother is behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, and my husband is demanding I sign a lie to protect the woman who shattered my life. He thinks I’m a broken bird with clipped wings. He thinks I have nowhere left to turn.
He’s wrong.

Julian forgot one thing about the woman he married.

I’ve called my father. I’ve set the clock. I have seven days to play the grieving wife before I strip Julian of his fortune, his name, and his freedom.

The countdown to his ruin starts now.

My sister climbed out her window the night before her wedding. So my family pinned her veil over my face and sent me in her place.
I'd been her stand-in my whole life — same face, same hair, the daughter they could afford to lose. Nobody looks twice at a bride behind a veil.
The Falcones figured out I was a fake before the vows. They broke my hand for the insult. And the don himself — the man this whole city only says quietly — took one look at the mess they'd made of me and told them to throw me out with the trash.
Then his eyes dropped to the locket my dead mother left me, lying on his marble floor.
And the most feared man in the city went very, very still.
He had no business knowing my mother's name. So why did he say it like a prayer?

I thought eight years of devotion could warm a frozen heart, but it turned out to be nothing more than a nightmare of being someone’s stand-in.
Jazzy’s poisoned chocolate, the scalding hot water, and Azrael’s gaze that never strayed from his dead wife—each one a blade carving into my soul.
They said I stole her dresses, wore her necklace.
But who saw the nights I stayed awake for the pack, the dangers I took on for Jazzy?
It wasn’t until I was cast out of the territory that I realized—there was never a place for me here.
Then the ruby ring burned against my skin, and the Silverfang wolves came for me.
Only then did I learn the truth my father had hidden all along—
I was never anyone’s shadow.
I am the heir of royal blood.
And those who once hurt me will one day watch as I rise from the ashes—reborn.

Dad was in critical condition and had just been wheeled into the operating room.
My husband—also Dad’s attending surgeon—was nowhere to be found.
I stood in the corridor in my pajamas until past midnight, hands shaking as I kept calling Jason.
When the call finally connected, a sweet, girlish voice spilled through the speaker:
"I’m watching the Eiffel Tower lights with Jason!"
A male voice followed, impatient and familiar—Jason’s:
"Is it her again? Ava, tell her to stop calling. The lights are about to go out. Can she stop making a scene?"
A chill sliced through me. Before I could speak, the line went dead.

EXCERPT:

"Rayne stood looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her a pale green ballgown clung to her curves and left little to the imagination. Her jet-black curls are swept up and pinned to her head, leaving her neck exposed. Tonight was the night that most of the unmated wolves in all the North American packs would hopefully find their mates. She was sure all of them were just oozing with excitement.

She was not.

She didn’t want a mate. She didn’t need a mate...."

“...but the sudden scent of jasmine and vanilla hit her nose from somewhere close. That meant only one thing. Her mate was near..."


Rayne met her mate at the Moonlight Ball when she was eighteen, her mate that she never wanted to find, that she never wanted in her life. He showed up out of nowhere. His actions that night unknowingly set her free. She took the freedom he gave her, ran away, and never once looked back.

Now five years later he shows back up in her life after rejecting her five years ago, demanding that she take up her rightful place by his side. He walked away from her after calling her weak. No way was she going to just let him back into her life as if he belonged there. Rayne never wanted a mate, would he being here now change that? Her body and soul beg for him to claim her, yet her heart belongs to another.

Can her mate convince her to give him a chance? Will her lover convince her to stay with him? The Moon Goddess paired her with someone not of her choice, all Rayne has ever wanted was the chance to choose for herself. Who will win? Rayne or the fate that the moon set for her?

For mature readers 18+
Warning for abusive past trauma
Her Returned Mate is Book 1 in the Gathering Shadows Series. Book 2 His Redemption is also available for reading now on Anystories.

"Sign it. Save her, and I'll give you anything."
For four years, I was Damian Wright's "invisible wife".
While I played the pauper, he poured his soul into his dying first love. Desperate, he blindly signed a stack of papers to buy the "Gifted Doctor's" time.
He didn't read the fine print. Buried inside was our Divorce Decree.
"Congratulations, Damian," I said, stripping off my surgical mask to reveal the wife he never truly knew. "You're free."
The submissive Amelia is dead.
The legendary "Ghost Surgeon"? That's me.
The blindfolded racing queen "Raven"? Also me.
The shadow behind the global intelligence network? Still me.
I was ready to vanish, but Lucas Sullivan—the titan who makes the Wrights look like peasants—blocked my path.
When Damian tried to reclaim me, Lucas didn't just stop him; he brought an empire to its knees.
"They don't deserve to look at you," Lucas whispered, his touch a lethal mix of protection and obsession. "But if you crave the world, Amelia, I'll burn it down just to hear you say my name."

SOPHIE HUNTSBERGER found her way to a new life and new family when she ran from the physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her father. She has blossomed and healed in ways she never imagined she would or could be within the safe arms of her adoptive family.
ARRICK CARRERO has been her rock, her best friend, and her protector for years, but even he cannot get to the root of her growing emptiness.
Sophie is lost.
And she's reaching out for anything to fill the void and cure whatever ails her.
When Sophie realizes the answer has been within arms reach all along, she’s unable to prepare herself for Arrick’s spiraling emotions.
What was once innocent now comes into question - and life does not always let the heart prevail.
Characters that will break your heart, as well as each other.
Contains some mature, adult content and language.

