Novels by EstherJ

Elaine’s POVMy brother turned to me, looking surprised, which only confused me further because by the reaction of everyone on the dinner table, I could tell that something was wrong.“Are you trying to say this was the woman appearing in your dreams?”I nodded because I was sure she was the one appearing to me and showing me things like they were about to happen, and we had to prepare against it.“Yes, She is.”He scoffed, turning back to my mother. “Mother, are you guys playing a prank on me? Please, if this is some kind of joke, just stop it now.”I squinted my brows, wondering why he would think we were joking about such a matter. “Why the hell would we joke about this?”“Calm down, Ellie. Your brother needs time to process this,” my mother quickly replied.“Ethan, are you okay?” My father followed, and in that moment, I was certain that something was really wrong.The quietness was absolutely abnormal.The sudden seriousness on the table was also far from ordinary.My brother ch

Elena’s POVWe were all having dinner that night, but my eyes were focused on the frame lying on the table as I thought about how to present it to my daughter.When she said the woman behind her dreams felt like someone familiar, Horace and I had only one suspicion, and we knew we had to get to the truth as soon as possible. So we wasted no time in getting the picture ready to show her and get an answer, hoping it would push us to a direction on what we needed to do.However, when it was finally time to show her the photo, I felt a bit jittery. On one side was my daughter, whom I needed to confirm the photo, and on the other side was my son, whom I knew the emergency of the photo could have some kind of effect on.Although I didn’t think it would be something bad, I still knew it was bound to leave some kind of mark on him.I drew in a deep breath, staring at my husband, who instantly knew what was going on in my head. He fixed his eyes on the frame before looking back at me.Then, u

Ethan’s POV“Mother, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be off duty today?”She stepped closer, dropping her bag onto the table.“Well, something came up, and I was called to the hospital on short notice. I didn’t have time to dress up.”I squinted my eyes, staring at her suspiciously.Was she really the one chasing me?I scoffed a little, trying to clear the thought out of my head.It didn’t seem possible that my mother would do something like that.Except that she was already having a suspicion.But then, it was more like her to just ask about her suspicions instead of chasing behind me.However, I also couldn’t deny the fact that her excuse seemed too convenient.No one ever disturbed the Luna when she was taking her rest. It was almost an unwritten rule that could not be broken. So to hear that she was called for an emergency case didn’t usually add up in my mind.“Mother, what emergency were you called for?” I asked, sounding more suspicious than I wanted to

Ethan’s POVMy phone began ringing, and I didn’t even have to look at it to know who was calling. Lila. I picked it up, putting it to my ear. “Hello, what happened? You just drove past me. I thought you were supposed to come down.”I swallowed. “Yes, I was.”“So what happened? Why did you drive past?”I sighed gently. “Something came up, so I had to move forward. I couldn’t stop.”“What do you mean by that? You sound worried. Is everything alright?”I swallowed, wondering how I could even start answering her question. Because, of course, everything wasn’t right. I mean, at first everything was going fine, but to my horror, I saw a car from afar. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence until I realized that the car was continually following me.Even when I decided to stop, it also stopped, but only gave me a distance. That was when I confirmed that something was wrong.The person was definitely following me, but I had no idea who it was. It wasn’t a car I recognized.At firs

Elena’s POVI looked into the mirror, thinking about what I was about to do and wondering if it was such a good idea. Although Horace and I agreed to give Ethan some time until he was ready to talk, I just couldn’t bear it anymore.And as if that wasn’t enough, he didn’t look like he was ready to come out and talk with us at any moment, so there was only one option for me.I had to look into things myself.I had to take the matter into my own hands.Thankfully, I wasn’t slated to go to work that day, so while he was preparing for work, I was doing the same thing.“You’re sure you really want to do this? I mean, if you find out, you know he’s not going to like it,” Horace said, watching me as he also prepared for work.I let out a sigh. “Oh come on, I know we are great not to do this, but you can’t tell me you aren’t eager to know something. I mean, the boy really comes home early compared to before. He comes late and spends an awful amount of time in his room, also compared to befor

Elena’s POVI stood by the sink, watching my husband and daughter cracking jokes and smiling at each other.I couldn’t help but let out a smile of my own.Thankfully, my son had left the house for work. He was their only nemesis who managed to always call them out whenever they were having their little moments.“Big fourteen, huh?” I watched Horace teasing his daughter. Her face brightened up as she twirled around in the middle of the kitchen. “Yes, my daddy. I can’t wait.”“Me too,” he replied, smiling widely.One could tell that he was completely in love with his princess. He never even tried to hide how much he cared for his children.Sometimes I even wondered if he had subconsciously put me as a second choice, even though he always told me I came first.I smiled, thinking about it.Whatever it was, I didn’t mind. The thought that my children would always be protected by their father was more than enough for meHe turned to me. “How are the preparations for Ellie's birthday comi

