


They had been together for two years, and he had been cheating for just as long. She loved him deeply, so she put up with it time and time again. But his behavior grew more unbearable with each passing day—bringing his mistress home to spend the night, treating her like she was nothing more than an eyesore, a nuisance.Fine. If she was truly that disgusting to him, then it was time to end this chapter between them.She threw a contract in his face, but instead of walking away, he clung to her like sticky syrup.Wherever she went, he followed.Finally, fed up, she turned to him and asked, “What do you want from me?”With intense affection in his eyes, he replied, “I want you to mark me.” 

He took her semi-wet hair and tucked it behind her so he could rub her soft neck. She felt his warm hand on her neck and she closed her eyes, leaning against him in satisfaction. She could feel the hard length of him which means he had been thinking of touching her for a long time. She smiled at the thought. His hand slid down her breast which was covered in a tiny fabric of a blue bathrobe. The two mounds on her chest responded with an electric reaction, which made them stand on guard. Zeidan does know how to dig out her feelings and play with them. "Mmh." She moaned and smiled which stirred a reaction from Zeidan. In a swoon, he carried her in his arms and placed her gently on the bed, not forgetting to strip himself of the black shirt he had on.__________Born as a werewolf in the royal family was everybody's dream, but for Lyne, it was like living in hell because she had no wolf or so she thought. After the death of her mother, she is left in the cruel world of being an outcast and a freak among her half-siblings. But fate had other plans for her through a mutual contract, she is forced to marry a handsome vampire named Zeidan and she believes her hell had just begun. She is wrong as she has to deal with Luana, a ruthless female vampire who's in love with Zeidan and as well prove her worth by helping him defeat the Werecats, their core enemies. 
Silvia lost everything in one night—her parents,her trust,and her mate. Coming home from their funeral,she found her "fated"partner,Zack,tangled with another she-wolf. "You'll always be my Luna... even if I need variety,"he said,smirking. Heartbroken but fierce,she rejected him—and turned to someone far more dangerous.
"I need help,"she whispered.
Sherman leaned closer,his voice like silk over steel. "I offer more than help,little wolf. I offer everything he couldn't give you."
Now married to Zack's powerful half-brother,Silvia plays a deadly game of loyalty,vengeance,and survival. But Sherman Carter doesn't help for free—and as their bond deepens,truths unravel.
Is Silvia just a pawn in Sherman's war?
Or is she becoming the Queen who'll burn the whole pack down?
When love,betrayal,and bloodlines collide,how far will one omega go to save her family—and destroy the mate who broke her soul? 
Victoria devoted five faithful years to Ethan, her mate-to-be—or so she thought. But on the night she planned to reveal her deepest secret, she overhears Ethan and her best friend in bed, laughing about her "omega innocence." Betrayed, heartbroken, and burning with fury, Victoria turns away from the man who used her... straight into the arms of his enigmatic half-brother, the dangerous and magnetic Damian Sterling.
"Why him?" Damian asks, his voice dark.
"Because I want to forget your brother," she dares.
Just one night. No feelings. No regrets. But neither of them expects the raging call of fate, or the secrets about to explode.
She was never an omega.
He was never meant to touch her.
But destiny has its own rules—and it starts with one unforgettable night.
Will revenge turn into something deeper—or destroy them both? 
On my 18th Birthday, My twin sister married my mate, Alpha Jacob, in my name. I was Alisa Clark, the she-wolf with the purest blood. The Alphas must feed on my blood. They were blessed with great power while they were cursed. The greater their abilities, the shorter their lives. My blood protected them from their curse Yet, my twin Jennifer took away my glory and had me tortured for 6 years! Worse still, My mate allowed it ** "You've been like a pig for us. He can smell you down here. He's known this whole time." She took out a mirror and held it up to my face. " You think he would ever accept such an ugly mate like this pig." I hadn't seen myself since I was twelve, vibrant and healthy. I was a child then, and now I looked like a ghost. My face was hollow and pale like a sick person. I saw the scar on my face, it burned and had inflamed my cheek so that it was swollen. My eyes were red from the tears. My hair was dull and limp over my skull. My purple eyes were the only piece of me that still held some semblance of life. I could see scars even on my neck, and I knew that my body was even more scarred, and even more pathetic... "How dare you be so stupid." Jennifer said. "How dare you think the Alpha wants you for more than your blood. Imagine him mating with you, when he could have me." 
"Hi, yes you aren't dreaming, it's the chubby Kelly," I say inwardly as I see the unhappy face expression of Jason who is disheartened. The guests laugh at us. They call our couple all sort of names. "The prince charming and the pancakes' eater Kelly" is one I can sadly remember.""I, Jason Bentley of the South pack, reject you Kelly Thompson as my mate and the Luna Queen," he declared fiercely.***Kelly Thompson, an eighteen-year-old curvaceous and wolfless she-wolf, has been quietly admiring Jason Bentley, the heir apparent to the throne of the dominant South pack, for a number of years.Unfortunately for Kelly, she doesn't get the same attention in return from Alpha heir Jason, as the handsome daughter of his old father's Gammas, Betty Nord, is already the love of the pack's future Alpha. But, the plump Kelly has an advantage over the skinny Betty because of a strong vow made by Jason's father, the Alpha King Don Bentley, that his son will marry the daughter of his Betas who gave their lives two years ago in a fight against the North pack's fiercest adversaries in order to preserve the life of the Alpha heir.But clearly, nothing goes as smoothly as Kelly imagines. 

