Clock Keepers の小説・ストーリー

"Consigliere, I want a divorce from Cassius. I’m handing back all the businesses under my name. Draft up the papers." The old Consigliere frowned. "Camilla, this marriage keeps the peace between our two families. Can you think this over?" I was the frontwoman for Cassius Marino’s dirty empire for three years. In the shadows, I was this cold-blooded Don's legal wife. A month ago, a Mexican cartel kidnapped me. That night, the cartels blew up my husband's secure line, demanding a thirty-million-dollar ransom. He let it ring. They ended up throwing me into an abandoned meat locker in freezing temperatures. I almost froze to death. Luckily, a butcher stumbled in and dragged me out just in time. And on that very night, while I was dying, Cassius was in a Vegas penthouse pool... fucking Bianca. The woman who stole my life. Right then, my years of love for him just vanished. This hopeless marriage was a mistake from day one. I finally woke up. And this time, I was ready to vanish from his dark empire for good. "My mind is made up," I gave the old Consigliere a cold nod. "And Cassius won't object." I always knew the truth—my Don husband never loved me for a single second. But I'd looked up to him like a fool since I was a little girl. Three years ago, when he casually asked if I wanted to marry him, I actually cried happy tears and said yes. Soon, the clock would strike midnight. It would be our third anniversary. I had the perfect final gift ready for the almighty Don—a divorce. Freedom for him, and for me.

“You’re a blank, John. A hollow shell. Do you really think I’d tie the future of the Card family to a man who can’t even manifest a drop of instinct?” Caleb’s voice was like a wire garrote, tightening around John’s throat. “Carl is the heir. You’re just the mistake we kept in the basement.” John Mark was the Syndicate’s golden prince—until his power never came. In a world where the Hale Mafia rules through raw, predatory instinct, being a "blank" is a death sentence. When his biological brother, Carl Cole, returns to claim his birthright, John isn't just pushed aside; he’s erased. His brothers look at him with loathing, his father treats him like a stain on the ledger, and his fiancé, Caleb Card, discards him for the new, powered heir. But the city is rotting. The Abyss King, Morcant, demands a soul to keep the shadows at bay. With nothing left to lose and fifteen days to live, John signs the Sacrifice Certificate in secret. He’ll give his life to save the family that hates him, paying back his debts in blood. He dons a red coat and a porcelain mask, becoming the nameless "Red Savior" the city worships—while by day, he is the "useless" son the Hales kick into the dirt. As the clock ticks toward the final jump, John discovers his power didn't vanish—it was stolen. Now, trapped in a house of vipers, John must decide: Does he reveal the truth and watch his family’s world burn, or does he leap into the dark to save the monsters who broke him? The Abyss is hungry. And the man they called a failure is the only one who can feed it.

Elara Reed has endured years of abuse as her pack's omega—the lowest rank, treated as less than nothing. When the arrogant Alpha heir Kai Thornwood discovers she's his fated mate, he's revolted. In front of the entire pack, he publicly rejects and humiliates her, then marks another she-wolf as his chosen Luna to solidify his disgust. But Kai made one fatal mistake: underestimating Elara. During the rejection, Elara's wolf breaks free, revealing what was hidden her entire life—she carries True Alpha bloodline, a power thought extinct for centuries. That night, she vanishes without a trace. Three years later, Alpha Kai's world is crumbling. His pack is failing, his chosen Luna is barren and bitter, and mysterious enemies are picking off his wolves one by one. Desperate, he tracks down the one person who might save them: Elara. But the broken omega he rejected is gone. In her place stands Alpha Elara Reed—confident, powerful, and leader of the fastest-growing pack in the territories. She's thriving, happy, and definitely not interested in helping the man who destroyed her. Oh, and she has three-year-old twins. His twins. With Alpha powers that shouldn't be possible at their age. Now Kai must grovel, fight, and prove he's worthy of a second chance—while enemies close in on Elara's rare bloodline, traitors sabotage from within, and a rival Alpha offers Elara everything Kai failed to give her: respect, partnership, and love. The clock is ticking. The bond may be severed, but the danger is just beginning. And Elara holds all the power now. His biggest mistake might cost him everything—including his life.

