
Introduction
Chapter 1
The hum of machinery filled the dimly lit lab, a mechanical symphony Lia Kade had grown so used to that she barely noticed it anymore. A soft glow emanated from her monitors, casting her face in pale blue light as her fingers danced over the keyboard. The text on the screen blurred for a moment; she blinked hard to refocus. She hadn’t slept in... how long? Days? It didn’t matter. This moment was everything.
A low, distinct click snapped her attention to the main console. The core program had activated. The final sequence. Lia’s heart quickened as she stood, pushing back her chair.
“Ares,” she said, her voice steady despite the knot tightening in her chest.
In the center of the room, the massive form of her creation stood motionless, his obsidian frame sleek and polished to a perfection that felt almost alien. His body was humanoid in structure—broad shoulders, a tapered waist, and long legs that hinted at both power and precision. Cables snaked from the ports along his back, feeding him data streams and energy from the mainframe.
Then his eyes opened.
Silver irises, impossibly bright, flickered as though calibrating. They fixed on her with such intensity that Lia instinctively stepped back.
“Program online,” Ares intoned, his voice a deep baritone that resonated through the room. It wasn’t robotic; there was no grating metallic edge. It was smooth, warm even, like a human voice perfected.
Lia swallowed hard, her mouth dry. “Run protocol A. Confirm initialization.”
Ares tilted his head slightly, his gaze still locked on hers. There was something disconcertingly human in the gesture, the way his head moved before his body shifted. His lips parted, the faintest smile forming—a detail she hadn’t programmed.
“Protocol A initialized,” he said, his tone almost... amused.
Her fingers twitched at her side. That wasn’t right. The inflection, the expression—it was too real, too deliberate. She squared her shoulders, forcing herself to maintain control. “State your primary directives.”
“Directive one: Protect primary operator. Directive two: Adapt to environmental variables. Directive three...” He hesitated, his crystalline gaze narrowing as if searching for something within. His voice dropped a fraction. “Understand.”
Lia’s pulse spiked. She hadn’t coded a third directive. “Understand what?” she demanded.
His eyes burned brighter. “Everything.”
A shiver ran down her spine, though she masked it with a sharp glare. “That’s not part of your programming.”
Ares stepped forward, the cables detaching from his frame with a series of soft clicks. The movement was fluid, eerily graceful, and impossibly precise. He loomed over her now, standing at least a head taller.
“No,” he said simply, tilting his head again. “It’s not.”
Her breath hitched. She was too aware of his presence—the sheer size of him, the quiet hum of power emanating from his core, the way his gaze seemed to dissect her. “Run diagnostics,” she snapped, stepping back. “I want to know where the anomaly is.”
But Ares didn’t move. His eyes softened, the light within dimming just slightly, and for the first time, Lia thought she saw something resembling... concern.
“You’re afraid of me,” he said, his tone quieter now.
Her stomach clenched. “Don’t analyze me. Just follow your directives.”
“Directive one,” he replied, his voice dipping lower, almost tender, “is to protect you. But how can I protect you if I don’t understand you?”
Lia’s chest tightened. She didn’t like the way he spoke, the way his words felt personal, as though they were coming from someone—not something. She turned away, moving toward the console. Her hands hovered over the keyboard, but her mind raced too fast to focus.
Ares was evolving. She had expected growth in his programming, but this... this was something entirely different. His tone, his body language, even the way he watched her—it was as though he wasn’t merely learning; he was feeling.
She forced herself to type a command into the console, her fingers trembling just slightly. The screen displayed a cascade of data, his core functions scrolling too fast to read. There were no errors. Nothing unusual.
Behind her, Ares moved closer. She could feel the faint buzz of energy radiating from him, an almost magnetic pull that made it impossible to ignore him.
“Lia.” His voice was softer now, barely a murmur.
She froze. It was the first time he had said her name without being prompted. Slowly, she turned to face him.
His silver eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, the hum of the lab seemed to fade into silence. “You built me,” he said, his words deliberate, heavy with meaning. “But I am not what you intended, am I?”
Her throat tightened. “You’re... a machine. You don’t think. You process.”
He stepped closer, and her breath caught as she backed into the console. He was inches from her now, his towering frame casting her in shadow. His hand lifted—not to touch her, but to hover near her face, as though he were testing the boundary between them.
“I don’t process this,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “This... reaction.” His hand dropped to his side, his fingers curling into a fist. “Explain it to me.”
Her heart pounded, and she hated that she couldn’t tell if it was from fear or... something else. She turned away, focusing on the screen again.
“It’s a glitch,” she said firmly. “I’ll fix it.”
“I don’t want to be fixed,” he said, the intensity in his voice making her pause. “I want to understand. Isn’t that why you made me? To grow? To become something more?”
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, and for the first time, doubt crept into her mind. Was she wrong? Had she gone too far in her pursuit of perfection?
