“Elliott’s not coming. He insists you sign the divorce papers tonight. Madeline Bryant, it’s time to stop dreaming.” On the cruise deck, a storm was raging and I was a mess, confronting Giselle Cole. Today was the sixth anniversary of my marriage to Elliott Bryant, and this cruise ship was where we first met. I never imagined my blood-written plea for one more meeting wouldn’t sway Elliott from divorcing me. He even had his sweetheart deliver the papers. How heartless! “And, I’m pregnant with Elliott’s baby. You and him, it’s over,” Giselle bragged, her growing bump proof of her hold on Elliott. How ironic! I had always longed for a child in our six-year marriage, but Elliott never once touched me. Now he and Giselle are expecting a baby. In the past, hearing such news, I would have lunged at her in a blind rage, tearing into her like a wild animal. But now, I was too drained to outdo Giselle. “Fine, I’ll sign.” Without another word, I reached out with a trembling hand, smeared with blood, and scribbled my name on the paper. Giselle was shocked by my swift agreement, then her face lit up with joy. She stowed away the divorce papers as if they were treasure, and the large diamond ring on her slender finger glinted, making my head reel. Six years of marriage, and I never got such a ring. I loved Elliott and even jeopardized my family for him, yet he gave me nothing. Not even a goodbye. “Does Elliott know I’m sick?” I asked weakly, unable to accept the harsh truth. Ten years of love, it wasn’t easy to let go. “He knows. He said you’re a burden. He’d prefer if you were gone,” Giselle shot back, her words as cold as Elliott’s. In my despair, I didn’t doubt her – those had to be Elliott’s words. I hadn’t seen him in two months since he proposed divorce. He left and cut me off. His friends and family treated me like an outcast, hiding his location. With my parents gone and assets transferred, I was useless to him. Despite my terminal cancer, he was quick to leave me for his dream woman. He was truly heartless! Still, I clung to him, my only love. I hoped for one last meeting to end our decade-long story. “Can you set up a last meeting with him?” I begged Giselle. “No need. You’re just a disaster! What’d it solve?” She sneered, queen-like. “Can I call him… please?” I backed off. Just his voice one more time would do. “Madeline, I’d never stoop so low for a man. Can’t you see? The more you beg, the less they respect you. Maybe next life treats you better,” Giselle scoffed, grabbing me. Her scorn stung. She had everything, while I, once privileged, was now desperate. How’d I end up here? As I lost myself in thought, two hefty guards moved in, silencing me with duct tape and tying me up. “Madeline, it’s time you disappeared from Elliott’s life. I’ve had enough of you…” Before I could react, they hurled me into the sea. Giselle’s words echoed in my ears as seawater filled my lungs. I was helpless against the current pulling me deeper into the sea. As my consciousness began to slip, I felt a force tug at my arm. Someone seemed to be pulling me towards the surface, but the storm was relentless. Then, everything went black. This pitiful, insignificant life of mine had been abruptly ended by Elliott’s damn dream girl. A splash of cold water jolted me awake. I forced my eyes open to find Elliott standing over me! “Madeline, stooping so low as to drug me? You’re beneath contempt! I wouldn’t touch you, let alone get you pregnant!” His face was twisted with disgust as he turned off the shower. Hadn’t Giselle thrown me into the sea? Why was I waking up in Elliott’s bathroom? I looked around, trying to understand my surroundings. The bathroom was a mess, with shower gel and a toothbrush scattered on the floor. Elliott was dressed in a dark suit, his hair and chest soaked. His eyes were filled with anger. Clearly, the recent process had been intense. This scene was all too familiar, and I suddenly remembered. This should be four years ago, on the second anniversary of my marriage to Elliott. That day, I asked the housemaid Teresa to bring a remedy from the countryside. She claimed it could help me conceive. Excited, I added it to the soup, imagining a romantic night with Elliott under the influence of the drug. I was truly desperate at that time. After two years of marriage with no sign of pregnancy, my in-laws and the entire upper-class society in Hoswich spread rumors that I couldn’t provide heirs for the Bryant family. Then, women close to Elliott, aiming to bear his child, were increasing. Tormented day and night, I reluctantly resorted to this method. However, for some reason, Elliott saw through it. He was furious, pouring the soup down my throat in front of all the servants and then dragging me into the bedroom. The potent medicine quickly took effect, and I lost control, tearing my nightgown into pieces. I repeatedly pounced on Elliott uncontrollably. Finally, he dragged me into the bathroom and ruthlessly showered me with the showerhead, exactly like the current situation. I suddenly realized I had been reborn! I was back to the time of my second wedding anniversary with Elliott.

I was reborn at a time when I still had my family’s support and my health! How blessed! Ever since I married Elliott, his words were harsh, and tonight, his contempt for me seemed to grow. “Listen! One more food screw-up and I’m gone!” Elliott glared at me, void of any affection. “Elliott, I’m your wife. Don’t you have any… love for me?” Memories of our past haunted me. I blurted out the question that gnawed at me in my final moments. “Love? You? If not for your family’s schemes, would we be together?” “Schemes? That was my family saving yours! Without my dad’s two billion rescues, the Bryants would’ve sunk into that financial mess!” Two years back, the Bryants’ huge oil venture in the Middle East halted due to an unforeseen war. Concurrently, a global economic crisis struck, shrinking the Bryants’ wealth dramatically in a month. Facing their financial ruin, I persuaded my dad to donate two billion dollars to help them recover. Seizing this opportunity, I fulfilled my dream of marrying Elliott. I was foolish then, believing that being with Elliott constantly would make him love me. But over six years, Elliott repeatedly shattered my hopes, and ultimately I was killed by his damn first love. Elliott lavished his affection on other women, leaving me with nothing but continuous pain. My heart had given up to despair when I found solace in the depths of the sea. In my new life, I swore no more foolish naivety! “Madeline, without those two billion, you wouldn’t even dream of marrying me. Be content with what you’ve got.” With these words, Elliott turned and walked away. “Elliott, since you hate me that much… let’s end this!” I said calmly as he walked away. He paused, laughed scornfully, then left confidently. “Fine, anytime you want!” After he left, I tried to stand, supporting my trembling body. Looking in the mirror, I saw a mess – tangled hair, empty eyes, flushed cheeks from meds, and my ripped nightie revealing my skinny arms and collarbones. I’d starved myself to fit Elliott’s ideal – long-haired, skinny women. Now, I was 5.7 feet tall and only 94 pounds. My resulting stomach cancer was probably from neglecting myself and enduring constant stress. I swore never to jeopardize my health for someone else’s ideals. With that in my mind, I threw away all my diet pills. Elliott claimed we could divorce whenever. Since then, let it be tomorrow. In my past life, I put up with Elliott’s growing disdain till it was too late. But this time, I chose to let him go, and more importantly, free myself early. After a sleepless night, as dawn broke, I dug out my old favorite jeans and a white shirt from my closet, untouched since marriage. I casually knotted the shirt and walked out with the divorce papers in my pocket. Then, I headed straight to Bryant Group, took the VIP elevator to Elliott’s office, knocked and walked in. Now, we were just married for only two years, playing the perfect couple. At this point, I could still move freely in Bryant Group, not yet so low that even their security looked down on me. Behind his big desk, Elliott’s brows furrowed upon seeing me. “What are you here for?” “I’ve drafted the divorce agreement. Take a look. Sign it if no problems.” I looked at him, my tone quite calm. A flicker of surprise tinged his gaze. Dropping the pen he held, he smiled faintly, his voice detached yet laced with disdain. “Which act are you playing this time? Didn’t you have enough drama last night?” “Elliott, I’m serious. Since you don’t love me, let’s end it sooner. It’s better for us.” Maybe I had let go of him completely. There was no ripple in my emotions when I spoke these words. Elliott’s face darkened. He stood up abruptly, circled the desk, and loomed in front of me. Pinching my chin, he locked eyes with me, a sneer playing on his lips. “What? Drugged me and failed, now another trick? Madeline, drop the games. I don’t have time for you, got it?” He then ripped up the divorce papers right in front of me and growled, “Get out!” In the past, his harsh gaze would silence me immediately. Every fight ended with me backing down, crushing my dignity. However, I was my parent’s precious daughter, pampered and loved. But for love, I made myself nothing before Elliott, burying my pride and self-respect. I used to fear Elliott mentioning divorce, considering how hard I worked for this marriage. But now, looking at this cold man, all I wanted was to get away and cut all ties and feelings for him. “Fine. Whenever you’ve made up your mind, just let me know. I’m done with this charade.” I left these words behind and turned to leave his office. At that moment, I heard a clear, shattering sound of broken glass behind me.

After leaving Elliott’s office, I headed to the seventh-floor planning department. From my past life, I remembered Giselle was an intern there. Back then, Elliott was busy with a starlet and Giselle slipped under my radar. The department was huge and buzzing with people, but Giselle stood out. She was tall, pale with long hair, and big eyes on her oval face. Her oversized, cheap business attire didn’t hide her beauty. My first impression of Giselle was like a delicate, innocent white rose in the wind. She was presenting her case in the director’s office, full of hope. But it wasn’t what he wanted. He glanced at it and angrily tossed it back at her, scolding her fiercely. Now, she was just a newbie at a big firm, trying to impress her boss. This harsh criticism must’ve hurt. Maybe this was what drove her to Elliott, climbing to the top step by step. Little did anyone know that this girl being berated would, in a few years, become Elliott’s wife and change her destiny. “Excuse me, madam. What can I do for you?” A woman in business attire came up to me and asked me with a bright smile. Only then did I realize that I had kept looking at Giselle, seeming fascinated, which wasn’t myself. Fortunately, I rarely came to the group and had never met these employees, so they didn’t know me. “Nothing. I wanted to discuss some business with your director. Since he is busy, I’ll leave then.” With a random excuse, I turned around and left. I didn’t mean to meet Giselle. I just wanted to see her at this time. I was so curious about how the inconspicuous Giselle managed to catch Elliott’s eye, sleep with him, and occupy his mind step by step. She even gained the favor and recognition of his parents! She was a recent college graduate with nothing special. How did she do that? In my past life, I was clueless about Giselle until she had already won over Elliott, surpassing all his past flings. Ignoring his family’s protests, Elliott asked me for a divorce multiple times for her. He even promoted the young Giselle, despite board objections, to aid him with the Bryant Group’s confidential matters. He trusted her more than anyone else. By the time I dug into Giselle’s background, Elliott was head over heels for her. How did an average girl from a common family with no extraordinary education earn all of Elliott’s devotion? Her looks couldn’t be the reason; Elliott had been with many beautiful women. Her beauty wasn’t her secret weapon. I remembered Giselle’s last words to me before I died. “Can’t you see? The more you beg, the less they respect you.” She was young but sensible. Could her sensibility be what captivated Elliott?

After leaving the Bryant Group, I returned to my parents’ house and lived in the room they had always reserved for me. My mother got a brand new quilt for me. The scent of sunshine on the quilt made me sleep particularly sweetly. I didn’t go back to my home with Elliott, and I didn’t know if he had ever looked for me. I even didn’t care if he would. Early the following day, I received a call from Sean West, the butler. “Mrs. Bryant, you didn’t come back last night. Where have you been?” “I’m at my parents’ house.” “Well. Mr. Bryant asked about you when he came back last night. Mrs. Bryant, you two, quarreled?” Sean asked me cautiously on the phone. In fact, during two years of marriage, only Sean had been silently caring about me. “Yes. Please tell him that I won’t go back, and I’ll pick a time to take away my things,” I spoke calmly. “Mrs. Bryant, what’s wrong? I know that sometimes, Mr. Bryant has gone too far, but marriage is a tough journey. As long as you are together, things will gradually get better.” Sean heard that I wanted to move out and became a little emotional. “It won’t get better. He doesn’t love me, and you all know that.” I smiled bitterly, no longer had any expectations, and hung up the phone. There was a time when I couldn’t leave Elliott for hours without thinking about where he was, who he was with, and what he was doing. It was hard not being around him. I couldn’t have left him for more than a day. But now, whatever. I was completely awake and didn’t care anymore. Where Elliott was and who he was with had nothing to do with me. For the rest of my life, I just wanted to take it easy, do what I wanted, be sober, self-loving, and no longer lost. I got up and opened the closet. Looking at the neatly arranged old clothes, I couldn’t help but smile. Before marrying Elliott, I was a rebellious girl. At that time, I liked motorcycle clothes, jeans with rivets, cool and unique dresses, and short hair. But later, learning that Elliott liked gentle and lovely girls with long hair, I gave up all these clothes and replaced them with long skirts and dresses that I had never enjoyed. I even stopped cutting my hair and let it grow long. Why bother deliberately catering to others’ preferences? People who loved you would love you no matter what you looked like. I picked out a short black T-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans from the closet, took out my favorite canvas shoes, dressed them up, put on a little makeup, and then went straight to the barbershop. Soon, with the skillful barber, my waist-length hair turned into neat collarbone-length hair, and the bangs in the front also turned into see-through bangs. I looked at my new look in the mirror and suddenly felt much more relaxed and refreshed. Just then, my phone rang. I picked up the phone and saw that it was my best friend, Paige Ford, calling… “Madeline, where are you? Come and stay with me. I feel terrible.” The call was connected, and Paige’s feeble voice came from the other end. “I’m at the barbershop. Where are you? I’m on my way,” I answered without hesitation. “Neon Club. Come quickly. I’m waiting for you.”

I glanced at my phone; it was about six in the evening. This was the time when a call ended over a decade of friendship with Paige in my past life. In my memory, Paige was in desperate need of comfort after breaking up. But I coldly turned her down to wait for Elliott, who didn’t show up until midnight. Meanwhile, because I didn’t accompany her for a drink, Pagie asked a group of unreliable friends to the club. Soon, she was drunk and was taken away by a bastard. When she was aware of the danger, she called me many times, but I ignored all of them and did not rush to find her. Although that bastard was sent to prison by the Ford family the next day, Paige’s reputation was completely ruined, and our friendship utterly ended after that. This time, I wouldn’t let it happen again. I drove to Neon Club, which was owned by Quinn Woods, Elliott’s good friend. The Woods family was prominent in Hoswich, and Quinn was the only heir. His family’s main business was shipbuilding, but Quinn was not interested and would rather run the high-end private club than inherit the family business. In my previous life, among all Elliott’s friends, Quinn was the one who despised and hated me the most. Every time I met him, he would mock me and quarrel with me. We didn’t like each other, so I never set foot at the club he ran. Now that I had been dead for once, I had let go of all the trivial conflicts in the past. Quinn was just an insignificant person in my life. Soon, I parked the car and walked straight into Neon Club. This club was indeed known as the most high-end and luxurious private club in Hoswich. The moment I entered, I was shocked by the artistic decoration style. I had grown up seeing a lot of luxury goods, so I could tell at a glance that this decoration must have cost a fortune. It was so luxurious that even the paintings on the walls used to be sold at high prices in auction houses. Paige told me that she was in box No. 8. I walked along the corridor, focusing on my phone with my head down, and I accidentally bumped into someone. “I’m so…” Subconsciously, I wanted to apologize, but suddenly, I heard a gentle male voice with a hint of surprise. “Madeline!” Who was this person? Did he know me? I was stunned and quickly looked up, seeing a handsome face instantly. I always adored good-looking people and would be nice to them. But this was the only face I wouldn’t say I liked the moment I saw it. Because he was the man I hated the most, Quinn. “Well, Mr. Woods. I’m sorry that I show up in your club. But if you mind, I can go to another place with my friend right away.” My voice instantly turned cold. The memories of him endlessly ridiculing and mocking me in my previous life still lingered in my mind. “How could it be? Everyone here is a guest. Your friend is Paige, right? She is in box No. 8.” To my surprise, Quinn, whom I had been incompatible with in the past, instead of being angry because of my words, actually had a very gentle tone and even guided me thoughtfully. It was unbelievable… In my impression, he was not a good person. I didn’t know what game he was playing right now. Although he looked nice, I rolled my eyes at him and didn’t bother to care what he thought. I just walked around him quickly to the door of box No. 8 and went in directly. There were many girls in the room, and Paige, sitting in the center, wore a champagne-colored dress. Seeing me coming, these girls immediately surrounded me as if they were so surprised. I used to hang out with them when I was unmarried. But of all those people, Paige and I were closest and other than that, Fiona Tucker. But Fiona had been studying medicine abroad for several years. I didn’t expect her to show up here today. Fiona was equally excited to see me. She immediately gave me an intimate hug and then cheered. “Madeline! It’s been a time! You’ve disappeared from our circle since you got married. You’ve gone too far!” “Come on! I find it harder to meet her than the king. She’s been so focused on having Elliott’s baby for two years. She hasn’t even had time for me.” Paige held my arm and couldn’t help complaining about me. Indeed… Since I married, I had become farther and farther away from my friends. Every time they asked me out, I would consider Elliott first, so I rarely participated in any of their gatherings. “I was wrong, okay? Well. I will punish myself with three drinks tonight! Paige, my dear baby, happy birthday!” I handed Paige the gift I had prepared for a long time. It was a diamond brooch with a sunflower pattern. It was expensive, but I bought it without hesitation to make it up to Paige in my previous life. “Are you willing to drink? Didn’t you announce at the bachelor party before your wedding that you would quit drinking to prepare for pregnancy? Will Elliott be angry if you drink?” Paige took the gift with a smile, but what I said about drinking shocked her. “I’m too young to be in such a hurry. I have more important things to do. Besides, I don’t care what Elliott thinks. What matters most is that I’m happy!” Letting go of my obsession, I no longer restrained myself. The moment I said these words, I felt my boredom and mania swept away. I picked up the wine glasses placed on the table and drank three glasses in one go, causing my friends to cheer instantly. “What happened? Did you suddenly sober up or did you undergo a makeover? I feel like you’re a different person, Madeline. No matter how much we tried to persuade you in the past, you turned a deaf ear. Now you’re finally seeing reality?” Fiona was the most open-minded and sober among the three of us. She had often advised me not to get lost in love. Hearing me say this, she was, of course, happier than anyone else. “Yes, I’ve realized. We shall hang out as often as before. Fiona, you are right. Women have to have their world and careers. It’s boring to focus on men!” After a few drinks, I felt much better, hugged Fiona, and kissed her on the cheek. In my previous life, when I had stomach cancer, everyone left me. Only Paige and Fiona were there for me. Knowing that I had no money, they didn’t hesitate to chip in and pay the surgery fee for me. In the end, however, I was still foolish. The day before the surgery, I still had hopes that Elliott was going to meet me, so I secretly rented the cruise ship without them knowing and ended up on the bottom of the ocean. “Well… I’m not surprised at all when Fiona says this. But since you said so, I’m shocked!” Paige joked, but I could hear that they were all happy that I could wake up. “All right. Stop talking about me. Today’s protagonist is Ms. Ford. Let’s celebrate Paige’s birthday!” I changed the topic with a smile and reminded them quickly. Everyone reacted instantly and gave birthday wishes to Paige. Then, the club’s waiter brought a birthday cake. Tonight, we had a lot of fun, and I hadn’t relaxed like this for quite a long time. It was so lovely not to love anyone who didn’t deserve it. I drank a lot and needed to go to the bathroom. So Paige and I, holding each other up, staggered out of the box together. “Elliott, teach me. This cue is so heavy that I can barely hold it.” A delicate female voice came from the next box. Hearing it, I stopped involuntarily.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397394”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #B×G #HeirHeiress #Rebirth #Business

As an orphan, I never thought my true identity was so special. I thought I was a humble omega, every werewolf in the pack said so, until I came to my eighteenth birthday. Everything changed from the night I shifted. That night, I owned the gorgeous white wolf and suffered the betrayal of my mate. As I was drowning in busy chores, a wonderful scent helped me quickly recognize my second mate, the noble Lycan Prince. It says that the Lycan Prince is brutal, bloodthirsty, and ruthless, and I want nothing more than to stay away from him. However, when I was about to be killed by him, an incredible miracle happened… ‘You are his destined mate,’ the Moon Goddess whispered softly.

NataliaI gripped the page with my test results on it, the logo for the hospital where I was an intern printed across the top. Would I live long enough to finish out my internship and become a fully qualified surgeon? Heart failure has progressed. Patient placed on transplant list. I stared at the words, numb. After I’d experienced some weird health problems at nineteen, I found out that I’d inherited a deadly congenital heart disease. I was in stage two of heart failure. The doctors had told me I could spend decades in stage two if I looked after myself. And I had. I’d made lifestyle changes and taken all of my medications religiously. Now, I needed a heart transplant. A transplant neither my mom nor I could afford. It was laughable. I worked at a hospital, and it turned out my insurance wouldn’t cover my heart failure because it was a pre-existing condition. Which led me to where I was—standing in the one place I had vowed to never set foot. About to see the one person I had sworn on my life I would never see again. I crammed the incriminating paper into my oversized handbag and then walked the remaining distance along the Manhattan street, to the building where apartments never sold for less than thirty million dollars. The Zanetti family owned most of the building, a powerhouse mafia who ran their corner of New York with an iron fist and cut-throat politics. We’d never asked the Zanetti family for a dime. But today, that was all about to change. The doorman eyed me as he let me into the luxury building. Probably because I looked like trash. I’d worked a double at the hospital, so I was still in my scrubs and my braid had mostly fallen out ten hours ago, but I hadn’t found time to fix it. Plus, the whole heart-failure thing wasn’t exactly good for the complexion. I rode the elevator up, my heart pounding out of control with anxiety. I reached into my bag and popped a couple of pills to calm my system down. I was supposed to be avoiding stress. Ha! Between my internship and heart condition, stress was my BFF. It felt like the elevator took forever to reach the upper floor. As I stepped out, I could hear yelling coming from the apartment. The voice was shrill, female. A second later, the yelling was accompanied by the sound of something shattering. I winced, my steps slowing as I walked toward the door. Obviously, this was a bad time. But I knew if I didn’t knock on the door and ask right now, I would lose my nerve and never be able to bring myself back here. Unsurprisingly, the commotion stopped after I rang the doorbell. A moment later, a harried looking maid opened the door. “Can I help you?” she asked, gaze raking over my disheveled appearance. “I’m here to see Frank Costa-Zanetti,” I replied, glad when my voice came out even, no hint of the tremor I felt inside. “Who should I say is calling?” asked the maid snootily. “Natalia,” I answered, tipping my chin a little higher. The maid’s eyes widened, but she stepped back. “Oh, I’m sorry, miss,” the maid said in a rush, practically groveling. “I didn’t recognize you. Please, come in. I’ll fetch him directly.” I stepped into the luxurious apartment, and now I could hear the murmur of low, intense voices. The argument hadn’t ended, it had just gotten quieter. I glanced around as the maid hurried off. What would it have been like to grow up here? A moment later, the maid returned and beckoned for me to follow her. She took me to a formal sitting room where Frank Costa-Zanetti stood, looking out at a small sliver of Central Park you could just make out through the tall windows. Inwardly, I winced when I saw he wasn’t alone. Lauren was also there. Along with her odious daughter, Felicity. “Natalia,” Frank said. “This is a surprise.” Lauren glared at me. “You couldn’t call ahead like a civilized person?” “I’m just trying to maintain the trash image of me you have,” I replied in a cutting voice, anxiety about my current situation making me speak out when usually I would have remained quiet. Lauren opened her mouth to reply, but Frank held up his hand to cut her off. “What’s this about, Natalia?” He sounded impatient. “It’s simple,” I told him, pausing to take a calming breath. “I’m dying, Dad.”

