A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man Novel

A century ago, the war between humans and beastkin nearly destroyed the world. To restore order, the five major beast clans—Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, Serpent, and Peacock—formed an alliance with humanity. Under the Treaty of Balance, every hundred years, a union between humans and beastkin must occur. The first child born of this union—a half-beast—will inherit the throne and rule over the Human-Beast Alliance. In my past life, I chose Max, the Dragon Clan's heir. Known for his unwavering devotion and noble bloodline, he seemed the perfect mate. I gave birth to the first half-beast child of the generation—a rare white dragon. Our son was named the next ruler, and Max rose to unmatched power. My half-sister, Alice, chose the Tiger Clan—seduced by beauty, blinded by arrogance. Her husband betrayed her, and she was left barren and disgraced. She envied me. Hated me. One night, she drugged me, set our home on fire, and watched as the flames devoured me and my son. But fate was not done with me. When I opened my eyes, I had returned to the day of the choosing ceremony—the moment that would decide our mates, our fates, and the future ruler of the realm. Only this time… Alice had already climbed into Max’s bed. She had been reborn too. But what she didn’t know was this: Max is not the devoted prince she remembers. He is brutal. Possessive. A beast of blood, not love. And this time, I won't make the same mistake.

After being bullied to death at school, I was reborn as a newborn baby. And then I realized my mother was the same person who had tormented me. Now she was whispering to me sweetly, “Oh, my precious baby.” Precious baby? I immediately started thrashing in her arms, trying to jab my tiny fingers into her eyes. From this day forward, this ‘precious baby’ would be out for revenge!

Rosa Nelson was never meant to be anything more than a substitute for her perfect twin sister. And when Isolde decided she was ready, Rosa was discarded—pregnant, heartbroken, and thrown out like trash. Then she met him. Michael Cross. The ruthless billionaire who saw beauty in her chaos and offered her a second chance at life. But Rosa's past isn't done with her. Cassian wants his heir. Isolde wants revenge. And her family wants her destroyed. They made one fatal mistake: They hurt her child. Now Rosa isn't running anymore. She's coming for all of them. And this time, she won't be the substitute. She'll be the one they never saw coming....

Adena was sold to a boarding school by her wicked uncle where she was raised and trained to become a sex slave to one of the most dangerous mafia leaders in the world. Unknown to her that her life would soon become more sour than she thought. Logan is a ruthless and feared mafia leader who doesn't care about anybody's feelings, he is tagged heartless by the few who have seen him. What happens when Adena comes into his dark world and becomes the light he has been searching for? What made him heartless in the first place? And will they learn to love each other or is their hatred for each other strong enough to keep them apart forever?

“That must be enough to get you pregnant.” My eyes snapped open, but this time for a whole different reason. “What?” Blaze blinked, looking confused. “What what?” “What do you mean by pregnant?” I demanded, sitting up despite my exhaustion. “Pregnant, as in the mother of my child? You know... the surrogacy?” “Surrogacy? What surrogacy? What the fuck are you talking about?”

The day after we set our wedding date for the tenth time, my fiancé reached past me to kiss his adopted sister. He presented crimson roses to her as she descended from the stage. "My princess, in this lifetime, I'll only ever be your protector." I stood quietly beyond the cheering crowd, then turned and walked away without looking back. After five years of engagement, this was the moment I finally gave up hope.

It was not that he wanted to hurt the woman whom he loved from afar for a long time. Thalem, who kidnapped Eris, whacked the high-ranking mob and turned his back against the mafia boss, Dominique, his stepbrother after Eris made him realize that it was not yet too late for him to be righteous.

I was prepping the ceremonial cloak for our seventh mating anniversary. The front door suddenly banged open. My son rushed inside, tears streaming down his face. "The teacher yelled at me," he sobbed. He shoved the wrinkled drawing into my hands before burying his face in my shirt. I smoothed out the paper to see what the drama was about. It was a sketch of a faceless woman titled: The Substitute Mom. My heart stopped as I read the scribbles underneath. "Daddy said she is the backup." "She does the chores but gets no wages." "The Real Mom is responsible for being beautiful and guarding the treasury." My fingertips turned ice-cold against the paper. My mate, Ethan, had just returned from a patrol. He kissed my forehead. "What did our pup draw?" The next second, his smile froze when he saw the content. His voice tightened, and he reached out to snatch the book. "He watches too many cartoons! He's writing nonsense!" I stared at the man I had shared a den with for seven years. He looked like a stranger now. If I was the substitute. Who was this beautiful real mother? And where had my true son been all these years?

We had been married for three years, yet my husband, Richard Thornton, who suffered from touch deprivation syndrome, still refused to consummate our marriage. Every time his condition flared up, he would only press his forehead tightly against the curve of my neck. I assumed he was saving himself for his first love, the woman who had left years ago. Then, I overheard him talking to his friends. "Stop teasing her next time. It makes her tense up every time." "Got it, Richard. But if you care about Valeria so much, why won't you touch her? It's been three years. Aren't you worried she'll leave you for someone else?" Richard shook his head. "You don't understand. The longer we're together, the harder it is to control myself around her. She's so delicate. I'm terrified I'll hurt her. As long as she's mine, I wouldn't care even if she slept with someone else first." His friends burst out laughing. "Richard, you're all talk. If you could really handle her being with another man, you wouldn't keep running to the hospital. You think we don't know what you're up to?" The next day, I found Richard's medical records. Visit after visit, he kept asking the same question, "How can I be gentler in bed? I don't want to hurt the woman I love."

Elena Brown discovered that her husband of five years was cheating with her half-sister. When she confronted him, he not only murdered her but also framed her for cheating on him. That fateful night, not only did Elena lose her life, but also the life of her unborn child. But fate had other plans for Elena. Miraculously, she was given a second chance when she was reborn five years before she married her husband. Determined to seek revenge on her husband and step-sister, Elena boldly decided to become the pretend bride of the hottest billionaire in the country. With his support, she was determined to make them pay for their actions.