Halfway To Forever

Not even halfway through the Thanksgiving holidays, my boss, Bill Griffin, calls me back to work. He demands I cold-call customers for sales and promises generous overtime pay. Eager to give my son a better learning environment, I seize every chance to earn more money and agree without hesitation. But once the holiday ends, the management posts a notice. "An employee has generated an excessive phone bill working overtime during the Thanksgiving holidays and incurred company losses. Please reimburse the phone bill immediately." Bill, whom I had worked alongside since graduating from college, swiftly turns on me. "Some people in their 30s are about to be laid off. Having a job at all is a blessing, yet they don't know how to appreciate the opportunities the company gives them." Refusing to bow to the absurd demands and open threats, I hand in my resignation that very same day. A company that discards its employees the moment the job is done isn't worth a second of my time. They will learn the hard way who holds the leverage.

Ever since we brought our six-year-old daughter, Elise, home, she's been keeping her distance. My husband, Patrick Sheeter, chalked it up to "adjustment issues." Told me to bring her more gifts when I got back from my overseas trip. I was halfway out the door when I heard her voice in my head. 'Should I tell Mom that Della always hits me? 'Dad says Mom hates tattletales. Especially me. 'But if I keep quiet, I might not make it till Mom gets back.' My stomach flipped. I turned around. Elise was curled up in the corner, eyes glassy with tears. Silent. But I still heard her. 'Maybe I lived again just to see Mom one more time.' Patrick, noticing I was frozen, casually reminded me I was gonna miss my flight. Right. Like that mattered. I turned and slapped him so hard. Screw the business trip. I was staying. Let's see who's got the guts to mess with my kid now.

The day my husband's first love shows up at my house, I catch a faint, cloyingly sweet scent of gardenias in the air. My genetically-linked asthma flares violently at the scent of gardenias. As expected, halfway through the meal, my chest suddenly tightens. I can barely draw a breath before collapsing onto the couch. My younger brother sprints into my bedroom like he's lost his mind, grabs an inhaler, and shoves it straight to my mouth. "Tess!" he roars. "Why the hell is there gardenia perfume?" Everyone panics. My dad grabs a liquor bottle. My mom lunges forward, grabbing the woman by the hair. And my husband positions himself in front of her, protecting his beloved first love as she trembles. Amid the chaos, I muster the last of my strength. I reach into the crack of the couch, grab another inhaler, take a deep breath, and slowly push myself upright. I let out a cold laugh as I fix my gaze on the woman cowering behind my husband. "Finished with your little performance? It's my turn now."

Raine has lived her entire life in a small town with her mother. Her human father lived nearby and saw her everyday. The only things she knew about being a werewolf came from her mother. But as she approaches her 18th birthday her mother begins to change. Until the day her entire world came to a halt. The day her mother hit her. Within 20 minutes after her father walked into the policestation they were in a new car with new identities headed east to her mother's old pack. According to him it was time for her to go home. Her mother would only get worse. But what was waiting for them? What about the secret her dad was keeping? And what if the mate her mother had always told her would save her, actually destroys her? Follow Raine on her adventure halfway around the world to find herself and learn to embrace her rain gift before the time comes that she needs to use it. With a second chance at love waiting for her, will the imminent war she was made to fight be too much for them or will they conquer all the awaiting obstacles?

"Kai, please," Jenna tried one last time, grabbing at his arm. "Please don't hurt him. If you want to punish someone, it should be me." "Foolish girl." Kai laughed. "I AM punishing you." As he strode off in Jacob's direction, she could only watch helplessly. Starting at a new school halfway through the year isn't easy, but it's a lot worse when the only person you know is your evil stepbrother. He's sadistically cruel - the worst kind of bully - and he's determined to make Jenna suffer. When Jenna goes to school with him, she sees him bully a gorgeous guy called Jacob who she immediately has a crush on. In order to stop Kai from bully Jacob she agrees to do what he wants... She wishes she could stand up to him, the only problem is, she finds herself falling for him despite all his torture. Can she find a way to melt his cold heart, or will she be crushed by Kai or one of his numerous enemies before she can get the chance?