Felicity gave a cutting snort of disbelief.“Wow, dramatic much?” My half-sister rolled her eyes. “Clearly you’re not dying, or you wouldn’t be standing here.” “I’m in heart failure,” I told my father, ignoring Felicity for the time being. “I was born with a congenital heart condition that wasn’t found until a few years ago. It’s progressing. As of today, I’ve been put on a waiting list for a heart transplant. But my insurance won’t cover it, so—” Lauren gave an incredulous laugh. “So you came here begging for money? How pathetic. Does your father look like an ATM?” “Lauren,” my father said sharply. The woman shut up then, but it didn’t stop her from looking mutinous. “So you come to me, after all these years, and just expect me to hand over money?” my father asked, adjusting the heavy gold watch he wore. It was a flashy, ugly piece that matched the cliché gold chains he wore at his neck. I clenched my jaw over the urge to remind him that he was the one who’d kicked out me and my mom so he could move his mistress and his illegitimate daughter in. He was the one who hadn’t bothered with us for over two decades. He’d only married my mother to become don of the Zanetti mafia. “I didn’t know what else to do,” I replied, feeling a lump swell in my throat. And wasn’t that the god’s honest truth? Part of me actually thought for a second that maybe I would have been better off letting myself die than having to prostrate myself at the altar of my father’s ego for the cost of the transplant, which would probably be a pittance compared to the wealth being the don of the Zanetti family had netted him. My father considered me, and there wasn’t a speck of emotion in his gaze. At this moment, I had no doubt he was weighing up the pros and cons of saving my life. What he could get out of it versus what it would cost him. If I’d been a son, my father would have moved heaven and earth to save me. If I’d been a boy, he probably wouldn’t have kicked my mom and I out in the first place. Only sons could ascend to Don in the mafia. Hence why my only child mother had been married off to someone my grandfather approved of to take over. However, my father hadn’t produced any sons. Lauren had experienced complications in birthing Felicity and hadn’t been able to give him any more children. Honestly, I was surprised my father had kept her around after that. Maybe he really did love her, I thought bitterly. Even though I wasn’t part of my family anymore, I still heard things. Everyone did. There were rumblings amongst the other mafia families who ran Manhattan. What would happen to the Zanetti family—one of the oldest mafia families in New York—after my father passed away? Who would inherit? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care what happened to any of them. “You’ll owe me,” my father eventually said, a knowing glint in his eye. “I expected as much,” I said, glad my voice remained cool and detached. Because my pulse was skipping wildly, and it was all I could do not to tremble. “Anything I ask,” my father added, as if he needed to make sure I understood. “Anything,” I repeated with a nod. “Anything?” Felicity suddenly spoke up, her gaze calculating. Whatever she had in mind, I knew it was going to be bad news for me. A vicious smile curved over Lauren’s face. “She did say anything,” Lauren said, her voice a dangerous purr. My father looked at the pair, his expression unreadable. I didn’t know what was going on here, and I was too afraid to ask. “Come now, Frank,” Lauren said when my father remained silent. “The sacrifice must be made.” Sacrifice? Just what the hell was Lauren talking about? I had known coming here that whatever my father asked of me in return for funding my heart transplant would be steep, but now that I was standing here, I was beginning to consider the fact that he might ask me something I was unwilling to pay. My father looked back at me, and I could tell he was thinking hard about whatever it was Lauren and Felicity were suggesting. “In fact, this will work even better in your favor,” Lauren continued, clearly warming up to the subject. “Natalia is the one who is of the Zanetti bloodline, after all. I think Robert will greatly appreciate your gesture.” That seemed to cinch it for my father. I could see the moment he decided. “Then that will be my price,” he said with a nod of finality. “Which is?” This time I couldn’t stop my words from sounding faint. “If you want me to pay for your heart transplant, then you will marry Sebastian Creed.”

I didn’t know which part of that statement terrified me more. The marriage part—or the part where my father had said that my groom would be Sebastian Creed. I might not be in the mob life anymore, but everyone knew who he was. The Creed family was even older and wealthier than the Zanetti family. They owned so much of Manhattan, some people called it Creed Kingdom. And the king was Sebastian. According to the media, Sebastian had just been released from a short stint in jail, his time cut short when the case the DA had been building against him fell apart. No one could get anything to stick to Sebastian or the Creed family, and anyone who tried disappeared under mysterious circumstances. They were probably chained to concrete at the bottom of the Hudson River. “I—I don’t understand,” I stuttered. My father crossed his arms. “Robert Creed has me by the balls,” my father said, anger flashing through his expression. “Some of our lower-level guys got into it, and now Robert is calling in loans and blocking my new developments. He gave me one option—marry Felicity to his grandson, and he’ll write off every cent I owe him, and then some.” Of course, the long game was that since my father didn’t have a son, that meant the Zanetti family would fold into the Creed family. “This is completely out of proportion to what I’m asking. I need a few hundred thousand, and you want me to trade my entire life for it?” My father shrugged. “Seems to me if you don’t do this, you won’t have any sort of life at all,” he said calmly, as if he wasn’t discussing the death of his daughter. How was I related to this rat of a man? “We need a decision,” Lauren said, snapping her fingers impatiently. “Robert has a car waiting downstairs.” “What?” I said in confusion. Lauren’s words were slow and loud, as if she were talking to an imbecile. “For the wedding.” *** I climbed into a silver Lincoln Continental waiting for us in the underground parking garage of the building. As it rolled out into the street, two hulking black Cadillac Escalades fell in to escort us—one in the front, and one in the back—blocking us in from the rest of the traffic. Even I knew that an escort like this wasn’t normal. “What’s going on?” I asked my father uneasily, glancing back to find the tint on the Escalade’s windows was so dark, I couldn’t see who was inside. “Can’t be too careful,” my father said with a shrug. “Some rival families don’t want this marriage to happen.” That didn’t make me feel any better. I didn’t need the marriage I was being forced into to start some kind of war between the biggest Manhattan crime families. I sat there pulling at the hem of my scrubs nervously. My father cast a critical look over me. “You’ll need to make sure you freshen up when we reach the church,” he said, his lip curling. We stopped at a red light, and I stewed, trying to think of a retort. I was about to open my mouth when I heard a weird popping sound. “Shit!” my father yelled, ducking down. It wasn’t until the window right next to my head shattered and I was rained in glass that I figured out what it was. Someone was shooting at us!

I gasped hard enough that my breath caught in my chest as I threw myself down against the seat. More windows exploded, and then there was the deafening bam bam bam of our driver shooting back as he cursed and cut the wheel one-handed. The car mounted the curb onto the footpath to get around the traffic in front of us, and then sped through the intersection, leaving a chorus of honking in our wake. One of the Escalades had come with us, driving tight to our bumper, while the other had stayed behind. My father got on his phone then, and started shouting at whoever was on the other end of the line. “Jerry, find who fucking shot at me and take them to the clubhouse. I don’t care how many guys it takes or whose turf you have to step on, just do it!” My father practically had steam coming out of his ears when he finished the call, muttering about the nerve of some low-level gangbangers daring to shoot at Frank Costa-Zanetti. I was pretty sure I didn’t factor into the equation at all. I could have been killed just now, and he probably would have simply turned the car around and gone to fetch Felicity so the damn wedding could still go ahead. I’d never been exposed to this life the same way my mother had. I was only eight when Mom and I moved out. But even by then I knew the sound of gunfire, knew the sound of a man screaming in pain, knew the metallic scent of blood. I’d had nightmares for years after we left. Mom had spent a fortune on therapy, trying to get me as close to normal as a kid born into the mafia could ever get. After today, all those nightmares were going to come roaring back—plus a whole new host of nightmares and trauma to work through. I clenched my hands into fists, my nails digging painfully into my palms. If the car had stopped then, I would have gotten out and run as fast and as far away as I could, transplant money or not. But the Continental didn’t stop again, blowing through several red lights until we pulled up in front of a church that was probably closer to a cathedral. The sun was setting, throwing menacing shadows across the footpath in front of the old, ornate building. My father waited until his guys were out of the Escalade and had taken up defensive positions before climbing out of the car and walking around to open the door for me. I sat there, frozen, terrified over what I was about to do and who I was going to face when I walked into that church. My father reached down and wrapped a meaty hand around my arm, none-too-gently hauling me to my feet. “You better not be having second thoughts, or we’re going to have a problem. I won’t stand to be embarrassed in front of the Creed family. So, do we have a problem, Natalia?” “N-no,” I stuttered out. “Good girl. Now get inside; we’re too exposed out here.” My father steered me to a room with a bathroom attached and told me to get ready, before slamming the door shut. There was a wedding dress hanging on a rack. The price tag was still attached, and it was worth more than my entire annual salary. It was also in Felicity’s petite size and would never fit me. The enormity of what I was doing hit me in a wave of panic. Before I could sit down, everything went black. *** Twenty Years Ago “What are we doing here, Nonno?” I asked my grandfather as he helped me out of the car. I pulled at the black dress with white trim that my mother had made me put on earlier. “Paying our respects,” Nonno answered. “It’s important to respect our family, and the other families we’re aligned with.” My grandfather reached out and adjusted the delicate gold chain I wore around my neck, with the small dove pendant on the end. Mama said he’d given it to me the day I was born, and I’d never taken it off since. “Pretty as a picture, bambola mia,” Nonno said, smiling at me. A man approached then, and my grandfather stood to face him. “Go play on the lawn, Talia, but be sure not to get dirty,” Grandfather said, waving me away. I took off then, even though the shiny black shoes were pinching my feet. It was a relief to get away from the adults and their frowning faces. I reached a row of hedges and slowed, changing my run to a skip. There were pretty flowers along the edge of the lawn, and I followed the flowers as they changed color and shape, noticing butterflies flitting here and there. After a moment, I realized I’d gone too far and I wasn’t sure how to get back. Nonno would be cross that I hadn’t stayed on the lawn. I was about to try finding my way back when I heard a voice yelling, “Let me go!” My heart skipped and I followed the sound around another tall hedge of bushes and came to a stop when I saw a woman hauling along a boy who was maybe a year or two older than me. “You ungrateful little wretch!” the woman was yelling, her face red with anger. “You think just because your parents are dead, you can disrespect me like this? I am your guardian now, and you will obey me!” “You can’t threaten me! I’m Nonno’s heir.” “But you’re not his only heir. My Manny could easily take your place should any accidents befall you.” The boy’s expression screwed up in anger. “I’m gonna tell Nonno on you.” The woman came to a sudden stop next to a pond that was more like a small lake. “You will not breathe a word of this to my father,” the woman said in a cold, scary voice. “Or you’ll end up just like your parents. Do you understand me?” Before the boy could say anything else, her hands shot out, and she shoved him, sending him tumbling backwards into the water with a huge splash. I gasped, and then slapped a hand over my mouth when the woman looked around with narrowed eyes. Meanwhile, the boy was spluttering and gasping in the water. “Help me!” he called. The woman simply smirked. “You’re the almighty heir. Help yourself.” She turned and walked away. I waited until she was out of sight, then darted out from behind the bushes. When I reached the edge of the pond, the boy had gone under the water. The only hint of where he might be was a stream of bubbles coming to the surface. I didn’t think, just jumped into the freezing cold water. My mama had spent lots of time teaching me to swim in our pool. She had said it was an important life skill, and now I could see why. Even though we were at the edge of the pond, the water was deeper than I expected. I couldn’t touch the bottom. I ducked under and blindly reached around, waving my arms to feel for the boy. My hand knocked into something—the boy’s hand, I realized. I grabbed hold of it. I desperately pulled at it, but he was heavy. I kicked upward, my legs aching, but I could only just get my head above the water to gasp in some air. “Talia!” My grandfather was suddenly there, reaching for me. “Help him, Nonno,” I said, struggling not to let go of the dead weight. My grandfather’s eyes widened when he saw the dark head bob to the surface next to me. Somehow, my grandfather managed to pull both of us out, and his shouts had drawn other adults. I was shaking hard when Nonno set me on the grass, but he quickly turned his attention to the boy. His lips were blue, and as I watched, Nonno and another adult began pumping on his chest and breathing into his mouth. After a few moments, the boy started coughing and bringing up water. As my grandfather whisked me up in his arms, the boy opened his eyes and looked straight at me. I blinked because I’d never seen eyes that blue in my entire life. They were a pure, pale blue, like the sky after it rained. “Talia, we need to get you warm and dry,” Nonno said, taking me away. I didn’t see the boy again, but Nonno told me later that he would be fine, thanks to my quick actions. It wasn’t until I climbed into bed that night that I reached for my necklace and promptly burst into tears. I had lost my golden dove. It was probably at the bottom of the pond, and I would never see it again.

“Miss Zanetti, please, you have to wake up!” I blinked my eyes open to see an unfamiliar ceiling. An older woman leaning over me, her face concerned. “Are you okay? Do we need to call an ambulance?” she asked as I slowly sat up, making my head spin. I reached into my purse to pop another pill. All this stress was bad for my heart. At the rate I was going, I’d end up in ICU with critical stage four heart failure before I even got the money for a transplant. “I don’t need an ambulance. I worked a long shift at the hospital and didn’t have time to eat, that’s all,” I replied as I slowly got to my feet. The woman went to a sideboard and fetched me a bottle of water, which I took gratefully. “I’m sorry, who are you?” I asked once I had sucked down several mouthfuls and felt better. “My name is Renata. I will be your personal attendant,” the woman replied. “Oh, I don’t need any of that,” I replied with a wave of my hand. “You can go.” The woman looked slightly confused as she shook her head. “I’m sorry Miss Zanetti, but you don’t understand. I have been employed by Robert Creed to attend you. Now that you are to be married to Sebastian, it is only fitting that you have an attendant for your protection and who will see to your every need.” What was this? I needed some kind of babysitter now that I was marrying into the Creed family? But as I thought about it, I realized that Renata would undoubtedly be more like a prison warden. “I’m going to freshen up,” I told her, turning away toward the bathroom. I shut myself in and stared in the mirror. I looked horrible. Pale and drawn, and my eyes looked haunted. I shook my head and ran some water to splash my face, hoping it would wake me up a little. My mind wandered back to the memory I’d recalled when I’d fainted. Why had it popped up after all these years? I never did get my necklace back. To this day, I was still sad about it. And I never did find out who that boy was, or what had happened to him. My grandfather had died a few weeks later, and my life had been thrown into turmoil the minute my father took over as Don. All I seemed to do was stumble from one tragedy or hardship in my life to another. Had I somehow been cursed, or born under a bad star? It sure felt that way. The only luck I ever had going for me was bad luck. Just like my timing today, when I’d turned up to beg for my father’s help, and in return, he was forcing me to marry the devil himself. The only good things in my life were my career, my best friend Luca, and my mother’s unwavering love and support. I’d worked hard to become a doctor, and I’d been so successful during my intern years, that now I was about to become chief intern. It wasn’t a job for the faint of heart—which was kind of funny considering my predicament—but the director of the hospital had assured me that they were willing to work around my health issues and give me adequate time off when the time came for my transplant. I had to make sure this marriage remained a secret. Everyone in Manhattan knew who Sebastian Creed was. In fact, probably everyone on the East Coast. The Creed Empire ran enough legitimate businesses and real estate to cover up their criminal enterprises that Sebastian was seen as somewhat of a famous socialite. He regularly attended red carpet events, mingling with everyone from sports stars to pop stars and movie stars. The women he used as arm candy were always ridiculously beautiful, whether they were starlets or models. I had to believe Sebastian would be equally invested in keeping this arranged marriage hidden and getting out of it as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would impact his reputation as well. Even though I was terrified at the thought of going anywhere near Sebastian Creed, I took comfort in the fact that he would probably want very little to do with me. With that in mind, I patted my face dry, told myself that I’d opened people’s chests and held their lives in my hands, so I could get through a little wedding ceremony. I left the bathroom to where Renata was waiting for me. “Can I help you dress?” Renata asked, indicating toward the wedding gown. “It’s too small. I’ll stay as I am.” I reached up and pulled the elastic out of my hair, finger combed it as best I could, and then secured it into another braid. Meanwhile, Renata was staring at me agog. “You’re going to get married looking like that?” she asked, not bothering to hide her horror. “Let’s get one thing straight, Renata,” I said impatiently. “I don’t want to be here, and I certainly don’t want to be marrying Sebastian Creed. I can only imagine he feels much the same way. This is a marriage of convenience, and I can guarantee I will be getting a divorce as soon as I can.”

SebastianI paced as I slowly rolled up my shirt sleeves, taking my time about it, making sure they were perfectly straight. Versace deserved no less. The guy tied to the chair in front of me watched on, warily, eyes flicking. I could see him debating just how much shit he was in here. The answer to that was a whole fuck load. But he wasn’t smart enough to figure that out yet. “Let’s try this again,” I said, stopping to stand square in front of him. I tugged the knot in my tie free, the fabric making a slithering noise as it pulled free from my starched collar. I then undid the top two buttons as I tossed the tie aside. We’d been at this for an hour now, and so far, the guy was just a bit roughed up. Nowhere near as scared as he needed to be, as far as I was concerned. But the small-time Baldini family was known for hiring muscle who were dumb as a box of rocks. “You’re a Baldini,” I stated. “And don’t bullshit me any longer. I saw the edge of your tattoo at the neck of your shirt when Nico searched you.” The man clenched his jaw but didn’t deny it again. “So now you need to tell me why you were following me,” I said, setting both hands on the armrests of the chair and leaning over him. “Stop wasting my fucking time, or I’ll waste you.” “I got orders, just like anyone,” the man muttered defensively. “So, this came down the line, from the top? Why did Mario Baldini sic his guys on me?” I asked, pushing back again. However, this time, the guy kept his mouth stubbornly shut. I reached for the concealed sheath at the waistband of my pants and pulled out the knife I kept there. Slowly, I lowered the knife, so the tip was balanced on the top of the guy’s thigh. He finally started looking worried, shifting as sweat beaded on his brow. I flicked the knife so it opened up a slit in the material of his pants. The sharp point pressed against bare skin. “I don’t know nothin’, man,” the thug spat out. “I take orders. I don’t ask questions.” “Wrong answer,” I bit out, before viciously shoving down on the knife. The guy started howling as the door behind me scraped open. I turned to see Nico step in, closely followed by Raffa. The twins, Nicholas and Raphael, were my second cousins and best friends. Both acted as my next-in-command and right-hand men. “Robert called again,” Nico said, holding up his phone. “You were supposed to be at the church fifteen minutes ago.” I sighed in frustration and whipped out my own phone, texting my grandfather the same thing I’d told him all month long since he’d forced me into this position. I would go along with this arranged marriage to secure the Zanetti fortune and turf, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to attend the wedding.

I’d be damned if I was going to stand in that church and recite marriage vows to Felicity. That was what my attorneys were for. They’d assured me that a marriage by proxy was just as binding whether I was there or not. My grandfather messaged back that if I wasn’t going to attend my own wedding, then I could go to the late board of directors meeting at Mercy Saint hospital. Aunt Alberta wasn’t feeling well tonight, so someone needed to go in her place. Mercy Saint hospital was the most prestigious hospital in Manhattan. The Creed family had served on the board of directors since it had opened almost one hundred years ago. As one of the wealthiest, oldest families in New York, the Creeds had seats or stakes in almost every prominent business or organization in the city. There wasn’t any level of law enforcement or government where we didn’t have someone on our payroll. Which was why it’d been so laughable that the District Attorney had actually thought he’d nailed me this time. I’d gone to jail because I wanted to be there. It had suited my purposes. Several crime bosses had been caught up lately. The DA was newish; he was trying to prove a point and make his mark, cracking down on organized crime. What the idiot didn’t realize was that so-called organized crime was the foundation of New York City and always had been. One guy in a cheap suit with a law degree from Harvard that his mommy and daddy had probably paid for wasn’t going to unravel generations worth of systematic wealth and power in Manhattan. So I’d let myself get jammed up on some relatively minor charges that were never going to stick, no matter what the DA thought. I’d spent exactly two weeks in jail, making contact with those crime bosses, consulting with the ones we thought we could get out on appeals or technicalities, and negotiating with the ones who were stuck there, conveying how the Creed family could help run their turf while they were absent. All in all, it’d been a lucrative few weeks. Meanwhile, I sighed at the prospect of attending the hospital board meeting. Alberta, that old witch, never did anything that didn’t serve her own interests. Or that of her spoiled son, Amando. Although Alberta hadn’t made any obvious moves against me, I’d always gotten the feeling that she wanted to find some way to make Amando the Creed heir. My childhood had been beset by dangerous accidents that I’d always been lucky to survive. Once, when I was a teenager and the brakes had failed in the car I’d been driving, I’d said to my grandfather that it almost seemed like someone was trying to kill me. I hadn’t voiced my true concern that it was Aunt Alberta who was somehow orchestrating these accidents. However, my nonno had laughed it off, told me I had an overactive imagination and a penchant for bad luck. Or good luck, maybe, since none of those accidents had actually killed me. Still, something about Alberta had always made me uneasy. I knew she hated me, even though whenever my grandfather was around, she acted like a loving, doting aunt with a favored nephew. Once my grandfather passed on, I could banish her to some house in Jersey and never see her sneering face ever again. For now, however, I had to put up with the snake of a woman for my nonno’s sake. He couldn’t see the type of person his oldest daughter really was. Even though my grandfather had stepped aside some years ago and handed the reins of the family to me, he still ran things from the background, and I was forever standing in his shadow. I would be sad when my grandfather eventually did pass. But at the same time, the kingdom of the Creed family would finally be all mine. I would rule Manhattan. No enemy would stand a chance against me. I would destroy them. Even if they were family.

NataliaI walked into the church proper and saw nothing but lawyers and my father. I made my way up to the pew, where my father was talking to the priest. “Why aren’t you dressed?” my father asked in annoyance. “The dress didn’t fit,” I replied, crossing my arms. “It doesn’t matter. Can we just get this over with?” The priest winced, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else right now. “We’re still waiting for the Creed boy to show up,” my father said angrily, as if he didn’t appreciate being made to wait on the whims of Sebastian Creed. Before I could say anything, my father’s cell phone rang. I glimpsed the name Robert Creed on the screen before my father answered. The conversation was short and mostly consisted of my father agreeing with whatever Robert was saying. After a moment, he hung up again. “Sebastian isn’t coming,” my father announced, sending a cool spiral of relief through me. “Thank god,” I breathed out. My father’s eyes narrowed. “The wedding is still going ahead,” my father said. “It will be a wedding by proxy.” My hope of escaping this insane situation died a quick death, turning to ash. “Is that even legally binding?” I asked, confused. My father shrugged as if he didn’t much care. “The lawyers will take care of it.” He grabbed my elbow. “Come on. There are papers you need to sign.” My father steered me to a nearby table covered with contracts. “What is all this?” I asked in confusion. “The usual when you marry into the Creed family,” one of the lawyers answered dispassionately. The top one was a pre-nup, and the second was a non-disclosure contract. But after that, it took a dark turn. There were all sorts of things in there about any assets or possessions I acquired while married into the Creed family, stuff about the custody of any future kids—as in, I would give up custody and they would remain with the Creed family if we divorced—even a contract stating that I could not use any lawyers outside of the Creed family legal team. The last legal document, however, was what made my blood run cold. “What is this?” I asked, holding it up to the lawyer, who just stared blankly back at me as if he didn’t have a soul. Being one of the Creed’s top attorneys, he probably didn’t. “Exactly what it looks like,” he replied. I returned my attention to the document. It outlined how I was to comport myself as the wife of Sebastian Creed. I had to eat whatever the chef prepared for me. I had to regularly work with a personal trainer, maintain a high standard of appearance by regularly attending a spa, beauty salon, and hair-dressing establishment. I had to attend whatever events were deemed appropriate by Sebastian, but otherwise not be seen at other events alone. I wasn’t allowed to drive myself anywhere. I wasn’t allowed to see friends and family unless they were arranged prior with Sebastian and his security team—and those people needed to be vetted first. I was to live at Sebastian’s Central Park penthouse, but I was only to go into certain rooms; the rest were off limits. The list went on and on, covering every aspect of my life, even things I’d never thought of before. I was being stuffed into a gilded cage. How was I meant to build my career as a general surgeon if I was required to do all of this for Sebastian Creed? Once again, I vowed to get myself out of this marriage as soon as I could. Oh, and the final insult? Every single document had Felicity’s name peppered throughout. “I can’t sign these. They all have Felicity’s name on them.” The lawyer arched an eyebrow and looked at my father for clarification, as if I wasn’t even capable of speaking for myself. “This is my other daughter,” Frank explained. “Natalia Zanetti. There was a slight change of plans at the last minute.” “The legitimate one?” the lawyer confirmed, looking positively gleeful. “That’s right,” my father said with a nod like he was proud or something. “We can make amends after the fact,” the lawyer said, reaching down to shove the papers toward me. “Sign them, so we can get this show on the road.” When I didn’t move, my father nudged me, not gentle about it at all. I reached down to pick up the pen, my hand shaking. I looked at my father one last time. “We have a deal, right?” I asked my father, hating how my voice wavered with uncertainty. “You’ll get what you need,” my father said evasively. I didn’t trust him, but I also didn’t have a choice. I needed a million dollars for a heart transplant, and right now, my father was holding my life in his hands. With an uneven breath, I bent down. And signed my life away.

