Equal Rites

There's about half a month to our wedding when Daniel Bradshaw and I get into a horrible fight. The reason? He wants to have a child with his mentor's daughter. "We're only going to do IVF—it's not like we're doing anything else! My mentor is gravely ill now, and his only wish is to see Phoebe have someone she can rely on!" Daniel sounds indifferent, but my blood runs cold. "It's half a month to our wedding, yet you're going to have a child with another woman. Don't you find that ridiculous?" I watch as he storms off and slams the door shut behind him. Then, I update my social media. "I'm getting married in half a month, but I need a new groom. Is anyone up for it?"

Niyi Omobowale has everything a teenager could ever want. She's beautiful, intelligent, and has extremely loving parents that would do anything for their first daughter. In addition, she attends Achievers High School, the most elite school in Lagos, where she is admired by all the students. However, she has a crippling insecurity, one that overshadows her interaction with other people and makes her wonder if she would find love when she's older: she is blind. Handsome and aloof, Bolaji Akinwande draws the attention of every girl in the school by simply existing. When his friends dare him to date Niyi as a prank, Bolaji obliges. Niyi now has to decide between dating Bolaji or facing the wrath of Amanda, Bolaji's queen bee ex girlfriend.

As human fertility rates kept falling, the government created a matching system between humans and beasts. That was how I became engaged to the Blackwood brothers—two wolf beasts who never wanted me. For a year, I made coffee for both of them every morning.The older brother, Adrian, kept his distance, but he always took the mug and thanked me quietly. The younger one, Kieran, was all temper and sharp teeth. He snapped at me, broke the mug, and acted like I was a nuisance. I told myself this was fair. If I treated them the same, maybe one day this arranged bond would feel like home. Then my best friend saw it and asked, “Have you ever thought that treating them equally might be unfair to the one who’s actually kind to you?” I thought about that all day. Then one morning, I walked out of the kitchen carrying only one cup.

Before Lillian, Leander, Luther and Lorcan, there was Orrin and Anja. Orrin Dalgaard is the King of Zidiah, still to find his mate when many believe the Moon Goddess doesn't favour him; therefore, he doesn't have a mate. In Dalgaard forest, Orrin bumps into the princess of Kulumi. Kulumi is Bear territory, yet Anja has wandered onto Wolf territory. Orrin instantly knows that he's met his mate, but she won't make it easy for him to catch her. Anja was recently thrown out of the only home she's ever known. On the night of her first transformation, it turns out that she's not the daughter of the King of bears after all. No, Anja is a wolf and has no idea how it's possible. When Anja finally accepts Orrin as her mate, more drama and pain than Anja can hold comes to light. Nothing is as it seems, and only Orrin can save the mate he would die for - The question is, will he be able to save his mate from his enemies, but most of all, herself?

My mom was a brilliant programmer. She created an app called "Shake for Allowance." After my brother and I downloaded it, she told us, "From now on, this is how you'll get your living expenses. On the first of every month, just shake your phone. Whatever number you get is the amount you'll receive. "The range is from zero to ten thousand dollars." At first, I was excited. Every month, I shook my phone with anticipation. However, every time, the result was the same: 0 dollars. My brother, meanwhile, always landed the highest amount. "Wow, sis, your luck really sucks," he said. Even when he showed me the transfer record for ten thousand dollars, there was a smug smile on his face. When I confronted Mom, she brushed it off, saying my luck was bad and that no one else was to blame. With no other choice, I worked three part-time jobs just to support myself while studying. On the night before my final exams, I collapsed from exhaustion and died. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the very day my mom created the "Shake for Allowance" app.

I'm Bella, the Donna of the Vitoriano Famiglia. The thing is, no one thinks I'm worthy of this position. After all, I'm a former slave who has been rescued by Giorgio Vitoriano, the next Don in line, from an underground auction house. In order to repay him for his act of benevolence, I become the sharpest weapon of his arsenal. I pull off every task flawlessly, be it assassination, infiltration, or purging the family of unwelcome moles. I make it my life's mission to block every source of danger aimed at him, even if it means sacrificing myself. On the day Giorgio becomes the new Don, he places a family signet ring onto my palm. "Bella, I have a new mission for you that requires both of us to carry out for the rest of our lives. Will you do me the honor of accepting it?" Of course, I will. But Giorgio ends up bringing his adopted sister, Liliana Vitoriano, home one year into our marriage. I think it's my time to leave now.