Cherished Affliction

Catherina Hanshaw Dalton has spent six years believing she lived a fairytale, married to billionaire Xavier Dalton, cherished by him, and building a life rooted in devotion, even amid one heartbreak she cannot control: their inability to have a child. Though Xavier assures her she is enough, Catherine senses his quiet disappointment, a wound deepened by the venomous hostility of his mother, Lydia Dalton. Lydia never misses a chance to insult Catherine’s infertility, idolize Xavier’s sister Mia and her children, or imply Xavier married beneath his status. Catherine endures it all, clinging to the one constant comfort, Xavier always defends her. Or so she believes. This Christmas, however, Catherine’s dread of another humiliating Dalton family gathering turns into confusion. Lydia is gracious….kind, even. The manor is full of relatives, business partners, and esteemed guests, including Hunter Powell, Xavier’s ruthless business rival. The brief moment when Cathy’s eyes meet Hunter unsettles her, but nothing prepares her for Lydia’s “special Christmas gift.” During the toast, Lydia presents Caroline Turner…a beautiful young woman who is allegedly four months pregnant through surrogacy…with Xavier’s child.

Raised as the unwanted adopted child of a powerful beta family, eighteen-year-old Rose has always known pain more intimately than love. Once cherished, she became invisible the moment the Blackwoods’ true daughter was found. Forced into servitude within her own pack, Rose endures cruelty, neglect, and the daily suppression of her wolf through wolfsbane—a punishment that leaves her powerless and broken, or so everyone believes. Unlike other wolves, Rose cannot hear or feel her inner beast. Her wolf has been silent for as long as she can remember, locked away for reasons even the pack elders do not understand. Labeled weak and defective, she dreams only of escape and a life where she is more than a shadow. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, hope sparks when her best friend encourages her to flee the pack and start anew. But when a mysterious howl awakens something deep within Rose, her dormant wolf begins to stir—revealing that her power was never gone, only bound. As secrets unravel and fate draws her toward a dangerous, magnetic bond she never expected, Rose must uncover the truth of who she is, why her wolf was suppressed, and whether love can survive the fire awakening inside her. Her freedom will come at a cost—and the world is not ready for what she is becoming.

Betrayed. Murdered. Reborn. For many years, Alpha Danearo of the Shadowfangs ruled happily, until the night his own Luna and Beta turned against him and plunged a dagger into his heart. But death was not the end. The Moon Goddess brought him back, gifting him with life but condemning him to an eternity without an heir. No matter how many she-wolves he claims, his bloodline is doomed to wither. Long ago, Brynwick, one of his soldiers promised him his daughter, only to betray him by giving her to another. Danearo does not forgive. When he learns of Brynwick’s only daughter, he takes what was promised, kidnapping her to claim his due. But Elysia is not who he thinks she is. She is not Brynwick’s cherished heir, but his discarded, unwanted daughter… cursed, barren, and deemed unworthy of love. Yet, fate has marked her for something far greater. Bound by a prophecy as old as time, she carries a secret even she does not yet understand, one that could either break Danearo’s curse… or doom him forever. “The king who rises from death shall not walk this earth forever.” The woman with cursed blood shall bind him. And when her heart is truly given, his reign will end. She is the key to his fate. But is she his salvation… or his ruin?

Elena Monroe devoted her life to her husband and son, pouring every ounce of love into their little family. But love wasn’t enough. The man she cherished sought comfort elsewhere, and the child she raised with all her heart wished for a different mother. The ultimate betrayal came when her son innocently declared, “The three of us look more like a family than with my mommy.” That day, Elena’s world shattered. But she didn’t beg. She didn’t fight. She simply walked away—leaving behind her past, her marriage, and even her child. With ruthless determination, she buried her pain and focused on building an empire. The woman everyone underestimated rose from the ashes, amassing a fortune of over 100 billion. Now, she’s untouchable—adored by the media, respected by rivals, and worshipped by a man who sees her worth. But fate isn’t done playing games. Her ex-husband, drowning in regret, wants her back. Her son, now desperate for her love, longs for the mother he once pushed away. Yet, Elena is no longer the woman who once pleaded for their love. This time, they are the ones begging—while she stands beside a man who would rather burn the world than let her go. They lost her once. They won’t get a second chance.

I've always yearned for a fairy tale love story with the perfect alpha partner, someone who would sweep me off my feet. However, in traditional fairy tales, the princess is meant to end up with a prince, not a swashbuckling pirate. Navigating the dynamics between alphas and omegas can be daunting, but deep down, I've always cherished the hope of discovering true love. Unfortunately, back in my hometown of Austin, it feels like nobody shares the same interest, and I spend every full moon in solitude. But everything changes now. I find myself once again in the clutches of my old, malevolent pack, determined to claim me as their own and keep me confined within their fortress at sea. The only obstacle preventing the pack's alpha from selecting a mate for me is the one person I never expected to come to my aid. Jack Heston, an uncompromising and mercenary soul. Jack insists that I am his destined mate, and he pays no heed to the rules imposed by the Dark Moon pack. To complicate matters further, he publicly declares his claim on me, marking me with his mating bite to track my whereabouts. I don't feel the familiar connection of a mating bond, but now Jack is in control, and he shows no intention of setting me free. However, it appears he harbours a secret, and just maybe, against all odds, he might be the key to helping me find my way back home

