Buku Public Speaking

The door behind me opened. Alpha Adrian was smiling, looking at the man now standing before us both, but his face fell the second his eyes landed on me, shock and disgust filling his gaze. “Alpha King Rhys.” Adrian attempted to mask his disgust. “I must apologize. This foolish servant didn’t realize we would be meeting here.” I nodded meekly. This was the Alpha King. Nothing good could come from me stumbling through here. Adrian grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and started to move. “She will be going now.” “She can speak for herself.” The Alpha King’s aura made us both freeze. “What’s your name girl?” ***** Grace spent her whole life in a pack that didn’t value her, and took advantage of her in every way they could think of. Her father, The Alpha at the time, allowed it to happen, and eventually even imprisoned her. When her father died, instead of things getting better, they just got worse. Her stepsister and her brother-in-law made her life a living hell. She never saw a way out as she was wolfless and mute because not speaking was safer than speaking. But she’s not as weak as she thinks she is. When Alpha King Rhys comes for a visit in hopes of finding a bride, her whole life changes. Nothing she knew is as it seemed, and now she’s unravelling the mess she was left with. With the help of the Alpha King, she starts to find herself, piece by piece.

Three days before my blood oath ceremony, someone planted a silver crucifix in the bridal shop and set it ablaze while I was inside trying on my ceremonial gown. My fiancé — Vampire Lord Damien — had the arsonist thrown into the silver prison, sentencing them to the harshest punishment our laws allowed. I lay in the healing chamber, my body covered in severe burns, refusing to wake fully as the reality of my disfigurement sank in. In my semi-conscious state, I heard Damien speaking with the coven's apothecary. "My Lord, we can still heal her completely with the ancient blood rites. If we wait any longer, Serena will bear these scars for life! You just want Miss Vivienne to be your Consort at the blood oath ceremony. This is cruel beyond measure!" "Let her keep the scars. I'll provide for her for the rest of her life, but if she's healed, she'll definitely cause trouble at the ceremony." "I promised Vivienne that her child would be welcomed into the coven with full honors. Only when Serena is completely disfigured will she be grateful enough to raise Vivienne's child as her own. The scars are necessary - at least this way, she won't dare mistreat the boy." In the corner of the room, where no one was watching, a tear slid down my burned cheek. So this was the truth. The blood oath ceremony I'd dreamed of was nothing but a lie. The blood bond I longed for would be my death sentence. If that's how it had to be, I would give him what he wanted.

My husband's childhood sweetheart was diagnosed with a terminal illness. To fulfill her last wishes and let her experience the warmth of family, my husband, Aaron Turner, gave her my necklace. He even let her claim my birthday. Even our son started calling her "Mom" in private. He told me, "Chrishell, Sylvia is dying. Just give in to her, will you?" Whenever I asked him to spare even a little time and affection for me, our son, Lucas, would rush to speak on their behalf. "Mom, didn't you always teach me to be generous? Sylvia is dying. Why do you always make things difficult for her?" Over time, I stopped asking for anything at all. Then one night, I overheard my son speaking to his father after returning from the hospital. "Sylvia is so gentle and graceful. I wish Mom could be more like her." Aaron chuckled and affectionately brushed his hand over our son's hair. "Your mom may be a little strict, but it's all for your own good. Since you like Sylvia so much, how about we let her be your godmother?" So even the child I risked my life to bring into this world didn't like me. I lowered my gaze, quietly closed the bedroom door, and pretended none of it had happened. Since they were both filled with such regret, I'd leave quietly and give them what they wanted.

After I, Wynn Jaffe, the Chief Forensic Pathologist, submitted my request to transfer into a clerical position, everyone in the department lit up with joy and approved it unanimously. Everyone except my boyfriend’s childhood friend, Yvette Hans, the rookie forensic doctor who called herself the ‘corpse whisperer,’ completely broke down. She burst into my office, grabbed onto my white coat with both hands with reddened eyes. “Senior, your skills may be outdated, but I truly hope you’ll stay and keep speaking up for the victims!” I coldly shrugged off her hand, packed my things, and walked away. In my previous life, she claimed herself as the ‘corpse whisperer,’ someone who could commune with the dead, hear their murmurs, and know what happened to them before they died. I worked tirelessly on every autopsy, dissecting, analyzing, and revising my reports. She only needed a single glance at the body to recite my entire report word-for-word. The victims’ families treated her like a saint, while they sneered at me, accusing me of disrespecting the dead. I could not accept it. I poured everything I had into every examination, but she always beat me to it, revealing the truth before I could. In the end, an extreme group of grieving family members, convinced I desecrated a corpse, kidnapped me, dismembered me, and dumped my remains in the wilderness. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn back to the very day Yvette first claimed she was a corpse whisperer.

