Who Dies First In 'Hemlock House'?

(Alternate Title: The Glorious LifeMain Characters: Philip Clarke, Wynn Johnston) “Oh no! If I don’t work harder, I’d have to return to the family house and inherit that monstrous family fortune.” As the heir to an elite wealthy family, Philip Clarke was troubled by this…

Liliana just wanted to escape her past. Jarek Falcon had other plans. He’s the heir to a mafia empire. She’s a girl with nothing to lose. When Jarek’s obsession turns to cruelty, Liliana runs—straight into the arms of someone from her past. However, people change and when she discovers a sinister plan in the making, she finds herself running once again—straight to the streets. Years later, Jarek finds her again. He needs an heir to claim his inheritance. She needs a way to a better life. Their deal is simple: a child in exchange for a lifetime of security. But love complicates everything. Jarek realizes too late that Liliana isn’t just a means to an end. She’s the one he can’t live without. The problem? She wants nothing to do with him. Can he rewrite their story, or will his past destroy any chance of a future?

In a world where werewolves rule from the shadows, Rhett Blackwood is king. To hold his empire, he must forge a blood bond with a ruthless assassin who would rather kill him than kneel. But when one act of violence awakens a bond written in fate — and blood — they are thrown into a brutal war where love may be their only weapon… and their greatest curse.

“Tell me you hate me,” Cassian whispered, his mouth close enough to make my body betray every thought in my head. I should have shoved the dagger into his heart. That was what I had been trained for. That was why Aurelia sent me to Alpha Academy. But Kael’s hand was on my waist, cold and possessive, his golden eyes burning into mine like he already knew every lie I carried beneath my skin. “You were sent here for a reason, little human,” Kael said. “The question is… was it to kill us, or belong to us?” ⸻ Lyra was raised in Aurelia, the last human stronghold, where werewolves were enemies and mercy got people killed. Her mission was simple: enter Alpha Academy, get close to the powerful werewolf heirs, and kill them before they inherited the packs threatening her people. Rowan, her best friend and the only person who truly knows her, is the one thing keeping her tied to the life she came from. But the Blood Moon Marking changes everything. Lyra is dragged into the ritual and bound to the very heirs she was sent to destroy. Kael, the cold Snow Pack heir, sees through every lie. Cassian, the dangerous Arrow Pack heir, tempts her toward every wrong choice. And Rowan refuses to let the wolves take the girl who was his before fate sank its claws into her. Now Lyra is trapped between duty, desire, loyalty, and a bond that should never have existed. If she chooses her mission, she may have to destroy the men fate tied her to. If she chooses the bond, she may betray the only home she has ever known. And when her truth comes out, will they protect her… Or turn on the assassin sent to end them?

Isadora didn’t want to come to Ashwyck Academy. It wasn’t the haunting towers or the iron gates that unnerved her. It wasn’t the students—dark, beautiful, terrifying things cloaked in magic and menace. It was what it meant. Coming here was a last resort. A whispered admission from her parents that something was wrong with her. That despite being born of a temptress and a mind-bending killer, despite all the bloodlines and rituals and whispered prophecies—Isadora was still painfully, tragically human. She was quiet, clever, and careful. Not powerful. Not wicked. Not like the others. Her parents called it “late blooming.” The High Table called it “defective.” But no one said it out loud. Instead, they tucked her into Ashwyck like a final gamble and hoped the academy could awaken whatever dark inheritance slumbered beneath her skin. She hadn’t wanted to come. She still doesn’t belong. But Ashwyck has its own secrets. And Isadora is about to discover that the parts of her she’s most afraid of are the ones they’ve been waiting for.

The Clan Healer told me that without the vial of Progenitor's Blood, the Blood Blight afflicting me meant I had only seventy-two hours to live. But my husband, Miles, the new Duke of our world, gave the only vial of the precious cure to my adopted sister, Vivienne, the woman I had turned three years ago. "She's in agony from the rejection, Isolde. It's a pain you can't possibly understand." His tone was self-righteous, devoid of any concern for the patch of skin on my collarbone already turning to stone. I nodded, watching as the life-saving, dark red liquid slid down another woman's throat. I accomplished a great deal in the time I had left. As I signed the documents, the lawyer's hand trembled. "Are you certain you want to transfer everything, Your Grace? The territorial rights of a thousand-year-old clan..." I didn't hesitate. "Yes. To Vivienne." My adopted daughter, Lily, the girl I had risked everything to save, who was now forever frozen at the age of eight, cowered in Vivienne's arms, pointing at me and screaming, "Aunt Vivienne is my real mommy! You're the witch who turned us into monsters!" I offered no defense. "Yes, that's right. Be a good girl and listen to your new mother now." The Progenitor's Ring, the symbol of the clan's supreme authority, now rested on Vivienne's hand. "Oh, sister, you're too kind," she sobbed, her sobs a practiced performance. "I'll be sure to protect the family in your stead." I nodded. "You'll run things better than I ever did." I even signed away my control over the Elder Council, a council sustained by my own blood. For the first time in a century, a shadow of complex emotion crossed Miles's face. He stared at me,"Isolde, stop fighting. It's better this way. You need to rest." Yes. On my deathbed, I had finally become the perfect, submissive Isolde they always wanted. An Isolde who was about to turn to dust. The seventy-two-hour countdown had begun. I wondered, when I finally turned to ash,