Xumba, an over-ambitious and ruthless prince, is denied his rightful place as heir to the Karichota Chief Stool by his father, who deems him too savage to lead. When nature grants his father's wish for a new heir, Xumba strikes a deal with the goddess of Karichota and together they vanish. Banished from the realm of the gods, Xumba and the goddess unleash their anger on Karichota, leaving only destruction in their wake. Years later, Xumba finds himself reborn in 1999, with no memory of his former life except the fire of immortality. But the goddess, obsessed with holding on to him, tracks him down and claims him once again. Together with his family and the love of his life, Melissa, Xumba must travel back in time to banish the goddess for good and right the wrongs of his past.
1889
A sinister cloud covers the sky. It rides on the shoulders of a mighty wind. Leaves and twigs are carried in rounding whirls. They rustle and break, sounding like a musical calabash. The villagers are terrified. They hold onto each other in terror and fear. Women scream, holding onto their soul dolls. No one knows what might happen. Anyone can die. The elderly shake to their bones. Those who hadn't taken their lives regret why they kept. Brave ones run for their ropes. The gallows cannot hold so many bodies. The hour of reckoning is here.
Children cling to their mothers' hide skin. The weakest are swallowed in the erupting waves of whirls. The sky gets darker. The buzz grows closer. Men watch in terror. Bulls moo in deep mournful tunes. Cows hit their hooves on the hard ground their eyes glassy from fear. Chicken clucks, struggling to stay perched but the wild wind rips through their wings. Sheep dare not bleat. The wind grows more vicious. A storm is brewing.
She is here. The Goddess of Karichota, mother of fertility and vitality is here.
Her hair, long, dark and wavy like rivulets of coal flew in the wind. It was wild and unruly, the symbol of her destructive existence. She drew fear, pain and sorrow from the pits of the villagers' bellies. Her presence only meant disaster, hunger, and the aftermath of subsequent deaths especially of men and boys. This year, the storm was sinister. it came with flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. The sky had an abnormal dance of cloudy waves. And the whirl was big enough to uproot shrines. It was like they had never seen before. It carried things on its tail, horrible things. It carried death and destruction. Something was terribly wrong in the cosmos.
Xumba stood on the hearth, near his father's hut. He knew the goddess was coming for him. He had been prepared adequately. His body shined in the shadows of the clouds. His feet dug into the ground. He was not going to be shaken by the wind that was uprooting everything on its way.
It can uproot me as well. He thought.
He was the reigning prince, the son of the great chief Xima. Xumba was the bearer of the flaming spear of his Chota people. When he wielded it in battle, men fell by his side like flies. Who was a woman? Goddess or no goddess, she did not give Xumba the creeps. He wondered why his father was overly worried about him. The great chief Xima had never worried about his son going to battle. Xumba thought his father was putting up a show. He was perfectly aware that the great chief Xima was a softie who thought Xumba will not fit to be chief. He hated him. When it was announced that he was the ultimate sacrifice for the goddess, Xumbas' heart swelled in pride. This was just the opposite of what was expected.
After all, he doesn't love me. he must be happy that his favorite son will get to be the reigning prince once I am dead. He imagined.
"I am suspecting foul play in this selection Xumba," his mother had whispered to him when she served him food.
"Come on mother, the goddess wants a fearless man for her seeding. Not some feeble whiny sissy like my brother," Xumba had responded.
"You are not going to live after the ritual. Are you not afraid of losing your life in such a painful way?" his mother was on the verge of tears.
"Woman, every kind of death stings. Would you rather I live long enough to hang myself in the gallows? That is more crooked than orgasming to death. Besides, I have a plan."
His mother turned her lips in disgust. Anjiko was not a humorous woman. Xuma knew exactly what to say to shut her up. He loved her so much, but love was not supposed to be a reason a man failed in his duties. Especially, love for a mother. A man's duty in Chota tribe was to serve the gods. Not women. Not goddesses.
"What plan? You will be dead after this, Xumba. Don't you see? How am I supposed to survive without..."?
"Stop it! Mother Stop it!" His voice was thunderous. His mother, who was never afraid of him was taken aback. His son was fierce, Anjiko knew this, but he had never used his thunder tone on her. She wanted to say something but her lips could not let words beyond her teeth.
"I go to war every other day, mother. Do you ever worry that one day someone will drill a hole in my skull? Or worse, chop off my head? You see how the savages in the North slaughter our worriers," he spat.
Xumba had always campaigned for the immortalization of soldiers and royalties. He wanted his father to allow the worriers to be at the same level as gods. There was a way. But his father never allowed it. He never wanted to discuss it with him. He said it was a wayward way of thinking and that was final.
"cowards!" he had said as he rose to his feet to leave his mother's hut. "I can finally go join the gods. Where I belong!" with that he had strode off the hut in gust and pride.
"Xumba, don't leave without saying goodbye. The winds are here. I can hear them howl. My stomach, trembles in fear my son."
"It will be fine. Trust me."
"The Fractured Inheritance" follows the story of Nicholai Lawrence, a young man in his early twenties, who discovers that his dad is not actually dead, but works for a ruthless group of scientists who conduct tests on humans and breed monsters. After he and his lover, Natalya, are captured and turned into monsters themselves, Nicholai teams up with other victims of his father's experiments to stop the company's brutal practices. With the war won and the cure acquired, Nicholai faces a tough decision - whether to take the serum and free himself from his beast-like form, or stay cursed in order to bring Natalya back to the path of the light, as she still remains rogue due to the betrayal of her trust by Nicholai.
Freya and Andie's love is a forbidden one that threatens to tear apart their respective werewolf packs. Freya, from a neighboring pack, unexpectedly finds herself pregnant with Andie's child, the next in line to become alpha of his pack. Their relationship goes against the traditional laws of mating within their own pack, which is aimed at keeping their bloodlines pure. Andie's father, Harlock sees Freya as a threat to the purity of his pack and demands that Andie end their relationship. Andie is caught between his love for Freya and his duty to his pack, and he's forced to make a difficult decision. But Freya's hope and love keep him going, and they continue to make plans for their future together. Despite the challenges, Freya and Andie are determined to find a way to make their relationship work. They explore new ways to love and care for each other without going against the traditions of their packs. They hope to convince the pack elders to make an exception for their love and family outside of their pack. Their journey is filled with twists and turns as they navigate the challenges of forbidden love and the traditions and customs of their packs. Will their love be enough to overcome the obstacles, or will their families tear them apart? Follow Freya and Andie on their emotional journey to find a love beyond tradition in this heartwarming and inspiring story.
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, poseesive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved-dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”