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"I'm beautiful, I'm wanted", she whispers through her tears, countering her father's words in her head. "You're the reason why my life is the way it is, the reason for my suffering and poverty. You're a wicked child." Rojo's voice echoed again in her head like when one stands and shouts into a dark tunnel with sounds ricocheting off the tunnel walls."I'm the architect of my life and no one else's, my other names are solace and wealth. Not suffering" - she swiped angrily at her tears, - "or poverty. But solace and wealth and I am a beautiful child."
The day was just like any other day in the small sleepy town of Cadez.
Little birds chittered up in the trees, fluttering their little colored wings and fleeting from one tree to another.
These beautiful cedar trees lined up the driveway leading to the town's only high school.
The bricked walls were slightly faded with butchered paint markings left on them by mischievous college students.
As the boots of students hit the gravel, the crunching sounds could be heard all around mixed with student chatter.
It was the first day of school after a long summer break and everyone was excited to see their old friends and make new ones.
They moved in pairs and trios, pausing to greet and crack jokes before heading into the school's building; a spacious two-story building surrounded by low bungalows for practical classes and a greenhouse.
By the side of the greenhouse stood two students, a well-built muscular young man smartly dressed in an oxblood colored blazer and a pair of black pants and a girl with the same coloured blazer but a black pleated skirt.
The boy slung a carton-colored backpack on his left shoulder and on his wrist was a beautifully crafted black band that identified him as the captain of the college football team.
He rubbed the band absentmindedly while he nodded at some students who called out and waved at him as they entered the school building.
He was popular and well-liked both in school and in town for his brains in academics and sports ability.
He glanced at the girl some feet away from where he stood as she contemplated a yellow-petaled flower with a slender green stem. She had beautiful red hair that caught the lights in the sun as she bent her head slightly to look at a different part of the flower.
Rojo Alvarez could bet the twenty bucks in the left pocket of his black pants that she was a new student; she had that slightly bewildered look on her face. "You can touch them. They won't bite you know.
The flowers", says a chuckling Rojo. The girl, Sophia, started. She hadn't known that someone was watching her and when his voice had reached her, she had dropped the pink-colored notebook in her hand.
The last time she had looked around, she had been the only one on this side of the school. The air on this side of the school smelled nicer, no doubt tinged with the scents of the flowers growing in the greenhouse.
Some of the students were still crammed into the parking area while some were already in the halls.
Sophia took a deep breath to calm herself as she took in the boy in front of her.
He had dark curly hair, a lock of it just brushing his left eyebrow and he was much taller than she was. She put his age down at seventeen, the same age as she, which probably meant that they were in the same class.
Or would meet in the same class this morning, it was Sophia's first day at Cadez High. "Actually, I was looking at a cute little butterfly underneath one of the petals.
I didn't want to touch it because I didn't want it to fly before I was done admiring it", replies Sophia. She simultaneously reached for the book at the same as Rojo and their fingers brushed against each other.
Rojo cleared his throat and Sophia smiled, it was just like men to think they knew it all.
"Ah, I-I see. Well, what do you say we go inside and I can show you around for a bit before the classes start?
I noticed you first took a wrong turn when you came in earlier", says Rojo, determined to create a better impression of himself on the beautiful Sophia.
He couldn't let her get away with whatever thought she must have formed in her mind from correcting him earlier.
Call it pride or charisma but Rojo believed in doing things and doing them well.
It was surely what got him the shining scholar and athlete title he had both in his school and around their small town.
Sophia smiled again as she looked around warily as if she could disappear from his scrutiny by just looking around her.
She brushed down an invisible wrinkle on one side of her pleated skirt before focusing her eyes back on Rojo. "
In that case, then I think we should be on a first-name basis.
We should know each other's names for a start.
Mine is Sophia and I heard someone call out Rojo, is that you by any chance?
How do you spell it?" "R-O-J-O", says Rojo. He grinned widely showing perfectly capped white teeth and stretched his right hand out in a greeting.
He liked Sophia already.
She was direct as hell. Sophia brought out a slender left hand that Rojo took in his wider right and they shook hands.
From afar, it looked like both of them were calling a truce.
Rojo inclined his head to the right, in the general direction of the main school building, "Come on, let's head inside".
They walked side by side and joined a melee of other students who thronged into the school halls with their boots making squeaking sounds as they all went in under the sound of the bells that signified the start of classes.
Over the coming weeks, he and Sophia did everything together from going to classes to getting lunch together and heading back home after school.
They picked each other as partners for group projects and Sophia waited for Rojo sometimes after his football practices and afterwards, they'd stroll home together talking about anything and everything.
With each passing day, Rojo found himself falling deeper in love with her, wanting more than sneaky quick kisses with Sophia, never finding the time for a deeper physical connection. That is, until their school had conducted their annual awards and dancing night.
Rojo thought of that night as the night that changed the trajectory of the rest of his life.
Then, almost as if he had realized something, he smiled, a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "It's a private restaurant and we can go there separately if you would prefer," he said, closing up the file. For a moment, I thought he might say more. Something daring, something to suggest that he did not only want to take me out to dinner. But he did not. Instead, he just nodded, his expression uncatchable, and turned back to the view outside the window again. It was then that I realized I had not said a word. And neither had I left. "Okay, you can take me out to dinner."
"MATE!" Marion screamed excitedly. "Oh my gosh, Jimmy is our mate!" I was excited; happy even that this was the grande present the moon goddess had in store for me. This out- of- a- fairytale concept that was about to turn my life around for good but--- "I Jimmy Flicher of the Night gazer pack hereby reject you, Anna Jenson as my mate" My dream, my hopes were all shattered in that moment there and then. The moment of shock only lasted for just a short while before I felt a great and unbearable. Clenching to my chest as I slowly fell to the ground, I watched as jimmy turned away from me without unfeeling, leaving me alone by the doorstep. I gasped as I struggled to make my way back to father but it was to no avail. I'd given up all will to struggle back to my feet and remain on the ground but a loud sound; like a Vaseline crashing to the ground behind me jolted me up. On getting to my feet and looking back, I saw father on the floor. Adding two and two together, I knew he must have seen Jimmy reject me and that had caused him to pass out. I'd immediately rushed over to his side, shaking him fervently, imagining the worst. "Father! Father, wake up!" But he didn't budge and with that, I was left with no choice than to call the ambulance which brings me to how I got to this hospital. Today was my birthday, the day Jimmy rejected me, the day father passed out from shock, the day I would never forget in my life.
Jax I called out quickly rushed over to him. Jax, are you okay?. I brushed his hair away from his face. His beautiful eyes were deep red and he was covered in sweat. A...Aurora.He called my name in a whisper " You're here?. He said, fear evident in his voice. Of course I am. What the hell happened to you? Did you get into a fight? Are you hurt?. I questioned. My blood boiled at the thought of someone hurting him. If there was then I would snap all bones out of the culprit’s body. He shook his head. It's none of those things. He grabbed my waist, burying his face in my stomach. Then what was it?.
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..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
"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."
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.