“You’re mine, Aria.” He sounded possessive while pulling me by the waist and crashing his lips fiercely against mine. “All mine.” ******Aria's life turned into a nightmare when she got kidnapped by a man who claimed her to be his mate. Before bumping into him, Aria was just an ordinary girl from New York City, knowing nothing about the werewolf world. Neon Kendrick, leader of a werewolf pack, was not only assertive and arrogant, but the most powerful beast. However, he hadn't met his mate until thirty. He feared that he may never find his mate. But fate had something in store for him. Torn between love, war, and duty, will Aria survive the world that she has been thrown into? Or will Neon give up on everything just to protect his mate? 



On the night my dad kicked me out, I drank too much and slept with my “brother”It was a one night mistake. Yet, he proposed and claimed me as his mate, his luna.**“You have brought enough disgrace to this family.” His Alpha voice rising furiously.“Me?!” I let out a forced laugh. “I’m not the one sleeping with every woman who passes my presence. I’m not the one who murdered my mother!” I hissed.“GET OUT!!!” He ordered. “It was a mistake to have allowed you back in Ironclaw. You will leave and are forbidden to return.”**What have I done? He’s practically my brother. I had sex with my brother. “It wasn’t a mistake,” “What are you talking about, Jonathan?” I asked him. “Arina, you are my mate. You were born to be my luna,” he said. His face showed no signs of humor. “I wasn’t born to be anybody’s luna,” I shot back. “Arina, I love you…” he spoke softly, still staring into my eyes. I could feel the wolf in me stirring; something that I had never felt before. She was awakening; the fire that burned so deep inside of me was beginning to flare. “Love?” I heard myself saying. “There’s no such thing as love…” After everything I knew about “love”, what my mother went through when she married my father, love didn’t exist.“Give me a chance to prove you wrong. Marry me.” 
Orphaned at birth, Scarlett Winters returns to her birth pack hoping to finally find a family's love. Instead, she becomes nothing more than a pawn in pack politics, arranged to marry Alexander Amber, the powerful heir to the Northern territories. For three years, she plays the role of the perfect future Luna flawlessly, until Alexander's former flame Grace returns, flaunting both her pregnancy and victim status."Let's sever the mate bond now," Scarlett declares, her emerald eyes flashing with defiance as her immunity to Alpha command sends shockwaves through the pack."Don't be ridiculous," Alexander sneers, his arrogance evident. "You wouldn't dare give up the Luna position."But what Alexander and the Winters Pack don't know is that their supposedly docile she-wolf was raised by the formidable Thorn Pack in the North. Her adoptive brother Roman, the legendary Shadow Alpha King whose mere name makes lesser wolves tremble, has been searching for her since she mysteriously disappeared three years ago to protect their adoptive mother.Now Roman has finally found her. Their reunion ignites the mate bond they've both been fighting, forcing them to confront their forbidden feelings. As his scent of pine and midnight overwhelms her senses, Scarlett feels her carefully constructed walls crumbling."Five minutes," Roman growls, pulling her onto his lap, his blue eyes blazing with three years of suppressed desire, "to explain why you fled during our pack's darkest hour." 




