Lyla was just a typical vampire, or so she thought. After graduating high school, she begins college and chooses her course of study. Lyla makes this decision with the thought that she has control over her future, but soon she discovers that there are forces at work beyond her control. She has unique powers and incredible destiny. Will she grow into the woman she is meant to be, or will the power become too much for her to bear?
I sighed as my mom's car sped off behind me. I knew she wanted me to be independent and get checked in at the housing office, but I really wish she had come with me. For as long as I could remember, it had been just me, my mom, and my sister, Kylie navigating through life. My dad had died when I was young, pretty much too young for me to really remember him, but my mom took it harder than my sister and I did. She experienced supreme depression, which made it really hard for her to be a mom. I had no idea what to do without my mom or sister, mostly my sister at my side.
My mom had always been distant due to her depression, but I knew that she wanted the best for me. Even though she was not a very supportive mom, I would still miss her presence. I knew they were just a call away, but still, it just was not the same as having them by my side. I sighed one more time, grabbed the handle to my suitcase, and walked off toward the front doors of the housing office.
The campus was utterly gorgeous. Even though it was evening and the sun was going down, the campus still seemed to glow with power. There were woods surrounding the campus, with buildings evenly spread out. There was one main sidewalk, with little connected paths that led off to each of the buildings. There were brick buildings of various sizes that must have been dorms. Along the sidewalk, there were benches and picnic tables for people to sit on to study or eat or whatever it was college students did in their free time. It sounds cliche, but it was very cute and cozy. Trees were everywhere on along the path, and every so often there were little patches of flowers and shrubbery. The students that focused on the element earth must tend to them, as there was not a dead flower or leaf on any of the plants.
Eventually, I encountered a two-story building that said "Housing and Residence Life Main Office". Assuming this was where I was supposed to go to check-in and get my rooming assignment, I headed for that building. Luckily, I was late, meaning most other new students had already checked in and settled into their dorm rooms. Good. Less crowd meant fewer people to gawk at me and my awkward nervousness. I opened the doors and walked into the building.
"Welcome to Crimson University!" A blonde woman who looked about my age, maybe a few years older than me, exclaimed, as she waved me over to her table.
"Hi. My name is Lyla Jacobs." I said, handing her my I.D.
"Hi, Lyla! I'm Emily, one of the R.A.'s here." She said as she checked my I.D. and referenced it to her sheets where each dorm had its own list of residents. She highlighted my name and gasped excitedly. "Oh my gosh, no way! You're not only in my building, but you're one of my roommates! We get to share a suite that's so exciting!" She exclaimed with a smile.
"Oh, wow. Nice to meet you!" I said and returned her smile as I took my I.D. back from her. I could not match her extreme enthusiasm, but being the roommate of a resident assistant meant that I would always know what was going on and have a so-called "friend" that had already experienced her freshman year of college. It also meant I would be expected to follow the rules, which had never been a problem for me anyway. I did not like to party or anything crazy like that, and I definitely did not like to get in trouble, so I tended to follow the rules in order to stay under the radar.
"Here are your keys to your room and your school-issued identification card. Your identification card will swipe you into your dorm and serve as your meal ticket at the dining halls and restaurants. Make sure to carry this on you at all times and please don't lose it. It's such a pain in the ass to get a new one, trust me, been there done that!" Emily laughed as she handed me the keys and a red and white card. "I only have to sit here for ten more minutes and wait for any more late arrivals. If you want, you can wait for my shift to end and then I can show you the way to our room. That way, we can start to get to know each other and you won't have to worry about getting lost!" Emily said.
"That sounds perfect, thank you." I sighed with relief. I was so nervous about getting lost, but having a roommate that worked for the school was already coming in handy.
"Awesome! You can have a seat right over there while I start cleaning everything up." She pointed to a brown couch across the room near the door. I walked over to the couch and sat down, relieved for a chance to catch my breath. It was soft and comfy, definitely the opposite of what I would expect in an office building of a college. I let my mind wander as I waited for Emily to finish up.
It felt like no time had passed at all when Emily appeared in front of me. "Come on, let's go! Our building, Shadow Hall, is only about a five-minute walk from here. I can't wait to show you our apartment!" She gushed. Of course, our dorm was called Shadow Hall, because this college couldn't be any more stereotypical for a vampire college. Hello, it was called Crimson University for a reason! Crimson-as in red-the color of blood, because, you know, vampires need to drink blood to survive. We don't go crazy and murder humans for their blood like the vampires in the books and movies. Humans willingly donate blood (and are paid handsomely to do so) to the vampire blood banks and that is how we get our blood. We also can eat human food (another fictional stereotype), we just need blood every once in a while in order to stay strong. We can also drink directly from humans, but it has to be 100% consensual so most vampires just stay away from that so they don't have to worry about getting sued. It helps humans not fear us as much, which contributes to a peaceful society.
Stereotypicalness of my new college aside and mental tirade aside, I found myself getting more excited as we stepped outside and started walking toward our dorm. Maybe college wouldn't be so bad after all.
For fifty years, there have only been male Alphas, making Lucy the first not only in her pack but in the entire werewolf world. Lucy is the only child of their current Alpha, meaning that she is destined to eventually take on the role of Alpha. When a group of visiting Alphas and Betas come to the pack, she meets her mate, who she has no interest in because she knows that if she is mated to a male everyone will think the male should take the Alpha position and Lucy become the Luna. But can she resist the mate bond? Will her mate support her in her desire to become Alpha? Join Lucy as she fights prejudices and traditions to gain her rightful place as leader of the pack, and maybe, just maybe, fall in love along the way.
Brielle and Bethany are Omega twins in the Green Pine pack. Female twins are exceptionally rare for werewolves and are known to be incredibly powerful, so the girls should be treated with the utmost respect. Instead, they are bullied and belittled because the wolves of the Green Pine pack do not truly understand their worth. Because of their Omega ranking and lack of understanding of their power, they are servants for the ranked families that live in the packhouse. On top of it all, on the night of the Alpha ceremony for Kendrick and Kayden, the sons of the current Alpha, they discover that the Alpha Twins are their mates. Will Kendrick, Kayden and the rest of the pack be able to atone for the mistakes of the past and win over their twin mates and the pack's future Lunas, or will the twins be broken beyond repair?
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?