“Sign the contract. Be my incubator. And I will let you live.”
That was the deal I made with the tyrant named Damon Lexton.
I was his medicine. His prisoner. He did not love me—only the rare blood in my veins that kept him alive. When I died in the fire, he did not mourn his wife. He mourned the loss of his cure.
Five years later, I returned from the dead with a new face and a heart of stone, ready to watch him suffer.
Then my five-year-old son walked into his office.
“Hey, Old Man. Are you the one who made my mom cry?”
Damon stared at the child—the son he once called a bastard. For the first time, the tyrant fell to his knees.
He cornered me against the wall, his eyes burning with madness and obsession.
“You can run, Anna. But you and our son belong to me. I used to need your blood to live. Now I need your heartbeat to breathe.”

I can't breathe. Every touch, every kiss from Tristan set my body on fire, drowning me in a sensation I shouldn't have wanted—especially not that night.
"You're like a sister to me."
Those were the actual words that broke the camel's back.
Not after what just happened. Not after the hot, breathless, soul-shaking night we spent tangled in each other's arms.
I knew from the beginning that Tristan Hayes was a line I shouldn't cross.
He wasn't just anyone, he was my brother's best friend. The man I spent years secretly wanting.
But that night... we were broken. We had just buried our parents. And the grief was too heavy, too real...so I begged him to touch me.
To make me forget. To fill the silence that death left behind.
And he did. He held me like I was something fragile.
Kissed me like I was the only thing he needed to breathe.
Then left me bleeding with six words that burned deeper than rejection ever could.
So, I ran. Away from everything that cost me pain.
Now, five years later, I'm back.
Fresh from rejecting the mate who abused me. Still carrying the scars of a pup I never got to hold.
And the man waiting for me at the airport isn't my brother.
It's Tristan.
And he's not the guy I left behind.
He's a biker.
An Alpha.
And when he looked at me, I knew there was no where else to run to.

After a tragic misstep leads to her best friend's death, Bella is exiled from the Rune pack by her alpha father.
Her new life with her mother and stepfather, the Alpha of Frost pack is fraught with challenges, not least of which is sharing a room at Howlstone with her stepbrother, Ryder, the Alpha prince, and his twin best friends, Kai and Finn, who are also her biggest bullies. As Bella grapples with her new reality, she discovers that these three are her destined mates who can't seem to recognize her.
When they finally do, it is too late, because they have hurt her beyond repair.

After a tragic misstep leads to her best friend's death, Bella is exiled from the Rune pack by her alpha father.
Her new life with her mother and stepfather, the Alpha of Frost pack is fraught with challenges, not least of which is sharing a room at Howlstone with her stepbrother, Ryder, the Alpha prince, and his twin best friends, Kai and Finn, who are also her biggest bullies. As Bella grapples with her new reality, she discovers that these three are her destined mates who can't seem to recognize her.
When they finally do, it is too late, because they have hurt her beyond repair.

After a tragic misstep leads to her best friend's death, Bella is exiled from the Rune pack by her alpha father.
Her new life with her mother and stepfather, the Alpha of Frost pack is fraught with challenges, not least of which is sharing a room at Howlstone with her stepbrother, Ryder, the Alpha prince, and his twin best friends, Kai and Finn, who are also her biggest bullies. As Bella grapples with her new reality, she discovers that these three are her destined mates who can't seem to recognize her.
When they finally do, it is too late, because they have hurt her beyond repair.

Greyson slid his hand beneath me, his fingers expertly circling my swollen clit as Jaxen thrust deep into me from behind. Kylen’s thick length filled my mouth, muffling my moans while ecstasy blurred my vision, and the pressure coiled inside me like a storm about to break. From the bed, Poku groaned, his fist moving lazily over his rigid cock as he watched.

“Look at her,” he rasped, his voice thick with reverence. “Our goddess on her knees, taking two of us at once while the rest wait their turn. That is true devotion.”


Nine years ago, Sahiyra ran into the forest and never came back. Everyone said she died, feral beasts don't spare little girls. But they didn't kill her. They raised her.

Now at nineteen, she lives barefoot, unbonded, and completely untamed. She hunts with wolves, speaks to ravens, and soothes broken beasts with just a touch of her hands.

She knows nothing of rankings, or the brutal harem politics of the beast kind clans.

She has no idea she's the first Myrren born female in two hundred years. Or that her power exceeds even the highest divine tier.

When she stumbles across a hunting party of ten dangerously unbonded beast shifter males... everything changes.

They feel it. That rare energy pulsing beneath her skin. That aura their beasts can't resist.

Something sacred. Something untouchable.

And if she's not careful...their need for her will turn feral. But Sahiyra is no fragile thing. She is the wild. She is Chosen. And she was born to break the system.

🔥 Reverse harem
🐺 Feral beast shifters
✨ Chosen One/Goddess Rising
🌕 Divine prophecy + primal bonding
🩸 Wild magic, mating rituals, soft dominance
💋 Untamed heroine with goddess blood

Tap in. Get claimed. Let the Veil choose you!!

When dragons call, only the brave answer.

"Inside you will face the deadly minotaurs, armed with blades and protected by magic. "

"Danger number two is man-eating monsters. "

"Your final threat today is each other."

Icy dread crackles through my veins.

“Nearly one hundred have gathered today to test the fates and risk their lives, but only five can become Slayers.”

This year, it’s win or die.


