Crystal Shoes

I had just won the Hawthorne Scientific Laureate on the international stage when my father called me back home. "Bring the betrothal gifts to the Hayes family. That childhood engagement should finally be fulfilled." Afraid of getting stuck in traffic, I took my modified motorcycle, carried the national heritage porcelain obtained through generations of the Keane family's military merits, and headed toward their house. Just as I arrived at the community gate, a Porsche suddenly cut across the lane, nearly knocking me over. A heavily made-up woman, Zoey Mercer, stepped out of the car, raised one sharp high heel, and kicked the top box off my motorcycle. "You rode this junk motorcycle yet dared block my way? If you dent my car, your whole family won't be able to afford the compensation!" My heart sank. I quickly opened the case, only to see the entire box of celadon porcelain shattered. "So you’re just some delivery guy. Think this pile of trash is worth even one of my shoes? "You even know whose neighborhood this is? It belongs to Kingshore's Hayes family! My best friend’s family developed this place! Believe it or not, I can have you thrown out right now!" Right then, my fiancee, Lauren Hayes, called me. "Where are you? My friend just messaged me saying there’s a delivery guy causing trouble at the entrance."

Grace Summers had always been the ‘Mrs. Goody Two Shoes’ always doing what’s right or what’s expected of her by her family and high maintenance friends. She’s now 21 and had just graduated yet another special school her father had sent her to, she’s fed up with her ‘angel’ persona. She hops on a bus, rides to the furthest stop available and lands a job at the most popular place in the city of Bakersfield, California: Dale’s Ladies, a gentlemen's club, or at least that’s just the front it uses, people from all over come to use this club for their addictions or to take care of unfinished business. You can do anything in this club: murder, sex, drugs, you name it you can do it. With only one rule, you have to do it within the walls of the club. Jett Lynch is the oldest of the twins, his younger twin Dale Lynch, owns a club and helps bring in some heavy cash from the ladies he has, the drugs he sells and the gruesome murders that he’s allowed to happen and not say a word about to ANYONE. Jett is popular in a bad way with the media, and the police; he’s the head of the mafia in the city of Bakersfield. He does things to people the police won’t when it’s deserved. What happens when someone who wants to overthrow Jett, gets wind of his new prize? Will Grace be caught in the crossfire or will she be taking the heat of it?

"I never imagined that in my new environment, I would feel at ease, much less like I would fit in. Although I don't know where I'm going or how long I'll walk, I just want to live my life by reaching out to the people who matter. I've always thought the journey is long and exhausting, but as I wear these shoes, I feel strengthened "— Kiara Michaelson. "I've come to understand that, despite our best efforts, life often presents us with unexpected twists that we are forced to deal with. I had to accept and experience this twist because it was mine "— Ian Calloway ******** Meet Kiara Michaelson, a typical person who only wants to live peacefully and in the moment with the people she loves the most. But for some reason, she was trapped in a society where everything she did was watched, and everything she had ever worked so hard for could go in a matter of seconds. Ian Calloway is everyone's dream boyfriend and the nation's hero. Despite the advantages of his job, he longs for privacy and the ability to live quietly like everyone else, yet that goal in and of itself is unattainable. What happens when fate decides to play a tragic game with these two people after they encounter. Will they stand up for what they have each worked for and value, or will they give up? Join Kiara and Ian as they fight through life's ups and downs and discover what its true plan is for them.

In the heart of Cedar Grove, shadows conceal more than secrets— they whisper truths. Dr. Isla Rivers never thought she'd return to her small hometown, let alone to the clinic her father built. But after his mysterious disappearance, Isla steps into his shoes, seeking solace among furry patients and the echoes of a life she left behind. The quiet town holds more than nostalgia, though. Strange sounds haunt her clinic, shadows stretch unnaturally, and whispers from her childhood dreams beckon her toward the unknown. When a journal marked with her father’s enigmatic crescent moon symbol appears, Isla is thrust into a world she never imagined—one where werewolves roam the woods, a prophecy threatens to unravel reality, and her own bloodline holds a secret more powerful than she’s ready to face. Guided by a cryptic stranger named Astra and an unwelcome connection to Luca Moreau, the brooding alpha of the local pack, Isla must confront the truth about her father’s disappearance, her heritage, and the prophecy that ties her fate to the Crescent Moon pack. But as passions ignite and dangers close in, Isla must decide who to trust and what sacrifices she’s willing to make—for love, for family, and for the truth that could reshape both the human and werewolf worlds forever. Welcome to Cedar Grove. The wolves are waiting.

I know that I don't have much time left after getting poisoned by wolfsbane. I don't want to have any regrets, so I travel to the Sacred Crystal Lake, a place I have always wanted to visit. I don't tell anyone that I plan to end my life there. I didn't expect to run into my ex-mate there. We haven't seen each other in ten years. He has become the Alpha that he has always wanted to be, and he's wearing a ring that has another she-wolf's name engraved on it. As for me, I've already thrown away our token of love and erased him from my heart. We're exchanging pleasantries when he suddenly asks, "Do you still hate me, Giselle?" I shake my head. My life is about to end, after all. I don't need to hold on to anything anymore. In the last moments of my life, I just want to see the sea of irises that the Moon Goddess has blessed.