Title: Whispers of Frost and Fire Author: Seraphina Belladona Synopsis: Aurelia had always been certain about one thing: she and Jeremy Philings were meant to be. As the captain of the cheerleading squad, daughter of the Ravenclaw pack’s beta, and a beloved figure in her pack’s community, everything seemed to fall into place. With Jeremy, the captain of the football team and soon-to-be alpha, by her side, Aurelia was sure that their bond would be sealed on his 18th birthday. The moment they’d been waiting for—the moment when the goddess would confirm their mate bond—was just around the corner. But when midnight strikes on Jeremy’s birthday, everything changes.As the clock chimes, Jeremy’s wolf emerges, his eyes locking onto Aurelia with a chilling coldness that shatters her world. With a single, harsh command, “Move,” he pushes her aside and walks straight toward Shanika Mason, the graceful, confident captain of the soccer team—and the daughter of the first Gamma couple. The girl he has chosen as his mate. Devastated and humiliated, Aurelia flees the celebration, unable to comprehend how the life she’d imagined for years has evaporated in an instant. In her pain, Aurelia is forced to confront the cold truth: she is not the one Jeremy wants, and she must find a way to heal from the heartbreak of losing her mate. But Aurelia’s journey is far from over. Sent to her mother’s old pack in the frozen wilderness of Alaska to escape the painful memories, Aurelia begins to unravel the mysteries of her own past. The Foraker Mountain pack is everything her former home was not—rugged, cold, and steeped in ancient traditions—but it’s here, in the frozen lands of Chase, that Aurelia discovers the truth about her lineage.

My CEO wife has a habit of rewarding top-performing employees with a private dinner. After seven years of being secretly married to her, I finally pushed myself to the limit—working around the clock for an entire month, nearly coughing up blood—just to land the number-one spot and finally earn that public dinner date with my own wife. But Alexia gave the spot to an intern instead. "Caleb just joined the team. He needs some motivation and encouragement. As my husband, you need to be understanding. Next time, if you close over ten million in sales, I'll definitely give you the spot—and I'll even throw in a diamond wedding ring worth a million." For the sake of the company and our marriage, I let it slide. Then I closed a ten-million-dollar deal and showed up at the restaurant we'd agreed on. She never came. No calls, no texts. I was about to head back to the office to find her when I saw Caleb's post on social media: a candlelit dinner with my wife, and on his ring finger—the very ring she'd promised me. His caption read: [Family keeps asking when I'm getting married? Don't worry—my girlfriend, the CEO, showed up with a ring to save the day.] Coworkers flooded the comments with excitement. I calmly left a comment of my own. My wife, who had been MIA for six hours, immediately called me in a panic. "Don't get the wrong idea! It was just a dare—he lost a game, that's all. You're still my husband. I just loaned him the ring for a minute. Once the game's over, I'll get it right back to you." But I don't want the ring or her anymore. "Don't bother. Let's get a divorce."

Amara has the life she was supposed to want — a handsome husband, a close family, a future that looks perfect from the outside. What she doesn't know is that the man she married has already decided what she is worth, and it is considerably less than she believes. When she discovers Antonio in bed with her sister Sasha, she gives him the only answer she has left — divorce. He gives her the only answer he has — a push down the stairs She dies. Hours later, he is holding her mother while she weeps. Trapped between worlds, invisible and unheard, Amara watches her own mourning and sees Antonio's performance for exactly what it is. Before she can be taken home, her spirit guide appears with a simple message — *it is time.* But Amara has one request. She has never asked for anything in her life. She is asking now. Send her back. Her spirit guide agrees, but the terms are non-negotiable. Three hundred and sixty five days, not a single one more, and a price she agrees to without fully understanding what it will cost her. She wakes up on March 19, 2019 — six years in the past, the morning of her own surprise engagement party. Antonio is bringing her breakfast in bed. The ring is still in his pocket. And Amara is the only person alive who knows exactly how the story ends. She came back for revenge. But Antonio is charming and calculating in equal measure, Sasha is warm and guilty and impossible to hate cleanly, and Jason — the man she walked away from long before any of this began — is a wound she packed away and called healed without ever checking whether it was. The clock is running. And she is already behind.

Amber Moon gave up her title as Princess and heir to the Realm and spent three years as an Omega to prove love was real, only to watch the man she sacrificed everything for choose her best friend instead. Betrayed and heartbroken, she ran. In the forest where Rogues attacked, a stranger saved her life. Under the full moon, they realized they were fated mates and gave in to a steamy one-night stand, never seeing each other’s face. At dawn, she woke alone, told she meant nothing by a man posing as her mate’s subordinate. Shattered, Amber returned to the Palace and agreed to the contract marriage her father had been demanding—to Axel Edgewood, the Alpha she’d never met. But when Axel walked into the room, Amber’s world tilted. He was the wolf from the forest. Her mate. The man who’d thrown her away. And he didn’t recognize her because of her hidden identity. But she did him. Axel had spent his life fulfilling duty. Now, bound by a curse, he stood across from a Princess he didn’t want and proposed a one-year contract marriage. Fulfill their duty, then walk away. For Amber, one year was freedom from the man she hated. For Axel, one year to find the mate he’d lost. Neither expected the curse to demand more than a contract. Or for the secrets between them to tear the Realm apart—hers is a ticking clock she doesn’t know exists, his is a darkness that kills without mercy. One year. One contract. One impossible truth. What happens when the mate you’re searching for is the wife you’re trying to escape? And when the man you’re running from is the only one who can keep you alive?

