Before We Drowned

Ian Ludwig and I have grown more in sync in the eight years we have been married. I believe him when he lies to me that he's on a business trip, when in reality he's buying a villa for Francesca Yarrington, his childhood friend. He also believes me when I hand him a divorce agreement, saying that it is a property transfer agreement. There's still one month left in the cooling-off period before our divorce is finalized. That gives me just enough time to clear out everything from our eight years of marriage.

“I can scent your arousal, Mate!! You have to give in, you have to submit!” He warned with a deep voice and just then, my eyes bulged out before I turned to look at him. 'He knew we were mates all these while?' I thought inwardly as I stared at him in the dark. “You can't resist the urge for too long, Elora” he added, trying to convince me. “Never! I can hold it in! It'll end soon enough!” I declared defiantly, not wanting to submit to Alpha Killian, the one Alpha I hate and loathe.

“Valerian!” a cry came from outside and my feet rushed to the door, my body having recognised the voice before my brain could comprehend what was happening. I yanked the door open and almost broke down crying at the sight before me, “Queen Lyla!” Bethany gasped from behind me. I scooped her into my arms, my eyes searching for any unwanted presence before rushing her into the living room. “Valerian put me down, we don’t have much time!” she rushed out the command as she struggled to get down. Silently obeying, I put her down, taking note of how she looked and it wasn’t pretty. Her hair, that was always neatly made, looked like a bird’s nest; twigs and leaves hanging from the knots. Her long white sleeping robe dirty and bloody from her waist down, she looked a royal mess; with a bunch of blankets wrapped around her upper half. “My Queen, what happened?” Beth asked as she handed me my medicine bag.

Before Valentine's Day, I received a message from Caleb Spencer. It was a screenshot of a seven-figure bill for a necklace. It was meant for me, but he bought it for another woman. I didn't cry or make a scene. Instead, I quietly kept cleaning the house. Since we got married, every month brought new gossip about Caleb. Some came from the internet, some from nosy friends, and some even from Caleb himself. By now, I'd become the joke of the whole social circle. But it didn't matter. This life wasn't going to last much longer anyway.

“Can you feel that?” “Paula, this is not right,” He tries to deny the spark between us. “But it feels right, right?” “Damn, Paula,” “Please, Sergio. Don’t deny us this,” He growled, and before I know it, he grabs me on my wrists and smashes his lips on mine, me hard. I place my hands on his face, participating in the . Our tongues bump against each other, fighting for dominance. He moves his lips down to my neck and sucks on it, sending chills down my spine, and my panties are already soaking . I let out soft , grasping into his arms. He runs his tongue on my face and stops on my ear, nibbling it, and whispers: “We can’t do this, baby girl.” Argh, so disappointing! He sits back in his seat and starts the car. It is only a matter of time before he gives in – he just needs a little more time.

Anais had run years before away from a date. The words screamed at her within her mind. She finds herself facing the same man she ran from. craving him, unable to notice it was the same man she once ran from. A warning comes from Lucifer himself, telling her never to agree with him, but Anais stupidly agrees to give him her life. Unknowingly to her his name is not merely a stage name Anais however isn't worried, it is Lucifer who finds himself saving her, unable to understand why. Why he has to keep her alive, when many before her had died? Belial, his brother, tells him about a curse that was put upon him and that Anais will be his downfall, or should we say up fall? She is the one to make him feel real love, and the consequences are not ones Lucifer favours.

My name is Lisha; I live with my grandmother Allana and my mother, Olivia; we are Dark Fae, one from the Unseelie lands. They say we are dark, cruel, evil creatures, and some of us are—but only the ones who aren't being subjected to the cruelty and cunning of both the Seelie and Unseelie. The strong prey on the weak; the Fae you think you can trust is your biggest enemy. Some of us will always be playthings for the Seelie, Unseelie, Vampires, and Werewolves. It took me a long time to realize that Allana knows more than she tells me; she guards her secrets well. How many more of us will be hurt before she is satisfied with her place in the supernatural realms? I was a fool to trust her and lost everything because of her quest for power, my mate, my mother, and my home. I am no longer an unsuspecting child; I will get revenge on everyone who has caused me pain, even if it takes the rest of my life.

Our wedding anniversary also happens to be our son's birthday. A month in advance, I carefully plan a family trip for the three of us—me, my husband, and our son. But right before we're supposed to leave, both of them suddenly disappear on me. I'm left standing alone in the pouring rain, dialing their numbers. On the other end, my son's young voice comes through, sounding cold and impatient. "Dad's having dinner with Ms. Moore. We don't want to go anymore." The call ends, and I'm blocked. Later that night, they intentionally lock me out of the house. I'm left standing in the freezing cold all night long. Soaked from the rain, I come down with a high fever and develop pneumonia. Meanwhile, my husband and son are off vacationing with Sophia Moore, smiling for a happy family photo with just the three of them. And in that moment, I know this marriage has truly come to an end.

I'm eight months pregnant when I suddenly faint on the train. My husband panics and cries for help as he kneels beside me. An interning doctor hurries to me. She doesn't bother checking my condition before saying, "The patient needs to undergo a C-section! We have to get the baby out now, or it might die of suffocation!" Then, she slices me open with a fruit knife—she doesn't take any precautionary measures before doing so. She takes my child out. I'm in so much pain that I don't even have the strength to scream. My blood flows everywhere. Yet, a photo of her holding my baby while standing in a pool of blood goes viral. People call her the prettiest doctor alive. My husband and his family are eternally grateful to her. They don't go after her for causing my death; they even make her my child's godmother! Meanwhile, I'm given a simple cremation. No one cares about me. After my death, all my assets go to my husband and his family. Only then do I hear my husband and the doctor talking to each other, sounding smug. "This plan killed two birds with one stone. We got rid of that woman and made ourselves out to be heroes!" That's when I learn the interning doctor is my husband's junior from high school. They got together when he accompanied me to my prenatal checkups! She failed her internship, so my husband came up with this idea—he wanted to use my death to boost her reputation and help her! Even my child eventually died under their "care". When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to the day we get on the train.

You think you've had a bad day? My name is Braddock Westfield, Billionaire Alpha (head werewolf) of the Crescent Moon pack I've searched for my fated mate for 22 years and finally conceded to the elders to choose a Luna to produce an heir. The night before our union my pack was attacked by rogues (werewolves with no pack, no morals, mostly criminals), we suffered no losses except my Gamma (Lead Warrior), who now we need to pick up 100 miles away in a small human town at a Diner. I receive a call as I pull into the parking lot, that my chosen mate has been kidnapped by rogues on her way to my pack. Pissed off, I enter the Diner, an intoxicating scent hits me and my wolf howls in my head "MATE" (22years of searching and on my Union Day, you find her). Two men crash threw the door inside the diner, yelling "Charlie get your ass out here now, we're not done with it yet." The old woman behind the counter grabs a shotgun and makes them leave. A waitress comes out bringing food and that intoxicating scent, my heart clenches when our eyes lock and our mate bond snaps tethering our hearts together, as I look at her broken nose, bruised face, split lip, swollen green glistening eyes. I need to get her to leave with us, promising to keep her safe, revealing I'm a psychiatrist with facilities, to help her rebuild her self-esteem and build her confidence to help her, move past her obvious trauma. Explaining she's a werewolf and I'm her fated mate and at least 20+ years older than her, that may be more challenging. Let's not forget, I now need to find my kidnapped chosen that I need to reject. All this before 9am.