Feathered Cut

Ellie struggles to make ends meet while taking care of her ill father. Even with her struggles Ellie always tries to be kind. One day she helps an older gentleman buy coffee after forgetting his wallet. Little does she know that the a simple cup of coffee would change her life. The older man offers Ellie a contract, freeing her from all her financial responsibilities if she marries his grandson, Maxwell. Ellie is hesitant at first, but with her father's declining health, she agrees. With a promise to always be kind, Ellie marries Maxwell, only to discover he was not as willing as she was to get married. Known as for being a playboy, Maxwell struggles after an accident left his scared. His fiance cheated and left him for his best friend. Heartbroken, Max swears to never fall in love again. After another night of partying, Max's dad gives him an ultimatum. Either get married, or be cut off from the family. Begrudgingly, Max agrees. He believes all women are the same, that they want money and once someone better comes along, they will leave. He decides to make his wife miserable so she will leave and he can keep his family's company.

"Brother, please spare my life!" Sera cried out. She kneeled and bowed down to show sincerity but her brother's eyes did not show any emotion. "There is no mercy for traitors, Sera. That's the family motto, remember?" Xander's voice was stern and filled with contempt. "I didn't do it! I don't even know what the Duchess looked like!" She was desperate but none of her family members even tried to listen to her. "We shouldn't have accepted you. The prophecy was true when it said that you will only bring tragedy to this family!" Her father's voice was filled with rage. All her life, all she asked was to be acknowledged. All she wanted was to feel the warmth of a family. Was it too much to ask for? "I wish I was never born," she mumbled. "Prepare to die, Seraphina. This is the punishment for taking my mother's life." Xander lifted his sword and drops of blood splattered when the blade cut through Sera's head. "Sera!" Seraphina jolted when she heard her mother's voice. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the familiar small room and she immediately touched her neck to confirm that her head was not severed. What happened? Why am I back to my ten-year-old self?

"You're not the type of girl I'd usually kiss," he says, his eyes fixed on my lips. "But I'll do it anyway." Then the cocky jerk leans in and kisses me. *** He claims to like her, she claims she'd never be stupid enough to trust a bad boy with her heart. *** After the death of her best friend, Ava Jordan Hansen's main goal is to get through senior year without losing her mind. She badly wants a distraction from her dark thoughts...but is tutoring the school's bad boy the solution? Jude Walker's life has never been easy--not since he made a mistake that turned his family against him. His father cut him off at 18, and to support himself, he took up underground fighting, modelling--whatever puts a buck in his pocket. He needs a university scholarship and to fix his Math grade, he finds himself thrown together with a smartass good girl. The two seem so different at a glance--the nerdy girl with a smart mouth and the troublesome bad boy with a different girl pressed against his locker every week. But they both have their own trauma, fighting not to drown in their pain. Will they help each other survive, or will they drag each other deeper under the surface?

She woke up every morning with a heavy heart, dreading the inevitable encounter with Mr. Montenegro. She couldn't comprehend why he had such intense hatred towards her, always finding ways to belittle and demean her. She attempted to disregard the hurtful comments and taunts, but it cut her deeply. As time passed, her patience began to wear thin. She could no longer tolerate the constant abuse. One day, she confronted him and asked him why he treated her so terribly. He merely laughed and insulted her, calling her weak and pathetic. However, something inside her snapped that day. She refused to allow him to have control over her any longer. Standing tall, she looked at him in the eye and informed him that she would no longer tolerate the abuse. He was taken aback by her sudden display of strength, and for the first time, he saw her as a person rather than just a target. Over time, his attitude towards her changed. He ceased the insults and began to show her a grudging respect for standing up to him. She learned that sometimes, you have to fight back to be treated with dignity and respect. She was determined to never allow anyone to make her feel small again..

My roommate branded herself as an influencer against beauty standards, vowing to free girls from appearance anxiety. Strangely, whenever she stayed up late partying and broke out in pimples, they would appear on my face instead. When she fooled around and caught an infection, the rashes spread across my body. The more radiant she became, the more monstrous I looked. People recoiled from me. Friends cut me off. My own boyfriend, before a crowd, told me I should just die. Then my roommate got pregnant, yet it was my stomach that swelled like I was eight months along, scarred with terrifying stretch marks. She, meanwhile, looked more flawless than ever, appearing barefaced on camera to encourage girls not to fear their looks. I knew something was not right. When I tried to dig for answers, my roommate and boyfriend trapped me in a basement. They tortured me until I died. Only then did I learn the truth. He owned a cursed amulet that shifted all her pain onto me. The moment I opened my eyes, I was back on our first day of college together. This time, the game is mine. I'll make sure they pay.

