1945 Pulitzer Winning

Noah left me at the altar three times—for his precious Freya. First time? She threatened to jump off a building. Second? Said she was moving abroad. Third? Sent a text saying she was getting forced into some arranged marriage. Noah, usually Mr. Cool, freaked. Left a packed venue and turned me into a total joke. Again. I called him. "If you don't come back today, I'm marrying someone else." He laughed. "Freya's young. You're too old to be playing games, aren't you?" I clutched my phone, heart sinking. He knew Freya was bluffing. Still picked her. That's when I finally gave up. Later, after he'd calmed her down, he came looking for me. "Pick a new wedding date," he said, like it was no big deal. "It'll be even grander this time." A guy's voice cut through, smiling. "Sorry, man. Gotta get my wife on the plane."

Bella existed as little more than a servant, her worth reduced to scrubbing toilets and enduring the whims of Jace, the Alpha's privileged heir. But when fate intervenes, revealing Bella as Jace's destined mate, the game changes drastically. Jace, accustomed to taking what he wants without consequence, is blindsided by the realization that Bella is meant for him. As the mate bond ignites a fiery passion within him, he's forced to confront his own shortcomings and the depth of his feelings for the girl he once saw as disposable. Yet, winning Bella's trust proves to be an uphill battle, the scars of her past interactions with Jace running deep. Even as he pledges his love and devotion, doubts linger—can she ever truly forgive him? And even if she does, can they carve out a future together in a world where power and pack politics threaten to tear them apart?

During a game of truth or dare, my boyfriend, Ryan Patel, chose to kiss his childhood friend, Michelle Woods, for three minutes to save her from a penalty. When I found out, I was furious. I called him in tears, confronting him about the unbearable intimacy between them. He remained silent for a long time before speaking coldly, "Are you done crying?" Then, he drove Michelle home. I crouched in the rain, watching couples huddle under umbrellas, and from that moment on, I never contacted Ryan again. Three months later, at an auction, I bought a men's wristwatch. When Ryan heard about it, he chuckled. "Forget it. In three days, I'll go and coax her back myself. She just needs a way out." His friends all sent me messages, congratulating me on how well I had him wrapped around my finger. I didn’t reply to any of them. I simply posted a picture in my feed—my newly issued marriage certificate.

There prevailed to be six kingdoms consisting of humans, werewolves, vampires, fairies, elves, and dragon kingdoms. A hostile war transpired between the dragons and the werewolves. The very war destroyed a lot of lives and the dragons' kingdom. However, the werewolves were getting defeated and the human kingdom agreed on assisting their allies which were the werewolves. But then, amidst the battle, something significant happened. Alpha Jeffrey, the king of the werewolves was at the point of winning against the Almighty king of the dragons. He zipped the arrow at the dragon king. However, his strike jabbed right into the heart of King Dawson, the human king. Anguishly, this brought a great disputable conflict between the humans... A wave of venomous anger and pure hatred against the werewolves. When the war was won, the dragons vanished from the earth. Then, the battle between the humans and the werewolves arose. Queen Isle being the spouse of king Dawson, swore with her life to avenge her husband's death and make Alpha Jeffery... Her slave. ************************** Extracted from the story. ************************** "Strip!" the feminine cold voice, ordered. A thick groan, a scratchy voice responded to her utters. "And what if I don't, woman!" he growls outrageously yet, weakly. "Then, await to withstand the dance of the devils, Alpha!" she chuckled, evilly and viciously. And then, she walked out in her regal strides away from the room. She is the queen, the tyrant ruler of Denmark's kingdom. Her voice is authority, her voice is the law! No one dares to mess up with her, no one dares to weigh a war on her kingdom. She's like a fire, that not even the ocean can quench her whole. Even the moon is extremely envious of the voluminous beauty she carries. She's known as the tyrant Queen Isle.

On our wedding day, Ethan got a call and bolted from the ceremony. Grandma was so furious she started coughing up blood, and everyone just watched. Not one person stepped in to help. I raced her to the hospital, but it was too late. She was gone before they even got her inside. Then, as I sat alone in the morgue, my phone lit up. It was Ethan. "Grace, get to the hospital. Bella's hurt and needs your blood!" "Ethan Carter, it's over between us." I ended the call, leaving the last pieces of my heart—and him—behind. Months later, he was on his knees in the pouring rain, begging for forgiveness, saying he'd do anything, give anything, if I'd only look back.

My father lies on a hospital bed, barely breathing as he asks to see my husband once more. However, my husband's phone is turned off that day. I hurry to his company to look for him, but his secretary stops me and tells me there's a company policy that says they don't allow me and dogs to enter. I kneel before the building and beg for help, but someone records me and twists the truth. Later, I watch the video and see Eugene Fort carrying his true love, who's cut her finger, into the car. My father ultimately dies without seeing Eugene. I stay up all night to handle the wake and funeral. The following day, I finally receive a call from Eugene. He sounds impatient as he says, "Come to the hospital. Ivy needs help."

My husband is a haute couture designer. When his true love goes blind in her right eye, he goes to his mother's ward and asks her for help in getting me to sign an organ donation agreement. What he doesn't know is that I'm already dead.

My mate Derek, Alpha of the SilverCrest Pack, secretly marked me two years ago. But he still hasn't held our mating ceremony to publicly announce my position. I've been working as his "assistant," helping him manage pack affairs all this time. Every time Derek cheats with his childhood sweetheart, Vivian, he promises to finally hold our mating ceremony. Two years. Ten promised ceremonies. Ten broken promises. The first time, he said Vivian's dog had died. "I can't hold a celebration while she's grieving," he told me, his eyes not quite meeting mine. "It wouldn't be right." The second time, Vivian had a stomach ache. He left the ceremony venue minutes before it was supposed to start, rushing off to cook soup for his precious childhood friend. After that, each scheduled mating ceremony fell through because his childhood sweetheart always had some kind of emergency. I've cried. I've screamed. I've begged. Derek always gives me the same answer: "Viv and I are just friends. You're my true mate. Taking care of pack members is your responsibility too. Don't be so jealous." After the tenth canceled ceremony, I finally gave up. I slid the mate bond dissolution papers across his desk. "The Alpha Council has approved our request to break the mate bond," I said, my voice steadier than I expected. "You and I are no longer connected." That’s when the powerful Alpha went crazy...

My girlfriend keeps saying that she comes from a poor family, but she gives her childhood sweetheart a yacht on our anniversary. I text her to ask about this, but all she does is berate me. "Who do you think you are? How dare you stick your nose into my business! I'll give anyone whatever I want. My money, my call. Get lost!" Unbeknownst to her, I'm covered in blood on the other end of the line.

Late at night, my husband came home with a young model. "So, you are the washed-up wife that Mr. Dawson keeps at home?" The girl looked at me with a mocking smile and said. Jay Dawson, my husband, reeking of alcohol, glanced between us with interest. He then hugged the young girl and led her into the bedroom. I sat alone on the living room couch, wrapped in a blanket, and listened to their shameless noises all night. I endured it for two years. Our agreement had finally ended this year, and so had my love for Ethan. I walked away. But Ethan chased after me like a madman.