Sebastian“I have to go,” I told Nico in annoyance. “Robert is sending a car for me. Alberta can’t make the quarterly hospital board meeting, so I’ve been voluntold to go in her place.” Raffa snorted. “You should have gone to the wedding after all.” “No thanks,” I replied darkly. “I don’t plan on even laying eyes on that gold-digging Felicity Costa-Zanetti until I find some loophole to divorce her.” “Robert won’t make it easy to wiggle out of,” Nico warned, even though I already knew it. “I trust my attorneys to figure something out,” I replied. “Besides, if they don’t, they all know what’s in store for them.” “Nothing like a little mortal fear to motivate your employees,” Raffa said with a laugh. “You guys finish up with this moron. Find out what he knows and then get rid of him,” I said. “What?” the guy gasped, tugging against the restraints on the chair. “Come on, man, I’ll tell you what I know, but you don’t gotta kill me!” “No, I don’t,” I replied reasonably. “But you picked the wrong day to follow me. I’m not in the mood for mercy.” I reached down and yanked the knife out of his leg, blood spurting out like a geyser. I clicked my tongue at him. “Looks like I hit an artery. You’ve got about three minutes left to live. Better hurry up and tell my guys what I want to know.” I wiped the knife on his wrinkled shirt to clean it, then turned away from him. My silver Maserati MC20 had been brought up by the parking valet, but Gino and Joey were nowhere to be seen. Instead, I saw a couple of our other guys standing next to a sleek and sturdy black Range Rover SV. If I wasn’t mistaken, these guys were usually assigned to Alberta’s detail. But since I was going to the hospital board meeting on her behalf, I guess it made sense that Robert had re-directed them to fetch me. “Mr. Creed,” one of them greeted with a nod. “We were instructed to drive you after this morning’s minor incident.” I clenched my teeth and got into the Range Rover. That Baldini moron had screwed up my entire day with his little misadventure. Somehow, word had gotten back to my grandfather. It was only a few blocks to the hospital, though New York traffic meant it’d probably be faster to walk. A few minutes later, there was a weird clunking noise, and the guy driving pulled to the side of the busy street. “Is there a problem?” I asked in a clipped voice, making both of them glance at me nervously. “Engine trouble,” the driver said, pushing open the door. “Don’t we pay a full-time mechanic to make sure shit like this doesn’t happen?” I muttered as both guys got out of the car and popped the hood. After a few moments, it was clear neither of them knew anything about car engines, and one of them was calling someone. I glanced down at my watch. The board meeting was about to start. We were only a block and a half away from the hospital. I’d just walk the rest. I opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Mr. Creed,” one of them called out. “Where are you going?” “To my meeting,” I replied impatiently. The guy who wasn’t on the phone scrambled to get an umbrella out of the back and then catch up with me. “We were told not to leave your side, Mr. Creed.” A hint of apology tinged his voice, as if he knew exactly how much he was getting on my nerves. “Fine, but keep up.” I increased my long stride, annoyed. Just as I reached the end of the block, the guy walking with me stumbled into my side and slumped over. “What the hell—” I pushed him away, and he crumpled to the sidewalk. When I pulled my hand back, it was covered in dark, red blood. The window of the bus shelter I was standing next to shattered. I swore as I pulled my gun out from the holster hidden beneath my jacket, leaping for cover behind a nearby bench. It wasn’t the best shield, but it was all I had. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, heightening my senses as I looked around, trying to spot the shooter. The world stopped as a sharp, hot pain slammed into my chest.

Natalia Why did traffic always get so bad in New York whenever it rained? I’d given up on my taxi about two blocks back. If I kept sitting in it, I’d be late for the shift I’d agreed to cover for Lydia. I was also carrying Lydia’s drycleaning, since we used the same place, and she’d asked me to grab it for her while I was there. Lydia and I had a weird friendship. I didn’t even exactly consider her a friend. She was the only other female doctor who’d been assigned to the prestigious and competitive Mercy Saint, so she’d stuck to my side ever since my first day. Lydia was the kind of person who always managed to convince other people to do the bulk of her work for her, without the other person ever really realizing what they were getting themselves into until it was too late. Weirdly enough, we also looked kind of similar. We had the same honey-blonde hair, similar build, and hazel eyes. Once or twice, people had asked us if we were related. However, I was pretty sure Lydia’s blonde hair came out of a bottle, whereas mine was natural. So, even though tonight was technically my wedding night, I’d agreed to take Lydia’s shift when she called me. Anything to avoid going to Sebastian Creed’s penthouse, where I would be living in a gilded cage for the foreseeable future. But the whole wedding night thing… Ever since I’d left the church, it’d been spinning around my mind. I didn’t expect that Sebastian would want to actually consummate the marriage. But I also wasn’t sure. And that…left me feeling unsettled. I wasn’t exactly a virgin. I’d tried sex once at a frat party. Both of us had been drinking, and it’d seemed like a good idea to just get my virginity over with. Except the guy I’d been fumbling around with had barely penetrated me before he’d prematurely ejaculated, then rushed out, leaving me lying by myself on the couch. The memory still made me cringe. After that, I’d told myself I was too busy with getting myself through med school to bother with boyfriends or sex. As I reached the dark maw of the alley that ran alongside the hospital building, a tall form appeared out of nowhere, running into me. The only reason I didn’t fall was because the man caught me and pulled me against him. He slammed a palm over my mouth and dragged me back into the alley, my back pinned tightly to his chest. I dropped everything I was holding and fought as hard as I could, flailing and kicking, trying to bite his hand. But the man simply banded his arms tighter around my midsection, backing up until we were behind a dumpster. I couldn’t break free of his hold no matter how hard I fought him. He was a whole head taller than me, and his body felt like a wall of solid muscle at my back. I whimpered, panic shooting through me as I realized what was about to happen to me.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397393”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #Mafia #Alpha #BDSM #Erotic #Enemies #Forcedmarriage #Doctor

Olivia It’s Christmas. The coldest and my favorite holiday. After working almost nonstop for 72 hours for the restaurant’s holiday campaign, I was declared fired. Nowhere to go. “Olivia. Give me your apron.” My eyes widened as my boss’s cold words silenced the kitchen. It came out of nowhere, and when I turned to look at him, it was clear that he wasn’t making a joke or playing a prank on me. His aging, stern face looked entirely indifferent as he held out his hand for my apron. “W-Why?” I asked, feeling the weight of the silence of my coworkers. My boss didn’t even answer. He just held his hand out for me still and blinked slowly at me with an expectant look on his face. As I untied my apron, my hands shook and my eyes began to well up with tears. Around me, I could hear my coworkers — ex-coworkers now, I guessed — snickering about what was happening. I slowly handed my boss my apron. He snatched it out of my hand and calmly walked out of the kitchen, leaving the door swinging in his stead while a single tear rolled down my cheek. That apron was the only symbol of belonging I had; this job was the one thing keeping me from starving to death. “She’s so stupid,” I heard one of my coworkers, a fellow waitress named Emily, whisper behind my back. “Anyone who thinks that the capitalists are their family should learn their lesson soon enough.” “I guess the boss’ brainwashing really got to her,” one of the cooks, a middle-aged man named John, said. He didn’t even try to keep his voice low. They knew that I could hear them, and they didn’t care. Before they could see me cry, I yanked my jacket off of the hook and burst out of the restaurant. I stumbled into the brick alleyway, already shivering from the cold winter air. “Ryan will help me,” I whispered to myself as I put my coat on and stormed away. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sniffled sadly while I dialed his number. But the phone just rang… and rang… and went to voicemail. Hey, you’ve reached Rya— Cursing, I hung up and resisted the urge to smash my phone. Of course my boyfriend didn’t answer. He hadn’t been answering my calls or texts for a week now, and it was stupid of me to think that he would suddenly answer now, when I really needed help. As I walked down the street, I passed by the rows of shops that were filled with excited holiday shoppers and happy families. Despite the cold, these people were warm because of their families and their lovers. And I had no one. My boyfriend, who had wanted me first when we started dating, ghosted me out of nowhere and couldn’t even be decent enough to officially break up with me. My pack evicted my father and I ten years prior. My father died, leaving me alone. I was hopeless. This year, the holidays were going to be worse than ever, and I didn’t even have so much as a shoulder to cry on. Life really had hit rock bottom. Suddenly, as I shivered in the cold beneath my thin jacket, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. My heart leaped in my chest — “Ryan?” I whispered, pulling my phone out. But it wasn’t Ryan. It wasn’t a number that I recognized; in fact, it was probably a scam call. I was desperate, though, and answered just on the extremely rare off chance that maybe — just maybe — it would be some good news. “Hello?” I answered, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and nearly being bowled over by a group of teen girls who were happily swinging their shopping bags back and forth and who were snickering about my ratty winter coat. “Is this Olivia?” a male voice said on the other end. “Um… Yes,” I responded. “Who is this?” “I’m calling from your former pack,” the male voice said. “It’s about your eviction.” Suddenly, I felt sick. Why was my old pack calling me? I hadn’t spoken to anyone from that pack in years; the last time I saw any of them was when my dad and I got kicked out by the Alpha for no real reason. This had to be some sort of sick joke. “What about it?” I asked. I almost considered just hanging up, but I had to admit that I was somewhat curious. “Your eviction order has been lifted, effective immediately,” the man said in a warm tone of voice. “You may return any time you wish.” My eyes widened. “R-Really?” I asked. “Can I come back now?” The man paused. “Like I said, you can return any time you wish,” he said. I felt like jumping for joy. A cheer almost escaped my lips, but I clapped my hand over my mouth just in time. The man started to say something else, but suddenly a group of Christmas carolers started singing loudly right beside me, and I couldn’t hear him “Sorry, sorry,” I said, ducking into another alleyway so I could hear her. “What were you saying?” The man chuckled. “I said that the Alpha is also getting married,” he said. “And you’re invited.” “Oh.” I scrunched my eyebrows together. It was odd for the Alpha to invite someone like me to his wedding. I was already a low status werewolf before my dad and I got evicted, and now I was even lower as someone who was just allowed back in the pack. “Are you sure he meant to invite me?” I asked. “Yes,” the man replied with another laugh. “You’re Olivia Wild, are you not?” “I-I am,” I said sheepishly. “If you don’t mind me asking, who is the new Alpha? It just feels odd—” “Nathan Ford.” At the mention of my old friend Nathan’s name, my eyes went even wider than before. My joy was immediately replaced with utter shock. I hadn’t talked to Nathan in years, not since he stood by idly and allowed the old Alpha to expel me and my dad. And now he was not only the new Alpha of our pack, but he was also getting married? I did want to go back to the place that I left ten years before. After all… I didn’t have anywhere else to go, did I? And besides: I missed my old home. The thought of going back and starting over made my heart feel light. “Um… Thank you,” I said. “I’d be happy to come back.” ———— My only remaining relative was my aunt, who owned a villa. My aunt was an eccentric older woman. She didn’t have any children of her own; in fact, I was pretty sure that she just didn’t even like children to begin with. She was always indifferent toward me, and after my dad and I were evicted from the pack, she never tried to contact either of us. I would have preferred not to go to her for help, considering the fact that we were never close. But it was freezing cold out, it was getting late, and I had nowhere else to go. As I made my way down the street, my aunt’s villa slowly came into view at the end of the street and instantly filled me with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. I walked up to the tall wrought iron gate and pushed on it. It swung open with a loud creak.

Olivia The tall hedges that surrounded the property reminded me of the days I would spend with my childhood best friends, Nathan and Alvin, as we would play hide and seek amongst the thick branches. The cupolas on either side of the house reminded me of how we would climb up there against my aunt’s wishes so we could look at the birds’ nests, and how we would get a good scolding from my aunt afterwards. Inside, I could see a light on upstairs in my aunt’s bedroom. Seeing that light filled me with a bit of warmth, and I paused for a moment to look up at it with a smile on my face. “Olivia?” a somewhat familiar voice suddenly said. It sounded different, gruffer, but I still recognized it immediately. I spun around to see my aunt’s gardener, an old man named Clint, standing behind me in his wool sweater and worn overalls. “Clint,” I said with a smile. The gardener, who was getting on in years now, walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me. He had a limp now, which he didn’t have before. “Your leg…” I muttered, pointing. The old gardener shrugged. “Arthritis,” he said. “They weren’t lying when they said that getting old ain’t for the faint of heart. Anyway… You’re back in the pack now, huh?” I nodded. “My eviction order was lifted,” I said. “But I don’t have anywhere to go. I hope my aunt will let me stay here until I get back on my feet.” Suddenly, Clint’s eyes went from smiling to full of sorrow. “You haven’t heard?” he asked quietly. I shook my head and scrunched my nose. “No. Haven’t heard what?” “Your aunt died six months ago,” he said. “In her sleep.” At that moment, I felt my heart sink and absolutely shatter at the bottom of my stomach. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out other than a strained squeak of pain. Sure, my aunt and I didn’t have the best relationship, but she was all I had left now. But now, it seemed as though I really had no one. Before anything could be said, I stumbled forward and threw my arms around the old gardener. He stiffened for a moment before he wrapped his arms around me and let me cry into his shoulder for several minutes. When no more tears would come, I stepped back and wiped my nose with my hand. “Sorry,” I muttered. “It’s just…” Clint shook his head. “Here.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a sealed envelope, then handed it to me. “I’ve been keeping it with me in case you show up. Your aunt asked me to make sure that no one opens it except for you.” I took the envelope, still scrunching my nose as I blinked back tears. But when I opened the envelope, that look of despair turned into one of surprise. It was a deed to the house with my name on it, along with a key. After all these years, my aunt had left her villa to me. I was stunned. “R-Really?” I whispered, looking up at the gardener with tears in my eyes. He nodded, and smiled slightly through his thick mustache. “Yep,” he replied. “I don’t know what’s there. But that was the blessing your aunt left you.” My eyes were wide as I looked up at the old villa. As if I was in a trance, I slowly walked up to the front door and put the key into the lock. I turned it and heard the satisfying click before I swung the door open and looked into the place of old memories and new beginnings. As I walked in and flicked on the light, a gasp caught in my through. It looked perfect, as though it had been renovated. I guessed that my aunt must have fixed it up before she died, which was confusing considering the fact that she was always so particular about the style of the house. Before, it was rather outdated and now, it was fully outfitted with modern appliances, freshly painted walls, and even the old, rattley windows had been replaced. “Clint—” I turned around, but he was gone. I was alone now in this house, but I didn’t mind. As I slowly walked in, still in shock, I ran my hands along the wooden table in the dining room. I peered into the old living room to see that it was outfitted with all new furniture, although my aunt’s old rocking chair still sat in the corner. Just seeing it brought more tears to my eyes as I imagined her still sitting there, her knitting needles clicking together furiously as she listened to the radio. The radio was still there, too. I headed upstairs next. The stairs still creaked as I walked up them, but it was like music to my ears. I trailed my fingers along the wall as I slowly walked down the hallway, and finally stopped in front of my aunt’s old bedroom. The light was left on; maybe Clint was cleaning and forgot to turn it off. The door was closed, but I could see the light spilling out from underneath the door. I couldn’t bring myself to open it — I couldn’t bring myself just yet to look into the room where my aunt used to sleep, and where she died. Not yet. I headed to the guest bedroom next, where the bed was freshly made with crisp white sheets and one of my aunt’s handmade quilts. The room was much more airy now, with light white curtains in the windows and lace throw pillows on the bed. It was a far cry from the way that my aunt used to keep it decorated, but I liked it. As I threw myself down on the bed, I let out a loud, bittersweet sigh. I wished that I could have talked to my aunt one last time… But the fact that she left her villa to me filled my heart with warmth. After all these years, I was just excited to start over fresh within the walls of my aunt’s villa that looked over the sea. … The morning sun was shining through my window when I woke up the next morning. But honestly, I could have slept longer if it weren’t for the fact that I could hear voices coming from downstairs. Did someone break in while I was sleeping? I quickly sat up, furrowing my brow as I tried to remember if I had locked the doors before I went to bed, but I knew that I did it. I was always so careful with those sorts of things. Maybe it was Clint or someone else, but either way, I grabbed my small folding knife out of my bag and slipped it into the sleeve of my sweatshirt before I slowly made my way down the stairs. With each step, the voices became clearer. And none of them sounded like Clint. “I’m thinking that we should convert this into a nice set of French doors,” a male voice said. “My fiancee likes to have her morning tea and do her yoga outside, so I think she’d like a nice patio area for that…” I swallowed, confused. French doors? Fiancee? What were they talking about? This was my house now— surely they had the wrong house. Suddenly, as I was slowly making my way down the stairs, my sock slipped on the wood and I found myself tumbling down the last few steps. I fell to the floor with a bang and a groan, and my pocket knife fell out of my sleeve and slid across the floor, right toward the location of the voices. There was a brief silence, followed by the same male voice. “Who’s there? Stay where you are!” the voice said. I scrambled to my feet, cursing under my breath, as I heard hurried footsteps approaching. Suddenly, I came face to face with my childhood friend, Nathan— the new Alpha of my pack. He was much older now, more handsome and no longer the awkward teenage boy that I remembered. As he looked at me, his square jaw and Cupid’s bow lips were lit from one side by the morning sun shining in through the window, and I couldn’t deny the fact that my heart melted a little just looking at him. His eyes widened as he saw me. Slowly, and without a word, he took three steps toward me. The smell of grapefruit salt on his skin floated across the air toward me, further bombarding my senses. There was a flash of bewilderment in my childhood friend’s eyes, followed by what looked like surprise. But there was something else there, too. Was it a hint of irony that I saw in my childhood friend’s eyes? Why was Nathan in my villa? There was something strange about my childhood friend’s demeanor as he stared at me. I could feel it. “Olivia?” Nathan asked, taking another step forward. The smell of grapefruit salt on his skin became even stronger now that he stood closer to me. “Why are you here?”

Olivia I blinked slowly, still taken aback by this sudden and unexpected interaction. We hadn’t seen each other in such a long time, and Nathan looked so… different now. He looked so much more mature than the rambunctious teen who I last saw before my dad and I got evicted by the old Alpha. “Nathan,” I muttered, smoothing down my messy hair from a night of sleep, “it’s… it’s good to see you. You’re so tall now.” Nathan stared at me for a moment. There was what looked like a ghost of a smile playing on his lips for the briefest of moments before his face turned stony. He seemed to drink in my appearance, as though he was appraising me. “You look good,” was all he said. I thought back to what the operator on the phone told me last night. Nathan, my childhood friend, was getting married now. He looked so mature now, but it still felt odd to think of him as a groom-to-be. It made me wonder… “Who is your bride?” I blurted out. Nathan looked at me in a surprised way for a moment, almost as though he didn’t expect me to even know that he had a bride. “Her name is Layla,” he finally said. “She’s the Alpha female from our neighboring pack.” “Oh,” I muttered. In a strange way, it made me a little sad to hear it. I had no clue who Layla was; Nathan, who was once my closest friend and someone who I told everything to when we were kids, someone who knew every little thing about me up until ten years ago, now had a life that didn’t have anything to do with me anymore. It felt strange and uncomfortable, and part of me wished that it was different. Suddenly, Nathan said something that took me by even more surprise. “Olivia, I didn’t think that you’d really dare to come back.” I was taken aback by this statement. The operator last night had told me that my eviction order expired, and that I was invited to the new Alpha’s wedding. Why was Nathan now acting as though he didn’t even expect my return? “What do you mean?” I asked. “I figured that you were the one who lifted my eviction order and wanted me to come back for your—” Nathan shook his head and folded his arms across her chest. I just now realized that his arms, which were once thin and twiggy, were now thick and muscular. He exuded the appearance of an Alpha. “Someone must have made a mistake,” he insisted. “Your dad’s eviction order did expire, but… I wouldn’t have invited you to my wedding. Why would I invite you?” Now, I was even more taken aback. “We were friends,” I said, trying to hide the shake in my voice. “Best friends… since we were kids. I thought that you wanted to rekindle our friendship.” Nathan looked puzzled. He paced away for a moment, leaning his hands on the dining room table with his back turned to me. Through the glass door that led outside, now that he had stepped out of the way, I could see that there was a team of craftsmen who were standing there and looking at us through the glass. When they saw me looking, they all turned away in unison and appeared to be looking at blueprints together. That must have been who Nathan was talking to. “That was a long time ago,” Nathan finally said, turning back to face me while he leaned back on the dining room table. He crossed his legs at the ankles and leaned back on his palms, his blue-green eyes staring at me in a stern way. But there was a hint of humor to it too, and that only made him look all the more handsome. In a strange way, his new stern Alpha appearance drew me to him. “We hardly know each other now. We were friends so long ago, when we were just kids. Both of us have changed. I wouldn’t invite a stranger to my wedding…” I was dumbfounded by my friend’s indifference, but even more than that, I was dumbfounded by his apparent disinterest in inviting me to his wedding when he was supposedly the one who invited me himself. At least, that was how it seemed. Was he just feigning indifference, I thought to myself? He had to be. “Look,” I said, deciding that it wasn’t worth it to get into what he said about our ‘little friendship’, “The operator told me specifically that I was invited to your wedding. Just last night, over the phone, he said that my eviction order was lifted and that I was invited—” Nathan waved his hand dismissively and chuckled. His voice was so much deeper now than when I had last seen him. Maybe he was right; maybe we really didn’t know each other anymore. “It must have been a mistake,” he said. He paused then and licked his lips, before standing up straight again and shrugging. Everything about his mannerisms exuded the spirit and arrogance of an Alpha, and it was a far cry from the awkward and heartfelt teenage boy who I used to know. “Well, since you know about it, I won’t be rude,” he said. “It would be disrespectful, after all, not to let you come after all of this. So, I guess you can come, Olivia. It seems to be important to you.” “Important to me?” I asked, feeling the beginnings of anger starting to bubble up inside of me. “I could care less about your damn wedding! Why would I want to go to a wedding if I’m not welcome, anyway?” Now, Nathan seemed to be the one who was dumbfounded. We stared at each other in shocked silence for a few moments, and during those moments I was reminded of all of the little cat fights that we had as kids. We were both bullheaded and emotional children, and our clashing personalities often led to arguments. Once or twice, we even got into physical scuffles over minor things, like who was allowed to have the last slice of pizza or who cheated during our games. I could tell that Nathan seemed to be remembering those days, too. The air between us felt electric, like we would burst out laughing at any moment now over this argument. Maybe then, we would be reminded of how close we used to be and we could rekindle what used to be a good friendship. In fact, the tension between us seemed to slip away as we stared at each other. A smile played on Nathan’s lips, and I couldn’t help but smile too at the ridiculousness of the situation. But then, suddenly, I remembered where we were: we were in my aunt’s villa, the morning after I received a key and the deed to her house with my name on it. Why, then, was Nathan in here first thing in the morning with a team of craftsmen, who were now all looking back through the windows again? “Nathan,” I said, shaking my head incredulously, “why are you even here? This is my villa.” Nathan frowned. The hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips instantly faded, and he narrowed his eyes. “Your villa?” he asked. “This isn’t your villa. This is my wedding house.”

