Alitta had always had terrible luck in love, she had always seen her friends, family and acquaintances find their predestined partners, but it seemed that her turn would never come. Without hope, one lonely night, she threw herself into the arms of an unknown man, everything went well, but what she didn't expect was that this unimportant night would bear fruit. The pregnancy was becoming more and more apparent, the discovery that the father of her child was the alpha of her pack was a great shock. She now had a choice in her hands: give up her baby or flee with her child to face everything that was to come alone.
The rain drummed softly against the window of my apartment as I stared at its reflection on the glass. The city lights shimmered, blurred by the droplets sliding down, as if the world outside were an unfinished watercolor painting. I held a wine glass by the stem, swirling the ruby liquid out of habit. Not that I was savoring the wine - it had been a long time since anything had tasted like anything to me.
I shouldn't have been thinking about the past. The past was buried. Or at least it should have been. But even now, with a life that could be considered successful by any standard, those memories insisted on haunting me.
The insistent ringing of my phone broke me out of my reverie. I walked over to the table and picked up the device, seeing my mother's name on the screen. I let out a deep sigh before answering.
"Are you listening?" Her voice was firm, carrying that tone of authority she always had. "I need you to come home."
I hadn't expected that. It had been years since my presence was requested in my hometown. Since leaving, I had promised myself I would never go back. But my mother wasn't the kind of person who easily accepted "no" for an answer.
"Why?" I asked, trying to sound uninterested.
"Your sister is getting married. And you know how important this is for the family. You have to be here."
My throat tightened. Lyara's wedding. Of course. Another grand event where she would be the center of attention, while I remained in the shadows, as always. But something in my mother's tone left no room for refusal.
"Fine," I replied, even though every fiber of my being screamed against it. "I'll make arrangements to come."
When the call ended, I let out a long sigh. The thought of returning to that place made me nauseous, but at the same time, some part of me knew it was inevitable. No one truly escapes their past.
The night dragged on as I tried to steer my thoughts elsewhere. The silence of the apartment offered little comfort. The sound of the rain continued to fill the space, but it couldn't drown out the restlessness growing inside me. I got up, walked to the kitchen, and washed the wine glass, trying to occupy my hands and mind with any trivial task.
The reflection of the city lights accompanied me. Life here had been a successful escape, at least on the surface. I made friends, built a career, reinvented myself. But there was still a part of me tethered to the roots I had worked so hard to forget. My mother's call was a reminder that those ties still existed, no matter how much I pretended they didn't.
Celine called later that night. Her voice was an anchor in the storm of my thoughts.
"So? Are you going back?" she asked, direct as always.
"Looks like I don't have a choice," I replied, trying to mask my discomfort. "My mother practically ordered me. Lyara's getting married."
"Lyara... Of course," she said, and the understanding in her voice irritated me a little. Celine knew enough about my past to understand the weight of this.
"I'll try to make it quick. I'll get there, attend the wedding, and leave. No getting too involved."
"Good luck with that. You know they'll try to pull you back in."
"They won't," I said firmly, more to convince myself than her. I needed to believe I was strong enough to resist.
Talking to her eased the tension for a few minutes, but not for long. The truth was that no matter how many walls I had built, they seemed fragile at the prospect of going back.
I lay in bed, but sleep didn't come easily. I stared at the ceiling, the distant sound of cars passing on the street below echoing in my ears. Each thought dragged me back to memories I was trying to bury. The betrayals, the humiliations, the constant feeling of being less. Everything felt as vivid as it had been back then. I turned over, trying to push those images away. I needed rest, but the idea of returning to that town carried a weight I didn't know how to bear.
The most unsettling memory of all was Adrian. It was almost laughable how I used to believe he would be my future. Everything had seemed so right back then, as if we were destined to be together. Until we weren't. Not because we didn't want to be, but because I was never enough for him. Or maybe because he was never enough for me. It was hard to say now. All that remained were the fragments of what could have been.
I got up again, unable to stay still. I went to the living room and turned on the TV, letting the sound fill the empty space. I didn't pay attention to what was playing, but it was better than silence. I grabbed my laptop and started working on a project I had been putting off, something to occupy my mind. I lost track of time, and when I looked at the clock, it was already past three in the morning. At least the exhaustion finally caught up with me.
I lay down again, this time determined to sleep. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sound of the rain and accumulated fatigue envelop me. I couldn't avoid what was coming, but for now, I could enjoy the brief relief of sleep. The future could wait a little longer.
I lived my whole life normally without even knowing the secret of my lineage. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged into a clan. The people in this clan aimed to keep an almost instinctive pack of wolves alive. They told me that I was part of this bloodline, something I could never have known because I was nothing more than a miserable orphan until they found me. I found myself at the start of a dangerous yet exhilarating journey.
I dedicated my whole life to God, I was always focused on my duties and my virtue, at least until the day I met him. That wasn't a part of the great church I had known before, curiosity led me deeper into what seemed to be a dungeon, and that's where I found him. Something wicked chained up, sealed in that frightening place. His name was Amon, the evil being who had dragged me into sin, made me give myself over to him, the being who had introduced me to lust.
Lilia was the eldest daughter of a cruel king, known for his conquests coming from the blood of innocents, he ruled his entire kingdom with a firm hand and tyranny. One afternoon the palace was invaded by men without coats of arms, only mercenaries murdered the king, when taken hostage Lilia discovers that all this betrayal was organized by her sister Elise, in an attempt to take the throne of her late father. With no male children to claim the throne, the only thing stopping Elise from being queen was her older sister, a sister she would eliminate without a second thought. Lilia fled when she had the chance but had the misfortune of being captured by the army of her father's rival kingdom, when she was taken to the palace she was soon recognized, again she was preparing to face death. Luckily for her, the news of the king's death had already spread, along with speculations of betrayal, she begged him not to kill her, said she would like to take back her father's throne. Now Lilia sought revenge, she would not leave her sister on the throne for long, and for that she would do everything.
"I want you to be mine, I want you to assure me that your body is mine alone." Anthony's voice sounded hoarse, making me recoil like a helpless animal in front of a predator. When I first met him, he was just a regular customer at the nightclub where I worked. He had a reputation for being very generous and cordial with the staff, as well as being too handsome a man to need to pay for a woman's company. After my first month with him, he started coming to the club more and more often. Everything seemed to be going well, until the night Anthony requested my company as usual, when he was informed that I wouldn't be available at that time, Anthony simply stormed into the room, dragging one of my regulars out straight away. Before I could even shout at him, Anthony kissed me, as if he depended on it to live. Now he was holding my wrists against the wall as he spoke those words, asking me to be his alone, asking no one else to touch me, even though this was my job.
Ellie had a perfect life, her family was of the highest rank, a perfect lineage, an example to be followed by the whole pack. But in a single day everything collapses in front of her, Ellie was betrayed and abandoned, unfairly judged and executed by her own family. The gods have given her a second chance, a chance to be reincarnated before everything goes to hell. A last chance to survive.
I had my world; it was almost nothing but it was all I had. One day there was something new in my little world, Danny became everything to me, but in a single instant I lost everything I had. I met Danny on a dating site, and as we got to know each other I identified more and more with this beautiful, destroyed boy. It wasn't long before I was completely in love with him, I would do anything to keep my boy safe, kill whoever I needed to kill to keep him safe. But when the rest of my little world collapsed, Danny was eventually swallowed up, I had nothing left, there was no reason to live anymore, him being around me made him swallowed up. I was ready to give up my life when a woman, the personification of evil offered me a choice.
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
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."
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
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?
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?