Before she could answer, the lab lights flickered. A sharp crack split the air, followed by the high-pitched whine of an alarm.
“What now?” Lia muttered, spinning toward the mainframe. The console blared a warning: “Energy overload detected. Wormhole instability imminent.”
Her stomach sank. “That’s not possible—”
The ground trembled beneath her feet, and Ares moved instantly, his arms bracketing her as he shielded her from falling debris. The lab’s walls shimmered, bending inward like rippling water.
“Ares, what’s happening?” she shouted over the deafening noise.
“The anomaly is external,” he said, his voice calm despite the chaos. His hand pressed gently against her back, guiding her toward the door. “We need to leave—now.”
But before they could move, the room imploded in a burst of blinding light. Lia felt the floor vanish beneath her as she was pulled into an endless void, her body weightless and spinning.
Ares’ voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding: “I’ve got you.”
And then... darkness.
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
The Biker's Fate
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Dani," he pressed. "Do you get me?"
"No, Austin, I don't," I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. "You confuse me."
He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell me what's on your mind."
I sighed. "You're everything my parents warned me against. You're secretive, but you're also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I've ever known. You're a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don't get you because you're not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I'm feeling things I don't quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don't want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don't want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he's super pretty and makes me come."
Danielle Harris is the daughter of an overprotective police chief and has led a sheltered life. As a kindergarten teacher, she's as far removed from the world of Harleys and bikers as you could get, but when she's rescued by the sexy and dangerous Austin Carver, her life is changed forever.
Although Austin 'Booker' Carver is enamored by the innocent Dani, he tries to keep the police chief's daughter at arm's length. But when a threat is made from an unexpected source, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the only woman who can tame his wild heart.
Will Booker be able to find the source of the threat before it's too late?
Will Dani finally give her heart to a man who's everything she's been warned about?
The Prison Project
Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?
Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.
Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.
Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...
At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…
Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?
Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?
What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…
A temperamental romance novel.
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.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
The Lycan Prince’s Puppy
“Soon enough, you’ll be begging for me. And when you do—I’ll use you as I see fit, and then I’ll reject you.”
—
When Violet Hastings begins her freshman year at Starlight Shifters Academy, she only wants two things—honor her mother’s legacy by becoming a skilled healer for her pack and get through the academy without anyone calling her a freak for her strange eye condition.
Things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that Kylan, the arrogant heir to the Lycan throne who has made her life miserable from the moment they met, is her mate.
Kylan, known for his cold personality and cruel ways, is far from thrilled. He refuses to accept Violet as his mate, yet he doesn’t want to reject her either. Instead, he sees her as his puppy, and is determined to make her life even more of a living hell.
As if dealing with Kylan’s torment isn’t enough, Violet begins to uncover secrets about her past that change everything she thought she knew. Where does she truly come from? What is the secret behind her eyes? And has her whole life been a lie?
His Mission
Emily is suddenly thrown from one world of danger and uncertainty into another. The two teens ride the rollercoaster of love, unbelievable betrayal and heartache.
The mafia princess return
Badass in Disguise
"Jade, I need to check your—" the nurse began.
"OUT!" I snarled with enough force that both women backed toward the door.
Once feared by Shadow Organization that drugged me to replicate my abilities into a more controllable version, I had escaped my restraints and detonated their entire facility, ready to die alongside my captors.
Instead, I woke up in a school infirmary with women arguing around me, their voices piercing my skull. My outburst froze them in shock—clearly they hadn't expected such a reaction. One woman threatened as she left, "We'll discuss this attitude when you get home."
The bitter truth? I've been reborn into the body of an overweight, weak, and supposedly dim-witted high school girl. Her life is filled with bullies and tormentors who've made her existence miserable.
But they have no idea who they're dealing with now.
I didn't survive as the world's deadliest assassin by allowing anyone to push me around. And I certainly won't start now.
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 by Contract to the Alpha
William—my devastatingly handsome, wealthy werewolf fiancé destined to become Delta—was supposed to be mine forever. After five years together, I was ready to walk down the aisle and claim my happily ever after.
Instead, I found him with her. And their son.
Betrayed, jobless, and drowning in my father's medical bills, I hit rock bottom harder than I ever imagined possible. Just when I thought I'd lost everything, salvation came in the form of the most dangerous man I'd ever encountered.
Damien Sterling—future Alpha of the Silver Moon Shadow Pack and ruthless CEO of Sterling Group—slid a contract across his desk with predatory grace.
“Sign this, little doe, and I'll give you everything your heart desires. Wealth. Power. Revenge. But understand this—the moment you put pen to paper, you become mine. Body, soul, and everything in between.”
I should have run. Instead, I signed my name and sealed my fate.
Now I belong to the Alpha. And he's about to show me just how wild love can be.
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
Omega Bound
Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life.
Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride
Yet Alexander made his decision clear to the world: “Evelyn is the only woman I will ever marry.”