I shook my head as a dark chuckle escaped my lips. “I’m not her, Dimitri, can’t you see it? I will never be her,” My voice shook as I spoke, tears threatening to spill. Dimitri ran his fingers through his hair in distress. His usual cold demeanor slipping away as he walked towards me and grabbed me by my shoulder. I felt his fingers on my chin, forcing me to look at him. I swallowed. “You don’t understand, Dimitri,” My voice came out as a whisper. “You are in love with that woman. Not me. It has-it has never been me,” “I know who I want, Val and that person is you,” *** For years, Valeria Moore had lived her life as a substitute lover to Dimitri. She believed one day, he would see her for who she is and not as his lost mate who had the same face as her. But when Dimitri announced his engagement to Summer Wood, Val knew she couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to cut all ties with him but now, Dimitri wasn’t ready to let her go. Not when he just realized she was pregnant for him.

Autumn Simeons had loved Damian McLaren for as long as she could remember. From childhood to their teenage years, he was her safe place, the one person who made life feel lighter. But while Damian came from wealth and privilege, Autumn’s life was far simpler—and his heart seemed to belong to someone else. She kept her feelings hidden, choosing to be the best friend he could rely on. That fragile balance broke when Damian got a girlfriend who saw Autumn as a threat. Tension grew until, without warning, Damian cut her out of his life completely. One day they were inseparable; the next, he treated her like a stranger. Months later, fate intervened when Damian’s mother, worried about his slipping grades, asked Autumn to tutor him—unaware of the rift between them. Both protested, but their parents insisted. Now, forced into the same space, Autumn must face the boy she still loves, who seems to resent her presence. His girlfriend’s shadow hangs over every exchange, and unspoken history simmers beneath the surface. As old feelings resurface, Autumn realizes some lessons can’t be taught from books—they live in stolen glances, unsaid words, and memories that refuse to fade.

“So then what do you want? Tell me.” That question isn’t one easily answered. Her eyes are pleading with me, searching my own for any sign. She’s vulnerable and so innocent right now, and that excites me. The predator in me wants to play and I just can’t resist. I need a taste. Just one more. Demetrius is over his meaningless cursed life. He’s ruthless, cruel and doesn’t care for many, a true monster. Even still, he feels alone, misunderstood, and longs for something new and exciting, until one day by a chance encounter he meets Xenia, a human woman, who is all of those things. He despises humans, but aside from the physical attraction something about her is different. Realizing she is a temptation that he can’t afford, he makes the decision to cut her from his life, but when she is marked by another, he is forced to reveal his true self, bringing her into his dark world of the damned. Keeping his true feelings hidden and explaining her presence to the others while protecting her from the creatures that roam night, creatures she never even knew existed, will be difficult enough. But there’s an even bigger issue: How do you fight a temptation you can’t get away from?

It was a full moon, and my mate, Alpha Ethan, bailed on our son's coming-of-age ceremony rehearsal. All because his Omega mistress, Scarlett, was in heat. Then, during the actual ceremony, our son Caleb was ambushed by a rival pack. By the time I heard the news, Caleb had been shot. He was dead, lying in a pool of his own blood. I knelt beside him, completely breaking down, when Ethan's voice, faking an apology, came through the mind link: "Sorry, Scarlett needs me. I'm sure Caleb can handle things. Just make sure Caleb gets some rest early, don't let him run around and mess up tomorrow's celebration." I looked at my son's broken body, my voice trembling, "He won't be running anywhere anymore." "Good," Ethan said, sounding pleased. "Scarlett's bloodline is purer. She's better suited to give the Stone Pack strong heirs. You should understand." I cut the link. After I committed my son's body to the flames, I found the secret ritual to break a mate bond and contacted a wolf I hadn't spoken to in a long, long time: "The protection wards on Stone Pack territory are down. You can make your move."

At eight months pregnant, I was in a car accident and delivered a stillborn child. My husband, who had always been so gentle, turned on me. He called me useless. He said I couldn't even protect our baby. He forced me into a divorce and, without looking back, rushed into a hasty marriage with his long-lost first love. Just as despair threatened to swallow me whole, Grayson Brooke—my childhood friend who had been overseas for years—returned. He confessed his feelings and promised to cherish me for the rest of my life. But in the third year of our marriage, I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and his closest friend that turned my blood to ice. "That car accident you staged—just to get the cord blood—killing Lydia's innocent baby in the process… it was too cruel, even for you." "It was a necessary evil. Only her child's cord blood could save Kayla." "But Lydia had just one month left. Kayla could have held on a little longer—" Grayson cut him off, his voice sharp and absolute. "If there was a way, why would we wait? I couldn't stand by and let Kayla suffer for one second more."