BLURB Loud cheers and applause rang on the air. Agnes smiled widely and hugged her husband's arm in joy. It was their wedding day, and she was so happy that she can barely contain it. Perhaps it was the feeling called above the clouds? She looked up, wanting to see the happiness in her husband's, Leon, eyes. He was also smiling, but what contained his eyes and barely obvious intent hidden behind his smile made Agnes shudder as fear slowly showed its way inside her whole body. Her smile faded. Her husband was smiling. He was smiling with joy, not because he was happy with the wedding- he was smiling like a beast who has their prey on his foot- [CLANG!] Before Agnes knew it, the shouts of happiness were replaced by cries of despair. The claps and applause was replaced by hurtful sounds of slaps. The colorful, bright and joyous venue was replaced by dark, damp and scary room. Agnes just saw her pathetic self on the corner of that room; she was still and was looking at nowhere. She remained motionless, but in her mind, she was trembling in fear and helplessly crying in despair; "Please help me out from here!"
PROLOGUE;
-
Saturday morning.
The sun was already high but the heat was not even enough to warm someone. The streets and roofs of the houses were covered in thick white snow. It was plain white outside and it was cold. Most of the townsfolk are inside their houses drinking hot tea and staying lazy in front of the fireplace the whole day.
Everyone was idle except for a small house that is almost inside the thick forest. There was an out-of-place car that was parked outside. The expensive car was left unguarded but thankfully, no one was crazy enough to steal something on board the daylight.
The house was only a two-storied building and the interior is almost bare. There was a rocking chair on the patio in case someone wants to sit down and read newspapers but no one is out at the moment. They were busy preparing inside.
In the small living room, someone in a three-piece suit sat on a worn-out sofa. Despite the odd appearance of the thing that the man was sitting on, he didn't show disgust or comment on anything offensive. He just sat there quietly with a small smile on his face.
Later on, an older man came out from the small and disorganized kitchen. He brought a teapot with him and a couple of teacups. It was faint but two of the teacups have small cracks on them.
"I am sorry for the delay." The man said with all smiles. He put the cups on the small coffee table in front of the man and exaggeratedly poured him the tea. "Here, here. Drink this to warm your tummy. It's cold, yes indeed it's cold."
The man looked at the cheap tea that the man brewed for him. It was obviously brought from a small market and was stored for many months as if it was scarce and just found its use today. He wasn't sure about the taste but brought it to his mouth nonetheless.
After the awful liquid entered his mouth, he calmly concluded that he will not drink a sip of it again.
"How was it?" The old man eagerly asked, his yellowish teeth showing after smiling from ear to ear. "How was the taste?"
The handsome man smiled. "It's okay."
"I know right!" The old man boasted. "I spent at least a hundred dollars for this one. Because it was expensive I stopped myself from using it until a special occasion comes."
He was spouting lies and boasting about nonsense and when he realized that the man was not even answering, he closed his mouth and poured himself a cup of tea eagerly. He was dying to taste the tea since he took it out from who-knows-where. After drinking it, he realized how bad the taste is and he almost spat the liquid out.
He regretted drinking the tea, regretted that he made the man drink this death-inducing tea, and regretted the fact that he stored it for almost a year. He wanted to cry but he can't.
"Oh dear," he said, trying to cover his blunder. "It seems like they are taking too long, what could have happened, I wonder?"
He said that to distract their guest away from his mistake and he was really wondering why is that they are not coming down. He was angry at his wife and daughter for being tardy. He stood up and glanced apologetically at the man in a suit.
"I have to fetch-"
"Dear," Before he finishes his sentence, he was interrupted by his panicking wife. "Agnes is gone!"
--
In the middle of the filled snow forest, a redhead was very visible. That read head was walking around the forest at a fast pace and barely avoiding the low branches of the tress. The owner of the read head was pouting and her face was flushed due to cold. It was Agnes in her worn-out brown winter coat.
She was fast on her feet and she was already a kilometer away from her house. When she noticed the distance, she finally stopped and her eyes caught on a red stain on the ground. Her eyes widen as she tried to make her eyes focus on the blood stains without shuddering or screaming.
After a careful look, she noticed that the stain was trailing towards the back of a tree. Agnes followed the trail curiously and found a dead squirrel. Agnes' heart sank and she squatted down in front of the dead small animal.
"I am sorry," she muttered softly. She scoped a handful of snow with her bare hands and covered half of its body with it. "This is the only thing I can give you right now."
Agnes was not answered, but it was okay. She just stared in a daze as the blood slowly stained the snow she used to cover the lower part of its body. Then her mind recalled what happened earlier, she can't help but pout her small, pink lips.
Her mother just suddenly stormed her room early this morning. She forced her to wake up and took a bath. She was strongly against it because it was winter, baths are unbearably cold-they don't have a heater! Her mother didn't listen to her and sent her directly to the bathroom and she reluctantly took a bath.