On the day I'm set to give birth, a rogue crashes his car into the convoy that's meant to transport me and Alison Cranwell to the hospital for a prenatal check-up. My water breaks the moment the crash happens. A mixture of blood and amniotic sap soon dyes my seat crimson. At the same time, intense pain flares from my abdomen. My Alpha mate, Caleb Bright, rushes over immediately and hoists the doctor by the collar. "You must protect the she-wolves and their pups!" Warmth floods my heart at that moment. It continues spreading throughout my body until I get wheeled into an operating theater. Since the general anesthesia has yet to fully take effect, I can vaguely make out Marcus Knight, Caleb's Beta, speaking to him in a lowered tone. "The thing is, Alpha Caleb, Luna Selina is suffering from heavy bleeding as well. But we only have one vial of the most effective Lunar Grass essence left. If we don't use it on her, I'm afraid that she and the pup will—" "Alison is pregnant with my dead brother's only pup. She must not be harmed no matter what," Caleb states icily. "Selina is very strong, and her wolf can endure her grievous wounds. As for that pup… well, we'll have another one in the future." But what Caleb doesn't know is that I didn't just lose my pup that night—I've lost the last trace of love I have for him as well.

“How dare you shamelessly open your legs for my Beta!” A sharp breath escapes me upon hearing his cold, condemning voice, but I find myself at a loss for words in self-defense. My head hangs low, and my heart races under my chest. I feel too terrified to meet his penetrating cold gaze. “It’s not her fault, I was—” “Shut the fuck up! I wasn't speaking to you.” He growls at Hunter. ***** Lana Ragnar, a stunning she-wolf eagerly awaiting her long-awaited manifestation, encounters a setback with a proposal letter from Black Pack Alpha Damon. Despite never meeting, he insists she's his mate, issuing threats of random troop invasions on unrelated Packs. Lana, motivated to prevent conflicts among werewolf Packs, discreetly leaves her own Pack, keeping her chosen path a secret from her Alpha brother. However, when challenges in the Black Pack unfold, they include bullying, trials, and a perilous encounter with death. Fueled by possessiveness and an undeniable attraction, Alpha Damon steps in to rescue his potential second-chance mate. A growing suspicion leads him to discover he has been protecting the wrong woman, harboring resentment towards his true mate. Fearing Lana may never feel secure with him, Damon embarks on a mission to capture her heart and, crucially, her trust. Amidst an unraveling dangerous conspiracy, Damon must protect Lana and unite the Packs against a common enemy.

I'm Caleb Jennings. When I announce my early retirement, everyone in the city cheers. Only Nathan Sloan, my junior from the police academy, who claims to be able to see things from the criminal's perspective, panics at the news. During the party organized in his honor, he openly states his intention to find me. "I owe my success to the guidance Caleb Jennings has provided me all along. I hope everyone can help me find him and bring him back into the police force." Scoffing, I choose to ignore that. … In my previous life, I was the celebrated captain of a criminal investigation team. Yet, whenever I uncovered a clue, Nathan, a rookie in the city police department, would announce it first, beating me to it. After multiple incidents like this, everyone started saying that I was past my prime. To prove myself, I worked myself to the bone for three months before finally locating the hideout of a human trafficking ring. However, when I arrived on the scene with my team, Nathan had already swept through the place. He was launched into stardom, becoming the rising star detective that everyone adored. As for me, the public mercilessly tore me apart, labeling me as incompetent and shaming me. Due to the pressure from work and the negative public opinion directed at me, my mind was distracted. I ended up getting killed while hunting down the remnants of the trafficking ring. When I open my eyes again, I find that I'd gone back in time—to the day we launch a raid on the human traffickers' hideout.