Anara refuses to be defined by her past. As the queen’s favored maid, nobody expects her to enter the deadly Slayer Trials. Desperate for redemption, she’s determined to slay the ultimate dragon—the silver king himself.

Or die trying.

Except the Slayer Trials test Anara in ways she could never have imagined. Danger is as ravenous for death as the dragons themselves, enemies hide among friends and shadows. And an unexpected specter from her past appears, Prince Zaries. His hatred of her is understandable, her crime against him unforgivable. Her draw to him is a complication she doesn’t need.

Nor is the secret she harbors, an inexplicable affinity towards the very creatures she's sworn to destroy.

Ultimately, Anara's enigmatic connection to dragons will be her strength or her greatest vulnerability. It will challenge her resolve and reshape her destiny.

And the fate of Amaranthine and the unknown worlds beyond.

“Inside you will face the deadly minotaurs, armed with blades and protected by magic.
Danger number two is man-eating monsters.

“Your final threat today is each other.”

Icy dread crackles through my veins.

“Nearly one hundred have gathered today to test the fates and risk their lives, but only five can become Slayers.”

This year, it’s win or die.

❗‼️ MATURE CONTENT WARNING: 18+ Only. Contains explicit romance, dark themes, violence, and intense possessive Alphas. Reader discretion is advised.

He stole her from his enemy. He never told her why.

He never expected her to be his mate.

For four years, I lived as a useless Omega inside Steel Venom MC. I was weak, broken and disposable.

They kept me that way with a mysterious tonic that suppressed my wolf and left me plagued by terrifying headaches.

They never realized I could hear their thoughts.

Then I was sent to a neutral meeting with Iron Phantom MC.

One look from Ryder Kane, President of Iron Phantom and Alpha King of the Blood Reapers, shattered everything I knew.

My wolf woke screaming one word.

MATE.

But Ryder smelled something else beneath my skin.

Moonveil.

The forbidden poison that massacred his family twenty years ago.

Before I could understand the connection, Ryder stole me from Steel Venom and dragged me into his world.

To his MC, I'm the enemy's Omega.

To his pack, I'm a liability.

To Ryder, I'm the fated mate he refuses to claim.

Someone is watching us, and they'll kill to keep the truth about the massacre buried.

So Ryder makes the choice that breaks me.

He publicly rejects our bond.

But when his rejection triggers a deadly sickness and I discover I'm carrying his secret Alpha twins, everything changes.

My wolf is waking.

My memories are returning.

And the truth terrifies me.

I wasn't just a survivor of the massacre.

I was connected to it.

Now I must uncover the memory buried twenty years ago before the traitor inside Ryder's MC kills him.

I have already lost too much.

I won't lose my mate, even if he hates me.

"This marriage cannot happen," Coty's voice rang through the hall.
"She's pregnant with someone else's child."
"I hate her too much to ever share a bed with her," Damien said coldly.
"Then who is the father?"
"The child is mine."
Ryker Stones—the dreaded Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack.
Damien's uncle.
Her fiancé's blood.
And her father's sworn enemy.
Jenna Spears, the legitimate daughter of the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, never wanted to marry Damien Stones. But she is forced into a ruthless alliance marriage arranged by their fathers.
One week before the wedding, she catches Damien in bed with her stepsister, Coty—and he cruelly rejects their mate bond without remorse.
Broken, humiliated, and drunk, Jenna spends one reckless night with a stranger.
What she never expects is to carry his child.
Determined to protect the pack's reputation, her father insists the wedding go on. But on the day she's meant to become Damien's Luna, Coty exposes her pregnancy in front of everyone—out of spite.
Just as Jenna is condemned, the stranger steps forward to claim his pup.
What happens when she discovers that her one-night stand is none other than Ryker Stones, the feared Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack—her fiancé's uncle and the man her father has sworn to destroy?

The hum gets louder and my whole body responds to the sound of it before he's done anything else. He watches my face change and his mouth curves. "That bad already?" He grins as he pulls it out with a plop. "Shut up." I fired, while swallowing. "Not a chance." He brings it close enough that I can feel the vibration in the air between us before it touches my skin. "Spread your legs princess." "This is the farthest they can go." I cried. "Are you sure?" He doesn't break eye contact as he drags the toy slowly down my stomach, not turning it on against me yet, just letting me feel the buzz of it as it crosses my hip bone and the inside of my thigh and then traces back up. By the time it reaches where I want it I'm shaking and he hasn't even pressed it down. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Rule one of surviving a vampire court: don't fall for the king who owns you. Ryn is breaking it spectacularly. She has a curse in her blood, a countdown on her life, and two impossibly dangerous men circling her like she's the last warm thing in a cold world. The court wants her dead. The throne wants her gone. And the one secret that could save her is the one nobody will say out loud. Six months to live. One contract she can't escape. And a choice that's going to cost her everything she came here to protect.

(Love after marriage+Pregnancy+She-power)

For four years, Serena lived as the unwanted wife of Lorenzo Russo, the ruthless Mafia King feared across Europe.
Their marriage was never built on love. Lorenzo believed Serena had trapped him for money and status. Manipulated by his Mother and possessive sister, he ignored every sacrifice Serena made, humiliated her in public, accused her of being infertile, and filled the tabloids with scandals involving other women.
Everything changed when Serena discovered she was pregnant. Instead of believing her, Lorenzo accused her of carrying another man's child.
His sister and mother forged evidence while his trusted men turned against Serena and on the night Lorenzo ordered her execution, Serena escaped with nothing but the lives growing inside her.

