Plot Twists Short Stories & Multiple Identities Karma Novels

On the day of our engagement, as we were driving to the banquet hall, a man holding a few-month-old baby stepped in front of our car. My first thought was that it was some kind of scam. I was about to get out and deal with him when I saw the panic on his face. "Cassidy," he said desperately, "our baby won't stop crying. Do you think something's wrong?" The moment she heard that, my fiancée shoved me out of the car. She took off with them without a single glance back. I just stood there in shock. So this was the truth. She'd been hiding a child with her ex all along. Alone, I went to the banquet hall to handle what remained of our celebration. Later, she called. "I feel terrible about this," she said. "I thought if I gave him the baby and gave you the marriage, it would balance things out. But when Stanley showed up today, I realized—he's the only one I want." I was done with her games. If that's how she felt, I'd walk away. So I made a simple phone call. "Grandma, I'm coming home. I'm ready to run the family business now."

Back in the day, in the legal world, Finn Cross and I were the top dogs. Untouchable. He ran New York, a king in criminal defense, never lost a case. I held down Boston, crushing it in civil court. People in the biz used to say it was a good thing we weren't in the same city. If we were, we’d have gone head-to-head, and it was anyone's guess who'd come out on top. But they never would've guessed. Three years ago, I, Victoria Sterling, quietly married Finn Cross. And just like that, the legend of "Vicky" was locked away. I was willing to leave my career behind, to be the quiet, supportive woman behind the great man. I made his coffee, went with him to all sorts of events, and left a light on for him when he came home late. But when Elena, the one he’d always carried a torch for, showed up again, I couldn't keep up this charade anymore.

After graduation, I spent a year apprenticing under my mentor in the neutral lands, where there were no packs, no laws, and no one to protect me. My sister, Evelina Duskbane, the Lycan Chairwoman, nearly lost her mind over it. She was terrified I would fall for some Rogue and recklessly form a mate bond. So before I could decide anything for myself, she approved an arranged match for me. Seris Thornhart, the only daughter of Alpha Alaric Thornhart of Frostfang, the strongest pack in Northmere. Beautiful, dangerous, and legendary. Then Evelina ordered me home for the mating ceremony, leaving me no choice but to visit the finest ceremonial motor house in the city and select a wedding car worthy of the occasion. The moment I stepped inside, my eyes went straight to a silver wedding car with a black crest worked into the bodywork. Just as I reached for the reservation tag beside it, a lazy male voice cut in. "I like the one he's chosen. I'll take it. Hand it over." Before I could react, the clerk snatched the tag from my hand, nearly scraping my skin. I straightened and forced myself to stay calm. "Ever heard of first come, first served? I saw it first. Is this how you do business here?" The male wolf turned to me with a mocking look. "That car costs three hundred thousand dollars. You sure you can afford it, peasant? I grew up with Lady Seris Thornhart. Around here, I make the rules." I stared at him, almost amused. What a coincidence. Seris Thornhart just happened to be the woman chosen for me. I pulled out my phone and called her. "Seris, your precious childhood friend just took the wedding car for our mating procession. What do you think I should do about that?"

The she-wolf handling our trade route is new. And she demands freebies with every single deal. "I'll take this shipment of Moonstone. Throw in an extra two kilos. Or my Alpha will want answers." "Freebies aren't in the contract," I said, frowning. "Are you always this stingy? A little goodwill builds empires, you know." I couldn't be bothered to argue. I gave her a little extra each time, just to shut her up. But she got greedy. Every deal, she asked for more. Until today. She finished her inspection, then turned to leave without paying. I immediately blocked her path. "You haven't paid." She rolled her eyes. "I've counted. We've made fifty deals. Even supermarkets do 'buy ten, get one free.' Can't you spare me this one? Don't be so petty!" I almost laughed. Me? Petty? This is a multi-million dollar deal. I kept my cool. "No means no." She slammed her hand on the table, her eyes wide. "What did you just say? My brother Jett is the Delta of our pack! You give this to me, or I'll have him tear a pathetic delivery grunt like you to shreds and kick you out of this territory!" Oh. She has no idea. I am the heir to the Red Rock Pack. Even their Alpha answers to my father.

At the pack's corporate meeting, the new finance intern flashed a financial report onto the projector screen. "Alpha, I'm reporting Aurora for embezzlement! She used her position to wire massive amounts of company funds into her private account. I demand she be banished immediately!" That girl, Lily, tipped her chin up and slammed a stack of files onto the conference table. Alpha Jasper and the elders locked their eyes on me. Their glares felt like claws. I almost laughed out loud. Jasper’s company had been on the verge of bankruptcy. To save it, I secretly dumped millions of my own dollars to fill the hole. The "embezzled funds" she was barking about? That was my own money. And now? I need this pack of ungrateful mutts to approve me moving my own money?

