Claire Summers is finally free of her bullied high school life and living on her own while she attends college. Finally free of her prison, she thinks her troubles are over, until her high school bully shows up and crashes her chances of enjoying her college years. Axel Davers realizes as soon as he steps foot into his first college class that his mate is in the room. However, it blindsides him when he sees Claire Summers, the one girl he loathed in high school, sitting there with a rebellious snarl on her face. Not only did he hate her growing up, but she's also human and doesn't know anything about supernaturals. Knowing he has no choice but to pursue his mate, he finds it harder than ever to break down that wall he built when he bullied her years before. When lycans begin to terrorize the neighboring packs and the college campus, Axel finds himself doing whatever it takes to protect his mate. However, Claire hates the sight of him, and even if she feels an invisible pull, she pushes him away until she breaks. She never realized that Axel held so many secrets, and when they come to light, her entire existence flips upside down, and she's bombarded with a truth she never knew was real.
Claire.
Claire tossed her final throw pillow onto her bed and stepped back to admire her work. Her pale white and pink flowery comforter brightened the brick interior of her apartment. It matched the fluffy white rug she'd saved a month to buy the summer before.
She caught a glimpse of her blonde ponytail in the thrift store mirror above her bed, smiling at the way her green eyes lit up for the first time in what seemed like forever. Her small one-bedroom apartment was nothing to brag about, but it was hers. Plus, it was an hour away from her hometown where she left her miserable memories of high school.
She'd been the epitome of shy and awkward growing up, which tossed her into the shadows during her high school years. She didn't mind-blending in fit her much better than standing out. However, that wasn't the case once he showed up and ruined everything.
Claire walked into her small kitchen and opened her refrigerator. Only a carton of milk, some eggs, butter, and cheese made the trip with her. Her father gave her a couple hundred dollars to get her started, which wouldn't last long, but she intended to get an on-campus job soon because she knew her rent money would only last a couple of months.
She pulled out a small skillet, butter, and eggs to make her something for dinner. Her first class started in the morning, and she wanted to fill up before bed so she would sleep well.
Claire cooked her food, her mind racing with what ifs the entire time. What if he showed up at her university? She doubted it since he'd been accepted to a much larger university miles away, which was where she wanted him-miles away from her.
Axel Davers was that one person that never seemed to let Claire fade into the shadows. He'd pick her out of a group of a thousand and make sure to torment her in any way that he could. She couldn't even pinpoint when it started, or why, but that it made her days tiresome, and she feared to run into him at any moment.
He was devilishly handsome, with wide shoulders and a head full of sandy brown hair. Every girl in her school lusted after him besides Claire. How could she ever crush on the one person that bullied her relentlessly?
Claire's cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and she dug it out with one hand, while taking her eggs off the stove with the other. "Hello?"
"Hey, darling," her dad said on the other end. "How's it going?"
Claire smirked to herself. Her dad was overprotective since her mother passed away when she was little. It'd always been the two of them, and he worried about Claire living alone.
"Oh, you know, just hosting my first rager and trying some drugs. The usual."
Dad sighed heavily. "Funny," he said. "Have you eaten?"
Claire silenced her own sigh and plopped her scrambled eggs down onto her plate. "Yes. I'm having eggs. I plan to go to the grocery store tomorrow after classes and after I apply for some on campus jobs. How was work?"
"Work is work," he mumbled. "I'm just-"
"Watching the game?" she answered for him.
He chuckled, and Claire envisioned him rolling his eyes, too. "Yes. Well, since you're alive, I will let you eat. Call me tomorrow and tell me how everything goes, okay?"
"Got it. Love you, Dad," Claire said.
"Love you."
Claire hung up the phone, feeling a sense of emptiness settle in the midst of her stomach. She felt it often due to the lack of a true best friend-other than her dad-she didn't have anyone to talk to or call.
However, she planned to change that. Tomorrow would open a new avenue for Claire. She could be whoever she wanted to be, and the shy awkward girl would be put to rest-forever.
***
Claire's nerves rattled around in her stomach like a pill bottle as she parked her old Dodge Dart in an empty parking space. The hustle and bustle of the campus was in full swing, and it was nearly 8 AM.
Claire cleared her throat and grabbed the strap of her bag. "You've got this, Claire," she mumbled to herself, opening the door. She felt the humid southern breeze suck the breath from her.
She didn't expect anything less than a scorcher the first few months of school, being it was August in Louisiana. She didn't mind it most days; however, she needed to make it to class without looking a complete mess her first day.
The Arts building consisted of any art, English, or psychology class on campus, and since Claire wanted to pursue psychology, she had several classes in that building. She maneuvered her way toward her class, making a beeline for a seat in the middle of the room. Hopefully, that would keep her blended into the scene and not draw any attention to herself.
She placed her book bag beside her desk and put her books and notepad on her desk. Her OCD reared its head as she put her pencil in line with the top of her notebook and slid her palms down her thighs. You've got this, she mumbled to herself.
Something in the pit of her stomach felt off about that morning, but she couldn't place it. She'd always felt as if she had a sixth sense but never thought too much about it. A few students trickled in the closer it grew to 8 AM. Claire smiled at them, hoping she didn't come off too pushy to make friends.
A girl walked in with wild pink hair, bright neon leggings, and a torn white shirt right before class started. One of the only empty seats was in front of Claire. She walked down the aisle, sat down, and turned immediately back to her.
"I shed."
Claire glanced around. "Huh?"
She smirked. "My name is Cat, and I shed. I'm just warning you because I had a girl freak out last year because my hair fell out all over her desk."
Claire examined her wild pink hair, thinking the dying it probably made her hair frail, but she kept her mouth shut. "I'm Claire, and that's okay. I'm sure I won't even notice."