Four years later...
Serena is no longer the broken woman who begged for affection. She is the mysterious CEO of the world's fastest-growing luxury empire, admired by billionaires, princes, and business tycoons alike and by her side are her three extraordinary children—triplets whose intelligence, courage, and charm captivate everyone they meet.
When fate brings Serena back into Lorenzo's world, the ruthless Mafia King is stunned to discover the children share his eyes... and his blood.
Now the man who once destroyed her wants a second chance.
But Serena has countless powerful men asking for her hand, three children to protect, and a heart that refuses to forgive.
Can a Mafia King win back the woman he tried to destroy?
Or has he lost his family forever?

Emery’s undying love for her late mother drove her to do things only a desperate person could understand. To save her mother’s company, she agreed to marry a man twice her age. There’s no way she could escape the miserable truth, but on the day of the wedding, she married the wrong groom who turned out to be the wealthiest man in the country.
It’s like the Heavens gave her another chance and she won’t let the chance slip away. However, can she withstand the tension whenever her fake husband is near her? What if she falls for him? Will he catch her? Or she’d fall into a more complicated situation?


Every man's dream was to watch their bride walk down the aisle towards them, however, the beautiful dream turned into a nightmare when Terrence found a different woman under the veil. His bride ran away and he was forced to marry a stranger. To make everything more complicated, he just got appointed as the company President and he needs to maintain a good reputation.
Keeping his fake bride by his side is the only choice left to him. However, how can he deal with his self-control when the woman he mistakenly married is a total goddess of temptation?

“You’re not dating anyone without my permission.”
Josh Evans has always been Eva’s biggest problem.
Not because he’s her brother’s best friend.
Not because he’s one of the most popular hockey players at school.
But because he’s been her crush for years—and the one guy her brother has made completely off-limits.
So when Josh finds out about the guy she’s been dating, he decides no one gets to date Eva without his approval.
For Eva, following the rule should be easy. She’s always known who she truly wants, even if she knows she can never have him.
But Josh has his own problem.
He knows Eva is off-limits. He knows she’s Peter’s little sister. He knows crossing that line could cost him his best friend.
So why does every guy she dates bother him?
Why does seeing her with someone else make him jealous?
And how long can he keep pretending his protectiveness is the only reason he can't stay away from her?

Tracy's life shatters the day her sister asks her to deliver a simple package.She never reaches her destination.Instead, she wakes up bound inside a van with ten other terrified women, on her way to be sold. But before she was taken, Tracy had a dream she can't forget. As her dying mother faded into darkness, she whispered one chilling warning:Never trust your father.Sold into the household of one of the country's most powerful billionaire families, Tracy is forced to work as a maid inside a mansion where every smile hides an agenda and every locked door conceals another secret. The family who bought her seems to know far more about her than they should—and the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes her kidnapping was never random.Caught between two enigmatic billionaire brothers, dangerous family secrets, and a conspiracy that reaches back to her mother's death, Tracy must uncover who betrayed her before she becomes the next victim.Because someone has been waiting for her all along.And if her mother's final warning is true, the most dangerous person in Tracy's life isn't inside the mansion...It's the man she's called Father her entire life.

Five years in captivity. They said Nora would be free after five years of working for the mafia king but they lied. Now Nora is forced to work permanently for the dangerous mafia king, executing dangerous cons with Noah, her only ally and her most dangerous temptation. The one man who makes her feel human again. But in a world built on lies, trust can be deadlier than betrayal.

"You are mine," he said, crossing tenderly his arm around my body. I was speechless, I tried to feign he had no power over me but my body betrayed me.
Tighten on his chest, I felt relieved and appeased, I just wanted to rest and never get out of the room, until I heard a voice coming from nowhere waking me up from this nightmare.

Yes, It was a nightmare. How could I take pleasure wrapped in this man's arm?
He was the son of the murderer of my parents.
Even if my heart was claiming him, I should remember I had no place for such a feeling.

I would struggle with my being to piss this sentiment aside.
They would pay.
His father for killing my parents, and him for being the son of this swine.
He had to pay for his father's sins.
My mind had to overpower the emotion I felt