The day I went to the Shifter Mating Registry, I discovered my wolf-shifter boyfriend, Liam, hadn't registered me as his mate. He wrote Maya’s—his sister-in-law. Seeing me freeze in disbelief, he just chuckled and ruffled my hair. "Don't overthink it. Maya is pregnant with my dead brother's pup. The pup needs a legal guardian for the bloodline records." "It's just a temporary mating contract. In three months, once the pup's lineage is certified, I'll break the bond and marry you." He assumed a powerless human girl like me had no choice but to wait for him. But he was wrong. In the system, his highest compatibility match was indeed me. But my highest match wasn't him. That very night, I accepted a mating request from a Dragon shifter with a 100% match rate, and I left the city for good. Three years later, my mother fell ill, forcing me back to North City. My mate—Kaelan, the Supreme Dragon Chancellor—was delayed by a meeting. He contacted the local Shifter Guards to pick me up first. I didn't expect to run into Liam. He took one look at the crystal key in my hand and scoffed. "I heard the Dragon Chancellor gave his mate the key to his treasure vault. There's only one in the world. Yours is a convincing fake, I'll give you that." "Alright, three years of throwing a tantrum is enough. Maya's health is failing, and the pup is a handful. You're just in time to come back and help her." I looked down at the crystal key in my palm. A fake? This key? It only unlocked the North City branch—the smallest of Kaelan's many private vaults.

Before my grandfather, the Don of the Rinaldi family, dies, he leaves behind a will. The five Principessas of the Rinaldi family are forbidden from using our family name. We must live like ordinary people until one of us gives birth to the first heir. Whoever does so will inherit everything. For three years, I keep my identity hidden. My husband, Oliver Wright, and I live in a cramped apartment to the south of Windmere. Every morning, we squeeze onto the subway to get to work. When we're short on money, we stay up late making plans and racking our brains trying to keep his small company afloat. I never think life is hard because I love him. One day, the doctor hands me my medical test results—I am the first one to become pregnant. Upon learning this, my whole body trembles with excitement. The life that Oliver and I have struggled toward for years suddenly feels within reach. I drive home with a happy smile on my face as I imagine how he will react. But when I push the door open, I see a woman wearing my favorite nightgown. She is sitting with Oliver, sharing the apple I left in the refrigerator with him. He takes a bite from her hand and glances at me casually. "My first love, Maeve Young, is back. Let's get a divorce." My fingers tighten around the pregnancy test report. Then, I smile and say, "Sure." What he doesn't know is that his penniless, patient, obedient, and endlessly forgiving wife has a last name powerful enough to open every door in Windmere. I will keep this child, and the family fortune will still pass to me. As for my husband, Oliver? I'm ready to let him go.

I came home from abroad earlier than originally planned. The moment I opened the door to my villa, though, a sharp slap struck my face. A young woman dressed in my late mother's silk nightgown lifted her chin with smug satisfaction. "Get the hell out of my house! Mr. Windsor already has someone to keep him company. Me! I rubbed my aching cheek and took a closer look at the young woman standing before me. Wow. She actually bore a faint resemblance to my beloved late mother! I scoffed. "You actually think a third-rate lookalike like you could join the prestigious Windsor family?" These gold diggers! It looked like one of them actually believed she could steal an heiress's birthright.

My fiancé, Alpha Caleb, had an Omega secretary. One day, she took the Thorne pack's black card on a massive shopping spree in the luxury district. She even mocked me in a high-end salon. She called me a useless Rogue with no background—just a leech clinging to the Alpha. I snapped and cut off her access. She tried to pay. The card declined. She became the laughingstock of the pack. The Enforcers even detained her in the holding cells for a whole day and night. Caleb found out. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. His hot Alpha breath hit my neck. He bit my earlobe gently. "Aurelia, stop acting like a jealous little she-wolf. You have no manners. You embarrassed her in front of the whole pack." He didn't scold me. He acted normally. Until our anniversary night. He booked the Cloud Room, the most exclusive restaurant downtown. He ordered dozens of vintage wines and expensive caviar, promising a celebration with the core pack members. "Honey, I need to take a call. I will be right back." I waited and waited. The restaurant was about to close. No sign of him. No sign of his so-called friends. I pulled out his supplementary card to pay the bill. The manager looked at me coldly. "Miss, your card is frozen."

Five years ago, at our engagement party, I broke my fiancee's assistant Richard Greer's nose with a punch because I saw his hand slip under my fiancee Pearl Moran's skirt, groping her right out in the open. Yet when security arrived, Pearl stepped in front of Richard and frowned at me. "Alex, he was just messing around. Did you really have to hit him that hard?" To get back at me for Richard, she pulled strings to throw me in prison. My first day behind bars, I ended up in a cell Richard prepped for me. My ribs were broken in a beating. I was fed spoiled leftovers and forced to sleep on the cold concrete floor. The moment I got out, I boarded a flight to Eldermere without looking back. Five years later, I return to Sovrane with my wife, Catherine Carter, to take over her family's Bellmont division. She gets held up with an arms order and tells her local crew to pick me up. I never expect to run into Pearl, whom I haven't seen in five years, the moment I step out of the airport. A black sedan pulls up in front of me, and the window rolls down. She looks at me like nothing ever happened. "You've been gone long enough. Time to drop the grudge. Richard's driver just retired. Since you're back, you can take over."