*Completed* *2018 Watty's Longlist!!* *New summary* In the forest they waited. In the forest where the trees had eyes and legs made of root. In the forest where the beasts hunted when the sun fell. In the forest they waited, they waited a girl, not just any girl, but the girl who could break the curse.

***A WATTPAD'S FEATURED BOOK LIST selection.*** Callie West is a widow determined to make it on her own in a man's world. Sonny McQuade is a gunfighter trying to turn over a new leaf. Will he find his new life by coming to her aid, or will one more gunfight be his last? A romance in the Old West.

[COMPLETE] Some bonds can't be broken, even in death. -- He couldn't endure another heartbreak. "Accepting her would be a mistake," he said. "She's a human. I can't afford to have her blood on my hands." Gwen looked away, and he knew she saw the image that flashed in his mind. The slaughter. Bodies everywhere. The putrid stench of decay and metallic blood seeping through his fingers and staining the earth under his feet. The small, lifeless body in his hands whose death he couldn't prevent. And whose death he could never forget. "It won't be like that with her," she murmured to the floor. "I won't take that chance." Heavy with sorrow, her brown eyes looked up into his. "Not everyone is given a second chance. Take it." -- Soulmates only come along once in a lifetime. Or so everyone thought. She was his second chance. But her heart loved another. Fate would bring them together, and Fate would tear them apart. -- **A slow-burning, sensual love story with a splash of humor, a dash of action, and a lot of heart.** Rated PG-13 for adult content (coarse language, violence, and non-explicit sex) [There is a separate R-rated scenes book for those who want steamier scenes] CONTAINS: alpha lycan x human mates, strong female lead, second chance mates, reincarnation (tabula rasa), love-triangles, vampires, action, drama, humor, relatable characters, high stakes, passionate romances VOID OF: "insta-love," extremely possessive, aggressive, abusive alpha mates, Stockholm Syndrome *OVERALL WINNER of 2017 Flower's Awards*

When Aria's father sells her to a stranger from the north, she never expects to be cherished like a daughter. To live in a castle, showered with every luxury. Her sumptuous new life is every young girl's dream. But as Aria grows older she can no longer deny the mystery and strangeness of her beloved foster family. Especially the Greyback men. Nor can she ignore the dark menace of the woods beyond the castle. Aria is determined to unravel their secrets. Above all, those of Lucian Greyback, the enigmatic and unsettling man to whom she is betrothed. When her curiosity gets the better of her, Aria is compelled to venture into the forest and discover the truth. But beneath flesh and blood lies a beastly legacy. And a birthright she could never imagine. If you enjoyed the gothic, captivating world of mystery in Jane Eyre (but need a little more bite), you will love the suspenseful and alluring secrets of Aria's journey in this book. Cover designed by @JeanineCroft Copyright © 2015 by Jeanine Croft