For the sake of her family, she accepts to tutor Alpha's . She also becomes a part of the Werewolf academy. Her life was normal....... Until, she comes face-to-face with Alphas's king, Dastien. She couldn't rein the tug. She feels at her heart in his presence and his absence, she couldn't take him off of her mind. She couldn't comprehend, why was this happening to her? Emma knows the shifters' world is full of danger. She isn't made for it. Dastien is the strongest werewolf, the Alpha, the king of Alphas, wants to keep his human mate safe. He is in doubt. Should he accept the mating with a human girl, the true love bond that is created somewhere in heaven or should he choose someone from packs, a strong werewolf girl? He is aware of her emotions, love that he sees in her eyes, though Emma is unaware of her feelings and mating bond. Soon, he must make a choice: Choose her knowing the danger lying ahead or lose Emma to let her live a normal life. 

"When he is at work, you will have us entertain you," Alpha Atticus whispered."You belong to me," Alpha Atticus mumbled, shoving his hand between my legs and in my underwear.His fingers traveled to my pussy and grazed around for the entrance, but I was keeping my legs shut tightly. I was sitting between my two alpha mates, who were supposed to accept me and protect me, but they failed.Now that I was married to a much older and more mature Royal Counselor, these two came back into my life and demanded acceptance.While I spoke to Atticus, Alpha Enzo’s hand traveled down my spine, his fingers playing with my bra's hooks."Ah!" I yelped but instantly covered my mouth as my husband was still sitting with us and munching on food."I’ll be back in a minute," my husband said, then got up from his chair to attend the call he had received."He is 29. You are too young for him," Enzo complained, unhooking my bra and letting my boobs relax. “I know you love us," Atticus whispered, bending over my lap after lifting my skirt. The instant his lips came into contact with my pussy, I shuddered. I wanted my mates so badly that I let them taste me. Alpha Enzo raised my shirt and brought his lips over my nipples, sucking them and making me lose my mind."Ah! I ca---n see him from here," I moaned, keeping my eyes on my husband, who wasn’t that innocent either.He was on call and turned to the side while these two alphas were busy fucking his wife.(Content/ Trig*er Warning: The following read consists of extreme profanity, violence, or gore. Subjects like SA and abuse are briefly discussed that might be difficult for some to read) 






The heroine is the youngest daughter of the Alpha King, and was originally a little princess held in the palm of her hand, but everything changed on her 10th birthday. Alpha's child was supposed to shift on her 10th birthday, but sadly, her Wolf never showed up and she became a disgrace to the Alpha family, a punching bag, bullied by school bullies while being rejected by her own Mate. She decided to leave the Pack at the age of 15, after leaving, she learned that she was a rare fighting golden Wolf, and then she met her second companion, the strongest Wolf king of the Shadow race, Lycan. 
The family needed an alliance marriage. At that banquet in my previous life, my brother Griffin, the Alpha, raised an eyebrow and asked me, "Ava, who do you want to choose?"My gaze was resolute, fixed directly on my childhood companion, Michael.After the marriage, however, Michael became entangled with his first love. When his friends teased him, he scoffed, his face full of disdain: "Ava is just a simp. No matter what I do, she'll never leave."Those words pierced my heart like knives. Heartbroken and disillusioned, I turned to leave. On my way back, I encountered rogues seeking revenge. Both my unborn child and I perished in the attack.When I opened my eyes again, the familiar banquet scene lay before me... 

The story explains how Alpha's Shadow: Legend of The Sisterhood begins in the bustling kingdom of Arcanis, where the four princes, known as the Four Pillars, have just returned from a victorious battle. While the kingdom celebrates their heroism, a secret society of powerful women, the Moonveiled Claws, operates from the shadows, protecting the kingdom without recognition. Unknown to the men, these women wield magic and strength, shaping Arcanis' fate. With layers of political intrigue, magical warfare, and sibling dynamics, the stage is set for hidden truths to unravel. 

