Kratos Without Ashes

She walked back into my life as if she had always lived there as if my heart was a home built just for her. Meeting her was completely unplanned, but soon turned out to be the most beautiful part of my life. I thought that keeping her away from me would keep her safe, but I was wrong. You can keep the person that gives meaning to your life away, but I should have listened to her. I should have given it all up for us to be happy, but I was too selfish to do that.

Young and tenacious Abigail James encounters many difficulties along the way to achievement. She finds herself pregnant and alone after losing her business and parents. She starts a fresh chapter in Texas, determined to provide her kids with a better life. Abigail obtains a position at Magabase Company Limited via dedication and hard work, where she meets Samuel and finds security and love. She is forced to make tough decisions as her history reappears, endangering her present-day happiness. Will Abigail succeed in overcoming the difficulties and ultimately achieve happiness?

Two shots ring. One dies with confusion, regret, and guilt. The other is left with hatred, pain, unresolved feelings, and shattered trust. When great power clashes with an equally great power, an overwhelming explosion is imminent, and many people are bound to get hurt. Especially those at the very center of the explosion, like Chen Kamman. When he was barely eighteen, he had to deal with the pain of losing two of the most important people in his life, taking over his father's dynasty, and fighting to maintain the Chen family's control in one of the deadliest mafia organizations in the world. Years later, he has made history, becoming the youngest cartel leader to ever dominate the system. After all he has been through, he has grown indifferent to everything: cold-hearted, savage, and impossible to hurt like before. But when Dian Aoki, someone he thought he had killed, appears in his life ten years later, everything he has built suddenly comes tumbling to the ground. All the memories and pain he had buried deep within him come floating to the surface, taking him back to the starting point again. The appearance of this person equally causes a major stir in the entire organization. Their very presence threatens to overturn the entire system and Chen Kamman's world.

Two weeks before our wedding, Jonah Alston suddenly wants to postpone it. He says, "Sasha says she's having her first exhibition on that day. She'll be alone during the opening, and I'm worried she'll get stage fright. I have to help her. We're just going through the motions with the wedding, anyway. What does it matter whether it's a day earlier or later?" This isn't his first time postponing our wedding for Sasha Lester's sake, though. The first time he did it was because he claimed she missed having homecooked food after undergoing surgery. He'd flown abroad to care for her for two months. The second time was because he said she wanted to head into the mountains to get inspired. He'd gone with her out of concern for her safety. Now, this is the third time. I hang up and look at Austin Everett, my childhood sweetheart. He sits across from me, looking leisurely as he taps his emerald-embedded walking cane on the marble floor. I ask, "Do you need a wife?" On my wedding day, Sasha holds up her glass and waits for Jonah to clink it with his. However, his eyes are red as he watches a livestream—it's the wedding of the scion of Everett Group, the country's largest property development company.

For ten years, I bled for my fated mate, Damian. I forged him into an Alpha. I built his pack from nothing. But on the eve of our Blood Moon ceremony, he chose her. He made his first love, Isla—the one who abandoned him—the High Priestess. Not me. He thought I was just some rogue with a knack for magic. He thought he could drain my power, cast me aside, and claim Isla as his true mate. But he forgot who I am. I brokered the treaties. I negotiated the trades. I built the wards that kept them all alive. He and his pack hailed Isla as their savior. They groveled at her feet. They tried to get rid of me. Their plan? Force me to escort a demon to the Abyss of Exile. But he never knew my secret. I'm no rogue. I am the youngest daughter of the Alpha King. I am royalty. So I gave them what they wanted. I walked away. They only started to panic when my wards shattered and their lands were overrun.

She gave everything to her pack, her strength, her love, her soul. As Luna, she bore the weight of leadership with grace and compassion. Her mate vowed eternity, choosing her even without the blessing of fate. But fate had other plans. When he returned years later with his supposed fated mate, everything changed. Loyalty turned to betrayal. Love turned to lies. And her once-secure world crumbled. Abandoned by the man who promised her the moon and back, and hunted by jealous enemies who sense her vulnerability, she faces a brutal awakening. But beneath the scars lies a force they underestimated. She will not break. She will rise. Now, the woman they tried to destroy will become the storm. And in the ashes of betrayal, a new queen will rise fierce, free, and unbreakable. Will her heart dare to trust again, or will her destiny lie elsewhere, in power, revenge, or a love that truly sees her?

Our wedding anniversary also happens to be our son's birthday. A month in advance, I carefully plan a family trip for the three of us—me, my husband, and our son. But right before we're supposed to leave, both of them suddenly disappear on me. I'm left standing alone in the pouring rain, dialing their numbers. On the other end, my son's young voice comes through, sounding cold and impatient. "Dad's having dinner with Ms. Moore. We don't want to go anymore." The call ends, and I'm blocked. Later that night, they intentionally lock me out of the house. I'm left standing in the freezing cold all night long. Soaked from the rain, I come down with a high fever and develop pneumonia. Meanwhile, my husband and son are off vacationing with Sophia Moore, smiling for a happy family photo with just the three of them. And in that moment, I know this marriage has truly come to an end.

The Langston brothers once vowed that they wouldn't marry anyone but me. However, when it's time for me to pick one of them as my husband, they both turn me down. Nigel says, "My career is my priority. I'm not considering marriage at the moment." Shawn says, "Sorry, but I haven't had enough fun yet." Shortly after, they make my asthma act up during my engagement party just so they can please their new princess. As I writhe from the lack of oxygen, they cover her eyes so she won't see. They also mock me, saying I won't die from this. That kills me inside. When I wake up in the hospital, I call my father. "I'll marry the heir of the Blackwell family."

I was with Ivan Knowles for seven years. Despite the rumors that always swirled around him, he never gave me a reason to doubt his loyalty. He let me check his phone and even welcomed me to join him on business trips. I never found anything suspicious until our engagement day. The host had just shared how Ivan flew in my favorite white roses from abroad when the big screen, meant to play a video celebrating our seven years together, instead showed a hospital room. The cry of a newborn rang out. Ivan sat on the bed holding the baby. His secretary, Alba Lawson, leaned on his shoulder, wearing the same diamond ring as mine. Tearfully, she explained to me that it was a misunderstanding. "Alba is a single mom," Ivan excused. "I'm just helping her out as her boss. Don't make a big deal out of this." The room went quiet, everyone waiting for me to flip out. I didn't. Instead, I calmly slipped off my ring and handed it to him. "Of course not. I just wish you happiness."

“You drive me crazy, but I don’t mind being crazy for you,” Zane groaned, his fingers trailing my inner thighs, his ragged breaths hot against my skin. “Za…ne.. this… is wrong,” I stuttered, my voice low. “I’m… getting married to your uncle tomorrow..” In the cutthroat world of Chicago’s NHL, Zane Callahan rules the ice, his raw power hiding a past of dark secrets and betrayal. When rookie journalist Lila Harper is sent to interview the brooding hockey star, their clash sparks a firestorm of enmity and undeniable desire. As Lila fights to prove herself in a hostile newsroom, Zane battles his demons, their stolen kisses igniting a dangerous obsession. But a web of enemies—led by a vengeful twin and a manipulative predator—threatens to tear them apart. With secrets unraveling and lives on the line, Zane and Lila must confront their pasts to forge a love worth fighting for. Will they conquer the shadows, or will the ice claim their hearts?