"I want to move to Rivers End. I feel like I already have friends there." Dani Collins, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Blue Spruce Lodge series The MacAllisters of Rivers End boxed set includes books #1–4If you love heartwarming, sweet and sexy contemporary small town romance, then come home to Rivers End and fall in love with the MacAllisters and the Murphys. They just want to settle down and lead normal lives in their small Vancouver Island town, but romance blossoms in the unlikeliest places. And trouble has a way of finding them...Silver Bells (Isaac MacAllister + Jenna Murphy, Beginnings)Big River Lodge owner Isaac MacAllister has no time for romance. He’s got enough on his plate with a spritely kindergartener to raise and a business to run. But he doesn’t bargain on the appearance of the irresistible Jenna Murphy. Jenna just wants to escape work and family for a while. In Silver Bells, will she let one sexy dad and his sweet daughter Sara derail her plans for her holiday… and her life?Tipsy (Shannon MacAllister + Lucas Heyes)Shannon MacAllister wants to ring in the new year with someone who is nothing like her ex. She gets her wish. Too bad Lucas Heyes, world-class kisser, is a family traitor who lost her trust five years ago. Lucas wants to mend fences with the MacAllisters and start afresh in Rivers End. In Tipsy, will this dark horse convince Shannon to open her heart and risk trying again?Reindeer Games (Eli Murphy + Ginger Lewis)If wandering homeless in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve isn’t rock bottom, it sure feels like it to Jenna’s estranged brother Eli Murphy. So when Ginger Lewis rescues him, he finds himself fantasizing about a future he doesn’t deserve. But the last thing Ginger needs is a mysterious bad boy with a criminal jawline. Before the Reindeer Games are over, loyalties will be tested and secrets will be spilled.Wedding Bells (Isaac MacAllister + Jenna Murphy, Happily Ever After)In Wedding Bells, Isaac MacAllister is this close to making Jenna Murphy his, forever. Then his ex—Sara’s mother—rolls into town, bringing unfinished business with her. Sidelined by the drama, Jenna knows she should strike out on her own. But how can she, when she already sees Isaac and Sara as family? While all the Rivers End stories can be read as standalones, you may want to read this series in order to preserve any plot surprises and get the full picture of how the characters lives weave together! The following is the suggested reading order:The MacAllisters of Rivers End#1 - Silver Bells (Isaac + Jenna, Beginnings)#2 - Tipsy (Shannon + Lucas)#3 - Reindeer Games (Ginger + Eli)#4 - Wedding Bells (Isaac + Jenna, Happily Ever After)#5 – Elfed (Lindsay + Noah)

“Shades of THE HUNGER GAMES permeate a story centered around two courageous teens determined to buck all odds in an effort to regain their loved ones. But the true strength in any story lies not so much in its setting and events as in how the characters come across, come alive, and handle their lives--and it's here that ARENA ONE begins to diverge from the predictable and enters the more compelling realms of believability and strength….ARENA ONE builds a believable, involving world and is recommended….for those who enjoy dystopian novels, powerful female characters, and stories of uncommon courage.”--Midwest Book ReviewD. Donovan, eBook ReviewerThe #1 Bestseller! New York. 2120. American has been decimated, wiped out from the second Civil War. In this post-apocalyptic world, survivors are far and few between. And most of those who do survive are members of the violent gangs, predators who live in the big cities. They patrol the countryside looking for slaves, for fresh victims to bring back into the city for their favorite death sport: Arena One. The death stadium where opponents are made to fight to the death, in the most barbaric of ways. There is only one rule to the arena: no one survives. Ever. Deep in the wilderness, high up in the Catskill Mountains, 17 year old Brooke Moore manages to survive, hiding out with her younger sister, Bree. They are careful to avoid the gangs of slaverunners who patrol the countryside. But one day, Brooke is not as careful as she can be, and Bree is captured. The slaverunners take her away, heading to the city, and to what will be a certain death. Brooke, a Marine’s daughter, was raised to be tough, to never back down from a fight. When her sister is taken, Brooke mobilizes, uses everything at her disposal to chase down the slaverunners and get her sister back. Along the way she runs into Ben, 17, another survivor like her, whose brother was taken. Together, they team up on their rescue mission. What follows is a post-apocalyptic, action-packed thriller, as the two of them pursue the slaverunners on the most dangerous ride of their lives, following them deep into the heart of New York. Along the way, if they are to survive, they will have to make some of the hardest choices and sacrifices of their lives, encountering obstacles neither of them had expected—including their unexpected feelings for each other. Will they rescue their siblings? Will they make it back? And will they, themselves, have to fight in the arena? “Grabbed my attention from the beginning and did not let go….This story is an amazing adventure that is fast paced and action packed from the very beginning. There is not a dull moment to be found.” --Paranormal Romance Guild {regarding Turned} "I will admit, before ARENA ONE, I had never read anything post-apocalyptic before. I never thought it would be something I would enjoy….Well, I was very pleasantly surprised at how addicting this book was. ARENA ONE was one of those books that you read late into the night until your eyes start to cross because you don't want to put it down….It is no secret that I love strong heroines in the books I read….Brooke was tough, strong, un-relentless, and while there is romance in the book, Brooke wasn't ruled by that....I would highly recommend ARENA ONE.” --Dallas Examiner ARENA ONE is Book #1 in the Survival Trilogy, and is 85,000 words. Book #2 in the series, ARENA TWO, is now also available.