When my wife, Rosalie Wood, had her first meal after she regained consciousness, the attending doctor, Ethan Joeman, took my seat. He cut the steak while he pointed at her rosy face and looked at me with open defiance. “Do you know how medical miracles happen? It is not because of your constant presence. It is because of my in‑depth treatment.” My fingers that held the knife and fork turned pale. Ethan grew even more brazen. His feet rubbed against my wife's calves under the table. “A person in a vegetative state can still feel things. Every night after you left, I did awakening therapy for her. She said her body could not move, yet the sense of being conquered made her feel as though her soul left her body. She woke up because she wanted to feel it again. Last night, she said she wanted to thank her savior and asked me to check her firmness after recovery. She did not disappoint me.” I looked at Rosalie, who stared at the doctor with admiration, and my chest tightened. To pay for her treatment, I sold my house and car. I slept on a folding bed in this hospital for three years. I bathed her and turned her over every day. It turned out that my three years of round‑the‑clock care meant nothing compared to a few acts of harassment committed while she was vulnerable. I took a drug from my bag and smiled as I poured Ethan a glass of wine. I thought, ‘You went through a lot, yet her awakening was only a brief moment of clarity before death. She has super‑drug‑resistant syphilis. Congratulations. You caught it too.’

Madison Davis, a name that whispered secrets of love, jealousy, obsession, desperation, and separation… A woman every man desired, but only two men would go to war for her. *** Julian's life takes a dramatic turn when his father presents him with a difficult choice: pursue his dreams or remain committed to his beloved girlfriend, Adi, whom he had kept a secret from everyone. Suddenly, Julian came up with a plan to balance his dreams and love, and in two hours, he was on a flight to Scotland. However, his world shattered when his plan failed, and his girlfriend, Adi, vanished without a trace. Despite asking his cousin, Liam who was back at home to help look for Adi, she was still nowhere to be found. Julian's heartbreak was irreparable, as he knew there was no coming back. Liam Anderson, one of the youngest billionaires, with a net worth that can make even kings blush, found love while on his quest to help his cousin, Julian, find a strange girl, Adi. Liam fell helplessly in love with his newfound woman, Madison, a woman he could kill for. As the clock ticked on, fate's cruel hand reached out to them, gradually unlocking the gates of hell upon them. Julian, fresh off the plane from Scotland, heard about his cousin’s engagement party and decides to surprise Liam with his presence. As soon as Julian sets his eyes on Liam’s fiancé, time froze, his heart stopped, and the air around him seized at once. Madison gets entangled with two brothers who would stop at nothing to get her, even if it means taking a life. The game of power, influence, betrayal, and obsession is about to begin, with a touch of steamy romance. Who is willing to back down? Let's find out.

Moira wasn't the Luna he wanted. To strengthen the alliance, her father sacrificed her with a classic trap so that she could marry Alpha Jude Hammer from The Night Hunter Pack. The plan worked, but for seven years, Moira felt no happiness or love from Jude. Then, one day, she finds out the reason—Jude has found his fated mate. Heartbroken, especially since she had lost everything, Moira filed for divorce, left the company, and started a new life. *** I was startled by the commotion outside the apartment. It was unusually quiet for eight o’clock, and the sound I heard... I decided to check it out. Someone was standing at the door, which I opened hastily to confirm. Instead of peace, I found a new problem. Jude held the door, forcing his way in and locking it. He closed the distance between us, pinning me against the wall, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, so stiff and tight. My heart skipped a beat, not because of lingering love for him, but because I felt disturbed by his presence. "What the hell are you doing here, Jude? You have Bella, don't drag me in. You shouldn't be here," I snapped, but it didn't faze him at all. "Screw Bella! I came to confirm something." He moved again, closer, so that our lips almost touched. “Are you drunk? Go home. You will only cause me problems. We'd been divorced, remember?” I said, trying to gently push him away. “What? Divorced? Don’t even think about it, Wifey. I didn't sign it. NEVER. Means, you’re still my wife. You're MINE.”