My younger sister, Lydia Miller, and I are unexpectedly reborn into a beastman tribe, where the Beast God gives us a choice of identity. The first option is to become a beast woman with tremendous strength and a tall, imposing physique. The second option is to become a saintess with the ability to reproduce across species and an alluring, graceful figure. In our previous life, Lydia became a beast woman to survive, while I became the frail saintess. She ended up scorned by the tribe's beastmen for not being feminine enough. Meanwhile, I captured the hearts of the three strongest and most handsome beastmen in the tribe with my delicate frame. I became their most cherished beloved. Eventually, they rose to rule the primeval forest, and I basked in endless glory as their saintess. Driven mad with jealousy, Lydia pushed me into a poison swamp when no one was looking. With my last bit of strength, I plunged a poisonous thorn into her body, and we died together. When I open my eyes again, we're back at the moment when the Beast God asks us to make our choice. This time, Lydia rushes to claim the saintess identity first. "Ella, this time I'll be the saintess. Since I pity you so much, I'll let you have those three defective, impotent beastmen." I bite back the wild joy flooding through me. What's so great about serving as a breeding tool anyway? In a primitive society, strength is everything.

Juliana Anderson once enjoyed a happy life until her mother passed away. To compensate for the Beta who sacrificed his life to save him, her father, Alpha Anderson, married the Beta's widow and treated their daughter, Arlene, as his biological daughter. Thanks to Arlene's sham, everyone thought she was an innocent victim who had to suffer her stepsister Juliana's bullying. But no one knew Juliana had lost everything she cherished because of Arlene. Father, happy childhood, the chance to be admitted to her dream college, and her boyfriend, Carl. Arlene took all of them from Juliana, leaving Juliana no choice but to leave the home she had been living in for eighteen years. However, the nightmare didn't stop, and Juliana was kidnapped by a group of rogues. When she thought it was impossible to survive, she encountered a young man. He gave her the protection and love she hadn't experienced for ten years; then he went missing in a fight. No one knew whether he was dead. Juliana didn't give up hope and kept searching for him. Finally, she saw him again. But this one, who had the same face as her lover, was wearing a king's crown. So, was there any possibility that her missing lover was the legendary tyrant, the Alpha King? Picking Up an Alpha King is created by Cara TaleSmith, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

My mom treated me like the dirt beneath her shoes but worshiped my cousin like a queen. Since I could walk, I had scrubbed clothes and cooked meals, but I would still be yelled at or smacked if I messed up. On the contrary, my cousin twirled in princess dresses and played the piano. She was cherished by my aunt and uncle like she was the center of their world. Then came the day everything changed. At my cousin's birthday party, my mom got drunk and spilled the secret—she switched me and my cousin at birth. It turned out that I wasn't her daughter; I was my aunt's daughter. I was over the moon. Finally, I thought I'd found my real family, people who might actually care about me. But when I told my aunt, she just smirked. "You think I didn't know? I don't want you. You'll never be my daughter." Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water. I couldn't understand. Why didn't anyone want me? But that day, I made a vow—I'd never beg for anyone's love again. Years later, when I got into Mayward University—the best educational institution in the country—I threw two DNA test reports on the table in front of them. For the first time, they both looked terrified.

On our fifth dating anniversary, my boyfriend, Luke Bolton, gives me a cheap bracelet worth less than a hundred dollars. On the same night, he splurges ten million dollars on a yacht for his first love, Cindy Gale. I refuse to accept this, and he accuses me of making a scene. "I gave Cindy that gift to boost the company's stock price, not because I still have feelings for her," he says. "You're poor, and I still promised to marry you. Isn't that enough? This was actually your last test, Elisa Gray, but you failed it." I break up with him, and he immediately proposes to Cindy. Five years after that, we meet again at a luxury hotel during a business summit. His company is about to become an industry giant, and Cindy is holding onto his arm. When he sees me, I'm standing in a fountain, all drenched and disheveled. "Elisa," Luke sneers. "When you turned me down back then, did it ever cross your mind that you might end up worse than a homeless person? "Don't think acting pitiful here will make me feel sorry and take you back." I ignore him. My son's cherished blue diamond was a birthday gift from his father, and he accidentally dropped it into the fountain. He's so upset that he's about to cry, and I have to find it right away.

"I want you to marry me as soon as possible" Vincent Said with a completely straight face. "W-what?"Aira asked her eyes widening at her dinner partner. "I want you to marry me, preferably before the end of this month. It's a business deal, Aira, like any other business interaction. Simple. I will make sure that your family doesn't go bankrupt, in exchange, I want you to make sure to marry me before my right to inheritance is taken away when I'm thirty." He said leaving Aira speechless, "Well," He said with a smirk that reminded her why his nickname was 'The Shark', Then he leaned forward until his lips were close enough to her heart for her to feel his gentle breath. "You don't have to worry about anything, All you need to do is become mine. I will take care of the rest" And just like that, her heart began beating loudly in her chest again. It was supposed to be the best night of Aira's life, her works were finally getting recognized, she was signing the deal of a lifetime, and she had a fiance who clearly cherished her. Until everything changes... She finds her fiance cheating on her in the room where she was supposed to sign her contract. And then she learns that her family was going bankrupt The only way to save her family was to marry that one person, Vincent Valory... Also known as The Shark....