Olivia “Your villa?” Nathan’s voice sounded disbelieving. “This isn’t your villa. This is my wedding house.” “What?” I scoffed. “You have to be joking.” Surely Nathan was just playing a joke on me. My aunt left me the deed to the house with my name on it, and her gardener, Clint, never mentioned any of this. Maybe Nathan was in charge of the renovations, and it was supposed to be a surprise. But the more that I thought about it, I was only reminded of how he had mentioned his fiancee’s needs when he was talking to the builders. “Isn’t it obvious?” Nathan asked. “This is my wedding house. I paid a high price for the most beautiful villa in town.” This all felt unreal. My aunt’s villa was my childhood playground. My aunt and I didn’t have the closest relationship, but I spent a lot of my time here growing up. I knew this house and its surrounding property like the back of my hand. In fact, I had spent a lot of time as a kid talking to Nathan about how I would change this place if I owned it myself. In fact, as I looked around me now, I suddenly realized that all of the renovations Nathan had made so far were exactly how I imagined it. He stole my vision, only for this to become his home with another woman! I felt heartbroken. There was so much I wanted to say, but all I could do was grit my teeth. Without a word, I stormed over to the kitchen area where I left the envelope that Clint gave me and shoved it in Nathan’s face. “My aunt left me the deed,” I said, watching with satisfaction as Nathan’s eyes slowly widened in surprise while he read it. “I’m her only living relative. Why would she leave the villa to you?” … A little over an hour later, Nathan and I were standing in the County Recorder’s office. Both of us had deeds in our hands; as it turned out, the pack’s treasurer sold the villa privately… and then immediately fled town, leaving us with two deeds, each with our respective names on them, and both of them were perfectly legal. “This is an uncommon occurrence, but it’s not entirely unheard of,” the clerk said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “You’ll have to go to court if you want to settle it.” Before I could stop it, an audible groan came out of my mouth. I didn’t want to go to court; I just wanted to finally settle down after a decade of instability, and I wanted the comfort of a home that I knew well. Was that too much to ask? Nathan and I walked out of the office then and stopped in the street. The longer I looked at him, the more I seethed. “Listen,” he said, frowning. “We can either do this the easy way, and you can give up the house. Or we can go to court and it’ll be a pain in the ass. I don’t think either of us wants to do that.” “Why should I be the one to give up the house?” I growled. “It’s my aunt’s home. She left me the deed on her deathbed. If anything, I think that you should be the one to give it up. Not me.” Nathan frowned deeply, causing a shadow to cast over his handsome face. “I’m getting married, and I paid a lot of money not only to buy the house, but also to renovate it,” he said. “I’ve spent the past six months personally designing all of the renovations. The wedding is just a few days away, and I can’t possibly prepare another house in that amount of time.” I scoffed and folded my arms across my chest. “It was your father who saw to it that my dad and I were thrown out on the street,” I declared loudly, not caring if anyone else on the street overheard us arguing. “This is the only place that I have to live. I won’t just lie down and let you take it from me.” “I’m sorry you had to leave,” Nathan said quietly, sounding sincere. “But getting you back was the best that I could do. And now, I need this house to make sure that my wedding goes smoothly.” For a few moments, Nathan just stared at me with wide eyes. The blue-green hue of his irises glinted in the morning sunlight, and for a moment, he really did look like the kid that I once knew. Seeing him like this made me soften, and I sighed. “I won’t fight you for ownership of the house. At least, not before the wedding. I do want your wedding to go well, Nathan,” I said, internally noting the hopeful look in my childhood friend’s eyes. “So if you want to use the house for your wedding so you can host all of your friends and family there, it’s fine. But after that, we’ll have to sort all of this out.” Nathan nodded slowly. His blue-green eyes averted away from mine and stared unblinkingly down at the ground, and he chewed his lower lip just like I always remembered him doing when we were kids. Even though so much was different now, it seemed as though some things really did never change. Finally, he looked back up at me. His face seemed apologetic, and I felt myself soften a little bit more. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been such a jerk earlier… Even though it was all just a mix-up over the wedding invitation, I do think my wedding would be more complete with you there. You were my best friend, after all, and I’d like you to be there.” I was a bit taken aback by this sudden change. It made me wonder if the Nathan who I saw earlier that morning in my aunt’s villa was his true self, or if it was all some sort of act. I thought that he changed so drastically, but now as I looked at him and saw the way that his blonde hair bristled in the salty morning breeze coming in from the ocean, all I could see was the kid who I had left behind ten years ago. “Well?” he asked with a sweet smile. “Will you come to my wedding, Olivia?” I chewed my lip for a moment, thinking, before I finally nodded. “Alright,” I said. “But afterwards… I want to work this villa situation out.” … Nathan let me stay in the villa for the next couple of days leading up to the wedding, which felt ironic considering the fact that this was still supposed to be my house and I shouldn’t have had to get permission to stay there. But I obliged, because I really did want my friend’s wedding to go well. It felt disorienting, though, being back in this place that was so different now. The house felt entirely changed, and although it was beautiful, it still felt odd to walk around in a place that I once knew so well. One thing didn’t change, however: my aunt’s bedroom. Nathan had seemingly kept her room mostly the same. I tried avoiding her room at first, but on my second night in the villa, I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer. I held my breath as I pushed the door open, as though she would be sleeping in there right now. But her bed was empty, and the handmade quilt that I remembered watching her make when I was little was perfectly folded. I sighed as I walked over to the bed and ran my hand along the quilt’s smooth fabric, taking note of the way that her reading glasses, which were now covered in a fine layer of dust, were still sitting on the bedside table along with an equally dusty book that was dog-eared in the middle. I sniffled as I picked up the book that she didn’t even get to finish and thumbed through it. When I looked down, I noticed that the drawer to her side table was cracked open a bit. Once again, I glanced over my shoulder as though she would be standing behind me, before I pulled the drawer open. The photo album that she kept there was still in its place. Unlike the book and the glasses, the photo album was clean and not dusty at all, which made me wonder if anyone had been looking at it recently. Smiling, I pulled the old photo album out and sat down cross-legged on my aunt’s creaky bed. For over an hour, I couldn’t help but look through it again and again, smiling at old Polaroid pictures of me and my friends when we were just kids. We felt so grown-up at that time, but now looking back at our missing teeth and ripped overalls, I realized just how little and innocent the three of us were. But at the same time, seeing those old photographs of Nathan and me as kids, before his wife-to-be ever came into the picture, filled me with an unexpected sense of bitterness. I quickly snapped the photo album shut and shoved it back into the drawer. “It’s just nostalgia,” I whispered to myself as I shut off the light and returned to my own bedroom. “Nothing more.”

Olivia On the day of the wedding, I got dressed up and arrived at the church where the ceremony was held. Really, I was wearing a cheap dress with the tags still on it so I could return it after the wedding. Even though my aunt left me the villa, I still didn’t have much money to my name after being evicted from my pack for a decade, and so I didn’t exactly have the luxury of buying fancy new dresses for nice occasions. For this very reason, I felt as though I was sticking out like a sore thumb as I walked up the front steps to the church. Inside, I immediately realized that the church was full of people who I knew from my childhood. A lot of my childhood friends from grade school were in attendance. While many of them looked in my direction, no one said anything to me. In fact, I felt like an outcast; and that was only solidified when Nathan’s father, Colin, turned around in his seat and shot me a dirty glare. Colin was the previous Alpha of the pack. After he joined forces with the pack elders, he was the one who evicted me and my father. I was still haunted by his dark and grim face on the day that he banished me and my dad and heartlessly threw us out on the street. I was still haunted by the fact that Nathan stood by and did nothing when that happened, but at least Nathan seemed to be trying to make a difference now. His father, on the other hand, still seemed to have an abiding hatred for me even though it was ten years since I left and I didn’t have the courage to confront him about it. I instantly felt uncomfortable beneath the gaze of Colin and my estranged childhood friends, and so before I even took my seat, I quickly scurried off to find the bathroom to gather my thoughts. I passed through a set of double doors off to the right of the pews, and headed down a narrow hallway to look for the bathroom. Along the way, I passed by a few different rooms in the church. “The dress really is so lovely… Where is my veil?” I heard a light, melodic female voice say. I passed by the room where I heard the voice coming from, and caught a glimpse of the bride for the first time as she was surrounded by her bridesmaids; she was just as beautiful as I imagined. Although she was thin, pale, and surprisingly looked quite frail for an Alpha female, she was gorgeous nonetheless. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back in perfect curls, and she had long eyelashes with a cute nose that turned up a little at the end. She had round, pouty lips and a slender neck, which was accentuated by the delicate lace of the demure bridal gown that she was wearing. She was utterly stunning… But as I passed, I couldn’t help but notice a certain subtle sadness about her. Maybe it was just the nerves of a bride on her wedding day. Before anyone saw me, I passed by the door and continued my search for the bathroom. But along the way, I came across another open door. This room was quiet, but there was a certain negative energy emanating from it in an odd way. I paused as I quietly peered in to see Nathan sitting on a couch with his head down. He was clutching his phone so tightly in one hand that his knuckles were white, and his other hand was supporting his head, running his fingers through his blonde hair repeatedly. He seemed nervous at first, but when he suddenly jerked his head up to look at me, I realized that he didn’t seem nervous; he seemed distraught. There was a long silence between us. I wasn’t sure if I should go in there and try to talk to him, or if I should just leave him alone with his thoughts. It seemed, however, that the groom-to-be made that decision for me. “Do you need something, Olivia?” he asked curtly. I swallowed and took a step back. “U-Um… Where is the bathroom?” I asked. Nathan silently pointed down the hall. Without another word said between the two of us, I scurried away with the image of his distressed face burned into my mind. On a day that was supposed to make Nathan the happiest person alive, why did he look so upset? … “Nathan Ford,” the priest said as the bride and groom stood at the pulpit. “Do you take Layla to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Around me, the church was full of smiling people. Older women dabbed at their tears with handkerchiefs while younger women looked up at Nathan and Layla with smiles that secretly showed hints of jealousy. At the pulpit, Layla looked even more stunning in her gown with her veil attached to her head, and she held a bouquet of white lilies in her hands. I even caught myself sniffling a few times; it was a really beautiful wedding. But for some reason, Nathan hesitated just before he was supposed to say “I do”. The longer he waited, the more the crowd began to murmur in confusion. I felt my eyes widen as I looked up at him and took note of the way that he kept opening and closing his mouth, as though he wanted to say the words but couldn’t get them out. Was he just nervous, or was he having cold feet? I thought back to the way that he looked in the room in the back of the church and wondered if he had been having second thoughts the entire time… “Nathan?” the priest said. Suddenly, Nathan shook his head and turned away from the bride, toward the crowd, resulting in a chorus of gasps. “I’m in love with someone else,” he announced. His eyes scanned the crowd, and then landed on… Me. While my heart raced in my chest, Nathan ran down the aisle. Before I or anyone else could stop him, he suddenly grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet. And then he did something even more strange. “Olivia, I promise that I will take care of you… And our baby,” he said. He then placed his hand on my belly and smiled up at me. My eyes were wide. I felt my blood run cold. Why was he doing this? I wasn’t in a relationship with him, and I certainly wasn’t pregnant with anyone’s baby, let alone his. This had to be some sort of mental breakdown he was having— maybe he was too stressed from the wedding and was having some sort of delusion. But before I could say anything, the wedding goers were already talking in raised voices. At the front, I saw Colin stand up angrily, his glaring eyes fixed on me. I felt as though I was nailed to a pillar of shame, as the rest of the people in this church saw me as a homewrecker who was pregnant with an illegitimate child. Right now, I hated Nathan with a burning passion in my heart. How could he suddenly accuse me of something like this after not seeing me for a decade?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397392”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #Werewolf #Luna #ChildhoodBestFriends #Love #ArrangedMarriage #Humor #Alpha

I arrived at the school gate of Shadow High School ten minutes early, but I chose not to walk inside yet. I hid behind a large oak tree, hoping to shield myself from the judgmental eyes of other students. School had become my least favorite place, a constant reminder of my differences and the painful truth I discovered when I was thirteen— I couldn’t shift like other werewolves because I was wolfless. That revelation turned my life upside down in ways I never could have imagined. I became the different one. The wolfless are born with bad luck, they said. And it did feel like a curse. Since then, I could no longer catch up with my peers who had already shifted in terms of physical strength. Werewolves, especially teenagers in school, valued athletic abilities. Slowly but surely, my friends distanced themselves from me, and I became an outsider amongst my kind. I spent a long time getting used to my “difference”, and I realized I should not let my circumstances define me. I channeled my energy into improving my intelligence. If I couldn’t rely on physical strength, then I would build up my mental power through dedication and hard work. Books became my refuge, my source of knowledge and empowerment. As a result, my naturally tanned skin grew pale, and the fire in my spirit dwindled. Thick glasses became a constant companion. What I didn’t expect is now as a transfer student, it got worse. I started to get bullied in the new school. A loud bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. A wave of dread coursed through my veins as I hurried inside, heading to my first class. The whole morning was the werewolf combat training session—the one I feared the most. I knew I couldn’t measure up to my classmates in a place where strength was highly valued. After changing into my gym clothes, I joined the huddled circle of my classmates. Resigned to my usual role on the sidelines, I prepared to fade into the background with my books. But just as I was about to retreat into the safety of pages, our coach’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Everyone split up into partners and try to include everyone this time,” Coach called out, his words carrying a tinge of emphasis on inclusivity. “Shana, be my partner.” It was Jessica. She said it with a smile on her pretty face, but her voice betrayed her true intentions. Ever since I started here, her teasing and jeering never stopped. “I’d never let a wolfless girl drill by herself,” Jessica continued. Laughter erupted from the entire class. I felt blood rush to my cheeks. “Alright. Don’t use your wolf with Shana,” Coach warned Jessica before blowing his whistle. “Of course, Coach! I’ll go easy on her,” Jessica promised, but it was clearly a lie. She stood across from me, cracking her neck from side to side. In comparison to my fragile body, Jessica was curvy but muscular, with powerful arms and legs. I clenched my fists. Jessica wasted no time in demonstrating her strength, knocking me off balance effortlessly. I struggled to keep up, feeling the stark difference in our physical abilities. Her teasing and taunting only served to highlight my perceived weaknesses. “That’s the best you’ve got?” Jessica sneered; her fists raised in challenge. Gritting my teeth, I mustered all the strength I could, attempting to knock her off her feet. But predictably, Jessica was faster and more skilled, effortlessly dodging my attempts. She threw her weight into my shoulder, causing me to stumble back. I only had a moment to regain my balance before she shoved me again. The class snickered around us, cheering for Jessica as she stalked forward, her eyes shining with amusement. I always wondered why they had treated me so horribly, only because I was different. “Why the long face, Shana?” Jessica taunted. “Aren’t you going to try to hit me back? I’ve hardly got a scratch!” A scratch? Boy, did I want to give her a scratch right across that smug smile on her face… Anger bubbled beneath the surface of my skin, and I charged for Jessica. She seemed surprised by my outburst, but it wasn’t enough to stop her. In a deliberate move, she knocked my glasses off my face, leaving me disoriented and vulnerable on the ground. To add insult to injury, a shove from behind sent me sprawling, humiliated, as the surrounding students reveled in the spectacle. “That was too easy! How can we practice with Shana when her lack of strength affects our training? She’s not as good as us,” Jessica argued with the coach, shooting me a venomous glare. The coach, left with little choice, instructed me to take a rest, effectively excusing me from the remainder of the training session. Jessica and her friends high-fived each other, pleased with themselves for exiling me. Frustration welled up inside me as I watched my classmates continue their training, once again sidelined due to my perceived weakness. The tears welled up in my eyes, a mix of anger, and deep sadness. The weight of their jeers and my own inadequacy threatened to crush me. You’re not weak, Shana, just different. Don’t let them make you feel this way. With trembling hands, I picked myself up from the ground and dusted off my clothes. My eyes became watery, but I refused to let any tears fall. As I turned away from their laughter, I made a silent promise to myself— to fight not with fists or claws, but with resilience, intelligence, and unwavering self-belief. They wouldn’t see me cry. Not today. Not ever. Unable to bear the humiliation any longer. I sought refuge in the ice hockey stadium, escaping the scorching heat of the day. The frigid air provided some solace as I settled down on the bleachers, pulling out my diary. It was my trusted confidant, the place where I poured my heart out, chronicling the relentless bullying I endured at school. I must’ve sat there for longer than I imagined, lost in my thoughts, because I failed to notice the arrival of the ice hockey team until they surrounded me. My heart quickened its pace as I hastily closed my diary, assessing the players who stood before me. Our school’s mascot was a dragon, and that was reflected in the players uniforms. They were sleek, colored with shades of forest green and smokey black. The players seemed untouchable, powerful. “What are you doing here?” A guy with black hair asked, his gaze fixed on me. Startled, I stumbled over my words. “I—I was just leaving.” But before I could make my escape, another guy with tanned skin spoke. “You’re the new transfer student, the wolfless girl, aren’t you?” Speechless, I nodded, feeling my mouth go dry. “You’re a bad luck charm,” the tan boy snapped. “You need to leave. You’re going to rub off on the rest of our team.” “Yeah, we don’t need you and your kind here,” the dark-haired boy said. Suddenly, all of them were throwing insults at me, seeming to get closer and closer. Just then, the doors to the stadium swung open, and a tall figure with ruffled dark hair and piercing blue eyes stepped inside. His presence alone shut everyone up as all attention shifted towards him, including mine. Even though I had only been here for two months, I had heard of him countless times. It was Lucas, one of the few Alphas in our school. The captain of the ice hockey team and the notorious playboy of the school. My heart stilled as I watched him. He was an enigma to me. Everything I heard about him involved trouble, particularly regarding his reputation as a heartbreaker. But I’d also heard his smile was devastating, his mouth always coming up with quick wit or flirty banter. And looking at him now, I couldn’t really blame anyone for getting their heartbroken by him. He was a welcomed kind of trouble. “What are you guys doing?” Lucas’s deep, commanding voice echoed through the stadium walls. His eyes fell to my panicked face briefly before returning to his teammates. “Our next game is this Saturday. Quit wasting time and get your asses ready for training.” The players around me paused, momentarily taken aback by Lucas’s authoritative presence. “Well?” Lucas continued, his gaze piercing. “What are you all waiting for? Go!” As if snapped out of a trance, the boys swiftly moved past me, their heads bowed as they passed their team captain. Lucas’s jaw was set as he glared at his teammates. I had never been around Lucas before, but his no-nonsense demeanor took me by surprise. He wasn’t the flirty, carefree guy I had imagined him to be. There was a harsh severity in his gaze that sent a shiver down my spine. However, when his gaze returned to me, I was surprised that I didn’t feel as nervous as I expected. Instead, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity when our eyes locked.

“I think we should kick her out of here,” the tanned boy suggested as he passed Lucas, his words dripping with contempt. “She’s the wolfless girl. All of her bad luck is going to rub off on the team.” His use of the term “wolfless” made it sound as if I had some kind of contagious disease, someone to be avoided at all costs. And in some ways, I supposed I was. Lucas, with a furrowed brow, looked at me, his deep blue eyes reminiscent of calm ocean waves after a storm. It was evident he was torn, unsure of what to do. Normally, I would have already left to avoid any further trouble, especially in front of such an intimidating audience. I didn’t know if it was because of his familiarity or his hesitation, so I decided to say something for myself. “You won’t even know I’m here,” I managed to say to Lucas. There was a friendliness in his gaze that gave me the courage to continue. “I’m only sitting here because it’s too hot outside. And besides, this stadium is public school property, meaning anyone is free to visit.” Lucas continued to stare at me in silence, his eyes locked onto mine. “I promise I won’t bother you or the team. Please…” Without uttering a single word, he nodded and turned away, barking orders at his teammates to begin practice. As I looked around, I could see that the other players on the hockey team didn’t agree with Lucas’s decision to let me stay on the bleachers. Their glances in my direction were filled with concern and hesitation. “Stop staring at her. Pretend she isn’t here,” Lucas commanded his teammates firmly. Then, his eyes returned to mine from across the room. “She promised she wouldn’t disturb us, right?” I nodded, my agreement absentminded. With that, the hockey team started their practice, gradually forgetting my presence. Perched at the top of the bleachers, I observed their synchronized movements on the ice. Even with their helmets on, I could easily identify each player, recognizing their unique styles and skills. Lucas, in particular, stood out as he led the team with precision and finesse. He was the embodiment of speed and strength, weaving effortlessly through his burly teammates and gliding across the ice as if he were one with it. The entire team worked in perfect harmony, their constant communication and seamless collaboration a testament to their dedication and skill. Among them, there was one player who seemed to make more mistakes than the others. From my vantage point, he appeared shorter than his teammates, struggling to keep up. Lucas, ever the leader, didn’t hesitate to correct and encourage the shorter player, using a light smack on the back of his shoulder as a sign of support whenever he stumbled. It was evident that Lucas commanded respect from the entire team, who looked to him for guidance. My eyes remained fixated on Lucas throughout the practice, captivated by his energy and control on the ice. I opened my diary and began to doodle. Every so often, looking up to watch him. Before I realized what I had done, I noticed I had sketched Lucas’s outline. There was something about him— a sense of familiarity that tugged at the corners of my memory. He reminded me so much of a friend from my childhood, someone who shared the same name. In a wave of nostalgia, I delved into the pages of my diary, seeking a concealed gem. And there it was— a photograph capturing two children, locked in a tender embrace. One, a girl beaming with a toothy grin, exuding boundless happiness in her vibrant pink sneakers and neatly tied pigtails. The other, a boy donning a baseball cap, his cherubic cheeks full and his captivating blue eyes shining. I once had a neighbor named Lucas, and we grew up together. To me, he was Bear— the boy who always greeted me with the warmest of hugs. Unfortunately, other children bullied Bear. They targeted him because he lived with his grandmother and his parents were never around. The kids also picked on him because he was much heavier than other kids our age. I hated seeing people bully Bear because of his weight and his family situation. It wasn’t fair, and anytime anyone tried to pick on Bear, I was the first person to make them regret their words. Bear became my only best friend, and I became his. When I was ten, my parents got divorced. I had to move away with my mother to live in a completely different city, leaving Bear. It was one of the hardest things I had to do. But then mom passed away three months ago, and I had to move back to my old city to live with my father… But there was no way that my Lucas could be this charming Alpha skating on the ice in front of me. They were too different from each other. Plus, I had no idea if Lucas still lived in this city. Maybe I could go to his grandmother’s house and see if he’s around. But if Lucas still lived here and he happened to see me… what would he think of me now? I looked down at my thin limbs and pale skin. I was so different from the strong, confident girl I used to be when I was a child. Bear wouldn’t even recognize me. But I felt as if I wouldn’t recognize Bear either. After all, eight years had passed since I last saw him. For both of us, change was inevitable. I looked up from the picture in my hands and noticed that hockey practice was over. Most of the boys had skated off the ice and were making their way toward the locker rooms. Before I knew what my legs were doing, I started to climb down the bleachers, following the hockey team. Something inside of me was pushing my feet forward. Maybe he was the only one who would like to—to some extent—respect me as an individual here. “Lucas!” I called, trying to catch his attention. A few other hockey players heard me calling after their captain and laughed at me. I ignored them as I skipped down the bleachers, two at a time. But I didn’t miss the flashes of them taking pictures on their phones of the scene I was creating. Lucas was the last player to leave the ice, and his head turned in my direction when he heard me shouting his name. He held his helmet in one hand, and his dark hair was covered in sweat as it clung to his forehead. He stared at me, his ocean blue eyes unreadable. But he blinked slowly, as if he had just remembered I was there all along. “Thank you,” I blurted. “For letting me stay.” Lucas gave me the smallest of smiles. “Don’t mention it.” “You were amazing out there,” I said, breathlessly. I felt heat creep onto my cheeks, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. Lucas’s smile widened, and I couldn’t help but think it made him even more attractive. It was a dangerous smile, one that would make you desperate to impress him. I opened my mouth to say more, but another flash of a camera out of the corner of my eye had me stopping. I clamped my mouth shut and turned away, feeling too nervous to even utter another word. I collected my things and walked in the direction of the cafeteria. It was finally lunchtime, and I was starving. Besides, food could always cheer up a bad mood. “Look who it is!” a familiar voice sneered, making me freeze in my tracks. I didn’t even have to turn around as Jessica and all her followers surrounded me with malicious smiles. “We were just talking about you,” one of the followers giggled under her breath. My heart raced. Jessica plastered the fakest smile I had ever seen on her face. “Did you just confess your love to Lucas?”

