Ability Steal

My girlfriend had one of those guy friends she insisted was basically family. On a group hike, he knew I had diabetes and couldn't eat anything high in sugar, but he still coaxed me into eating a high-sugar energy bar, and my blood sugar spiked almost instantly. When I pulled out my insulin to inject, panic shot through me. My medication had been switched out for saline. I collapsed to the ground, shaking and retching. The fake nice-guy just looked down at me with a smug twist of his mouth. "Seriously, man? You're being dramatic. It's just a little sugar. Good thing I told Selene to swap your meds, or we'd never know how far you'd go to fake it. With a body this weak, how are you supposed to protect Selene?" I turned to my girlfriend, my breathing already turning shallow. "Selene, give me my insulin. If I don't inject it right now, I'm going to die." She frowned as if I were the one being unreasonable. "You're overacting. I've never heard of someone dying from a bit of sugar. Adrian's right. You're always looking for attention. Everyone finally got together today, and you're here ruining it." I felt everything inside me go cold. I didn't even bother arguing anymore. I grabbed my phone with shaking hands and rasped, "Mom, your son's about to get bullied to death. Are you going to step in or not?"

On the day my father gets exiled from the pack due to him losing control of himself and endangering the pack, everyone gives me and my younger sister, Sunna Jones, two options. Option one is to stay with my mother, who has been with the Alpha of a pack. Option two is to follow my father, who's prone to losing control of himself, to the wilds. In my previous life, Sunna quickly chose our mom. I packed my belongings and followed our dad down the path of exile. Unexpectedly, Dad found a way to stabilize his insane power. That was how he became a Beta of a powerful pack. On the other hand, Sunna was torn into pieces by her stepfather, who lost control of his power and shifted into a rabid wolf. After we both get reborn, Sunna doesn't hesitate to take Dad's hand. "I like Dad even more, Alice. You and Mom should stay in the pack and live peacefully." Dad turns his violent gaze toward Sunna momentarily. Then, he drags her away. I don't bother stopping her from making her choice. Naturally, I choose to stay with Mom. What Sunna doesn't know is that the reason why Dad was able to stabilize his power in the previous life was thanks to me sacrificing my soul. Now that I get another chance to make my choice, I don't have to endure Dad's beatings anymore. I just want to spend the rest of my life in peace.

Braving a downpour, I delivered a lavish food order, anticipating the hefty commission and a $100 tip. Laughter suddenly echoed from the villa. Someone started, "He really believes your car crash left you paralyzed? He's hustling deliveries to support you and even pawned his dad's heirloom?" Another said, "What if he discovers you're actually a billionaire heiress, just playing poor? He'd probably break down in tears." Jessica Stark toyed with her wine glass. "Guys like him are wired to serve, especially since he always outshone Mark in our school days. This is his comeuppance." I stood in the relentless rain, a bitter chuckle escaping my lips. Turned out, her two-year charade of paralysis was merely to avenge her childhood sweetheart. Her broken legs, deceased parents, and helpless tears were all meticulously crafted lies. Disillusioned, I dialed my estranged tycoon mother. "You win. I'll go through with the arranged marriage."

Stay away from fire, they told her. Play with fire and you will get burned, they said. She was not scared of small fires. How much harm could it do to her? A little burn was like a slap on the wrist. She would cry a little then return back to her distraught life. What she failed to reprimand was that Carter was no ordinary fire but instead a whole Inferno. He could melt her and mold her into anything he desired, if she got too close. Alessandra is known as the abomination of her family since she is a wolf-less child born to a family of werewolves. She is looked down on by everyone but when her younger sister Ava started dating the Mysterious Alpha of their pack and her boss, an opportunity comes where she could rise from being a nobody to a somebody when she discovered that Alpha Carter is none other than her mate. Will he reject her or claim her to be his mate despite his family's protest against it? Read this amazingly new novel to find out.

The fertility clinic called to inform me that my embryos were ready for transfer. I touched my abdomen, still numb from the anesthesia of that morning's egg retrieval. Even with cutting-edge medical technology, embryos couldn't be prepared this quickly. Before I could call back to clarify, my husband stopped me. "Mom's been pressing us hard. I pulled some strings to fast-track the process so you can get pregnant sooner. Imagine twins! My buddies will be green with envy." Silent, I drove straight to the clinic and dialed 911 on the way. "Hello? I'm reporting a fertility clinic involved in illegal surrogacy."