After that, she received the biggest news of her life. She was getting married and her soon-to-be husband was already coming. Agnes was dumbstruck by the news. She can't believe it. Her? Getting married? She was just 19! She didn't even attend college yet!
Her questions were left unanswered until he arrived. She doesn't want to face whoever he is so she used the single moment where her mother was distracted and she slip out. And here she was, facing a dead squirrel and burying half of its body by snow.
To tell you the truth, she was low-key curious about her husband-to-be. She can't help but question what he looks like. Is he handsome? Or just the average?
"What an unfortunate little animal. The lower part of his body was eaten even when he was still alive." A low and baritone voice rang from behind. Agnes jolted in shock and she whipped her head to see who it was only to be more shocked.
He was a rare beauty. He has these perfectly shaped jaws and a very alluring Adam's apple. His whole body was lean and it was very obvious that he is muscular even with the coat. Agnes stared at him and concluded that he was years older than him. 3? Or perhaps 5?
Suddenly, their eyes met. Agnes' heart pounded crazily inside her chest as she stared at his jet black eyes that look like a black hole that absorbed anything near it. Agnes opened her mouth.
"How did you know?" She asked about his statement earlier.
The man suddenly smiled. "Instinct."
Instinct?
Of what and why he used the words, she didn't ask or bothered about it. She was immersed in the man in front of her and can't help but ask inside her mind.
Is this what they call love at first sight?
The man reached out a hand and his smile turned sweater. "You are Agnes, I reckon?"
She unconsciously grabbed it and muttered a small 'yes.' The man gave off an alluring low laugh that tickled her ears. "I see."
He yanked her up and stared at her chocolate eyes, then he smiled, his eyes smiling with him. "Hello, Agnes. My name's Leon."
-
Mallory was forced to watch as a vampire kills her family, only to accidentally trigger her 'Blessing' and killing the vampire. In her escape with her friend, Oddny, they got rescued by Leofric, who became her destined mate. However, he rejected her. Mallory went to find a clue to break their bond, and when their bond broke, the vampire attacked their new pack, and Mallory got kidnapped. Leofric could no longer feel their bond. After realizing what he's done, he desperately tries to find Mallory. But Mallory doesn't want to involve herself with him anymore. She wants to part ways with him but to kill their enemies, the vampires, she needs to shake hands with him and cooperate. Now, how would Leofric redeem himself when Mallory can't even stand the sight of him? And how would Mallory carry her duties as the Goddess' Blessed when she had someone by her side that she didn't trust?
DESCRIPTION; Nathalie Kelley is an outcast. Ethan has a very strong self doubt. Catherine was a rape victim. These three different people lived different lives but all suffered greatly. They thought that escaping from the darkest phase of their life is as imposible as boiling the whole sea water. So one gave up, one lost herself, and one attempted to take her own life. But then, they met her. She was there. With her blond hair in a very messy bun, she looked at them with her very lively eyes. She was beautiful, but what caught their attention was the paint smudges on her small face and pale hands. She asked one of them if she was okay and lend her shelter. She asked him if he wanted to try and teached him. She asked one of them if she was an idiot before lending a hand. What will this girl with messy hair and paint smudges on her face and hands do to their lives? Will she create chaos? Or create tranquility? Or maybe both? She just appeared out of nowhere, and just disappeared in thin air. But nonetheless, she already stirred the water by stepping in it. I guess one can't help but just wait and see what will happen, right?
It all started with a fluttering eye contact. A conversation in the cafeteria marked their first exchange. And the snow witnessed the start of their small little silly game. "Impress me Tyler. Impress me and I might consider going out with you." "The game is on Althea, the game is on." Purple flowers was sent in the first day of courting. A silver eyed woman caused a stir in their hearts. And a bouquet of flower given to make their silly little game end. [Love returned] Their relationship went smoother than expected. The sun and the moon was the witness of their small bantering and sweet nonsense. But many eyes saw the fall of their relationship. He cheated. They broke up. She was devastated. And pregnant. She told him. He denied. She cried. He told her desperate. She went home and the time passed rather quickly. The fate is twisted; they met again. Both are not as the same as before, a lot of time passed after all. They met each other countless times. He learned to love her again. He confessed but he was harshly rejected. She hated him. It was understandable. But why is it that she was scared at him? Tyler never thought that the years where their paths are separated, dark and scary things was happening to Althea. What was it? And why was she scared and why was her anger towards him was stronger than anything else?
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
Becky endured three years of marriage to the cold-hearted Rory. In all that time, she naively reasoned that one day, he'd gradually come to like her. But the second he forced her to kneel down and humiliate herself, she knew she had been wrong about him. This man had no feelings for her at all. So why should she still love him? When Rory gave her the choice between kneeling down and divorcing, she didn't miss a beat and chose the latter. After all, why should she waste her youth on this scumbag? Wouldn't it be nicer for her to just have fun every day with her billion-dollar family fortune?
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."