“What?” I stared at Jessica in disbelief, my heart racing in my chest. The weight of her words bore down on me, filling me with confusion. “We’ve heard the rumors,” Jessica said, her voice filled with both amusement and superiority, as she casually pointed to her group of friends surrounding her. “You’ve been keeping yourself pretty busy today. Haven’t you, Shana?” All of her minions stood there, smirks etched across their faces. Shadow High was a hub of gossip and rumors where whispers spread quickly. Every week there seemed to be a different story that students focused on. But as an outsider, I had always remained on the outskirts, unaware of the intricate network of information swirling around me. I had no friends, after all. There was no one to gossip with. “What rumor?” I asked in a barely audible voice, feeling a sense of unease creeping up my spine. Rolling her eyes, Jessica took out her phone from her pocket, a wicked smile playing on her lips. “Don’t even pretend like you don’t know. We’ve all seen the evidence.” She shoved the screen in front of my face, revealing a photo of me at the hockey rink, desperately calling out to Lucas. My heart sank as I realized how bad this looked on my part. It became evident that the hockey players were behind this cruel act. They had captured that vulnerable moment and shared it throughout the school via various group chats, ensuring everyone in the school would be able to see it. But that’s not what I was doing! I wanted to shout. This is all so wrong! As I read one of the text messages displayed on Jessica’s phone, a wave of humiliation washed over me. “LOL Shana just confessed her love to Alpha Lucas! Does she think she has a chance? She’s WOLFLESS and the school’s biggest LOSER. How pathetic!” Jessica’s laughter echoed in my ears, intensifying the pain caused by those hurtful words. “Seriously, Shana, what were you thinking? You and Lucas? You’re not even worthy of being in the same league as him.” Each word burned me and felt like a knife piercing deeper into my already wounded spirit. “He’s an Alpha, and you’re just a nobody,” Jessica continued, her voice filled with scorn, an arrogant smirk on her face. “He would never lower himself to be associated with someone like you.” Her friends nodded in agreement; their faces twisted with disdain. “Yeah, just take a look in the mirror!” one of them said. “Lucas would never fall for a girl who is damaged goods,” another one of them said. I allowed their insults to go through one ear, and out the other. Hearing that they thought I was fragile was nothing new. They’ve been calling me the wolfless freak all school year. So, amidst their torment, as usual, I tried to protect the remnants of my shattered self-esteem in my mind. I am just different. I will find my own way in this world. I’ll appear unbothered by their cruel words and menacing stares because I’m not the weak girl they think I am. But that encouragement quickly faded when one of Jessica’s friends noticed the diary clutched tightly in my trembling hands. “Wait, is that a diary?” the friend jeered, pointing mockingly at my cherished possession. “You still keep a diary?” Their mocking laughter reverberated through the cafeteria, intensifying my feelings of isolation and vulnerability. The weight of their mockery threatened to crush me, but I mustered the strength to step back, desperately trying to shield myself from their taunts. “Just leave me alone,” I said with as much courage as I could. Unaffected by my plea, Jessica lunged forward, attempting to grab the diary from my grasp. Swiftly sidestepping, I managed to avoid her, protecting the sanctuary of my private thoughts. I cannot let Jessica see my diary. It recorded everything that happened with my mother and all the things Jessica and other students did to me. It held words I used to encourage myself throughout the years being branded the “wolfless weirdo”. My emotions and tears will not bring them any compassion. If anything, it will invite even more mocking from Jessica. “You can’t hide your feelings for Lucas from me,” Jessica sneered, annoyance evident in her voice as she closed the distance between us. “I know what it’s like. You see, Lucas and I were very close. He’s my ex-boyfriend, and I’m pretty sure he still can’t forget all the… enjoyable times we had together.” A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard, shocked by the revelation that Lucas had once been involved with Jessica. The only person in this school that I thought could possibly respect me, might be no different from Jessica. My illusions shattered into a thousand pieces as the ground beneath me seemed to crumble. Desperation flooded my veins, urging me to resist. Shaking my head, I tightened my grip on the diary, clutching it protectively against my chest. “No,” I managed to whisper, my voice trembling with defiance. I stood my ground, refusing to yield to their demands. But as I looked into Jessica’s menacing eyes, I realized I was no longer just an outcast; I was now at the mercy of their horrible whims. Jessica took another step forward, her fingers curling around the delicate crystal necklace hanging from my neck. With a sudden jerk, she pulled hard, tearing the necklace away from me, and severing the fragile thread that connected me to my mother’s memory. My neck stung with an ache as shock and anger surged through me, igniting a fierce determination. “Give me that back!” I shouted, my voice quivering with a mix of fury and desperation. My mother’s necklace meant so much to me. It was one of the few things of hers that I had left, and she had given it to me to keep and cherish. Seeing the necklace in Jessica’s hands made my blood boil. She wasn’t worthy enough to be holding onto that. Carelessly, Jessica tossed the necklace to one of her friends, who caught it with a triumphant grin. They started playing a twisted game of keep-away, tossing the necklace between them each time I tried to retrieve it, reveling in my anguish. Every failed attempt to reclaim my mother’s precious necklace heightened the pain that threatened to consume me. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision, as their teasing weighed me down. I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t help the inescapable feeling. I realized the cruel reality that I had become a victim of their relentless bullying. And they would never stop. The more I resisted, the more they enjoyed my suffering, and the louder their laughter became. I blamed myself for this situation, regret gnawing at my heart. If only I had ignored their questions about Lucas, maybe this torment could have been avoided. Maybe I could’ve walked away, and they would’ve left me alone? But then again, when had they ever decided to leave me alone and not torture me? Exactly, never. And now, I was stripped of my dignity and my mother’s necklace. Uncertainty engulfed me. Would I ever get my diary and my necklace back? The items that rightfully belonged to me. Suddenly, the necklace flew through the air and landed in the hands of someone else. Startled, I turned around, ready to retrieve the necklace, only to collide chest-first with the person who had caught it. “Please, give me that back,” I pleaded. “This is yours?” Hearing that familiar voice, I looked up, my teary eyes meeting a pair of deep ocean-blue eyes radiating an inexplicable warmth. It was Lucas.

Everyone in the cafeteria looked surprised to see Lucas standing there, but nobody was more surprised than me. He stood tall and almost looked like a fallen angel with his dark hair framing the edges of his face. His bright blue eyes shined as they scanned the students in the cafeteria. My heart skipped a beat as I watched Jessica, unable to contain her excitement, practically throw herself against Lucas. “Lucas, you’ll never guess it!” Jessica exclaimed, her voice laced with anticipation. “Shana just confessed her undying love for you!” Lucas turned his gaze towards me, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. His piercing blue eyes now locked onto mine, and I could feel myself blush under his scrutiny. He still held my mother’s necklace delicately in his hand, his fingers tracing its intricate design. My voice came out louder than intended as I spoke up, desperately trying to clarify the misunderstanding. “No, I never said that! It’s all just a rumor. That’s it,” I looked down at the necklace in his hands, “Can I please have my necklace back?” Lucas didn’t resist and handed the necklace back to me, our fingers briefly brushing against each other. As he pulled away, he walked off with the rest of his team, a group of people I hadn’t even noticed trailing behind him like loyal followers. Meanwhile, Jessica and her minions followed suit, snickering, and laughing about me as they walked away. It became apparent to me that Lucas was even more popular than I had initially thought. Everyone seemed to either want to be friends with him, date him, or simply be him. Clutching my mother’s necklace tightly in my hands, I decided to leave the cafeteria and seek solace in the bathroom. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts and process the whirlwind of emotions that had just consumed me. This was the second time Lucas had come to my aid. In the few weeks I had spent in this school, nobody had shown me any kindness until Lucas appeared in my life. It left me feeling grateful and indebted to him, even though I wasn’t sure if our paths would cross again. But a reluctant admission lingered in my thoughts, echoing Jessica’s words. Lucas and I were undeniably different. Everything he just did probably meant nothing to him. He was the popular Alpha captain, while I was just the girl without a wolf, burdened with an unexplained curse that hung over my head. And maybe Jessica was right… He’d never associate himself with a wolfless girl. Leaving the bathroom behind, I made my way to my locker. After unlocking it, I quickly consumed a sandwich I had stored in my bag, my mind preoccupied with the events of the day. As I ate, a sense of unease crept over me. Deciding it was best to leave my diary inside the locker, I closed it with a resolute thud. The thought of Jessica and her minions discovering my diary, and invading my most personal thoughts, sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t bear the idea of them prying into my inner world, tearing apart the fragile walls I had built for myself. Determined to find the library, I walked down the hallway, my eyes scanning the surroundings to ensure that Jessica and her cronies weren’t lurking nearby. Their presence always brought with it an air of mockery and cruelty that I wanted to avoid. However, as I turned the corner, a scene unfolded before me that I wasn’t prepared for. Two figures stood unusually close to each other, locked in an intimate conversation. It was Jessica and Lucas. My instinct was to turn and hide my face, avoiding their attention at all costs. But before I could take another step, Lucas’s voice cut through the air, addressing me directly. “Hey!” Startled, I looked over my shoulder, finding Lucas’s eyes fixed on me. Jessica crossed her arms, a sly smile playing on her lips, clearly relishing the opportunity to witness our interaction. Lucas’s sheepish expression betrayed a mix of emotions as he studied me from head to toe. “Look, I get you might have a crush on me, but I’m not interested.” My mouth fell open, shocked by the revelation of what Jessica could have fed him. “Lucas, I don’t know what Jessica told you, but I don’t have a crush on you. I—” Interrupting me once again, Lucas dismissed my words, grouping me with the countless other girls who supposedly fell for him after a fleeting act of kindness. “I’ve seen it before,” Lucas said. “Girls get the wrong idea all the time.” He swiftly pulled out his phone and presented me with the same picture Jessica had shown me earlier at the hockey rink, exacerbating the rumors that were already spreading like wildfire. The humiliation burned deep within me, intensified by Jessica’s low whistle and her evident delight in my discomfort. “But that’s not true!” I shouted back at him. “You know all I told you was—” “For now, it is a rumor, but I can tell from the picture that you were desperate to find me…,” Lucas continued. “I want you to remember that nothing could ever happen between us. So, just please save me from all this gossip.” Infuriated, I spun away from them, refusing to dignify Lucas with a response. How dare he assume I was attracted to him just like all the other girls and turn me into a spectacle for everyone’s amusement? He was so full of himself! At that moment, he defined the epitome of an arrogant Alpha, blind to anyone’s feelings but his own. A complete and total Alpha-hole! Hadn’t he thought I’d been bothered enough for a single day? My belief that Lucas could be one of the few kind souls in this school shattered into countless pieces. It became painfully clear that trust was a scarce commodity within these walls. The only thing I was right about was that he was a totally different person from my Lucas. My Bear. I realized that not even Lucas was free from the horribleness that every student at this school seemed to possess. Which meant, I’d probably always be alone. No longer willing to subject myself to their ridicule, I decided to abandon the library altogether, seeking solace outside and allowing the fresh air to clear my troubled thoughts. Not long after my walk alone, I glanced at my phone to check the time and realized that my afternoon classes were about to commence. With a heavy heart, I reentered the school, heading towards my locker to retrieve my textbooks. However, as I approached it, a wave of shock washed over me. My locker was open. Frantically, I rummaged through its contents, desperately hoping that everything was still in place. Everything was still there, except for one very important thing… My diary was missing.

Someone had broken into my locker and stolen my diary. An overwhelming wave of anxiety swept through me as I realized that whoever had my diary now possessed all my private and personal secrets. The thought of my deepest thoughts, the details of my bullying experiences, and the words of encouragement I wrote to myself being exposed to the entire school made my heart race. I knew that if someone decided to broadcast it, I would become the laughingstock once and for all. And why wouldn’t they share that information? After all, I was the wolfless girl, the perpetual loser, the outcast who was the primary target of bullying. And then there was the drawing of Lucas in my diary… I cursed under my breath, realizing that if that drawing were made public, everyone would assume I was obsessively in love with him. This was an absolute nightmare. With trepidation, I made my way to class, keeping a vigilant eye on every student I passed, desperately searching for any sign of my missing diary. Who could have it? Who was responsible for this violation of my privacy? But as I stepped into the classroom, the sound of boisterous laughter reached my ears, instantly dampening my hopes. A crowd had gathered near the back of the room, and there she was—Jessica—reading my diary entries out loud, reveling in the amusement of my classmates. Jessica’s gaze met mine as I approached her, but instead of offering an apology, she adopted a fake pouting expression and placed a hand over her heart. “Shana, I had no idea you complained about me so much in your little diary,” she taunted, relishing in my vulnerability. “It truly saddens me to hear that.” Her words were like daggers, but it was the venomous glare from one of her classmates that intensified my humiliation. As Jessica flipped through my diary, she came across the page where I had drawn Lucas as an Alpha figure. Her smirk grew wider as she mocked me, “Damn, Shana, we all knew you had a crush on Lucas, but this? You’re actually obsessed. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” I remained silent, understanding that my anger and humiliation would only fuel Jessica’s torment. Don’t excite them even more with your reaction, Shana. Learn from your experience. She cocked her head, her expression shifting as she noticed my lack of response. “Oh, and look what else we found,” she sneered, producing the picture of me and Bear. “You used to be so vibrant, so strong and tan. You looked like a completely different person back then, full of promise. What happened to you?” With a twisted smirk, she continued, “And who’s this in the picture with you? Your fat boyfriend? You two would make a cute couple… A fragile, broken little thing like you with a big, beefy man that could probably crush you.” A chilling suggestion erupted from one of Jessica’s minions. “You should share these entries in the school’s group chat! Everyone needs to know the truth about the wolfless girl.” “What a marvelous idea!” Jessica exclaimed, capturing photos of my drawing of Lucas and the childhood snapshot with Bear. The sound of her phone’s “whoosh” confirmed that the damaging message had been sent. I fought hard to suppress my emotions, biting down on my lip so fiercely that I feared it might draw blood. But the rage, humiliation, and despair surged within me, threatening to explode at any moment. As Jessica flipped through another page of my diary, making herself comfortable, she casually crossed her legs. “Your mother died,” she declared callously, her voice devoid of sympathy. She stated it as if it were an indisputable fact, not caring about the pain it inflicted. “Did she die because of you?” Jessica inquired, her eyes appraising me. “With you being wolfless and all… Your bad luck must have rubbed off on her.” I took a deep breath, attempting to steady myself. “Did you kill your mother, Shana?” The weight of her accusation was unbearable. In a fit of uncontrollable fury, I lunged at Jessica, my hand connecting with her cheek in a resounding slap that reverberated through the room. The sting in my palm was nothing compared to the satisfaction of momentarily silencing her. “Don’t you dare talk about my mother!” I screamed, my voice filled with anguish. But my triumph was short-lived. In an instant, one of Jessica’s minions forcefully pushed me to the ground, slamming my head against the floor. The impact caused my ears to ring, and before I could regain my composure, another person kicked me in the ribs, intensifying my agony. As the assault continued, the sound of an Alpha voice growled from the doorway, commanding attention, and inducing an eerie silence. Jessica froze, taking a step back from me, and the rest of the room lowered their heads in deference. Probably because I lacked the inner wolf, the primal essence that defined a wolf’s existence, I remained unaffected by the commanding resonance of the Alpha’s voice. Confused and disoriented, I glanced up, my eyes meeting a pair of piercing blue orbs. It was Lucas. It was considered highly improper for an Alpha to use its commanding voice in public, as it could affect other Betas and Omegas around them. But Lucas seemed unfazed by convention, disregarding any potential consequences. Pushing his way through the students, Lucas brushed past Jessica, focusing his unwavering attention on me. I couldn’t comprehend the concern reflected in his gaze. I touched my forehead and felt something wet and warm trickle down. Blood stained my fingertips, indicating an injury I hadn’t noticed before. Without hesitation, Lucas scooped me up in his arms, cradling me protectively, before swiftly exiting the classroom. Dizziness washed over me, and the world around me blurred as I struggled to stay conscious. “Where are you taking me?” I managed to ask, my voice was weak and trembling. “I’m helping you,” Lucas replied, his voice filled with sincerity. “Why?” I inquired, my hand clinging to the back of his neck for stability. “I thought you told me to stay away from you.” “You still remember your little neighbor Bear?” Lucas asked, his gaze never leaving mine. His fingers tightened their grip beneath my thighs. A surge of recognition jolted through me, and suddenly, everything seemed to fall into place. A genuine smile graced Lucas’s lips, one that was vastly different from his previous flirtatious ones. It radiated warmth and authenticity, causing a soothing sensation to spread within me. “Shana, you were there for me when I needed you. Now, it’s my turn to be there for you.” Blinking in astonishment, I found myself staring into the familiar face of Bear— the chubby-cheeked, infectious-smiled, and brilliantly blue-eyed best friend I had thought I lost. “Is it really you?” I asked, my voice filled with disbelief and awe, unsure if this moment was reality or a product of my head injury. “Are you truly my Bear?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397386”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #Werewolf #Campus #Hockey #Alpha #YoungAdult #SweetLove #ChildhoodBestFriends

Tessa’s POV “Tessa, where is the ketchup?” “Tessa, we are going to need more drinks!” “Tessa, get more napkins!” I wiped the sweat off my brow and walked through the loud gathering of people. “Okay, just give me a minute,” I shouted over the music. This was my boyfriend Brian’s birthday party. I fell in love with Brian during our freshmen year. He was my first love. He was a boy who came from a wealthy family, and I was the girl who grew up in the countryside and worked on my father’s farm. I felt inadequate when it came to Brian and his friends. They all grew up living a wealthy lifestyle and I never quite fit in with them. However, I made up for it by trying to be the best girlfriend that I could be. That included throwing him the best parties. Like this one. Despite our differences when it came to wealth and elegance, I always believed that Brian and I would be endgame. That is why I tried so hard to make our relationship work. My best friend Ruby was leaning against the counter when I entered the kitchen, folding her arms across her chest. I already knew what she was going to say before she spoke. “Brian has been talking to Amanda all night,” she pointed out. I could feel her eyes on my face as I pulled the cans of soda and beer out of the fridge. “It’s his birthday party,” I said in return. “He can talk to whoever he wants to talk to.” “He’s also your boyfriend. He should be talking to you all night, not her.” “She’s his best friend, Ruby.” “You’re his girlfriend, Tessa.” “Please, just leave it alone. I don’t want any issues tonight. Especially with all his friends here.” They already judged me enough. “You work too hard,” Ruby said, grabbing the ketchup off the counter and following me as I entered the living room. I began placing napkins on the tables I had set up for the food and drinks. “They treat you like you are their slave, and they always have. How many more hoops are you going to jump through for them?” “As many as necessary to get on their good side,” I answered. “I’m doing this for Brian, not for them.” “You should rest and enjoy some of the party.” “I just want everything to be perfect,” I told her with a grin. She rolled her eyes at my response. “Must you always be an overachiever?” I didn’t answer her. Brian was my first boyfriend. I didn’t know about other people, but I’m used to trying my best for those that I loved. “On a new note, tomorrow is our first school day this semester. Have you heard who’s coming to our school?” Ruby changed the subject realizing I did not have an answer to her question. “No, I haven’t.” “Joseph Evergreen. That fantasy novelist you love so much!” “Wait seriously?” I asked, raising my brows. “He’s coming to our school?!” Joseph Evergreen was an incredible writer and an inspiration for my own writing, but he had been so mysterious. It is my dream to be a famous fantasy writer. But so far, my hard work didn’t help me much with that. “He’s coming to our school to teach a special writing course. We should sign up for that class together!” “I love that idea,” I agreed. “We will go first thing in the morning to sign up. I absolutely love Joseph Evergreen. He just reminds me so much of my writing idol, Christopher Moore.” I couldn’t help but get excited. “Maybe they are the same person,” Ruby teased. “Christopher Moore was alive hundreds of years ago. He would have to be some immortal vampire or something,” I teased in return. We laughed again. Soon, Ruby’s demeanor changed in an instant and I saw her looking at someone past me. I felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around my waist from behind me and I knew who it was instantly. I could tell that Ruby was trying hard not to roll her eyes. She never liked Brian and she made that painfully obvious. “Hey beautiful,” Brian said, kissing the back of my neck. I chuckled, turning around to hug him. “Brian, not in front of everybody,” I said, peering up at him. “What were you two laughing about?” He asked, kissing the top of my head. “Joseph Evergreen is teaching a special writing course at our school next semester. Ruby and I were thinking about signing up.” “A writing course?” Brian asked, narrowing his eyes at me, and dropping his hands from my waist. “Do you think it’s wise to dedicate a whole course to a hobby?” “Well, it’s not just a hobby for me—” “Writing isn’t a career, Tessa. We talked about this.” “I beg to differ. Joseph Evergreen is very successful—” “Okay, one in a million make it as real writers,” Brian said, cutting off my words as he often did. “I thought we discussed taking a business course for your last semester so you can be prepared for when you intern at my father’s company.” My heart fell into my stomach. I hadn’t told him that I chose against taking a business course. More importantly, I decided I didn’t want to intern at his father’s company. I wasn’t sure how to tell him and I certainly didn’t want to do it during his birthday party. “I know,” I said, lowering my gaze. “But it’s our last semester and I wanted to take something I really enjoy.” “If you want to be successful, you need to start thinking about your future and writing is not a plausible career,” he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. “It’s nothing more than a hobby.” “I could learn so much during this course, Brian…” “Forget it,” he muttered, turning away from me. “Do whatever you want.” He disappeared through the crowd of people, leaving me staring after him. “He’s such an arrogant asshole,” Ruby said, folding her arms across her chest. “Why do you let him control you like that?” “He’s not that bad…” I told her. But even I didn’t believe those words. “I’ll be right back,” I told her. I went through the crowd and in the direction Brian went. I didn’t want to leave the conversation like that. By the time I found him, I saw that he was back to talking to Amanda. They were in the back corner, and she was leaning against the wall, staring up at him. “She doesn’t care about a thing that I want. She’s too set in her ways. She might be pretty, but she can be incredibly dumb sometimes.” Those cruel words came from Brian. I stood frozen with a heavy heart as I listened to my boyfriend talking about me to his best friend. “I’ve said this countless times before, she’s not good enough for you,” Amanda said, putting her hand on his arm and leaning towards him. I widened my eyes. They were kissing. And it wasn’t a small sisterly kiss either. That was the moment I realized that I was probably the only one trying to make this relationship work. “You two bastards!” When I was about to step out, Ruby did it before me. Brian quickly pulled away from her. “Tessa… it’s not what it looks like!” Brian started walking toward me. “I can explain—” “That’s the end of it!” I said with my eyes beginning to betray me. “I have done enough for you to make this relationship work, Brian.” “But I will never try for a cheater,” I said it word by word, trying to stabilize my voice. “He’s not worth it,” Ruby muttered, draping an arm around me, and pulling me away from the party. Brian followed us until we reached the door, then he stopped and let us leave. When I glanced at his figure for the last time, I tried my best to not croak as tears fell out of my eyes. But I was surprised that I felt relieved at the same time. Maybe I didn’t need to try so hard for everything in my life, especially for someone like Brian. “Where are we going?” I asked Ruby. “You’ll see,” she said with a grin. We drove for about 30 minutes until we reached downtown, then she parked the car. “We are going to a bar,” she finally announced. “You need to loosen up and forget about that loser.” I sighed and got out of the car, following her down the streets until the bar, lit up in neon lights, came into view. As we continued walking, I brushed past a tall and incredibly handsome stranger. Goosebumps instantly formed on my skin. I paused and looked over my shoulder at him and that’s when I noticed he was no longer walking. He was staring with such a ravenous look in his eyes. It almost felt like I was on his menu. Strange feelings.