In the first year after marrying Victoria Kingsley, I choose to celebrate the holidays with her in her childhood home. At dinner, my mother-in-law suddenly claims that she's lost her gold bracelet. That's when Victoria's childhood friend, Jonathan Zane, points at me. "You must be the one who stole the bracelet! After all, you've been a serial pickpocket since you were young!" Everyone turns to stare at me, their gazes unkind. I thought Jonathan must have mistaken me for another person, so I tell everyone that I never stole the bracelet. But Jonathan continues confidently, "You were punished for stealing from others in high school all the time! Not to mention, I saw you at the police station last month! There's no way I'd have gotten the wrong guy!" Then, Jonathan lays down the details including the time, location, as well as the clothes I was wearing that day. All I feel is mixed feelings at the moment. The thing is, I was at the police station because I needed to obtain some evidence. After all, I'd already joined the judiciary a long time ago. Last month, I was even promoted to the presiding district court judge.

Even before marriage, Silvia knew Ryan had eyes for someone else; she insisted on marrying him regardless as she had eyes for him.One day, the man’s past lover returned. Despite that, Silvia thought their child was enough to maintain the marriage. How foolish she was! Their marriage couldn’t withstand the intense love story that her husband and his past lover once had.And so, Silvia chose to file for divorce. For years, she had loved the man, sacrificing her youth and her entire being for his sake. To think she even gave birth to his child! This time, she refused to lose the last bit of her dignity.After divorcing, Silvia didn’t pay much attention to Ryan, as they would argue every single time they met. The man was always quite frustrated with her, and protested against her cruelty towards him. She merely smiled coldly and said, “Ryan Pierce, why do you expect me to maintain a bright personality right after my divorce? You should be glad I haven't gone insane.”Despite everything, Ryan somehow found himself falling for her even more; so much so that he wished to win her heart back.

I got a car straight from the Lycan Chairman himself—a ride costs more than tens of millions and can turn every traffic light green. I got it because the Lycan Chairman once fell on the battlefield, his heart torn open. And me? I'm the one bound to him by a blood-sealed contract, the only secret healer who could save his life. To win me golden hour for surgeries, I was awarded with such an honored ride. I treated it like sacred ground, kept it hidden in my mate Yorick's underground garage, polished and guarded, ready for the day the Lycan Chairman might need me again. That day came. The summons burned in my hand, urgent and sharp. I rushed to the garage, ready to drive, and the second I approached the garage, a strange woman slid into the back seat. "Take me to the Nighty Bar," she ordered, flipping her hair. "Yorick had waited for me minutes. If he's mad at me being late, I'll make you regret it." My hands froze on the wheel. "This is my car," I told her, calm but firm. "I have urgent business. You need to get out. Now." She sneered. "What a joke. A chauffeur pretending to be the owner? You must have a death wish." Her soldiers glanced at me sideways, voice dripping with disdain. "Everyone in the pack knows that this car is Alpha's exclusive for picking up Selene! You're just a little healer. Do yourself a favor and listen to her." Their words cut sharper than any blade. The car that carried the highest secret of the werewolf race, the car tied to the Chairman's very heartbeat, in their mouths, it was nothing more than a toy. A plaything my mate used to please another she-wolf. They wanted me to bow. To surrender. To sit there, silent, while they spat on me. But what they didn't know, the Lycan Chairman's soldiers were already on their way.

At a family dinner, Don Vincenzo’s new pet, a dancer named Ava, came for me. She puffed out her chest and slammed a ledger on the long table. “Vincenzo, I accuse her! Skimming from the family business, our club ‘The Siren’s Song.’ Betraying the family!” Every eye in the room turned on me, sharp as knives. But Vincenzo, my boss… his face went hard. I almost pitied the little dancer who’d crawled her way out of Brooklyn. The “family business” she was talking about? It was my private club. A gift from my father. I just lent it to Vincenzo when he was starting out, to give him a respectable front. I lent it to him for two years, and now it’s family property?

For three years, I’d used my family’s connections to bring the company hundreds of millions in revenue. But at the quarterly meeting, the new intern stood before everyone, displaying my attendance and expense reports, and accused me of “unexcused absences” and “squandering company funds.” “These high-end clubs, these restaurants…” she declared, her voice ringing with self-righteousness. “She spends thousands of dollars every time! These are completely unnecessary expenses.” “I strongly advise the CEO to fire her immediately and save the company’s cash flow.” I glanced at Claude, the CEO. My old classmate. He knew exactly how much revenue each of those meetings generated. He also knew that when I wasn't in the office, I was at some bar, negotiating with investors, sometimes drinking until my stomach turned. But he just stared at me coldly. “Caroline, what’s your explanation for the absences and expenses Lia has presented?” I smiled. “I have nothing to explain.” They would all learn, very soon, the consequences of this little stunt.