Chapter 8 Smoke and Shadows

Seraphine Vale is whisked away to Aetherborn Academy after a terrifying magical incident, she expects answers, not four dangerously captivating boys who seem unnervingly drawn to her. Alaric, the cold vampire noble. Kade, the brooding werewolf with eyes like storms. Damien, the charming dragon prince. And Lucien, the beautiful, unreadable incubus who invades her dreams. Each boy reacts to Seraphine as if they've known her far longer than she's been alive... and each one's powers surge unpredictably around her. As forbidden feelings spark and jealousy rises, Seraphine discovers a chilling truth: a prophecy ties her fate to theirs and to a sealed ancient power capable of either saving or destroying their world. Dark forces begin stirring beneath the Academy, hunting her magic... and her heart. To survive, Seraphine must unravel the mystery of who she really is and which boy she can trust when love itself might set the prophecy in motion. Because awakening the Aetherborn doesn't just change her destiny. It changes everyone around her.

In the ancient kingdom of Eryndor, beauty is power - and love is the deadliest weapon of all. Selene Valaris, the crowned queen, rules with grace and cunning, hiding the forbidden affair that could destroy her reign. Her sister, Lyra, born in her shadow, hungers for both the throne and the man who has captured Selene's heart. When the enigmatic Lord Kael Draven arrives at court, his silver tongue and dark allure twist their fates together. Secrets unravel, loyalties break, and the line between love and betrayal blurs until blood and desire become one. As passion ignites and kingdoms tremble, the sisters must decide: will they destroy each other for love, or rise together to burn the world that seeks to control them?

Once the cherished heiress of the Douglas family, she lost everything when her parents were brutally murdered and she was framed by her own blood. Labeled a criminal, she was cast into prison with no one to trust and nothing to her name. Six years later, she returns-not as a broken woman, but as the Scarlet Valkyrie, the deadliest warrior in all of Juzora. Her aim is flawless, her signature weapon Manjusaka strikes without mercy, and her name alone sends tremors through the underworld. With one hand, she saves her ailing grandmother with the precision of a master healer. With the other, she takes down Draco City's most ruthless criminals. But her true purpose is vengeance. Every debt owed, every wound inflicted, every lie told-she will settle them all, with interest. The war goddess has returned. And the ones who wronged her are about to learn what it means to face the wrath of a legend.

Nineteen-year-old Camille Loeka, wolfless and unwanted, is traded in marriage to a ruthless Alpha. But when she breaks the bond and runs, she awakens a destiny far greater than she ever imagined. Hunted, torn between power and survival, Camille discovers she is the first Tribrid-a being of three ancient bloodlines. Fate marks her as the one for whom many shall fall and many shall rise. Will she survive the storm her existence has unleashed?

They called him a mistake. A bastard. A wolf no pack should claim. Rowan Vexley was born out of wedlock, abandoned by the father who should have protected him and shunned by the pack that feared his power. Every scar on his body tells a story of rejection, every growl of his wolf whispers of a curse he cannot control. Then there's Liora Dane-golden-blooded, fearless, and utterly forbidden. The one woman who can calm the storm inside him... and the one he can never have. But destiny doesn't care about rules. As Rowan's dormant power erupts, bloodlines clash, and ancient curses awaken, the world around them spirals into chaos. Betrayal cuts deep. Desire burns hotter. And the line between love and destruction disappears. To survive, Rowan must embrace the power they all fear... Or watch everything he loves be destroyed. The Bastard Alpha is a dark, slow-burn paranormal romance of forbidden love, deadly power, and a bond that could either save or doom them all.

He took her body, her trust, and her heart-but tonight, she takes his life. "...making love to you when I will, which I will..." Alpha Gonzalo Kenyon's eyes danced wickedly, his voice threading with pride and a promise of power. The words slid under Liora's skin like poison, impossible to ignore, and impossible to forget. They can either walk a mile in her shoes and feel the pain they caused her, or they can sever their legs as they severed her heart. Only a fish can know how deep the ocean is. Only a bird can know how high the sky is. Only a polar bear can know how cold the Arctic is. Only the betrayed can know how much betrayal hurts. Slowly, Liora pressed the ceremonial dagger meant for Alpha blood into Gonzalo's chest, the blade sinking deep with chilling finality. Blood surged upward in thick, dark bursts, gushing across his bare skin and pooling around the altar where they had just made love. Gonzalo's eyes flew open, wild and disbelieving. A snarl twisted his lips, but no words came-only a strangled gasp as his lungs filled with blood. His hands grasped at her wrists, strength faltering, the power that once ruled pack and land draining with every beat of his dying heart. His bones cracked softly beneath his skin, shifting, as though the wolf inside him was fighting to rise one last time.