“An action packed fantasy sure to please fans of Morgan Rice’s previous novels, along with fans of works such as The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini…. Fans of Young Adult Fiction will devour this latest work by Rice and beg for more.” --The Wanderer, A Literary Journal (regarding Rise of the Dragons) The #1 Bestselling series! THE WEIGHT OF HONOR is book #3 in Morgan Rice’s bestselling epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS (which begins with RISE OF THE DRAGONS, a free download)! In THE WEIGHT OF HONOR, Kyra finally meets her cryptic uncle, and is shocked to discover he is not the man she expected. She embarks on a period of training which will test her stamina and her frustration, as she soon encounters the limits of her power. Unable to summon her dragon, unable to search deep within, and feeling an urgency to help in her father’s wars, Kyra doubts if she will ever become the warrior she thought she was. And when she meets a mysterious boy, more powerful than her, deep in the forest, she wonders what her future really has in store for her. Duncan must descend the peaks of Kos with his new army and, vastly outnumbered, launch a risky invasion on the capital. If he wins, waiting behind its ancient walls, he knows, will be the old king and his nest of nobles and aristocrats, all with their own agendas, all of them as quick to betray as they are to embrace. Unifying Escalon may, indeed, be harder than freeing it. Alec, in Ur, must tap his unique skills in the forge to aid the resistance if they have any chance of defending against the looming Pandesian invasion. He is awestruck when he encounters Dierdre, the strongest girl he has ever meet. The time she has a chance to make a stand against Pandesia, and as she bravely faces off, she who wonders if her father and his men will have her back this time. Merk finally enters the tower of Ur, and is stunned by what he discovers. Initiated into its strange codes and rules, he meets his fellow Watchers, the toughest warriors he has ever encountered, and he finds that earning their respect will not be easy. With an invasion looming, they must all prepare the tower; yet even all its secret passageways may not keep them safe from the betrayal lurking from within. Vesuvius leads his Troll nation across a vulnerable Escalon, devastating the land, while Theos, enraged at what becomes of his son, is on a rampage himself, and will not stop until all of Escalon is aflame. With its strong atmosphere and complex characters, THE WEIGHT OF HONOR is a sweeping saga of knights and warriors, of kings and lords, of honor and valor, of magic, destiny, monsters and dragons. It is a story of love and broken hearts, of deception, ambition and betrayal. It is fantasy at its finest, inviting us into a world that will live with us forever, one that will appeal to all ages and genders. Book #4 in KINGS AND SORCERERS is now available! “If you thought that there was no reason left for living after the end of the Sorcerer’s Ring series, you were wrong. Morgan Rice has come up with what promises to be another brilliant series, immersing us in a fantasy of trolls and dragons, of valor, honor, courage, magic and faith in your destiny. Morgan has managed again to produce a strong set of characters that make us cheer for them on every page.…Recommended for the permanent library of all readers that love a well-written fantasy.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Rise of the Dragons) “[The novel] succeeds—right from the start…. A superior fantasy…It begins, as it should, with one protagonist's struggles and moves neatly into a wider circle of knights, dragons, magic and monsters, and destiny.…All the trappings of high fantasy are here, from soldiers and battles to confrontations with self….A recommended winner for any who enjoy epic fantasy writing fueled by powerful, believable young adult protagonists.” --Midwest Book Review, D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer (regarding Rise of the Dragons) “A plot-driven novel that’s easy to read in a weekend…A good start to a promising series.” --San Francisco Book Review (regarding Rise of the Dragons)

“Kaite, I hope you can give Lily and me your blessing.”

Terry held another girl’s hand in front of everyone, while I stood among the crowd like a complete stranger.

Three years ago, I was the one who stayed by his side when he was an unknown tennis player. I analyzed his matches, studied his opponents, and supported him through every setback.

I thought we would reach the top of the tennis world together.

But I never imagined that he would deny our past at his celebration party, turning me into everyone’s joke.

When both my love and my dream were taken away, I thought my life had reached its lowest point.

Until the man who once stood at the top of the tennis world appeared.

Percy—a tennis prodigy whose career was destroyed by rumors and betrayal.

He saw the truth hidden behind the numbers. He saw my hard work. He saw my worth.

When everyone wanted me gone from the tennis team, he was the one who stood beside me and said:

“Kaite, you don’t have to be afraid.”

To prove myself, I decided to stay.

I will show everyone that I am not just someone standing behind another person. I am a talented data analyst with my own place in the world of tennis.

And Percy is no longer the forgotten genius everyone abandoned.

But I don’t know why this man, who I just met, knows so much about me…

“If you thought that there was no reason left for living after the end of the Sorcerer’s Ring series, you were wrong. In RISE OF THE DRAGONS Morgan Rice has come up with what promises to be another brilliant series, immersing us in a fantasy of trolls and dragons, of valor, honor, courage, magic and faith in your destiny. Morgan has managed again to produce a strong set of characters that make us cheer for them on every page.…Recommended for the permanent library of all readers that love a well-written fantasy.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto MattosThe #1 Bestseller! From #1 Bestselling author Morgan Rice comes a sweeping new epic fantasy series: RISE OF THE DRAGONS (KINGS AND SORCERERS—Book 1). Kyra, 15, dreams of becoming a famed warrior, like her father, even though she is the only girl in a fort of boys. As she struggles to understand her special skills, her mysterious inner power, she realizes she is different than the others. But a secret is being kept from her about her birth and the prophecy surrounding her, leaving her to wonder who she really is. When Kyra comes of age and the local lord comes to take her away, her father wants to wed her off to save her. Kyra, though, refuses, and she journeys out on her own, into a dangerous wood, where she encounters a wounded dragon—and ignites a series of events that will change the kingdom forever. 15 year old Alec, meanwhile, sacrifices for his brother, taking his place in the draft, and is carted off to The Flames, a wall of flames a hundred feet high that wards off the army of Trolls to the east. On the far side of the kingdom, Merk, a mercenary striving to leave behind his dark past, quests through the wood to become a Watcher of the Towers and help guard the Sword of Fire, the magical source of the kingdom’s power. But the Trolls want the Sword, too—and they prepare for a massive invasion that could destroy the kingdoms forever. With its strong atmosphere and complex characters, RISE OF THE DRAGONS is a sweeping saga of knights and warriors, of kings and lords, of honor and valor, of magic, destiny, monsters and dragons. It is a story of love and broken hearts, of deception, of ambition and betrayal. It is fantasy at its finest, inviting us into a world that will live with us forever, one that will appeal to all ages and genders. Book #2 in KINGS AND SORCERERS is now available! “RISE OF THE DRAGONS succeeds—right from the start…. A superior fantasy…It begins, as it should, with one protagonist's struggles and moves neatly into a wider circle of knights, dragons, magic and monsters, and destiny.…All the trappings of high fantasy are here, from soldiers and battles to confrontations with self….A recommended winner for any who enjoy epic fantasy writing fueled by powerful, believable young adult protagonists.” --Midwest Book Review, D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer

They told me I was nothing. Chubby. Dragonless. A nobody who didn't belong in their world.