Every she-wolf in the Blackwood Pack envied me.Olivia Klein, the lowest-ranked Omega who married the most powerful Alpha, Dominic Blackwood.Yet none knew the truth of my torment.The Phoenix mark on my neck made me Dominic Blackwood’s Luna—but it never made me his choice.For five years, I endured his hatred, the pack’s scorn, and the crushing weight of a prophecy no one believed.And when the car crash nearly stole our unborn child from me, my desperate calls went unanswered.Instead, Dominic moved his ex into our bedroom.That’s when I understood: prophecies lie. Marks fade. And some battles?Aren’t worth fighting.For the sake of my child, I was resolved to leave.But tell me, why did that callous, heartless Alpha suddenly have regrets? 


“F**k me to death if you must, you asshole,” I sobbed. I felt defeated as I lay beneath the Alpha King’s hardened body. He was pressed heavily against me. Tears stained my features and he stared around my face, curiously. He had paused for a long moment, breathless and trembling. Just moments ago, he was ripping my custom-made wedding gown off my thin body and shredding it to pieces. I trembled uncontrollably as he pressed me against his bed, kissing every mark of my body and biting me until I bled.His dark blue gaze had gone wild and at that moment, I truly feared for my life. I feared that the night of my wedding night was going to be the end of my life altogether.The memory of the day invaded my mind as I kept thinking to myself, “how did I end up here?” ***To save her little brother, Hannah was forced to take her stepsister Amy's place in the arranged marriage, marring the cruel Alpha King, Peter. Little did she know, there will be so many dangers await her.Alpha Peter, the most arrogant, cold and strongest man in werewolf Kingdom, he accept this marriage because he needs to find his mate, as it was foretold. Only his mate can save him from his frantic fury. He has no idea that soon he finds himself falling for this little omega girl. 


After an abrupt stampede, Freya was hastily taken to the hospital, yet her mate Kingsley found solace in another woman. For three long years, Freya harbored the hope that her love would thaw Kingsley's icy heart, but alas, her yearning proved to be nothing more than a jest. She observed Kingsley showering the other woman with affection, and now, weary of unrequited devotion, she resolved to depart, vowing to reject him. However, the aloof Kingsley underwent an astonishing transformation, assuming a new persona as he fervently pursued Freya. 
At the most-awaited Mapping Ball, where fates are sealed, Lucianna's dream seems to come alive when she discovers her destined mate is Jacob, the alluring and powerful Alpha of the Shadow Pack.
But instead of love, she is met with a cold whisper of disdain.
"I despise weaklings like you," he sneers, a secret humiliation only for her ears.
Stunned and reeling from his venomous words, Lucianna, one of her pack's fiercest fighters, grapples with the cruel twist of fate.
"W-What?" Lucianna uttered.
"Weak and deaf, huh? Not a good combination." Jacob growled and left her in a blink.
'WEAK? I'm one of the greatest fighters in my pack! Who is this bastard calling as weak?!'
How can the mate she longed for see her as anything but strong? Dive into a tale of love, pride, and the challenge of proving one's worth. 

"I, Mia Harper, reject you, Alpha Lucien Storm." My voice cracked and my eyes were filled with tears. "You can't reject me, Mia. I'm your Mate." He muttered and my heart shattered jn my chest from all the pain and betrayal I'd endured. I shook my head. "Not anymore." -Mia Harper, a wolfless omega flees her wedding the night of her eighteenth birthday and as fate would have it, she runs into the arms of her mate, Lucien Storm—one of the most ruthless Alphas anyone had ever seen. But in a twist of fate, he takes Mia in.They soon fall in love but one visit to her Pack changes everything. Ezra, the man she was yet to marry a year ago is furious on her return and declares war. The war wipes out her entire Pack including her father. But then Mia finds out the truth.It was Lucien who had murdered her father.Disheveled and broken, the betrayal drives her to the edge of a cliff where she takes a leap to her death. But somehow, she's saved by Lucien. However, Mia doesn't remember anything now. Would he tell her the truth or would Lucien take his second chance? What would happen when she finds out everything that happened Would Mia ever forgive her mate, Lucien, especially after finding out she's pregnant with his babies? And most importantly, did he even really kill her Father? 
The story unfolds in a contemporary world where werewolves and humans coexist. Elaine, born into an affluent family, wakes up one day to find her parents missing. She is subsequently taken to a place where she encounters Sherman Holmes, the Alpha of Bostabaca, and the fabled wealthiest man in the world. She learns that she was sold to him as a breeder, but a startling truth comes to light - Elaine is a werewolf belonging to the ancient and esteemed Valentine pack. Her life takes a dramatic turn.The tale follows the journey of a girl who was sold to be the Alpha's breeder, the Alpha who was cold and proud, refusing to love. Two hearts draw closer and closer, and in this game, nobody can escape becoming enslaved by love in the end, and they both become willing captives. 