Yvonne Larson, my housekeeper, has always been punctual, but she ends up being late today. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Carter. Dinner's not ready yet. I hope you won't mind. I had no choice. I waited for over half an hour, but no one got the door for me. I even called Mrs. Carter a few times, but she didn't take my calls. That's why I ended up running late." Halfway through changing into my house slippers, I pause and frown. "Yvonne, didn't Susanna give you the access card to the apartment?" Yvonne looks confused. "The access card? Mrs. Carter never gave me any card." "Never?" "That's right," Yvonne confirms timidly while wiping the sweat off her brow. "For the past month, I've always had to call Mrs. Carter and ask her to open the door for me. She wasn't picking up her phone today, so I had to wait outside…" That's strange. I've checked the logs before. The access card has been used multiple times throughout the past month.

“Be sure. If we do this it is forever. And you and I WILL live forever. That is what it means to be you. You will live forever, but if you become my mate I will live forever too, and you and I will be tied for eternity.” Lyle’s eyes were probing. They seemed to be searching for the truth. Did she really want him for eternity? Amaris is in search of many truths none more important than does she want to spent the rest of forever with this one man.

I've been in a five-year relationship with my mate, Alpha Callum Nash. However, he has delayed the Luna Coronation Ceremony 52 times so far. The first time it was held, Seraphina Vance, an outsider Omega whom Callum had taken in, lost control of herself and shifted into a wolf on the training grounds. He quickly returned to the grounds to soothe Seraphina, but in doing so, he abandoned me in the sacred grounds for the entire day. The second time it was held, Callum had sensed that an elder was making Seraphina's life difficult halfway through the ceremony. He immediately interrupted the vowing ritual and headed back to the pack just to defend Seraphina. As I stood on the altar on my own, I could hear the rest of the pack making fun of me. Since then, whenever the Luna Coronation Ceremony is held, Seraphina will keep coming up with different problems that require Callum's immediate attention. In the end, I've completely given up on Callum, so I decide to sever our mate bond. On the day I leave the pack territory, Callum, who's no longer able to pick up my scent, goes crazy.

Alpha Nero's world shattered when his Luna, Camellia, disappeared without a trace five years ago, taking their unborn child with her. Endless searches yielded nothing, leaving Nero in a perpetual state of anguish and rage, desperate to find any sign of his lost family. He didn't expect to find her five years later, halfway across the world with no memory of him. She looks as beautiful as the day she vanished, but there's no flicker of recognition in her eyes. Instead, she's busy serving customers, her smile warm and welcoming, with a little boy at her side— a spitting image of Nero himself. Camellia doesn't remember Nero or the life they once shared, and Nero is torn between the joy of finding her and the agony of her amnesia. Determined to win his family back and find out what happened to her, Nero begins a careful, strategic approach. Can he trigger her lost memories and remind her of the love they once shared? And will he be able to protect her and their son from the dangers that still lurk in the shadows? Side Story 1 - Osiris: The Broken Brother Side Story 2 - Orion: Shattered Bond

The day before our wedding, Luke Murray got wasted. On the ride home, he looked right at me and slurred, "Cassie, don't bring the kid to the ceremony. Arya can't know I'm the dad." I hit the brakes. Hard. He smacked into the seatback, halfway sobering up. When he finally realized it was me, he just... froze. Then he said real slow, "Guess you heard. Wedding's off—for now. Cassie doesn't want marriage, but the kid's mine, so I gotta step up. She's your bestie, right? You probably feel bad she's doing this alone. So once he's in school, I'll come back and marry you." I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "...That's fine. I don't mind." He didn't say a word when we got home—just grabbed his suitcase and left. I wiped the last tear off my face, sat on the bed, and just stared at nothing. Then my phone lit up. My childhood friend's voice cracked on the other end. "Arya, don't marry him. Please." I didn't say anything for a sec. "Okay."