Then they pinned me to their bed and took turns proving just how much they wanted me.

"You're shaking." He pressed his lips against my ear, his hand sliding up my thigh. "We haven't even started yet, baby."

"She can take it." Another voice behind me, rough and low. "Look at this body. She was built for all of us."

Seven brothers. Seven Dragon Lords. Seven fated mates who worshipped my curves all night long and then told me I meant nothing to them by morning.

"Say my name." He groaned it against my throat, his body locked against mine. "I want to hear you scream it."

I gave them my innocence. I gave them every sound, every shiver, every part of me I had been saving for the one. And they recorded all of it.

"You're our little servant now. Or the whole world sees what you really are."

They think they own me. They think I'll break.

But they woke something inside me that even they can't control.

My dragon is awake. And she remembers everything they did.

She is The Barbarian Alpha's daughter and mated to the dragon king. Only a couple of years ago, she was a weak, broken girl. Dragged into this world and forced to attend the Viking's mate hunt.

Searching for the little sister she didn't know she had, she encounters raw darkness.
Ancient Norse myths come alive, and a threat as old as the Norse Gods themselves lures forward creatures like Nidhogg, Huldra, and The Mare.

Still unmated, she avoids her mate to find her sister. After so many years, she's so near that it finally feels real. She had a sister; her mother's death whisper had been true. In her desperation to unite with her sister, she fails to protect herself from the lurking shadows, a choice that will be proven fatal.

"What's your body count?" the most ruthless Alpha in the werewolf race growled, his massive hand suddenly gripping my throat so tightly my vision blurred.

We had been driving in complete silence since my father sold me to him as a peace offering. I was supposed to be his mate, but the cold, murderous look in his golden eyes told me I was nothing more than a prisoner.

"One rule you'd have to learn is never ever question me," Detlef hissed, his minty breath fanning my face. "Once I ask, you give an answer. How many men have touched you?"

Fear clawed at my heart. I tugged weakly at his iron grip. "Zero," I choked out, tears spilling over my lashes.

He didn't believe me. His eyes darkened with absolute fury. "Never lie to your Master," he spat, slamming me back against the leather seat.

He didn't know the truth. He didn't know that three years ago, I gave my innocence to a stranger in a hotel room. A stranger who disappeared the next morning.

But what terrified me most wasn't Detlef's wrath. It was the moment we arrived at his heavily guarded territory, and his Beta rushed to the car window, looking pale.

"Alpha," the Beta whispered. "Fernandez is here. The Alpha of the Phoenix Pack. He's crossed the border... and he says he's come to collect his woman."

My blood ran cold. Fernandez. The name of the man from three years ago. The deadliest enemy of the monster currently holding my throat.

Three mates. Two warring clans. One forbidden bite that broke every rule.
She’s a werebear.
They’re alpha werewolf brothers.
And the moon has marked all three as fated mates. Jenny Monroe never meant to ignite a war between werebears and wolves. But when the Cagle alpha twins—Brennan and Mark—claim her as their one true mate, she’s forced to choose: obey her hate-filled father, or surrender to a bond hotter than the bonfire that first tangled their fates five years ago.
To stay with the men who own her soul, Jenny will let them sink their fangs into her skin… and rewrite her very nature. But as a shadow corruption poisons their kind and an old enemy rises, their triad bond will be tested by blood, magic, and a prophecy that names her the guardian the supernatural world has waited centuries to meet.
With a heartstone burning against her chest and two alphas at her side, Jenny will embrace her power… or watch everyone she loves burn.

Lord of the Puck-
She blamed me for the death of my brother and for ten years she had built her whole platform on that lie.
I was the stalker who had killed her twin, my best friend. It was a falsehood that had followed me throughout my career.
A never ending black cloud.
And now she was here, in my family home and I was about to fall into the mould she had made for me. I was about to become her worst nightmare because it was time Bree knew the truth about that night.

QUEEN OF ICE

Finding out the truth, took everything from me. Liam Calloway opened my eyes and ripped my whole world away, leaving me in tatters.
He says he loves me, I say he doesn’t know the meaning of the word but does it really matter? Because new truths are coming to light and when they do I might just be done for.

“Look at yourself, Aurora. You’re thirty. You’re not the queen of hockey anymore.”

Ten years ago, Aurora Vale stood on the Olympic podium, a rising legend with the world at her feet. Then she fell in love with Liam Harrington and gave up her dream to become his wife and the mother of their son, Ethan.

She thought love and sacrifice would earn her a lifetime of happiness.

She was wrong.

After ten years of marriage, Liam betrays her with Vivienne, an eighteen-year-old hockey sensation determined to take Aurora’s place. The man she once gave up everything for now treats her like an aging housewife, expecting her to swallow her pride and become his new lover’s training partner.

Even worse, Ethan seems to be drifting away from his mother, caught up in his father’s world and the woman who is taking her place. Aurora has spent years putting her family first, but now she must face the heartbreaking possibility that even her own son no longer understands her sacrifices.