Not long after human Iris found out about her pregnancy, she realized her Alpha fated mate Arthur had engaged with another woman ever since he was 15 years old. As Arthur prepared to run for the Alpha President position, it became clear that he needed a luna from the Alpha class, just like his fiancée. Realizing her place as nothing more than a human mistress, Iris left, with her child. Five years later, Iris came back as a successful artist, while Arthur already became the Alpha President. Arthur genuinely believed Iris couldn’t thrive without him, but when they met again, his world was turned upside down. A little boy ran to Iris, holding his arms out toward Iris. “Mommy, we missed you so much, so we came with Daddy,” he said.Arthur stared at the child, then looked back at Iris angrily to growl, “Mommy and Daddy?”Before Iris could respond, a handsome Alpha appeared, holding a little girl in his arms. “Iris, sorry to keep you waiting.” 
Selene Adams was the orphan whom nobody wanted to be friends with. Forced to leave her home as a child and live with her aunt at a neighboring pack, Selene had no memories of the past. She made a plan to leave and survive on her own the second she gained her wolf. But what happens when the Alpha wants her for keeps and her real family comes looking for her, a family that nobody crosses. Selene is pulled in two directions and must make a choice, but unraveling secrets may cause her to lose everything as another Alpha steps in and staked his claim.Brought up in a pack where she was treated no better than those of the lowest rank, Selene was at the bottom of the food chain.Left there as a child, she had no one to turn to. With an Alpha who lurks in the shadows, watching her every move, Selene was never accepted. Believing she was finally getting to live a free, calm, and secure life, she had no idea that the Alpha she grew up with had his own secrets, just as her parents had theirs. Believing she was safe from harm, nothing could prepare her for what she was walking into. 

“I’m your mate,” he declared, his voice filled with fervent intent, difficult to grasp amidst the overwhelming pleasure.“Yeah,” I managed to reply, my mind clouded by ecstasy. His presence enveloped me entirely, our bodies now intimately intertwined. My eyes widened as the heat of his manhood grazed the entrance of my folds, anticipation building maddeningly within me. A curse escaped my lips, a desperate plea for him to enter me.Tears welled in the corners of my eyes as I felt my inner walls shatter. It hurt—a searing pain coursing through me.“You’re a virgin,” he stated, his tone certain and unyielding.Cercei's eighteen years of existence were marred by excruciating pain and suffering solely because of her uncanny resemblance to her stepsister Vienna, the Alpha King Remus 's daughter. Cercei found it unbearably cruel that she possessed the same beauty as Vienna, which made Vienna feel insecure, leading her to subject Cercei to relentless torment.Despite the numerous hardships, Cercei received love and care from her parents, and she remained humble. Although their pack Alpha never respected them and treated them as mere servants, her family found happiness. However, everything changed dramatically on her eighteenth birthday when their Alpha ruthlessly killed her father without a valid reason and mercilessly crushed his heart underfoot after digging it out.Enraged and craving revenge, Cercei felt powerless—until she encountered the Alpha King of the North Lucian Red. He is her fated mate, but also Vienna's fiancé. This chance encounter abruptly changed her life, unraveling all the secrets and lies her mother, Emila, had carefully hidden for eighteen years. The revelation shattered Cercei's belief in her perfect family, leaving her to question everything she had ever known in the love triangle. 


