I don't remember how long it had been since I wrenched myself from the arms of the only woman I had loved as a mother. She didn't remember me at all. A little more speculation revealed that none of them did. My mother, my father, my brother,.. they'd all forgotten about my existence! That was the icing on the cake of my woeful and weird day. I had been so disoriented while fleeing the garden. All I had in mind was my incessant need to get away although I didn't completely understand what I was running from. It all happened in rapid succession I began to race toward the garden exit and a portal consumed me, spitting me out in the middle of a forest. Panic set in so I kept it up running in and out of portals and ending up in different places. The last place had been a crowded market square, my breathing hitched I never knew I had a bit of claustrophobia before then, I jumped again. I didn't know what I was running from but I knew what I was looking for. Peace, quiet and somewhere I could belong.. blend in or whatever. Baseline of my story, I don't know where I am but it sure is peaceful.
Chapter 1 - Somewhere in a small town in Seattle
1975
Lucas POV
I'd not had an easy life, at least not me. To onlookers, I was the perfect Lucas Stockhelm. I looked like the stereotype of a runway model, raven black hair, green eyes, a perfect jawline, a gorgeous smile, and a stunning physique. I was the Lucas who championed the soccer team of my local high school in every competition but somehow still aced all my tests. Sure I was on the honour roll, and the girls loved me ... even some guys although I decided never to venture into that. I was even the perfect gentleman, so how wasn't my life easy?
My mother had raised me all on her own. She'd made some bad choices in college and had to drop out to have me. My father? He was never part of the picture. So from a young age, I had to watch my mother crack under pressure. She was rarely home, having to run several shifts to support us. Whenever she finally came home she was always stressed out but still made time to find out how my day went. When we were done talking she'd creep away to her room to cry. Sometimes throughout the night. She had a friend who owned a modeling agency, Miss Hilda was very nice she always checked on us and ensured my mum was okay. Mum found it hard to open up to her about our problems though.
I was 5 when I first found out I was a little hotshot. My mum had just dropped me off at school that morning and my friend's mum saw me and fussed over me. Inviting me to their kids' birthday parties and hangouts that weren't coming up for weeks. After that, I asked Miss Hilda for a job and she granted me on the spot. It helped ease up the stress on Mum and all I had to do was smile and put on a couple of clothes and products for the money to come rolling in.
I am now 18 and a high school graduate. My mum was even more happy about this than me.... I should think. My friends were having the traditional "night in the woods" which every high school graduating set in our town had ever since high school came about. I didn't feel like going, so I opted for lying half-naked in my room flipping through old comics. Besides Mum was making a cake for me, I didn't want to leave her alone tonight, something felt wrong about going to the woods.
"Lu! Peter's here!", my mum's voice made its way upstairs to alert me of the impending doom.
I rolled over onto the floor in an attempt to hide under my bed. My room door flew open before my task was half completed and the calloused hands of my best friend wrapped round my ankles and tugged me out of my haven. "Not cool Luc!" he snapped at me, fighting the grin on his face as I raised my hands to plead innocent. "Get dressed and come downstairs you have five minutes."
"I was honestly about to come you know? I didn't just know what to wear." I called after his exiting figure in self-defense.
He stuck his head back ."Yeah I'm sure that's true you were only looking for your shoes under there!", sarcasm dripped from his tone. Wear whatever no one cares enough."
I pulled on tennis shoes and a plain black shirt to go with my khaki shorts and trudged downstairs. Peter was already in the kitchen making my mum laugh as she worked on the island. He was easy to be with like that.
"I'm ready!" I said and walked over to hug my mother after Peter called out goodbye and headed for the door. I pulled her against me muttering a quick I love you and placing a kiss on her temple.
"I'm so proud of you Lu. Go have fun" she said relinquishing her hold on me. I now had a fully funded sports scholarship that to study any course at any university of my choice. I sauntered lazily to the front door. Peter play-punched me in the arm and made a teasing comment about my outfit choice.
"You told me you'd be there you asshole" Peter began his assault on my ears without giving me a chance to speak. "They threw me out of the party to find you less than thirty minutes after I arrived."
I winced a bit "I'm sorry Pete, it's just... something doesn't feel right about this "night in the woods"."
"Doesn't feel right? Dude this is the most right thing that has happened since we began high school but if you want to start your career as a psychic, good luck!" he chuckled
I smiled a little at his enthusiasm and let the comfortable silence take over as we walked to the party site. This was one of the many reasons Pete was my best friend, he didn't feel the incessant need to feel each moment of the day with mindless chattering. Just our presence was enough comfort to each other.
The music began permeating the eerie silence before Pete spoke again. "Becky is looking nice tonight," he said. I frowned at him
"You of all people know such details aren't important" I sighed. Becky was one of my many admirers. I never had time to settle down and get into a serious relationship between school, soccer, and modeling although I messed around occasionally.
"Becky isn't like the others, buddy. She's one of the real deal girls. You better start using your brain instead of testosterone to think and make decisions!" He said before leaving me and heading into the party.
An A* student with a promising future, Kahlani Summer. Being extraordinarily smart came without effort. Since she began school she noticed she didn't just have to try as hard as anyone else. Despite her parents being rich and famous, she was capable of paving her way. She was destined to take the world by storm and she knew it. Her parents knew as well. Kahlani's wild side needed to be tamed before it got out of hand. In a desperate attempt, they sent her across the world to school in Europe. They believed that making her stand on her own feet would enable her to grow up before responsibility overwhelmed her. However, Lani found a brand new tune to dance to. A new taboo to indulge. She was messing with fire and she didn't care if she would be burnt.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.