Tessa’s POV This man was insanely attractive, and he had to have been in his mid-twenties. He was tall and had a broad figure. My heart was pounding heavily in my chest, and I forgot where I was for a moment. I couldn’t move my eyes from him. It felt like that look in his eyes nailed me to the ground. It was as if he was looking at more than just my face. He was staring into my mind, heart, and soul. “Tessa, come on!” Ruby urged, pulling me along with her. “Only a little further.” Ruby obviously didn’t notice this man, but I reluctantly turned away and went with her into the bar. His eyes were otherworldly. I couldn’t get them out of my head long after seeing him. Not to mention how he looked at me made my heart skip a beat. “Surprise!” Tessa said, motioning around as soon as we stepped into the bar. I frowned as I looked around. This wasn’t just a normal bar. I saw incredibly hot men walking around with their shirts off, serving tables. There were other men dancing on a stage and flirting with women. “You took me to a callboy bar?” I asked. “You need to loosen up and have a good time. Forget about that loser Brian. There are so many better guys out there for you.” “I don’t think I’m going to find him at a bar like this,” I said, shaking my head at her. She laughed and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the bar stools where we sat down. “Two tequila shots please,” she asked the bartender. “And a water for me.” “I don’t want to take any shots,” I said to her. “We came to a bar, you must drink. I’m going to make sure you forget about Brian. At least for tonight.” “I’d rather not get drunk,” I said sheepishly. “I’ll be the responsible one and drink water tonight. I got both those shots for you,” she explained. The bartender put the shots in front of us along with Ruby’s water. She smiled and motioned for me to take a shot. “Humor me.” I knew she was right. I needed to loosen up and have a few drinks. I didn’t often drink because Brian didn’t like how I looked drunk. I took a shot and winced as it stung my throat. Ruby laughed. “Atta girl,” she said, nudging me with her shoulder. The last time I had a drink was when I was with my father on the farm. We would often drink together during our evening chores. “I don’t know what I’m going to do…” I said, staring down at my hands. “I can’t go home, and all of my things are there.” “Don’t even worry about that, Tessa. You know you can live with me. I’ll swing by your place in the morning and get your stuff. You don’t have to worry about a thing.” I was thankful to have her at that moment. My heart ached so much at the thought of Brian’s betrayal. It was obvious now that it was never me that he wanted. I had done everything for him. I went to the brunches with his friends, I wore the clothing he liked, and I ate the foods he suggested. I worked out daily, so I would be fit enough for him. I even took the classes he wanted me to take. I completely changed myself for him and it was for nothing. But now I realize he was just trying to turn me into her. “You keep drinking, I’m going to get you a guy,” Ruby said as I took the second shot. “Ruby, no…I—” It was too late. she was already gone. I sighed just as the bartender placed a couple more shots in front of me. She must have ordered them before she left. My head was already whirling from the other two, but I took another shot anyway. Soon, a platinum credit card was placed on the bar countertop, causing me to freeze. My eyes trailed up until they met the same eyes I couldn’t get out of my head. It was the man from outside. Ruby must have noticed our encounter after all and found him somewhere in the bar. He worked here as a callboy. No wonder he gave me that ravenous look. “Put her drinks on that card,” he said to the bartender in a firm tone like he was the one in charge. He kept his eyes locked on mine, even when he spoke to the bartender. It was as if I was hooked in a trance. “You didn’t have to do that,” I found myself saying. “Gave me an excuse to talk to you.” His voice was much deeper than I imagined. “You wanted to talk to me?” I asked, my heart racing in my chest. Before he could answer, the bartender returned with his card and receipt. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a $50 bill, slapping it on the counter as a tip to the bartender. I took the last shot of tequila and slid off the barstool. “Let’s just get out of here,” I said to him, trying not to fall over. “Where would you like to go?” “The hotel,” I said to him, furrowing my brows together. He must have been new to this callboy stuff. “And why would you want to go to a hotel?” His tone was low and incredibly sexy. It sent warmth throughout my body. “To obviously have sex.” What was wrong with him? His eyes had darkened and maybe my eyes were deceiving me, but they almost looked red. He stood back and scanned my body for only a moment before that ravenous look returned to his eyes. “If that’s what you wish,” he said as he offered me his hand. Taking his hand, I went with him outside, not seeing Ruby in sight. I made a mental note to send her a text later. Parked nearby was a black Bentley that he walked towards. I paused once he reached the car and opened the passenger side. After a pause, I finally slid into the passenger side of the car, and we had to drive for about 20 minutes until we reached an incredibly expensive-looking Villa. “This isn’t a hotel,” I pointed out. “It looks more like a resort.” He smirked and got out of the car. “Hotels are disgusting, and I’d prefer to have sex at my home,” he said as he went toward the main entrance. “You live here?” I gasped, scrambling out of the car. He didn’t bother responding. Once we got inside, I was amazed by how huge and gorgeous the Villa was. “Do you have a restroom I can use?” I asked. “I’d like to wash up beforehand.” He motioned down the hallway. “Down that hall to the right,” he said as he took my coat. I nodded my thanks to him and made my way to the bathroom. I just needed a minute to gather my thoughts. I was still incredibly dizzy from the alcohol and his looks were so intimidating. Brian was the first and only guy I’d ever been with, and I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself. I didn’t realize callboys made so much money that they could afford luxurious houses and cars like that. I should probably text Ruby and let her know that I made it here safely and expect me back at her place late. But just as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, the bathroom door swung open, and he was leaning against the frame. Swinging around to face him, I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat. He gave me a devilishly sexy grin and I couldn’t help but want him even more in that moment. “You have a scent that drives me wild,” he breathed hungrily. I had no idea what that meant, but it definitely turned me on. He rushed toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist, he lifted me onto the sink and kissed me in a way that set my soul on fire. The sink turned on and I felt the water soaking into the back of my blouse and dripping onto the counter. I wrapped my legs around him and pressed myself further into him, allowing his kiss to deepen and his tongue to explore my mouth. He finally pulled away from me and I saw that his eyes had turned red. I wasn’t afraid though. In fact, I was mesmerized by him. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked in a husky whisper. “We’ve only just met.” I looked him over for a moment longer. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol that gave me this boost of confidence, or because he made me incredibly hot for him, but I answered his question by taking off my shirt and throwing it to the ground. His eyes grew even redder. It was surreal, but he began to kiss my neck without hesitation, sending goosebumps across my body. I felt a little stinging at first, but then, on top of the alcohol, there was a new layer of beautiful dizziness.

Tessa’s POV I just had a one-night stand… with a callboy. I woke up and was told by the faint sunlight that beamed through the window shades, it was morning. My entire body tingled at the memory of last night. It was certainly incredible, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been touched like that. This man definitely knew what he was doing last night. At least I’m not crying over Brian. As painful as his betrayal was, I feel like I could actually move on from him. Maybe the best way to get over somebody really is to get under someone new. My face reddened at the very thought. Sitting up in bed, I frowned at my surroundings. This was obviously the master bedroom with the king-sized bed. It was a vast space, however, it was veiled and gauzy. The curtains dimmed the natural lighting from outside, making it almost dreary. I felt a slight sting in my neck, making me reach my hand towards my neck and feel a small swollen patch. I quickly slid out of bed and dressed in my jeans and hoodie before making my way to the bathroom. My face grew warm as I remembered how passionate we were on that sink. I looked at the ground and saw that the crystal soap dish was cleaned. I frowned when I saw the bitemark on my neck. As fun as last night was, that callboy certainly left his impression on my body. However, it was strange that it didn’t hurt last night when he did this. I remember him licking and nibbling on my neck, but I remembered it feeling good. It wasn’t until this morning that it started hurting. It was also red and a little swollen like a bug bite. “Ouch,” I muttered to myself with dismay written all over my face. I left the bathroom and stood in this man’s bedroom. I didn’t like how dark it was in here and I wondered where exactly I was. I went to his window to open the curtains. As the sunlight started seeping through and I got a glimpse of what looked like a garden, a pair of hands pulled the curtains shut. I quickly turned around to see the callboy staring down at me. He was frowning and I noticed that his eyes were no longer red. Maybe they were never red. It could have been my drunken brain playing tricks on me. That was the only thing that really made sense. He stood only inches from me, and he stared down my body until his eyes landed on my lips. My heart was thudding violently against my chest and for a moment, I worried that he could hear it. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath until he took a step away from me. “Join me downstairs for some breakfast,” he said, reaching his hand out for me to take. I stared at it questionably for a moment before taking it. I allowed him to guide me out of his bedroom and down a long and wide set of spiral stairs. I was in awe of how big his home was and incredibly confused as to how he was able to afford such a luxurious home on a callboy’s wage. We went into a dining room area, and I saw the large wooden table with a couple of plates of delicious-looking food, orange juice, and coffee. As soon as I saw the food, my stomach instantly growled. “I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat or drink for breakfast, so I made an assortment of things,” he said, pulling out a chair for me to sit. He was certainly a charming callboy. I had to give Ruby some credit for choosing such an elegant guy. “It’s perfect,” I said as I sat down. He sat across from me and stared at me for a moment as I started eating. Then, he slowly started to eat as well. “I hope you slept well,” he said to me. It was such a casual opening statement that it caught me off guard. “Yes, your bed is incredibly comfortable,” I answered. It was like he didn’t know what to say in response to that, so he just looked at me quizzingly. I could tell he was trying hard, but what he was trying to do was unclear to me. “And your home is very beautiful,” I added. “How were you able to afford something like this on your salary?” As soon as I asked that question, I regretted it. My father had taught me that it was rude to ask about one’s financial situation, but I couldn’t take the question back once it’s been spoken. “A lot of the money I have is due to the investments I’ve made,” he answers casually. “I just recently moved here.” So, I was right about him being new to this callboy stuff. I wondered how many other women he’s had while he was here and how I ranked in comparison to them. But I quickly brushed that thought out of my mind, not wanting to think about it. “Your service has been incredible,” I said to him, meeting his eyes. He furrowed his brows at me. It was at that moment I realized how rude I was being. I didn’t even know his name. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I never got your name.” “Joseph,” he answered. He had the same name as Joseph Evergreen. How strange. “I’m Tessa,” I said in return, and I wondered if he even cared what my name was or if I was just another customer to him. Which reminded me. I grabbed my purse. “I’m not sure how much she already gave you, but let me give you a tip—” “Why would you give me money?” He asked, just as I pulled a 20 out of my purse. I raised my gaze up to his. “For your performance…” My face grew warm. “My performance?” “Yes—” I went on to say, but then I paused when I saw just how confused he truly was. “Do you know what we were last night?” Realization soon flashed through his eyes, and he ran his fingers through his dark mass of hair. “I’m sorry, I know having sex on the first day we meet is fast. But we can get to know each other quickly and I can try my best to be a good enough boyfriend to you…” I nearly choked on my coffee. “Boyfriend?!” I gasped, staring up at him. What was he talking about? “Yes,” he answered. “I would never just toss you aside after having sex with you.” “Isn’t that your job?” That confused look returned to him. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” he said, eyeing me carefully. “Can you excuse me for a moment,” I said, grabbing my phone from my purse. “I should probably tell my friend where I am.” I felt his eyes on the back of my head as I scurried out of the dining room. As I stared at my phone screen, I frowned when I saw that Ruby had called me at least three times last night. “Tessa! Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you last night. You just disappeared,” she went on to say as soon as I called her. “I’m sorry. I went with that callboy you ordered me—” “What? Tessa, what are you talking about? I never ordered you a callboy.”

Tessa’s POV “You didn’t order a callboy?!” I asked, feeling my stomach sinking. “No…” she confirmed. “I mean, I was going to. But by the time I found one and returned to you, you were already gone.” Then, she gasped. “Did you find a man and go home with him?!” “Ruby, I’ll see you at home,” I said quickly before hanging up the phone. My heart was racing against my chest at a rapid speed. That man, Joseph, in the dining room right now, was not a callboy. How could I have made a mistake like that?! I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and returned to the dining room, trying to hide the pure embarrassment on my face. “I’m so sorry,” I said, meeting his curious eyes. “I thought last night was just a one-night stand. I never—” “A one-night stand?” Joseph asked, raising his right brow. “And what exactly gave you that impression?” His voice lowered slightly, and I could see the annoyance on his face. “My friend last night went to find me a callboy and I thought you were who she ordered for me…” I admitted, feeling my face growing warmer. “You thought I was a callboy?” He asked. “I’m so sorry…It was an honest mistake considering the bar we were at,” I went on to say. “What were you even doing there if you aren’t a callboy?” “I saw something I was interested in and went inside,” he said in return, narrowing his eyes at me. “And I was mainly looking for a conversation.” “Well, you should have been clearer about that last night,” I said. I was trying to hide my embarrassment. He leaned back in his seat, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “Are you always so frivolous?” My eyes widened at his words, and I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. “Excuse me, but there’s nothing wrong with having a one-night stand in this day and age.” “I didn’t say there was,” he said in return. “I just didn’t think that’s what this was. You don’t seem like the type to—” “You don’t know me like that,” I said quickly, folding my arms across my chest. “We’ve only just met.” “Yes, and during this time you thought I was nothing more than a callboy,” he said without expression. “Why exactly were you at that bar?” “That’s not your business,” I shot back firmly. He took a deep breath and looked at me for a moment longer, silently, until he finally composed himself enough to speak again. “You should probably get going. I wouldn’t want your friend to worry any further.” He must have heard me on the phone with Ruby. But he was right because I was also going to be late for school if I didn’t hurry. However, I found it difficult to get my legs to move. My eyes remained on his and I thought I saw a slight ping of hurt. I could have been mistaken, but maybe he was serious about developing a relationship. There was no humor in his tone when he brought it up and he’s been so proper that I was starting to think that maybe he was a bit more conservative. Joseph’s sigh brought me back to reality and I realized he was waiting for me to leave. I was about to apologize again, but then I thought it would be better if I just left. I grabbed my purse and quickly scurried out of his home. As soon as I got outside, I realized I not only left that money on the table, but I also forgot to put my bra on. It was still somewhere in his room. I turned back to his Villa, but I was way too embarrassed to go back, so I turned back around and continued walking away. Thankfully, my hoodie was thick enough that it was not noticeable. Once I gained enough distance, I called an Uber to take me to Ruby’s house. She was already dressed for the day when I got there, and she looked relieved to see me. “I’m glad you made it here in one piece,” she said, giving me a hug. “I have clothes for you to wear. Hurry up and take a shower. After classes later, I’ll swing by your apartment to grab your stuff.” “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said, giving her a fond and relieved smile. “Thankfully, you’ll never have to find out,” she said in return. I went into the bathroom and quickly showered. It felt good to allow the hot water to warm my frigid body. I didn’t notice how badly I was trembling until the water hit my skin. The bite mark on my neck stung as the water washed it, but not before long the pain went away. I made such a fool out of myself. I was glad I was never going to have to see that man again. Ruby was waiting for me by the time I finished showering and dressing. “So, tell me about last night,” Ruby said with wide and excited eyes. “There’s not much to tell. I had sex with a complete stranger,” I said, shaking my head at her. “We should have never gone to that bar.” “Are you seriously going to tell me that you didn’t have fun?” Ruby teased. “Didn’t it get your mind off that jerk?” I couldn’t even deny the fact that I had fun, and she was right. I barely thought about Brian the entire time I was with that stranger. Joseph. My heart skipped a beat when I spoke his name in my head. But then my face grew warm when I remembered he called me frivolous. The audacity of that jerk. I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t want to talk about Joseph anymore and decided not to answer any more of her questions. She was annoyed by this, but eventually Ruby dropped the subject as we left for school. Ruby lived close to the school, so it didn’t take long for us to get there. We went directly to the registration office to sign up for that new writing course. “I’m sorry ladies, but the professor asked that all interested students attend his course and prove their writing before he accepts anyone,” the receptionist said, staring between the two of us. “Okay…when is the class scheduled again?” I asked. “Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Today is Monday, so make sure you are there on time.” As we left the office, Ruby was muttering under her breath, “Why would he schedule a class at night?” I tuned her out though. I was more nervous about not being chosen to attend this class. If Joseph Evergreen didn’t like my writing, it would break my heart. However, I knew I wasn’t nearly good enough to impress the famous fantasy author. But I still thought I had some talent. “Tessa? Are you still with me?” Ruby asked, waving her hand in front of my face, and bringing me out of my head. “I said we will meet at the Literature wing tonight and go to the class together.” “Sounds good,” I agreed. Later in the evening, I met Ruby in the Literature wing of the school. As we began walking toward the classroom, I paused when I saw a familiar man walking amongst the students. My heart fell deeply into my stomach and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. Ruby paused when she noticed I had stopped walking and she followed my eyes to the man across the hallway. “He looks familiar,” she pointed out. “Where have I seen him before?” “The bar last night,” I breathed. “He was the man I left with.” “Woah! Seriously?! Tessa, he’s insanely hot!” “Keep your voice down!” I said between my teeth as I grabbed her arm. “I can’t believe he’s here. I had no idea he was attending this school.” “He must be a transfer,” she asked, glancing in his direction. “Whatever, I just hope his classes don’t correspond with mine,” I said, hiding behind Ruby as we continued walking toward the classroom. “I don’t really need that kind of mess during our last semester before graduation.” Ruby only chuckled as we went into the room and we met with a bunch of other students. I instantly grew nervous as I found an empty seat beside Ruby. This moment could make my dream of becoming a writer a reality. I looked around the room at all the curious students and was thankful that Joseph wasn’t among them. At least I could relax knowing we weren’t going to share this class together if I were to be accepted that is. However, there were also signs of Professor Joseph Evergreen, and the class was just about to start. Not before long, the door of the classroom swung open, and everybody silenced as the Professor finally arrived. “Oh God,” I heard Ruby whisper. It felt as if the walls had closed in when I looked up at the Professor. Joseph Evergreen. My one-night stand.

Tessa’s POV In an instant, it felt like my entire world had crumbled down around me and I could no longer breathe. It was Joseph. The same Joseph from last night. “I heard he’s super famous and very rich!” “I saw him in the hallway. I couldn’t believe he was so handsome!” “I hear he looks so young for being 40!” I remained frozen in my seat as I stared at Joseph. All the whispers from the students were not exaggerating. Joseph was rich, handsome, and young. That was why I had no idea he was Joseph Evergreen. I was on pins and needles. I slept with my Professor? My favorite writer? And thought he was a callboy? As he scanned the room, his gaze met mine. But as quickly as he looked at me, he looked away. Maybe he didn’t recognize me. I was sitting kind of far away and I was wearing different clothing. “I am Professor Joseph Evergreen, a fantasy novelist. I’m sure you are eager to get started. Firstly, I’d like to start off by explaining that I only accept the best writers and those who work the hardest to participate in this course.” He scanned the room briefly before continuing. “With that being said, I’m only allowing 15 students in this course, so only about half of you will make it. By the end of today’s class, you’ll have everything you need to construct a 1000-word sample due in two days, which is Wednesday. From there, I will choose 15 of you to be my students.” A knot formed in my stomach. Despite last night’s venture, and knowing that Joseph was the professor, I still really wanted to take this course. But I worried that I had already screwed things up. “Before we discuss that further, I’m going to speak about a few different fantasy authors whose works we will discuss in class. Kenneth Regan, I will talk about first. He was born in the early 1900s and wrote some of my favorite books. He was largely known for blending complicated historical issues in Fantasy novels, but he himself was quite funny and light-hearted.” The way Joseph spoke about Kenneth Regan was like he was talking about a friend. His knowledge of not only his professional life but also his personal life was astonishing. “Another author born in the early 1800s was none other than Christopher Moore. If you are anything like me, Chris was probably the reason you took an interest in writing,” Joseph continued. “Chris grew up as a poor boy. His family abandoned him when he was a child and he found himself orphaned. His only escape in life was writing. He wrote everything you could imagine but his main passion was, of course, Fantasy writing. Chris didn’t go to college like Ken did. Chris felt as if he already had all the knowledge he needed. He spent his entire childhood into his adolescence writing. Even when everyone doubted him, he never gave up….” Joseph’s voice trailed off as he got lost in thought. “I always admired that about him,” he said fondly. “He went on to write a number of books that are still number-one sellers to this day. Unfortunately, his life was cut short, and he isn’t able to see the difference his writing made in this world. The hearts he had touched and the inspiration he had created.” I could tell from Joseph Evergreen’s writing that he loved Christopher Moore just like me and was influenced by him, but I didn’t expect the way he talked about Christopher was full of…nostalgia? He shook his head at the very thought and then proceeded to talk about a couple more authors before changing the subject. Later, he discussed the assignment in more detail and handed us worksheets to go along with the samples to write. As he reached my desk, I kept my eyes from looking up at him, but he stood beside me for only a moment, keeping his hand on my desk with the paper underneath it. I thought he was going to say something, but he didn’t. He continued to pass out the papers before standing at the front of the class. “We have time for a Q&A. If you have questions now is your time to ask.” Every single person in the room had their hands raised, including Ruby, who looked as if she was about to burst with excitement. Joseph chose a girl from the front row. “Professor Evergreen, I’m a huge fan. Your books are an inspiration to me. Which brings me to ask you, who’s your main inspiration?” “The main source of my inspiration came from my personal life experiences,” he spoke without hesitation. Everybody seemed perplexed by his answer. He was a fantasy writer. How many personal real-life experiences could have happened? “How is that possible?” The same girl asked, mimicking my thoughts. “You’re a fantasy author, so your writing is fiction.” “It depends on your definition of fiction. I have a broader sense of the word. What makes something fiction? Just because you can’t see something with your eyes, doesn’t make it not real.” “Like air…” I found myself talking softly from the back of the room, getting Joseph’s attention. His eyes found mine and held them for a moment. “Like air,” he agreed. “We can’t see air, but we know it exists.” “But there’s research that proves air…” that girl said, turning his attention back to her. “Scientists have—” “In literature, you must have an open mind about everything. If you think too logically while writing, you might not make it as a fantasy novelist. Learn to think outside of the box and have faith in things you can’t see or have no proof of being real.” More hands rose and he chose a boy that sat nearby me. “Not a question, just an observation. I’ve noticed your writing is very much like Christopher Moore.” Joseph nodded his head once. “That author greatly influenced me,” he explained. “He’s an incredible writer,” I found myself saying in agreement, causing Joseph to look at me once again. “What is your name?” He asked me. I felt blood rushing to my face as everyone turned to look at me. “Tessa,” I answered, trying to compose myself. “Tessa…” he repeated my name out loud, and it sounded so incredibly sexy coming out of his mouth. “Do you mind waiting here for a while after class?” I was shocked by the proposal, but I managed a head nod before he turned to the rest of the class. “That’s all the time we have. Make sure to have your samples sent to my email by 10 am on Wednesday. I look forward to reading them,” Joseph turned around and announced to the class. “If you don’t have anywhere to be this evening feel free to stick around and I’ll answer any extra questions you might have.” Quite many students, including Ruby and myself, stayed behind. Who didn’t want to have a face-to-face conversation with the mysterious writer Joseph Evergreen？ “Wait until we leave before you throw up,” she whispered teasingly. “I’m just worried this is going to affect my chances of getting into his class,” I told her honestly. “Just do the best you can,” she said. “If he’s professional, he won’t let your relationship affect his true evaluation of your writing.” “Why did he specifically ask me to stay then?” “To warn you not to tell anyone about last night? But I already knew it…” I looked back in his direction and noticed he had left the room. Everyone who stayed after class stared at the closed door, wondering where the mysterious author had gone off to after promising he’d answer further questions. Joseph returned moments later, only this time when he walked into the room, he ignored everybody and walked directly over to me. I stared up at him with an alarmed expression when I noticed he was holding a bag. “You forgot something.” Joseph handed me the bag. “You are free to go now.” “What—” I began to ask, but he was already walking away once I had taken the bag from him. The other students in the room were staring at me questionably, wondering what Joseph had just handed me. “What’s in the bag?” Ruby asked, raising her brows. I glanced inside the bag and instantly shut it, feeling the blood draining from my body. Inside the bag was the bra and money I had left at his place.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397385”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #Vampire #AgeGap #TeacherProfessor #Campus #Erotic #Humor #YoungAdult