Gideon’s POVThe air out there in the clearing got thick all of a sudden, like it was pressing down on my chest and making it hard to breathe. I just stood there, boots sinking into the moss, staring at Max. He was waiting, arms loose at his sides, eyes locked on me like he already knew something was off.I almost said it. Right there. The whole mess. That his sister was my fated mate, that my mother was out there somewhere hunting her like she was nothing but a trophy to hang on the wall, that I’d been losing my mind for the last day straight, heart racing every second I wasn’t with Tanya.But the second I opened my mouth, it all jammed up. Like my throat just slammed shut on its own. I looked at him then, really looked. That old sweater with the holes at the elbows. The rough hands from all those double shifts just to keep the lights on in this tiny cabin. Telling him would drag him straight into something he couldn’t fight. Put a bullseye on his back, too. No way.So the words chan

Gideon’s POVThe silence that followed Tanya’s frantic escape back to the cabin was heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and the lingering, sweet fragrance of her hair. My eyes were still fixed on the corner of the house where she had disappeared. Even though she was gone, I could still feel the phantom heat of her gaze on my skin. She was vibrating with enough nervous energy to power a small city, and honestly? I couldn’t blame her.I stayed where I was, leaning against the silver birch, letting the forest air cool the fire in my lungs. My heart, which had been hammering against my ribs since I stepped onto this property, finally began to slow its frantic rhythm."She's a handful," Max said, his voice cutting through the stillness.I looked over at him. He was watching me with a look that was entirely too sharp for a guy who was just supposed to be a 'gym buddy' from a summer camp. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his posture relaxed, but his eyes were scanning me like h

Tanya’s POVEverything just… tilted.I stared at Gideon as my brain had short-circuited. This was my woods. My hiding spot. The place I came when everything else got too loud. Not Moonstone. Not some downtown bar. Home. And there he was, Gideon Hemisphere, hockey captain, fated-bloodline golden boy, nightmare-mom included, leaning against a birch tree as he belonged there.“What the fuck?” I said again, louder, voice cracking. “Gideon? How…why are you here? How do you even know where I live?”I braced for Max to lose it. For him to growl, shift, step in front of me, do anything a big brother should do when a strange Alpha shows up in the backyard. But nothing happened.I turned to Max, stomach dropping slowly, and sick. He wasn’t tense anymore. Shoulders loose. Face calm. Not shocked. Not mad. Calm. Like he’d been waiting for this.“Max?” My voice came out small. I took a step back, and my heel caught a root. “Max, why aren’t you saying anything?”Cold fear crawled up my spine. Did he

Tanya’s POVSunlight slipped through the gaps in my old curtains, but that wasn’t what pulled me awake. I opened my eyes and stared straight up at the ceiling. There they were, the glow-in-the-dark stars and planets I stuck up when I was eight. The edges were curling now, the glow barely there anymore, but they still felt like mine. The first thing I saw every time I came home was A little piece of the girl I used to be, before mate stuff, Alpha rules, and all the heartbreak that came after.I let out a long breath and stretched until my back cracked. The bed felt small compared to the one at Moonstone, but it was soft in the right places. I rolled onto my side and looked out the window. From here, I could see right into the thick dark woods. Nothing but trees and quiet.I loved that view. Max made it happen. A couple of years back, I kept complaining about how cramped the house felt, how I wished we had one of those big places in the city. We couldn’t buy anything new, so Max just…

Tanya’s POVThe bus ride took forever. Just gray road and streetlights flashing past. I leaned my head on the window. It felt cold. My chest stayed heavy the whole way.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Gideon again. That hurt look on his face when I told him we could never be anything. It kept playing over and over.My hands shook a bit in my lap. I could still hear our talk from the car ride to the station."You think being an Alpha means I get to pick what I want, Tanya?" he said. His voice sounded tight. Hands tight on the wheel, too. "Everything I do gets watched. Every word I say goes straight back to my mom. She does not want me leading. She wants me to be exactly like her. All plans and no feelings. My life is her game. And she already decided you don't belong in it."He looked over at me. Really looked. Like he needed me to say something. "I'm not part of anybody's game, Gideon," I said. My voice came out small. "I'm just me. I have family. People who need me. I'm not someth

GIDEON’S POVThe silence of my suite was deafening. It wasn’t the kind of silence that brings peace; it was the suffocating, heavy kind that made my chest feel like it was being compressed by a hydraulic press. I had stared at the ceiling for hours, tracing the intricate crown molding until the patterns began to blur into nothingness. My mind kept drifting back to that bus terminal. I could still see her walking away, her slight limp making every step look like a battle against the world.She was so fragile, yet she carried a spine of tempered steel. And I was stuck here, trapped in a gilded birdcage, surrounded by servants who were afraid to look me in the eye and a mother who viewed human connection as a business transaction.I couldn't take it anymore. The stillness was driving me toward the edge of a breakdown, or worse, toward a shift I wasn't ready to unleash. I needed to move. I needed to act.I hauled myself off the bed and made my way toward the dining wing. The mansion was v