Ava Carter was a 17 year old orphan. She was a member of the Crystal Blue Pack. She was the punching bag in her pack, as people usually walked all over her, literally. She was the weakling, the outcast, the loner who no one ever bothered to get to know. Until the night of her birthday when she overheard a conversation that left her with no other decision but to leave and never look back. She had never been outside the pack territory, so she had no idea what was lurking in the woods. She ran into the most handsome man that she had ever seen in her entire life and he uttered one word, four letters that changed her life forever. "Mine" Jayden King was the alpha of the North Pack. He was the most feared alpha and was often times referred to as the alpha of all alphas. No one who trespassed on his land, ever lived long enough to tell the tale. He was a very cold and heartless man. Until the night he ran into someone he had long ago lost hope of finding. Now he has her and instead of being the mate that she had always hoped for, he ignores her.

He watched her in the distance, his mind clouded over in confusion. How could he, one of the coldest Alphas in the country, have a mate?The thought of having to take care of someone for the rest of his life haunted him. He always thought he was meant to run the most powerful pack that had no weaknesses; once his wolf becomes attached to hers, nothing can tear them apart. It is known to be the cause of the deaths of many great Alphas, and yet here he stood, unable to tear his eyes away from her.Her soft, shimmering lips stood out to him from across the clearing, occasionally being grazed by her soft, silky golden hair. Her delicate fingers brushed a strand from over her crystal blue eyes as they continued to gaze over the leather-covered book resting in the center of her lap.A soft breeze flowed over her bare shoulders, sending her scent right in his direction. A shiver traveled up his spine as his eyes rolled back into his head. A low growl erupted from his chest, wondering why she was all alone in an empty clearing. She seemed like a prize he had yet to win. (Complete

Sé que no me queda mucho tiempo después de haber sido envenenada con acónito. No quiero tener remordimientos, así que viajo al lago de Sacred Crystal, un lugar que siempre había querido visitar. No le digo a nadie que planeo terminar mi vida allí. No esperaba encontrarme con mi ex-compañero en ese lugar. No nos hemos visto en diez años. Él se ha convertido en el Alfa que siempre quiso ser, y lleva un anillo que tiene grabado el nombre de otra loba. En cuanto a mí, ya he tirado nuestra muestra de amor y lo he borrado de mi corazón. Estamos intercambiando palabras cuando, de repente me pregunta: —¿Todavía me odias, Giselle? Sacudo la cabeza. Mi vida está a punto de terminar, después de todo. Ya no necesito aferrarme a nada. En los últimos momentos de mi vida, solo quiero ver el mar de lirios que la Diosa de la Luna ha bendecido.

I am reborn with memories of my past life. And I carry a secret with me: my fiance, Ethan Larsen, had forged our marriage certificate. The one he had actually married was Serena Gray. But I do not expose his lie. Instead, I quietly submit my application to Greenvale University and eventually become a permanent resident in Verenza. In my past life, I spent a lifetime believing in a lie. I thought I was his wife, until I learned the truth on the day he died. He married Serena out of love but kept me only due to his sense of duty. On the funeral day, Serena arrived dressed in white, holding the actual marriage certificate in her hand. She effortlessly took over all his inheritance, while I was thrown out of the house, penniless, with nothing left but a trampled heart. In this life, I will no longer beg for love nor stay put out of pity. I'll leave quietly and live freely. They can keep acting out their so-called "perfect" love story. Because now, I can see it crystal clear—some women are born to be loved, while others are reborn so they don't have to wait to be loved.

Amara Blake’s life is simple on paper: double shifts at a café, overdue notices tucked under a refrigerator magnet, a mother who needs more than hope can buy. Then she collides with Damian Cole - ruthless, revered, and impossible to ignore - and is pulled into a world of crystal chandeliers, whispered wars, and rules written by men who never hear the word no. What begins as a temporary job becomes a tightrope walk between pride and survival. With a socialite who smiles like a blade watching for her to fall, and an ex-fiancée returning to reopen old wounds, Amara learns that in Damian’s orbit, truth is currency and secrets are weapons. The closer she gets, the more his polished mask fractures - revealing a man built on control, haunted by betrayal, and drawn to the one thing he can’t command: her honesty. This is a slow-burn, high-stakes romance about power and vulnerability, the cost of desire, and the dangerous mercy of telling the truth - especially to someone who doesn’t know how to receive it. What will Amara sacrifice to keep her dignity - and her heart - intact? Will Damian choose control or the woman who unravels it? Can two people built on opposite truths survive the shadows they create together? Read on to find out.