Caitlin and Caleb find themselves, once again, back in time—this time, in the London of 1599.

London in 1599 is a wild place, filled with paradoxes: while on the one hand it is an incredibly enlightened, sophisticated time, breeding playwrights like Shakespeare, on the other, it is also barbaric and cruel, with daily public executions, torture, and heads of prisoners impaled on spikes. It is also a time of superstition and grave public danger, with a lack of sanitation, and the Bubonic Plague spreading in the streets, carried by rats.

In this environment Caitlin and Caleb land, on the search for her father, for the third key, for the mythical shield that can save humankind. Their mission takes them through a whirlwind of London’s most amazing medieval architecture, through the British countryside’s most breathtaking castles. It takes them back into the heart of London, where they just might meet Shakespeare himself, and see one of his plays live. It brings them to a little girl, Scarlet, who just might become their daughter. And all the while, Caitlin’s love for Caleb deepens, as finally they are together—and as Caleb might just finally find the perfect time, and place, to propose to her.

Sam and Polly have traveled back, too, and as they find themselves stuck together on their own journey, their relationship deepens, as they each, despite themselves, can’t help feeling more deeply for each other.

But all is not well. Kyle has come back, too, as has his evil sidekick, Sergei, and they are both intent on destroying everything good in Caitlin’s life. It will be a race to the finish, as Caitlin is forced to make some of the hardest decisions of her life if she is to save everyone who is dear to her, save her relationship with Caleb—and try to make it out alive.

Margot Keys was one of many she-wolves who were publicly claimed by their mate. For years, she was mated to a man who thought that women should do as they were told and their only value was to create an heir. In her first mate bond, she suffered horrible abuse, unable to escape the horrors of her mate. However, she refused to give him a child. She never wanted any child of hers to be raised by a man who didn’t value her as a mate, a Luna, or a woman. Ezra Hart is an Alpha who publicly claimed his first mate, as was expected for all ranked members. His mate, unable to live with the embarrassment of the public claim, killed herself and their unborn child, leaving Ezra alone and destitute. When Margot recognizes Ezra as her second chance mate, she is ready to reject him, unwilling to subject herself to another mate bond. But Ezra lost one mate and he isn’t willing to lose another. Thanks to his previous brother-in-law, Hunter, Ezra has seen that the public claimings are detrimental to all she-wolves. Now, the Moon Goddess has given him a second chance to make things right and be the kind of mate that he’s always wanted to be. However, when Margot killed her previous mate, willing to give her life in the process, Ezra does the only thing he can to save her. He marks her without her consent. When she wakes, Margot is furious but also surprised to find that Ezra isn’t forcing her to immediately accept him. Can Ezra convince Margot that he is different than her first mate? Can Margot let go of her past and find true love again?

Sudah delapan tahun aku menikah. Aku menerima warisan bernilai ratusan triliun yang kakek tinggalkan untukku dan suamiku, seorang kepala mafia. Ketika pengacara melakukan proses serah terima, dia malah menemukan buku nikahku palsu. Warisan ratusan miliar itu pun jatuh hanya padaku seorang diri. "Nona Yura, sistem menunjukkan Anda sudah bercerai sejak setahun lalu. Suami Anda, Pak Tommy, sekarang istri sahnya adalah Merry." "Sekarang Anda berstatus lajang." "Dengan begitu, Pak Tommy tidak berhak atas warisan ini." Merry adalah cinta lama Tommy, perempuan yang dulu pergi ke luar negeri. Aku sempat tidak rela saat melihat pesan dari pengacara. Ternyata kasih sayang dan perhatian Tommy selama ini hanyalah kebohongan. Awalnya aku sudah menyiapkan kejutan di hari peringatan pernikahan kami. Aku ingin memberitahunya bahwa aku hamil. Itu kabar yang kami tunggu selama delapan tahun. Tapi sekarang aku sadar, mungkin sebenarnya dia tidak pernah menantikannya. Aku mengusap perutku dan berpikir dalam hati. Meski anak kembarku lahir tanpa ayah, tetap tidak masalah. Aku hanya harus pergi dari tempat yang penuh kebohongan ini.