Every girl at the age of eighteen, if left unmated, is volunteered for the Alphas Hunt. Hazel is no exception and also the only one who sees it not as a chance to find a strong Alpha to take care of her, but rather as a ceremony that strips you of your free will and sends you out into the woods to be hunted like a deer.If she is claimed she will be his. If she is not, she will return in shame and be shunned from her pack. Hazel knows the ways of the Alphas, being the daughter of a Beta, but what she doesn't count on is the presence of the Lycan King. The leader of all is participating in his first-ever hunt, and she is his prey.***Warning: This book contains a LOT of mature content such as strong language, explicit s*x scenes, physical and mental abuse, BDSM, etc.*** 
On the eve of my wedding, I was drugged without warning and assaulted by a group of Rogues, which tarnishing my reputation. Beta Lewis, who was about to become my partner, not only showed no compassion but abandoned me to marry another. In my despair, I chose to end it all by suicide, only to be saved by Alpha Howar. He tenderly confessed his deep feelings for me and promised to stay with me forever. But this illusion of happiness came to an abrupt end when I discovered I was pregnant. Alpha Howar suspected that I was carrying a bastard child and forced me to undergo an abortion. “Throwing her into the Rogue pack to ruin her reputation was merely to allow Cheryl to marry her fiancé as she desired. Saving her life afterward and striving to make amends was already an act of great kindness on my part. However, I am not so merciful as to raise the child of a lowly Rogue.” " At that moment, I realized that the one who saved me had become the perpetrator of my tragic fate. I cried until I was nearly unconscious. But I would not seek death again. Without a child, I was free of burdens. Everything Alpha Howar had imposed on me, I would repay him tenfold, a hundredfold! 


“I love you, mate,” Kael says to me, and I believe him.Even in the midst of the war and the chaos, the trying to escape and the hiding from our enemies, I know, he is the one for me.I feel the ribbon between our hearts tighten, and the only thing I can say in response is, “Take me.”GemmaAll she wanted was adventure. When she snuck off to take the place of her cousin as a breeder for a distant Alpha, she had no idea the danger and turmoil she’d be faced with. But then, she met Kael, a captured Alpha, and everything changed.KaelHe’s been hiding what’s left of his destroyed pack from their enemies for years. But now that he has Gemma, there’s something worth fighting for.Can the two of them overcome their enemies and find piece for the Moonwake pack so that they can finally be together in peace, or will the rival Alpha win the day?Stolen by the Rival Alpha is created by Claire Wilkins, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author. 
“I denounce you as my Luna,” he declared, his words striking me with the force of a physical blow.“And I reject you as my mate. I am severing our bond.” He turned away from me, his attention focused on Coco as he lifted her from the ground, cradling her protectively in his arms. The tenderness in his touch was a dagger to my heart, a reminder of what I had lost.Betrayed. Abandoned. Left to die. Lilac, a betrayed heroine, had given everything to Alpha King Kael—her love, her loyalty, her very soul—only to be cast aside when his fated mate arrived. The fragile Omega Coco not only stole Kael’s heart but destroyed everything Lilac had built in their shifter fantasy world, leaving her broken and watching her family perish. As Lilac took her final breath, the last thing she saw was Kael holding the woman who had ruined her.But death was not the end.When Lilac’s eyes opened, she was back, six years in the past, standing in the ceremony where she was first chosen as Kael’s mate. The goddess had granted her a second chance romance in this time travel fantasy. But this time, she would not be the same naive woman who loved blindly. This time, she would fight. She would take back what was hers.Yet, with every choice she makes, the future begins to shift. Kael’s half-brother Alaric showed up in the picture, complicating her path. Fate is no longer predictable, and the kingdom’s destiny is no longer set in stone. As Lilac walks a new path, one question haunts her: Is she rewriting her salvation… or her doom? 
I yelped, squirming, but quickly stilled myself, knowing one wrong move in this position and I’d fall. And London sure wasn’t going to catch me. The glint in his eyes made that clear. Trapped, I was at his mercy, taking whatever he dished out without writhing.His head peeked up from between my legs, squinting as he hoarsely said, “Oh, and one more thing… not a single sound from you, and don't touch me. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”What? He couldn’t expect me to just shut my eyes and keep it in. Hell, soft moans were already escaping my lips from his previous kisses.“What?” I asked, bewildered.“Meaning, you're not allowed to make any sound, and you're not allowed to touch me, including tugging on my hair; you’d give me a headache,” he huskily said, licking my inner thighs again, inching closer to my wetness.“Or else?” I dared to ask.He gave me a devilish smile before chuckling, “You're free to find out, no?”*************** London was once a devoted Gamma, but fate has given him a second life as the Alpha and Lycan King, haunted by a deep-seated hatred for women and the mate bond. Unable to recall his past life, he now faces a new destiny intertwined with a woman who lost everything in one tragic night. When he rejects her, he risks losing all he's ever desired. His mate hides a crucial secret, and despite his indifference, this secret might just turn his world upside down.