Cat popped a piece of gum in her mouth and smirked. "You're the nice girl, right? The one that keeps her emotions at bay until one day . you just pop?" she asked.
Claire laughed because that was an accurate representation. "You should go into mind reading."
Cat laughed, tossing her head back, her big brown eyes vibrant with laughter. "I totally should-"
"Alright, class," the professor said as she walked into the classroom. "Let's begin."
Claire watched her write her name on the chalkboard in big letters: Professor Sitton. She was red-haired with bouncy curls that Claire envied and a sweet smile. "We're going over our syllabus today, and then we'll cut out early. But on Wednesday," she said, lifting her index finger into the air, "we'll get to work!"
She pulled out her syllabus and passed their copies around. English wasn't Claire's favorite subject, but she was well enough at it. The door opened mid-sentence, and Professor Sitton glanced over with an annoyed expression.
Claire's gaze followed her line of sight, landing on the person walking through the threshold. Everything in the room stilled. Her mouth dried. Her heart jackhammered nervously against her ribcage.
The world blurred around her.
It was him. Axel Davers.
The one boy she'd prayed to never see again. His dominant footsteps echoed against the concrete walls of the old building, his thick throat moved as he swallowed and scratched the edge of his jaw covered in a dark stubble.
Professor Sitton grabbed her roster and glanced over at him. "Axel Davers, I presume?"
Axel nodded slowly, but he seemed distracted, and Claire knew why immediately. Did he have some kind of animal magnetism or something? His dark eyes shifted toward her, and pinned her to the seat in the middle of the classroom.
Cat turned around and glanced at Claire with both eyebrows raised to her hairline. Claire's fingertips tightened around the edge of her seat, and she shifted nervously. It was too late to transfer, and she wasn't that much of a coward to run, but it wasn't too late to switch classes.
And she would do it to enjoy the next four years of her life.
"Take a seat, Mr. Davers," Professor Sitton said while turning back to the board. "And grab a syllabus from my desk."
Axel kept his dark gaze on Claire as he grabbed his syllabus and walked across the room to one lone seat in the very corner. Away from Claire as she'd hoped. If it were up to her, that would be the closest Axel Davers would get to her ever again.
She promised he wouldn't torment her any longer, and that was one promise she intended to keep.
Ava and her twin sister, Charlotte, couldn't be any different. Ava is a struggling artist who waits tables to make ends meet, while her sister runs a successful real estate agency in the city. Charlotte begs Ava to take her spot at a bachelor auction because she becomes ill to bid on a dream date with Fletcher Hines, Houston's most eligible bachelor. If only she would have known the reason behind his participation in the event.
Jessica feels pressured when her grandmother passes and leaves her estate in the backwoods of Louisiana to Jessica. It was never her dream to move down south. She wanted to become a journalist in Denver, not the hills of the bayou. Though, to honor her grandmother, she moves into the quaint mansion nestled in the woods. There she's greeted by her cousin, Jacob, and his oddly handsome friends. It isn't until she's thrust into the middle of their secrets that she realizes she's the key to their survival and one of his friends has been starring in her dreams for months.
Willow lost her mother when she was six years old from an attack by rogue wolves. She listened to her mother die while hiding in the kitchen pantry. She vowed that day to learn to fight to protect her pack and kill the rogue wolves that took her mother’s life. But female warriors aren’t allowed. When her father steps down as alpha, and gives his position to a new warrior, Willow is devastated. Any chance of her becoming a female warrior is gone. Especially when she finds out the alpha standing in her way of becoming a female warrior is her alpha mate.
Dear readers, this book has resumed daily updates. It took Sabrina three whole years to realize that her husband, Tyrone didn't have a heart. He was the coldest and most indifferent man she had ever met. He never smiled at her, let alone treated her like his wife. To make matters worse, the return of the woman he had eyes for brought Sabrina nothing but divorce papers. Sabrina's heart broke. Hoping that there was still a chance for them to work on their marriage, she asked, "Quick question,Tyrone. Would you still divorce me if I told you that I was pregnant?" "Absolutely!" he responded. Realizing that she didn't mean shit to him, Sabrina decided to let go. She signed the divorce agreement while lying on her sickbed with a broken heart. Surprisingly, that wasn't the end for the couple. It was as if scales fell off Tyrone's eyes after she signed the divorce agreement. The once so heartless man groveled at her bedside and pleaded, "Sabrina, I made a big mistake. Please don't divorce me. I promise to change." Sabrina smiled weakly, not knowing what to do...
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, “She’s quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and you’re crossing me.” The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.
Madison had always believed that she would marry Colten. She spent her youth admiring him from afar, dreaming of their future life together. But Colten was always indifferent to her, and when he abandoned her at a time when she needed him most, she finally realized that he never loved her. With renewed resolve and a thirst for revenge, Madison left. Endless possibilities lay ahead, but Colten was no longer part of her plans. Colten rushed to her place in a panic. "Madison, please come back to me. I’ll give you everything!" It was his powerful uncle who answered the door. "She's my woman now."
Eliana was framed by her best friend and her fiance into sleeping with a boy toy in the club and getting impregnated by him. Five years after she had given birth to twins, she returned home and worked under the Moran Group, where she met the CEO-- Maurice. Maurice was a brilliant businessman who did his job well. But in order to stay under the radar, he lived a double life. One as Maurice, and one as Preston. Fate brought the two together again, roping them in on an exciting love story. It all became more complicated when Eliana faced Preston, the man she had slept with before, once again. Now that she was being pursued by two men, how could she ever choose? When would Eliana uncover the secret of Maurice's identity? When was Maurice going to know that he already had two children of his own? How would Eliana face this man when the truth came to light one day? Come and find out.
"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!