“You’ll just have to get Ariel pregnant immediately. That way she’ll be chained to you forever.” my fiancé’s father’s voice is cold, calculating. “She knows her place.” my fiancé replies. “She’ll fall in line and become a proper wife in short time.” My heart sinks when I realize that they’re talking about me – and not as a soon-to-be newlywed Princess, but just as…as some kind of surrogate. All my life I’ve been the perfect Princess – learning manners, diplomacy, and always flashing the perfect smile for the camera. Today I’m going to take the biggest step I can towards helping my nation: I’m going to marry the Prince of Gangidor to build the military alliance. For one more extra rehearsal of our immediate wedding, I snuck into the prince’s private suite and overheard the conversation that shocked me. The King, my Prince’s father, chuckles darkly. “Don’t underestimate her, son. Her claws are too sharp now, you will have to nullify that part of her.” “Sharp claws or not, she’s just a girl,” my fiancé says, his voice thick with derision. “What’s the worst she can do? All she’s been trained for is taking pictures, buying jewelry, and decorating the house, just like mom.” “Ariel Sinclair is not like your mother, who came to me ready to kneel,” his father replies. “This Princess has been over-indulged; her parents and brother have doted on her and allowed her to learn skills that women shouldn’t touch. You’ll have to break her, son, and fast. The best path to that is to get her pregnant tonight.” My jaw drops open in shock, my hand covering my mouth to hold back my appalled gasp. Never – not once has the Prince indicated that he felt this way about women! About me! “Ariel’s a prude,” my fiancé says on a disappointed sigh, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “She barely lets me kiss her, so I don’t think knocking her up tonight is going to happen. ” “There’s a great deal at stake in this, son,” the King snaps, and I silently peek around the door’s edge to see the two men standing in the middle of the room, their arms crossed in their wedding tuxedoes, casually discussing how to break me. Rage mixes with the disgust in the pit of my stomach, turning over and over until I feel sick. “You need this girl under your thumb,” the King continues. “Conquer her, and then all the resources of her kingdom will pass to us. If she won’t submit to you willingly tonight, you will force her.” “She’ll scream! Her guards will come running!” “She won’t,” the king growls. “It’s in the female nature to submit – women are animals, they obey the strong. Just show her that you are her Alpha – she’ll fall to her knees soon enough.” “And if she says no? Or tries to escape?” My Prince turns considering eyes on his father now, clearly encouraged and liking this plan. “There’s no way she can escape from us,” the King growls. “In our Kingdom, we have complete control over women. Even if she will one day be the Queen, Edward, she belongs to you.” Both men’s lips turn upwards in greedy smiles. And me? I almost vomit with fear and disgust. I’m already out of the suite and dashing down the hall, tears streaking down my cheeks as I run away from the Great Hall where I’m supposed to be married. My mind reels with how much my world just fell apart. Too much is tied up in this wedding – and it’s all my fault. I’m the one who pushed for it, wanted to make the political ties that would give us the extra forces we need to end this war even though my mom told me to wait for love. And I want so much to run to her arms now – but if I do that? Then she’s going to tell my dad – Dominic Sinclair, the most powerful Alpha in the entire world – and he will rip that horrible Prince to shreds without thinking twice. And that will start a second war – I sob harder as I run, totally confused -And suddenly as I turn around a familiar corner, I know exactly where I’m going and where I want to be. I hurry my steps, dashing for the old brown door, shoving it open with all my might. The door bangs hard against the wall as I stumble into the room. My brother Rafe and cousin Jesse look up at me with wide, shocked eyes, both of their jaws falling open. “I can’t do it!” I gasp, falling back against the open door, my face a mess of tears. “Ariel!” Rafe gasps, springing to my side and pulling me away from the door, pushing it shut. “What the hell happened!?” Jesse stands and takes me by the hand, leading me over to the couch as I tell them everything in stuttering sobs. Jesse sits next to me, nodding and listening to every word, but Rafe stands at my side, a deep growl growing in his chest as my story progresses. By the time I finish, his whole body is tense and shaking. “I’m going to kill him,” Rafe growls, and he takes one long step towards the door, clearly meaning it. “I’m going to rip his head off –“ “Rafe!” Jesse snaps, leaning forward and grabbing Rafe’s arm before he can get any further. “Calm the hell down.” “So, you run,” Rafe says, pulling his hands away from his face and staring at me. “You leave he at the altar, and the press paint him as the wounded party.” I nod. “Mom and dad can salvage the treaty this way, even without a marriage. But I…I have to disappear, or else Prince will force me into it – I have too much leverage on him now.” “But where the hell will you go, Ariel?” Rafe asks, sitting up, shaking his head. “He’s going to come after you! No matter where you are, he will find you!” “Nah,” I hear Jesse say, and my eyes fly open to see a wicked smirk on his face. “I never liked that guy anyway – he’s a dick. You deserve more than this. Let’s run.” “What?” I gasp, staring at my cousin. “Where?” Jesse just continues to smirk at me. “With us. Rafe and I are enrolling tomorrow anyway – we’ll just leave tonight and take you along to Alpha Academy.” I stare at my cousin for a moment in shock, and then I let out a frantic little laugh and throw myself into his arms because – because that might actually be perfect. This plan gets me out of the palace and I’ll be somewhere that no one – especially not the Prince Edward – will ever expect me to go. A notoriously secretive all-male military academy designed to weed out and train the nation’s toughest Alpha warriors. Alpha Academy.

“You two,” Rafe mutters, and I glance over to see him pressing the bridge of his nose between his fingers, just like dad does. “This is going to cause a damn firestorm that I am going to have to sort out.” “But you’re the best at solving our problems!” Jesse points out, laughing. “Come on, cousin,” he says, giving Rafe a little punch in the arm. “It’s an adventure.” Two hours later we’re in the boxcar of a train headed east, towards the war front where the Academy is located. It was shockingly easy to smuggle me out of the palace once I got rid of the wedding gown. Jesse just gave me some of the clothes he had packed, and after I had rolled the hem of the pants about a dozen times and tied the waist with some ribbon torn off of my gown…honestly, the clothes don’t fit so bad. “Okay,” Rafe murmurs, leaning back into the hay that fills the boxcar, grimacing as he types out messages on his phone. “Mom and Dad are on board.” “They are?” I ask, wide-eyed with surprise. “I mean,” Rafe says, flicking his eyes at me, “I didn’t give them any details about where we are or where we’re going, and mom is completely flipping out about you being gone from the palace without a guard for the first time in your life. But…she gets it. And they trust us.” We were always inseparable. I didn’t even really figure out that I was a girl – or that being a girl meant something different than being a boy – until I was around eight years old and I had to go to ballet class when Rafe and Jesse went to martial arts. I was devastated when I figured out that being different genders meant we had different futures in store for us. But, well. I figured out pretty quickly that being a Princess means I have my own responsibilities. Even though I loved running wild with Rafe and Jesse, I learned how to be pretty, quaint, and sweet because I knew it would help mom and dad. Plus, it kind of came natural to me. Rafe and Jesse, they secretly taught me everything they learned in their fighting lessons because they didn’t want me to feel left out. But I’m mom’s tiny twin – petite with long rose-gold hair and a heart-shaped face. I’m not built for hand-to-hand combat the way Rafe and Jesse are, but things like ballet come naturally to me.And while I thought that I was eager to do my duties as a Princess, to marry a Prince to save our nation from war? Honestly, I don’t think my heart has ever been as happy as it is right now, running away from those duties and hopping a train with my two best friends. I’m so excited that I can barely catch my breath. Of course, Rafe throws a wet blanket on my excitement. “Okay,” he sighs, tossing his phone into his backpack, finished talking to mom and dad. “What the hell are we going to do with Ariel when we get to the Academy?” “Seriously, why don’t we just take her along with us?” Jesse asks, wrapping his arms around his knees. “What?” Rafe asks, frowning at him. “You mean like, into Alpha Academy?” “Sure,” Jesse says, glancing over at me. “I mean, you promised our moms that we’d keep her safe, right? If we have to keep an eye on her, what’s easier than keeping her by our side?” I gape at the audacity of Jesse’s plan. I’ve been hearing about Alpha Academy all my life and always dreamed about going – but, of course, it only accepts male students. And while Rafe and Jesse will certainly take the warrior track, I fantasized about taking up some of the other things you can study – like espionage, or becoming a master poison maker. There’s even a rumor that you can study battle magic if you have an affinity for it. But honestly – no one really knows what goes on inside of the Academy, it’s all top secret and shrouded in mystery. But whenever one of the Alpha graduates came to the palace to consult with dad or report on the amazing advances they made for our nation? They always had this air about them – like they could take on the world. And damn, did I envy that. Still – my dreams never got far. While we always knew Rafe and Jesse would go, I had to make other plans.“Well, I’m definitely not letting her out of our sight,” Rafe grumbles, his voice growing deeper at the mere idea of it. He shifts his eyes, studying me. I sigh a little, hanging my head, knowing it’s impossible. “It’s not that I don’t want you there, Ariel,” Rafe sighs, guilty. “It’s just not a safe place for girls –“ My head whips up and I open my mouth, ready to protest that I can take care of myself, but my brother is already waving a hand, dismissing the idea. “It’s over a hundred testosterone-fueled Alpha males in their early twenties, Ariel,” Rafe says, frowning, “with no female attention for months. You’ll get eaten alive. There are going to be guys there like Luca Grant –“ “Luca Grant’s going to be there?” I ask, my eyes going wide as my head snaps up. Grant’s a minor celebrity – he’s the junior heavyweight boxing champion of our nation as well as a rather notorious ladies’ man. But he just retired from boxing to join the military in a show of national pride. His story has been plastered all over the news. And it doesn’t hurt that he is…insanely good looking. He’s got these dimples that… Well. His dimples are beside the point. But I had no idea he was going to the Academy or that he’d be part of Rafe and Jesse’s class. “Isn’t the simplest thing just to just keep plans the same?” Jesse asks, interrupting my thoughts. “Ariel just…comes with us.” “You’re being ridiculous,” Rafe scoffs, glaring at Jesse and starting to lose his temper a bit. “What, we’re just going to waltz into the candidate barracks filled with a bunch of hormonal Alphas like ‘oh hey, we brought our little sister! Don’t touch her! Hands off!’” “No,” Jesse says, his eyes bright and eager. “We don’t waltz in with your sister,” he says, pulling his backpack over and rustling around in it, pulling out a grey camo-print patrol cap, standard issue for all Academy candidates. He plops it on my head. “We waltz in with your brother.” “What!?” Rafe seethes, appalled. “No, it’ll work!” Jesse says, grinning now as he scoots next to me and begins to tuck my rose-gold hair up under the cap. I grin right back at him, realizing where this is going. “Rafe,” Jesse says, turning to my brother with a wide grin, “meet Ari. Ari Sinclair.” Rafe’s mouth drops open as I laugh and then rearrange my face, trying to look tough and do my best impression of a dude. “Oh my god,” Rafe groans, allowing himself to fall back into the welcoming softness of the hay. “No, absolutely not – this will never work –“ “No, it will!” I insist, excited now. “It will work, I can do it! I’m Ari!” “No, you’re not,” Rafe mutters, his voice further muffled by the hands still pressed over his face. “You’re Ariel – you do ballet, and you arrange flowers, and you like making seating charts –“ “Not anymore,” I say, turning and grinning at Jesse, who nods eagerly at me. “Now, I’m Ari. And I’m a boy.”

Now I’m Ari Clark, a family cousin on Aunt Cora’s side. But things start to get immediately real as Rafe and Jesse sling their backpacks over their shoulders and we start to walk towards Alpha Academy, a rugged castle built on top of the cliffs that rise before us. I gulp as I stare up at the castle, a little shiver running through me. “It’s cold here,” I murmur, even though it’s just towards the end of summer right now. “You’ll warm up,” Jesse assures me with a wink. “Besides, see that hill?” he says, and I look where he points. “There are apparently some hot springs over there. If you get too cold, we’ll just dunk you.” I move to elbow Jesse in the stomach for this suggestion but he neatly dodges me, laughing. Anxiety twists in my stomach we continue to walk, though. Can I really do this? “Stop stressing about it,” Jesse murmurs, leaning close and bumping his shoulder against me, knocking me a bit sideways. I scowl, wishing I was taller. “You’re trying to solve problems you haven’t even come across yet. Just chill out.” “Classic Jesse advice,” Rafe mutters, shooting him a little glare as we start to climb the hill, “which doesn’t make any sense right now because we actually have very real problems to solve. Like the fact that Ari Clark doesn’t have any ID? And is also in possession of – you know, girl parts? And is tiny, and about to get his ass beat by a bunch of gigantic wolves?” “Hey!” I protest, giving Rafe a shove that…well, proves his point more than it does mine, because he doesn’t budge at all. “I can stand up in a fight against both of you! Don’t doubt me now!” “Are you serious, Ariel?” he asks, stopping in his tracks, his shoulders slumping. “Seriously think about this – about everything that you’re suggesting here. Are you just trying to get away from your asshole fiancé? Or do you actually want to train at Alpha Academy?” My face falls a bit as I realize that his question is a good one – that so far, I’ve basically been running on adrenaline. I take a second to think about it, tilting my head back and looking up at the castle on the cliff. And as I think about it…my mind flashes to all the things I wanted to do but was discouraged from because I’m a Princess and a girl – hockey lessons, and weapons training, and long chats with dad and Uncle Roger about war strategy. It was all boy stuff, but it means a thousand memories of doors closed in my face, a constant reminder that I had to learn a completely different set of skills. Because I’m a girl. Because I’m…a Princess. But I can’t be a Princess right now. I need to hide at least until this all blows over and Edward and his family leave our nation with a treaty intact. That’s all going to take some serious time. And quite suddenly, without the weight of my Princess title for the first time since I was eight…I realize how completely free I feel. I can do…whatever I want. And I know, instinctually, deep in my heart, precisely what I want. My wolf lifts her rose-gold snout to the sky, giving me a little howl of courage. Tell them, she urges. So, I bring my gaze back to my brother and my cousin. “I want to do this,” I say quietly determined. “If it had ever been an option for me, this is what I’d have chosen for myself. And now that it is?” I nod steadily. “I want it, Rafe. I want to be here.” I look around the room while I finish rolling up the wrists and the ankles of my uniform, my hair tucked discreetly up under my cap. And I can’t help but stare open-mouthed at all of the boys wandering around the barracks. I mean, it’s not that I haven’t been around guys before – but the sight of boy after boy flooding through the door? I mean…it’s pretty great. I mean, I’ve flirted a little – and Edward, he kissed me a few times before the wedding, mostly chaste stuff for press, but in general… Well, I’m a Princess. It sort of makes sense that I’ve lived a pretty sheltered life, right? Any guy who wanted to date me had to get through my gigantic overprotective dad, the King, and not many were very willing to do that. I blush now as I look around at all of these guys in front of me. Because they’re all so fit, like they’ve been training for weeks before submitting themselves as candidates for Alpha Academy so that they can hit the ground running. And I have to admit…it’s kind of a buffet. A few guys in particular catch my eye. There’s a tall blonde one who has set up shop in the bed almost diagonal from us, with a jaw so precisely molded it looks like it was cut with a diamond. And nobody can miss Luca Grant at the center of the room – god, he’s actually signing autographs. But he’s just as good looking as he is on TV – maybe even hotter. And then there’s a sort of shy, slim boy with dark hair that falls into his eyes who looks moody and watches everyone. I mean, I never thought that was my type before, but now? I have to admit, I find my eyes drawn to him. Rafe slings his own supplies onto the bed next to Jesse’s and then smacks my arm as he points to the bunk above his. “Up,” he commands, interrupting my reverie. “What?” I ask, confused. “You’re up here,” he says, patting the upper bunk and giving me a big fake grin that lets me know it’s not a request. “Where I can watch you. All the time. And smack you when you stare too openly at all of the guys who are now your comrades, not your eye candy.”

The next two hours are…an education in boy world. I sit perched up on my bunk, staring around in awe. This room has more than a hundred boys in it right now, and we’ll all be sleeping in here together through candidacy. When that’s done, if we make it, we’ll move up to the castle to more private dorms. But seriously? Until then? I’m kind of…thrilled. The atmosphere here – it’s totally different than anything I’ve ever experienced. There’s a great deal of shouting and laughter, and two fist fights have already broken out, along with quite a few arm-wrestling matches. Girls? We’d all be simpering and sizing each other up. Guys? They just clasp hands and smack each other on the back, instant friends. But then a boy walks by in his underwear – which I’m not complaining about in itself – but my eyes go wide with shock when he just blatantly, casually dips a hand into his boxers and scratches his balls – “So, what do you think, cousin,” Jesse says, making me jump as he pops up at my side, standing on Rafe’s bunk and using the leverage to hook his arms over the edge of mine, grinning at me. “Regretting your choices yet?” “Boys are…” I whisper, still looking around with awe, “a completely different species.” “I think our prim little Princess likes it,” Jesse says with a laugh, observing my fascination. I laugh too and lift a finger to my lips. “Don’t tell Rafe,” I whisper, knowing my brother – like my dad – is crazy over-protective. “Your secret is safe with me,” Jesse whispers back, giving me a wink. “Just…try to look more boyish, all right? You’re sitting up there like a pretty little barn owl, staring around with those big eyes.” I gasp a little, realizing that he’s probably right. I hunch my back a little, unfolding my legs so that I’m not so prim. “Is this better?” I murmur, pitching my voice lower and laughing because I feel ridiculous. “Just scratch your ass a little more around people,” Jesse suggests with a grin, “let people see you burp.” Horrified, I glare at him. “Absolutely not.” Jesse laughs and then holds out his arm to me, wrist up. “Here,” he says. “What?” I ask, tapping at his closed fingers, thinking he has some little present hidden in his fist. “No,” Jesse says, laughing, and then he beckons me closer. I lean towards him and, lightening quick, Jesse wipes his wrist across both sides of my neck and then across my own wrists. “What’s that for?” I ask, frowning, confused. “Scent marking,” he replies in a whisper. “Sometimes you smell like a girl. This will disguise it a little, make it not so obvious.” “Won’t I just smell like you?” I ask, confused. He shrugs. “We’re cousins,” he replies. “No one will notice or care.” “Oh,” I say, and then I lean back in my bunk as Jesse jumps down and goes to talk to a light-haired boy who has just come to introduce himself to Rafe. I didn’t even think about smelling like a girl – what else is going to give me away? I try to think it through, to strategize, but soon the room is so filled with young men that I can’t really think about anything else besides watching them, studying how they move so I can move like that and start to blend in. I can’t even really keep track of which one is which as they all move around the room, unpacking their personal items and introducing themselves to their neighbors. Which is why it is so incredibly disconcerting when I find my head snapping to the left, my eyes frantically searching because… Because I swear, I just smelled…the most amazing scent that has ever crossed my nose – My wolf leaps inside me, which is itself shocking – she’s usually so calm that I sometimes forget she’s there – Get it, she commands, instantly starting to prowl, go find it – you have to – it’s ours – “What?!” I say aloud as I sit up stark straight, suddenly a little freaked out. But then I lift my nose and almost moan aloud when I smell it again – that incredible, amazing scent – the sharp bite of citrus, bergamot and wet pavement baking under the summer sun, apricots and almonds – Something snaps within me, an almost physical twist that redirects everything in me – all of my goals, all of my dreams – just wipes them away in the singular pursuit of it, of him – Mate!, my wolf howls, lifting her nose to the sky and singing the word, her feet dancing. Go! Get up! Go and find him – Mate! Mate! Mate! And I gasp, pressing myself back against my pillows because I know it now – know it for certain in my heart and my bones – that my mate is here – But as I look around, frantic, something…something else crosses my path. And I do moan aloud this time, my lower lip starting to shake as I go limp, falling back against my pillows. I have to press my eyes shut against the leather and whiskey scent of him – red hot cinders and the sharp bite of pine on a night so cold even the air freezes – And, to my horror, something else snaps within me, shaking me to the core, so much so that my shoulders start to tremble with it. Because…because the other one is still there – and this one too – They’re both still there, both bonds now calling to me, urging me to run in two different directions at once – I’m suddenly nauseous, my head spinning as gravity reorients itself in two directions, trying to point both north and south at the same time, my internal compass spinning – I raise my hands to my temples and give another soft moan. “Ari,” Rafe says, coming to the side of the bed and peering over at me, concerned. “Are you all right?” But I don’t reply, my eyes pressed tightly shut as I concentrate on my wolf, on the ridiculous thing that she’s saying – Inside of me she prowls back and forth, giving little hops of excitement, turning in eager circles, her tongue lolling from the side of her mouth. Get up! She urges me, snapping her teeth with glee, go and find them! Now! What?! I say to her, frantic. But that’s ridiculous – we can’t – we’re in disguise! Go!, she commands, and I find myself sitting up straight, my eyes flying open despite myself. Go and find them! We need to meet our mates! But as I look around the room – it’s too much of a mess. I know that they’re here – but I have absolutely no idea which ones they are. “Seriously, Ari,” Rafe says, peering at me closely. “You’re…all pale. Are you okay?” I spin my head to look at my brother with frantic eyes, my breath coming fast now. Behind him I see Jesse turn, confused, looking at me with curious worry. I open my mouth to stumble something out – anything – to beg them to help – But before I can, a loud clap sounds at the head of the room and we all spin towards it. Everyone goes silent, staring at the Academy Captain standing there with four Sergeants. He’s a gigantic man with a rough, craggy face that doesn’t look like it’s seen a smile for twenty years. But I can’t think about that now – my head still spins, and I do my very best to keep my eyes forward and concentrate on walking as my body begins to adjust, not allowing myself to be distracted by my surroundings or by my stupid wolf, who is howling at me – begging me to go find them, to hunt them down, to strip off my uniform right now and – The Captain scowls around at us, clearly displeased with our disorder. “Fall in,” he snaps. “It’s time for your first examination.”