But Aurora has more to fight for than her wounded heart. Her mother’s medical bills are piling up, her old knee injury threatens her comeback, and the family she sacrificed her career for is falling apart.

With nowhere else to turn, Aurora returns to the ice.

Every fall, every bruise, and every cruel insult reminds her of the woman she used to be. The champion who once conquered the world is still inside her—and this time, she refuses to sacrifice her dreams for anyone.

Liam believes Aurora will eventually come crawling back. Ethan believes his mother will always be there, no matter how much he takes her love for granted.

Neither understands what it means to lose the woman who spent ten years putting them first.

As Aurora fights her way back to the top, the world begins to see the ice queen they thought was gone forever. And the two people who once took her love for granted may soon discover that winning her back is far harder than pushing her away.

When Liam finally begs for his wife back and Ethan realizes how deeply he has hurt his mother, will Aurora still have room in her heart for the family that broke it?

This book has been rewritten and is dedicated to my Grandmother, Marie Valerie Perrett. Her flesh and bones now lay as ash, while her spirit glows within the ones fortunate to have breathed her air, as memories, and moments from the past become those that define our future. In my life some of those are memories and lessons that she has taught me, not just by words, but by actions.

She gave me the tools to be a strong woman, and at times I admit I struggled to stand, but my grandmother held me by both hands at those times and lifted me up. Then she let me go, because she knew, she knew all along that one day I would need the strength to stand on my own. To lift my own daughter by her hands and learn to let her grow so she can become stronger.

Who you were or the way you felt, my Grandmother loved without judgement.

When she looked at me, spoke to me I never doubted her love, it was always an invisible beam between us. When I was younger we used to lay on her bed and she used to read to me stories from the bible while I used her arm as a pillow. I remember when I got a bit older and she read to me then I asked her, "Gran why does a story always start with Once Upon A Time?" She said because now it is a fairytale but once upon a time it was true. It was then I imagined life, I convinced myself that aliens were real. That I could be anything I want.

There is never a moment that is perfect to let the one you love go and she was one of the very few who I have loved and still do. I took my books off the pre-order today and I am glad I did. Because I get to share her memory with you guys. And dedicate this book that she waited so long to read but barely started. On Tuesday, December 4th 2018, I read the first chapter to her.

I wish I knew that it was the last day, but we never really know when death comes naturally, do we.

"Mate."

The word echoed through Aurora Ashford's soul.

She looked up, heart pounding, eyes fixed on the one man she'd spent years hating.

"Nolan..." she whispered.

His icy blue eyes met hers for only a second before he smiled—a cruel, mocking smile.

"I'd rather die than accept a weakling like you as my Luna."

With those words, he rejected her.

The bond shattered.

Her heart broke.

And twelve hours later...

She died

When Aurora opens her eyes again, she's back twelve hours before her rejection.

This time, she won't cry.

She won't beg.

And she definitely won't chase the future Alpha who discarded her like she was nothing.

"If you don't want me," she vows, "you'll never have me."

But fate isn't finished with her.

Days later, her mother marries Nolan's father, forcing Aurora to live under the same roof as the man who destroyed her heart.

As if that weren't enough, one reckless kiss with a devastatingly handsome stranger changes everything.

"You're my mate," the stranger says with a grin. "And unlike that idiot, I'm not letting you go."

Damien Volkov.

Future Alpha. Nolan's greatest rival.

Her... second mate.

Now two Alpha Kings are fighting for the same woman, while an ancient conspiracy buried beneath Northcrest Academy begins to unravel. Students are disappearing. Secret experiments are being conducted beneath the school. And the man everyone calls a hero may be the monster behind it all.

When the truth about Aurora's bloodline is finally revealed, the girl everyone mocked becomes the one person powerful enough to change the werewolf world forever.

Because Aurora Ashford was never meant to be an ordinary wolf.

She was born to become its queen.

When they threw me overboard, they thought a man with a broken leg couldn't possibly come back alive. When the floodwaters engulfed the world, turning land into a graveyard, I found a forgotten submarine in the deep sea. From underwater, I built my empire step by step . Not by pity, not by luck. By the time the survivors of this sea finally realized what lay beneath the surface, I no longer needed to hide. They called me the Deep Sea Ghost. I didn't care what they called me. I knew only one thing—from this day forward, this sea was mine to rule.

In my last life, the heatwave collapse began with me turning an abandoned warehouse into a safe zone. I stocked it, fortified it, and brought my girlfriend inside. That same night, she slid the bolts open from within and let an armed crew storm the place. They threw me out to die.

I survived the heat, only to learn too late that it was just the warning. The real purge came next, when brutal cold hit overnight and froze me to death in the snow.

Then I opened my eyes and found myself back one month before disaster.

While everyone else rushed to buy water and fans, I was the only one who knew the heat was just the beginning. The deep freeze was what would really wipe people out.

This time, I explained nothing. I poured everything I had into diesel, insulation, winter stoves, generators, and turned that warehouse into a fortress built for the cold.

She came again, just like before. This time, I never let her through the door. So she ran straight to the armed gang and had them surround my warehouse for three full days.

She thought trapping me inside meant she’d already won.

What she didn’t know was that in just a few more days, the freeze would arrive.

And the people outside had no fuel, no winter gear, no way to stay warm.

They weren’t waiting for me to break.

They were waiting for their own deaths.