“Time for the ranking,” the Captain growls, looking around at us with distaste. “You’re dressed in your grey candidate fatigues because you have not yet earned your Academy black. The bottom twenty percent of candidates will be cut at the end of the second week of candidacy. I suggest you take this seriously.” The Captain surveys us, his eyes cold. “Today’s test,” he barks out, “measures what you won’t survive without at the Academy: physical prowess. Rafe Sinclair! Kenny Dextrin! You’re up – first blood wins!” The Academy is famous for teaching its students the most cutting-edge methods and technologies – but first ranking is determined by a fist fight!? The match is over shockingly fast. Rafe knocks Kenny down and bloodies his nose within thirty seconds. When Luca Grant is called, I smirk a little. Luca dances around his opponent and taunts him for a while before whipping out a swift uppercut that knocks the other boy clean over. I bite my lip a little, admiring his technique – and the spread of his muscled shoulders – when to my horror I hear my own name. Or at least, my pretend name. “Ari Clark! Robert Brown!” My jaw just drops open because – god, I’m such an idiot – but as long as I’ve been standing here watching, I’ve never thought about how I was going to have to do this! I groan as I realize that I slipped into my Princess identity – I’m used to standing on the sidelines, watching Rafe and Jesse fight – “Let’s go, Clark!” The Sergeant snaps when he sees that I haven’t stepped forward. Rafe, next to me, sighs and puts a hand on my back, shoving me forward. I look back at him in shock but he just shrugs, his eyes clearly saying you wanted to join the Academy, kid. Frantic, I turn to Robert, who is already stepping into a fighting stance. As he puts his fists up and I finally realize that I’m actually supposed to punch him, the candidates all around us start to shout and whistle. “Come on!” Robert shouts, urging me forward. “Let’s do it!” But I just stand there, shocked. Someone starts to laugh uproariously and then bellows, “The shrimp’s scared!” Others start to laugh too, and then they pick up a call: “Shrimp! Shrimp! Shrimp!” This, somehow, spurs me on – and finally gets my wolf to pay attention to something besides that insane thing that happened this afternoon – two boys – two scents – Kill him, she growls, stalking forward within me. Show ‘em all… And so I start to step forward, my lips curling back, raising my own fists the way Rafe and Jesse taught me to, moving fast towards the other boy – Everything goes black. When I open my eyes I see Jesse staring right at me, peering again over the edge of my bunk. “Hey there, Shrimp,” he says, smirking at me, but not without sympathy. “How you feeling? He got you good.” I open my mouth to say something but pain instantly flares over my entire face. “Ith it…” I say, my voice all stuffy from my poor injured nose, which I raise a hand to gingerly touch, “Ith it broken?” Jesse takes a moment to press my nose between his thumbs, pushing at it experimentally, which hurts like hell. I gasp and wince, but he shakes his head. “Nah, cousin, you’ll be all right in a few days. You’ll have one hell of a black eye, though.” Well, also, I can’t smell anything with my nose all messed up, can I? So, I have no idea which of these boys are… God, I can’t even think the word to myself. Mate! My wolf gleefully supplies, dancing around inside of me, ignoring my pain. Your mates! Both of them! Get up now, shift into me! I can smell them! I can do it! I would love to do it! I scowl, ignoring her and closing my eyes again, wishing I was still knocked out. A few minutes later, though, my rest is interrupted by something landing on my pillow that makes me jump. I gasp, opening my eyes, and then I scowl when I see a cellophane-wrapped sandwich and a water bottle next to me, along with a packet of pain killers. “You okay, kid?” Rafe asks quietly, and I jump a little to see him standing where Jesse was before, peering at me closely. “No, I’m dying,” I sigh dramatically, collapsing back onto my pillow. “That breaks the pact,” he says, shoving me lightly on the shoulder. “You die, mom kills me – then dad’s only got Markie and Juniper left, their two worst kids. You know we can’t do that to them.” I smirk, laughing a little, but then I flinch when laughing hurts. “Hey,” I say, suddenly remembering that I missed the big event. “Did you win?” Rafe just gives a casual shrug but Jesse pops up behind him. “Of course he won!” Jesse says, looping a proud arm around Rafe’s shoulders. “You should have seen the brute he had to take out though, Ari,” he continues, his eyes wide and thrilled. “You’re being dramatic,” Rafe murmurs, shrugging Jesse off even though he can’t keep the corners of his lips from turning up. “No seriously,” Jesse says, leaning in to me. “He was like, bigger than Rafe, maybe – or at least as big – and totally brutal. You could tell he had never been formally trained, but he just went into his fights like a damn madman –“ “Really?” I ask, curious, sitting up a little. “Which one was it?” “That big boulder over there,” Jesse murmurs, pointing across the room. I see him instantly – who couldn’t? He’s seriously gigantic – rivaling even my dad in size. He hunches over in his bunk, looking down at his mattress with his arms resting lightly on top of his knees, totally stoic but clearly disappointed to have come in second. His dark hair falls in his face like he can’t be bothered to push it away. “You beat him?” I ask, turning shocked eyes on my brother. “Don’t act so surprised,” Rafe snaps, frowning at me, offended. I laugh a little and lean over to give him a shove on the shoulder. “You’re right,” I say in an overly-girly voice, like a deranged cheerleader, teasing him. “No one can beat Rafe Sinclair!” Jesse laughs with me, turning to watch Rafe turn red as he scowls. “Eat up,” Rafe mutters as he hops down from the bed, “and take the painkillers.” Then he hesitates, looking over his shoulder, and leans in to whisper. “There are some closed shower stalls, but…I don’t think you should go in there anytime soon. All right?” “I’ll do it in the morning,” I say with a yawn, reaching out to grab the cold water bottle and press it to my face, moaning a little at the instant relief. “I’ll get up at 3, before anyone else.” “Okay. Wake me up too. I’ll come with you.” “No,” I say, shaking my head. “You need sleep. It’ll be okay.” “Just wake me,” my brother growls. I nod to appease him and lean back against my pillow with a groan. Fine, my wolf growls as I drift of, displeased. But tomorrow, we’re finding them! Unfortunately, as fate would have it, tomorrow is too long of a wait.

I wake up in the middle of the night and groan a little with pain from my stiff muscles and my aching face. I prod at my nose, pleased to find that it’s already much better – the speed of wolf healing really is great, even though my nose is still too swollen to truly smell anything. But as I sit up, I realize that the real problem here is that I am…grimy. I’m completely covered in sweat and blood and my body feels…disgusting. I stick out my tongue as I survey myself, not even really able to believe that I was able to fall asleep like this. I mean, how much pain had I even been in? A lot, my wolf reminds me, nudging me with her nose. Can we go find them now? I scowl and mentally push her away, not able to think of it – or maybe just not wanting to, not right now. I mean, what the hell does it mean – what do I even feel about any of this? Did I imagine it? Or did…did two mating bonds actually snap into place yesterday afternoon, the day after I left Prince Asshole at the altar? But no. That’s impossible. You get one fated mated – just one! And most people don’t even get that! I don’t even know what one mating bond snapping into place feels like, let alone two. My wolf must be wrong – whatever happened must have just been…I don’t know, some kind of hormonal reaction to being around so many boys all at once. I’m not wrong! she growls, snapping her teeth at my denial. But I ignore her again. I quickly move to the wide communal bathroom at the end of the room. I grab a set of supplies from the waiting shelf and dash towards the shower stall. But when I pull back the curtain I gasp – actually gasp – in horror at the site before me. The floor and walls are covered in muck, and boy hair, and – oh my god, is that even blood in the corner? I scowl at myself, hating this side of me that’s decidedly a Princess… …but I have to get clean. And quite suddenly I remember what Jesse said on the way in – that there are some hot springs over the far hill. I breathe out a little moan, instantly wanting nothing more than a long, hot bath all by myself. To get clean, and to refresh myself – I just know it’s the one thing that will set me right. —— After about five minutes of searching for the hot springs, I find them. They’re everything I hoped they would be. Clean, fresh water – smelling just slightly of sulfur – bubbles out through a set of rocks, creating a little steaming pool that’s just deep enough to sink into. With a quick glance over my shoulder to check that I’m actually alone, I strip off my clothes and fling off my hat, running my fingers through my hair as I wade into the pool, moaning a little at the luxurious warmth of it enveloping my exhausted and battered body. When that’s finished, I tie my hair back in a knot at the base of my head and I take a deep breath, closing my eyes and turning my face up to again stare at the castle against the sky as I start on my body. As I run the bar of soap all over my skin, pampering myself a little as my muscles unwind, my mind turns to the question of battle magic, and just how the Academy might teach something like that. Because Rafe and Jesse and I – we’re all supposed to have some kind of magic, a gift from our Grandmother, the Goddess. Mom and Aunt Cora told us each about it when we turned sixteen, but…none of us have manifested anything yet. Mom is an incredible healer, and Aunt Cora can control the weather, but the three of us?

Not so much as a spark, no matter what we’ve tried. Mom tells us not to worry about it, that the Goddess will reveal her gift in time… But the Academy…would it have a way to bring something like that out in me? And if so…what form would my magic take? My imagination spins as I consider the possibilities as I soap myself down and I smile a little, staring to feel, finally, like myself again. I even hum to myself a little bit, carried away by how good this feels. Of course, the feeling is short lived because just as I set the soap aside and splash a handful of water up against my face, a voice rings out behind me. “What the hell are you doing here?” And I gasp, spinning and instinctually dipping low into the pool so that I’m up to my chin in the opaque water, staring up at the dark figure standing at the edge of the pool. I push myself away from him through the water, terrified but unable to see who it is – But as I reach the far side of the pool, terror streaking through me, the cloud covering the moon skates away revealing… Another candidate – and not my brother or cousin. My eyes go wide in shock as I realize, quite suddenly, that it’s Luca Grant – all six-foot-two of him, staring down at me – “Seriously, Shrimp,” he says, crouching down and looking all around. “What are you even doing here? And did you see a girl running around? I’m looking for her.” My mouth drops open a little as I realize that…that in the dark he can’t see my long hair knotted at the back of my neck, or any details about my body underneath the water. And, simultaneously, I realize that I smell like all girl right now because in soaping myself down I washed off all of the scent Jesse rubbed on me, which was covering me up – My mind whirs, but luckily my mouth responds without me. “Um,” I say, pitching my voice a little lower. “No, I haven’t seen anyone.” “Shit luck,” the boxer says, standing and sighing as he shoves his hands in his pockets. “I’ve been getting bits and pieces of her scent all day…she’s got to be around, but I can’t figure out where…” “Why…” I say again, hesitating and rubbing at my nose, desperate now to be able to smell something – “why are you looking for her?” “’Cause,” he says, sighing in frustration. “She’s my mate.” “Impossible,” a growling voice snaps, making both of us jump and spin towards the hulking figure that comes out of the shadows next. And my eyes go wide when I realize that… That it’s the huge, scarred brute that Rafe beat in the last bout – who hung his head in disappointment in his bunk – “Pardon?” The boxer says, raising an eyebrow at the bigger candidate who comes close to glower over him. To his credit, Luca doesn’t flinch. “She can’t be your mate,” the brute snarls, glaring down at Luca and not even sparing me a second glance. “Because she’s mine.” Yes! Yes! Yes! My wolf yelps within me, spinning in eager circles, holding her tail high like a banner. Our mates! Both of them! But my reaction is the opposite. “Ohhhh no,” I whisper, shaking my head as I look between them. Two mates – both looking for me? And neither of them realizing that I’m treading water right here!? How the hell am I going to get out of this?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397384”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #Werewolf #YoungAdult #Campus #HiddenIdentity #KickAssHeroines #Pregnancy #Erotic

Recently, I found myself plagued by an intense itchiness in my most private area, accompanied by an unfamiliar discharge. It had me scared. Shockingly, online search results suggested it might have been due to frequent sexual activity or having multiple partners. But that didn’t make sense. I didn’t even have a boyfriend. The more I read, the more uneasy I felt. I couldn’t bring myself to confide in anyone as I was terrified of the judgmental stares. So, I snuck off to the hospital for a check-up. What I hadn’t anticipated was that my older sister’s boyfriend, Michael Thompson, would be the one to see me! Discreetly, I opened my phone, located my sister Emily Johnson’s chat, and meticulously compared the photo she had sent me. It confirmed my worst fear. Instantly, embarrassment flooded my cheeks. How could there be a male doctor in gynecology? And to make matters worse, it was Emily’s boyfriend! I had only ever heard Emily mention that her boyfriend was a doctor, but she had never specified gynecology. At that moment, I wanted to bolt. It was just too awkward. But before I could even turn, the door to the consultation room swung open. “Samantha Johnson!” I instinctively let out a sound, feeling everyone’s gaze, including Michael’s. I wished I could just disappear. But leaving then would have only made things worse. With a deep breath, I stepped into the consultation room. Thankfully, Michael didn’t recognize me. Well, we had never met before. I only knew him from the photo Emily had given me. It was perfectly normal for him not to recognize me. Thinking this way, I felt a small sense of relief. I would just treat it like any other check-up with a stranger. Just as I began to feel a bit relieved, he dropped a bombshell. “Take off your skirt and lie on the bed,” Michael said, eyeing my skirt. “I… I have to take off my skirt?” I was beyond shocked. What if he found out I was Emily’s sister? And what if Emily found out? How could I let Michael do this kind of thing? But now I was caught in a dilemma. I couldn’t just say I was Emily’s sister and refuse his treatment. Then how would he see me in the future? Would he think I led a chaotic private life? And if he happened to develop negative feelings towards Emily in the process, my guilt would be even greater. “It’s just a routine check-up to rule out any potential underlying issues. Early detection leads to early treatment.” He paused for a moment. “In a doctor’s eyes, there’s only the patient, no distinction between genders,” he added, perhaps trying to ease my embarrassment and concern over his gender. At this point, I had run out of excuses to avoid the situation. So, I braced myself. After all, he didn’t know me, and I could pretend not to know him. Plus, what if my condition was serious? What if delaying treatment worsened it? Lying on the hospital bed, I closed my eyes. “Take off your skirt and your underwear.” His voice snapped me back to reality. My face flushed red, and I awkwardly complied, feeling like the whole world was watching. It was as if everyone knew, and my mind was in turmoil. Here I was, undressing in front of Emily’s boyfriend. I wished I could disappear, wished nobody knew me. “Spread your legs.” Oh god! Was I going to expose myself like this to Michael? Reluctantly, I complied and exposed my most intimate part. I felt mortified, and at that moment, I could sense the intrusion of something.

I felt like a cold instrument was prying open the most private part of me, a place never before seen by a man. The chill sent shivers down my spine. And then it hit me. I needed to pee! At that moment, I wished the ground would swallow me whole. I tried my best to hold it in, but Michael gave me a reassuring pat. “Relax.” I trembled, almost losing control. Thankfully, Michael’s examination was gentle. Unlike what I’d read online about doctors being rough, he was nothing like that. His touch was soft, gradually calming me down. But my mind couldn’t stop racing. What if Michael found out my identity? What if Emily found out? Panic and an indescribable thrill consumed me. No one could be in a more awkward situation than I was at that moment. Unable to resist, I cautiously peeked through the gaps between my fingers, which were covering my eyes. I had to admit Emily had excellent taste in men. Even with a mask on, he still looked great. I had seen Michael’s photos before. He looked handsome in pictures, but in person, he was even more striking, with a remarkable presence. He conducted the examination meticulously and earnestly, treating me like any other patient without a hint of impure thoughts. However, when his fingers entered for the examination, the stark contrast between their warmth and the coldness of the instrument sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t help but tremble, feeling my strength drain away. My body involuntarily squirmed, and his fingers seemed to stick to me like suction cups. It was a sensation I had never experienced before, leaving me feeling light-headed and almost weightless, as if I were floating, disconnected from my body. So, this was what it felt like between a man and a woman during lovemaking. And to think, he was Emily’s boyfriend! My mind, as if a floodgate had been opened, began to entertain increasingly bold thoughts as his examination continued. What if Michael and I…

My cheeks were burning, probably as red as a tomato. I could feel the heat radiating off them. Would he be more forward if he knew who I was? Would it be even more exhilarating? No one outside could fathom the unique relationship between me and the doctor inside. Suddenly, through the gaps between my fingers, I noticed stains on the blue disposable mattress. The discovery stunned me. I had wet myself in front of Michael! How could I be so sensitive? I was here for a medical examination. Michael was just doing his job. How could I react like this? This discovery sent me into a panic, making me feel like the world was slipping away from me. I wanted to get up, but Michael’s hand gently pressed against my abdomen, the warmth of his palm draining my resistance. I lay back on the hospital bed, feeling too weak to even consider the implications of my relationship with Michael or think about the future or Emily. All I wanted was for him to have something that could truly come inside, embrace me, melt me, and make us one. My mind went blank, and I didn’t even realize I was biting my lip, letting out soft moans. It was as if I was urging him, tempting him to take control, even if he was Michael. All I could feel was the incredible comfort below my abdomen, tingling and soothing. It was like my soul had drifted away. I couldn’t believe how uninhibited I had become. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I spotted Michael holding a mirror, which he had somehow retrieved without me noticing, aimed at my private area. I saw my most intimate parts. It startled me, bringing me back to reality. And then, I realized that the source of my comfort was Michael’s hand. The instrument had been removed without me noticing. His fingers were completely enveloped by the delicate folds of my flesh, giving me an overwhelming sense of fulfillment. As his fingers moved within me, it felt like they were touching my soul. All I could think about was pulling him close, merging our bodies. As I quivered, I couldn’t help but wonder what Michael was planning. This was way beyond what a doctor should be doing. I had some vague suspicions, but I didn’t dare to dwell on them too much. He had been Emily’s boyfriend, after all! Despite wanting to resist, my body kept responding to him. It was incredible how comforting this sensation could be. But in my haze, I noticed Michael’s white coat had disappeared, and he stood before me completely naked. His movements became rougher, and his eyes seemed bloodshot and excited like he wanted to consume me. Listening to his heavy breaths and deep voice, I trembled. Even though he was Emily’s boyfriend, I couldn’t bring myself to care anymore. Suddenly, I felt a surge of jealousy towards Emily. Why had he belong to her? Why couldn’t he be mine? As long as I kept quiet, who would know? I looked up, my gaze soft. Suddenly, my legs instinctively wrapped around Michael’s waist. He leaned in closer, locking eyes with me, his expression carrying a hint of an unreadable smile. “Samantha, You’re soaked…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397383”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #B×G #BrotherInLaw #Adult #Sexy #Crazy

“Next batch, come on in,” Ruby Morgan, our supervisor, called out. Several girls and I entered the private room. Under the sultry, dim lights, we lined up and greeted the men lounging on the sofas. “Hey there!” I undid a button on my collar, revealing my collarbones and deep cleavage, flaunting my figure to the maximum. It could significantly up my chances of getting picked. My figure was pretty good. I was a D cup before marriage and almost hit an E cup after having our kid. My husband couldn’t get enough of me every night, competing with the baby for attention. As for other men, as long as they were normal and interested, none could resist my charm. For instance, at that time, I could feel the intense stares of the men across from me, all hungry to devour me whole. Tonight, I’d be raking in some good cash. “Everyone heads up so the customers can get a good look,” Ruby commanded. I smoothed my bangs and lifted my head, flashing a sweet smile, ready for the clients’ selections. Inwardly praying, I hoped this time it would be a hunky, strong man picking me. The last customer was not only ugly but couldn’t even last a minute on his own. I had to lend a hand, and he finished even quicker than my husband. Lost in thought, I was suddenly startled by a voice of surprise. “Sofia?” I almost jumped when I heard this voice. It was my husband’s voice. I turned my gaze, and there, in the shadowy nook of the sofa, sat my husband, Ethan Reynolds. His eyes bore a mix of shock and disbelief as they met mine. I stood frozen, my mind reeling. How on earth did he end up here? My side job at the nightclub was caught by him! I panicked, feeling like a cheating spouse caught red-handed, desperate to flee. I just wanted to run out the door. But under Ethan’s piercing stare, I found myself rooted to the spot, too ashamed to even meet his eyes. “Ethan? Do you know her?” the man beside him inquired, breaking the tense silence. My heart raced. What if Ethan were to erupt right here and now, causing a scene? I held my breath, waiting for his response. To my relief, though visibly enraged, he managed to maintain his composure. He turned away, mustering a forced smile. “No, mistook her for someone else.” He didn’t want to expose my identity in front of his friends, as it would be too embarrassing. After all, if it got out that his wife worked as a hostess in a nightclub and his friends stumbled upon her, he’d probably never live it down. I felt even more guilty. “If you don’t know her, then I’ll take her!” the man named Adam Hayes declared, his eyes burning with desire. “She’s one in a million. To miss out on her would be a lifelong regret.” Ethan’s expression stiffened, his smile strained. “Today’s your treat, so naturally, you get first pick.” “Fair enough! Come on then!” Adam laughed, pulling me into his embrace.

I had initially planned to sit further away from Ethan to avoid any awkwardness, but Adam forcefully pulled me over, seating me between him and Ethan. A regular in such settings, he wasted no time in wrapping his arm around my waist and boldly groping my chest. Adam’s hand massaged first one and then my other breast, his fingers continuously rubbing my tender wet nipples. And his eyes fixated on my cleavage as he explored. I stood there, frozen, unable to bring myself to even glance back at Ethan. I could only imagine the grim expression on his face, boiling with anger. It was agonizing to think that my body, meant solely for him, was now being handled by his friend, right under his nose… Ethan and I had been college sweethearts, tying the knot shortly after graduation. Though our intimate life lacked harmony, with him needing assistance to satisfy me each time, we were otherwise deeply in love. I never wanted to resort to this line of work, knowing it would betray him. But the financial burdens at home were suffocating. Mortgage, car payments, and our child’s education… I watched as the stress-etched lines on Ethan’s once-youthful face broke my heart. After much internal struggle, I decided to work at the nightclub a few months ago, all behind Ethan’s back. He was traditional, and discovering the truth would shatter him. Yet tonight, he caught me in the act, and to make matters worse, I was chosen by his friend… Feeling utterly helpless and on the verge of tears, I couldn’t fathom how I would explain myself to him later. In no time, Ethan and his friends each picked a girl. We kicked off with drinks while Ethan shared old college anecdotes with his pals. It was then I discovered they were all his college roommates, reuniting for a catch-up after ages. And about Adam, I’d heard Ethan mention him before. He was a wealthy man with a lot of cash, and Ethan apparently owed him some money. Adam was not only wealthy but also tall and handsome. Normally, I wouldn’t mind indulging in a little flirtation with him, but with Ethan right there beside me, my mind was elsewhere. So much so that when we started playing games, I lost in the very first round. According to the rules, the loser had to get cozy with their partner. I was asked to lock lips with Adam for a solid three minutes while holding a mouthful of alcohol.

How could I do it? I wanted to protest, but Adam didn’t give me a chance to refuse. He took a swig of alcohol, then grabbed my head and went in for the kiss. His kissing skills were impressively adept, prying open my lips and passionately exploring, mixing his saliva with the alcohol in my mouth. In the heated ambiance of ambiguity and alcohol, I almost found myself succumbing. But then I caught sight of Ethan’s darkening expression out of the corner of my eye, and I snapped back to reality. I tried to push Adam away, but his grip was too firm, and I couldn’t break free. It wasn’t until three long minutes had passed, and I was struggling to catch my breath, that he finally released me. “Bravo!” The others applauded. “I’m not good at this game. Carry on without me,” Ethan muttered with a hint of anger and left the game. The others shrugged it off, assuming he wasn’t into it and continued playing. I felt utterly terrible and wanted to leave, but they wouldn’t let me. And to top it off, luck seemed to desert me as I kept losing one after another, forced into various suggestive acts with Adam, his hands even finding their way under my clothes. He practically explored every inch of my body except for the most intimate areas. The other two men also joined in, trying to take advantage of me while drinking, especially the creepy one who insisted on sitting way too close. Looking at his pockmarked face up close almost made me want to retch. I desperately hoped Ethan would come to my rescue. But there he sat, silently nursing his drink, watching as three men took advantage of me. Anger flashed in his eyes, but he held it back. Maybe he feared the embarrassment of my identity being revealed, or perhaps he was worried about the debt we owed Adam. As I drank more and more, I became increasingly dizzy and my vision became blurry. I found myself leaning heavily against Adam, feeling the overwhelming presence of his masculinity. At some point, his shirt disappeared, unveiling a set of abs that made Ethan’s look pale in comparison. I couldn’t help but wonder if his sexual prowess surpassed Ethan’s. Thinking of this, I squirmed, feeling sticky between my legs. Suddenly, a hand slipped under my skirt. The rough touch of two fingers sent shivers through me, urging me to delve deeper. Startled, I protested, “No, don’t touch there.” Beside us, Ethan, who had been silently drinking, suddenly glanced over. “Look at you, getting all worked up and still saying no. You little slut, quit the act. Let me give you what you want,” Adam sneered, pushing me down with my head on Ethan’s lap. “Ethan, she’s yours from the top. Let’s enjoy this together.” Adam grinned, lifting my legs onto his shoulders. In an instant, I felt a fiery sensation engulf me as he entered…

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397382”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #B×G #NewAdult #Crazy #Hot #Sexy #Drama

After my boyfriend lost his memory, he insisted that I was his aunt. His rich uncle paid me $5 million to pretend to be his wife. But then I realised it was me who had lost my memory.