Market Cycle

“Sin dumme-maranii. Maran dumme-Sinia.” All Sins are humans; all humans are Sins. The king’s curse made it impossible to detect a Sin’s existence. One cannot be born as a Sin and a Sin cannot give birth to a Sin. It cannot be controlled by anyone nor anything. Only fate will determine. The moment all Sins turned to ash, stories and theories about them spread like wild fire. Through the mist of misleading plots and opinions, only a few people truthfully know what really happed at that moment. Twenty years after the king passed, a young man was able to find out that he was a Sin. He claims to be the reincarnation of the late king as he had visions of the past. Relying on his instincts and trusting his visions, he travelled the world in search of Sins like him to resurrect the wrecked honor of the fallen angels. He was able to find some and that’s when the new era of reborn Sins began. The young man became the new king of Sins. Together, they searched for Sins all over the world and began to form a new union that will protect and guide Sins to be able to live alongside humans. The cycle went on until another tragedy occurred which disintegrated the foundations of the union. Twenty years from the present, the king was rumored to be killed by an alliance that were in charge of capturing Sins for experimentation. To this day, Sins are in hiding. Sins try hard to live unnoticed by anyone. My name is Rayne Martin and I am one of them. I am a Sin. .. 

In the city of Veylor, the town was divided by fear and power. On one side stood the hunters, led by Garrick Liason, the man whose name was whispered with deep respect and fear. He had built his life on the blood of wolves, his weapons, and the strong belief that werewolves were monsters to be eradicated. His daughter, Irvine, had always walked at his side, she was outwardly obedient but inwardly she was restless. She hated the violence, the endless cycle of chase and kill, yet she bore the weight of his legacy because she knew nothing else except this life. And to her, she was fully human, fragile, breakable, and destined only to hunt. What she did not know was that half of her blood told a different story. Her mother had been a werewolf, carrying a secret that even Garrick had not known. But the truth could not be hidden forever. Far beyond the city walls, Jeweled Golin carried wounds of his own. He was supposed to be a proud Alpha, but he had been rejected by his pack, stripped of his birthright, and cast into the forest. He was scarred but unbroken, he roamed as a lone wolf, dangerous, untamed, yet strangely powerful. His presence woke something primal in all those who crossed his path, and when Irvine met his eyes for the first time, she felt her world shift. The lies of her life began to unravel when she started getting hints of her power. And that she, daughter of the hunter, was also the daughter of the hunted.

Everyone who lives will die, and nothing they do can stop it. That's the way things are. The circle of life. And a single undeniable truth. The minute we are born we start our journey of that cycle and we will continue down that path until we take our very last breath. However, not all life spans are the same. Some people live to an old age. Others die young. Some die of natural causes, and others die of accidents, murder, or disease. It's the sad truth of being human and death doesn’t discriminate. But what if someone could see their death coming? Would they do everything in their power to stop it from happening, or would they live their lives to the fullest since they knew it was coming to an end? Would they fight tooth and nail to be able to stay earthside for even a minute longer or would they succumb to the inevitable? This is the universal question and the only ones who can answer it are the people who saw their deaths, people like me. My name is Remi Woods. I'm eighteen years old, and for as long as I can remember, I've been able to see how a person will die with a single touch. At first, I wasn't quite sure what was happening and I was terrified that maybe I was going crazy, but after my visions kept coming to fruition no matter what I did, I knew I was different, and not in a good way.

"Little bunny, little bunny. Wolf is HUNGRY!" The voice taunted me, followed by an evil cackle. * "Run, rabbit. RUN!" A monstrous bellow boomed through the night sky and crashed into my soul like a sledgehammer. I could feel a chill sweeping across my body and my heart pounding in my chest. The echoes of howls and laughter followed me from behind as I ran for my life. ** Elisabeth's life had been harder than most since she was a child--a distant and often cruel mother and her never-ending cycle of addiction that had taken over her life. But on this fateful night, something far more sinister was lurking in the darkness, ready to take her away from it all. Massive figures appeared out of nowhere, growling and taunting her. She tried to scream, but nothing would come out; before she knew it, she was waking up in a world where Viking werewolves ruled with mysterious faeries at their side. Every five years, they traveled to the human realm, collecting ten girls for their mate run--and tonight, Elisabeth was one of them. With only a white dress and her bare feet, Elisabeth stood beside the other nine girls as the beasts prowled around them menacingly. A silver dagger pierced each of our wrists, signaling the start of the hunt! “We honor the moon goddess; let your blood lead your mate to you!”

Divorced and remarried—I've lost count of how many times Aaron and I stepped in and out of marriage. He once treated me like something precious, but less than a year after our wedding, he asked for our first divorce. The reason was simple, Vivian was coming back. "Vivian's a public figure," he told me. "I don't want anyone thinking she's involved with a married man." That third-tier actress had nothing but her father's sacrifice to her name. He had taken a bullet for Aaron—a life for a life. And because of that, Aaron believed he owed her everything. Every time Vivian returned to the country, Aaron divorced me. And every time she left, we remarried. The first time we split, I drowned my tears in whiskey and stumbled back to his house half-drunk. The lights inside were warm. He was with her. And I stood outside, shivering through the night. The second time, I tracked his every move—restaurants, auctions, charity galas—just to "accidentally" run into him again. Later, I learned better. The moment he mentioned divorce, I would quietly pack my suitcase and disappear from his mansion. My love and humiliation kept me trapped in that endless cycle of breaking up and coming back together. But this time, when Aaron waited for me at City Hall to remarry, I never showed up.

"A slave like you shouldn't call my name. Now, address me properly." "Opo, m-master.” Tatlong taon na ang lumipas magmula nang iwan ni Serena Laurel-De Silva ang kaniyang asawa dahil nasaksihan niyang nakikipagtalik ito sa ex-fiance nito. Kahit na contractual marriage lamang iyon, minahal niya si Ezekiel De Silva at labis siyang nasaktan. Kaya naman napagdesisyunan niyang sumama sa ibang lalaki habang dala-dala sa sinapupunan ang kanilang anak. Ngunit hindi niya aakalaing mahuhulog lamang siya sa patalim sa piling ng bago niyang kinakasama at mapunta sa black market para sana’y ibenta sa kung sino-sinong lalaki. At ang pinaka-masama pang pangyayari sa kaniyang buhay ay malaman na ang bumili sa kaniya ay walang iba kundi ang dati niyang asawa na si Ezekiel. "Why did you leave me three years ago? Did you know what hell I've been living all this time without you?! How could you have a child with him?!" He drunkenly yelled at her, crying in pain. Matapos nitong saktan ang puso niya ng paulit-ulit noon at alipinin siya ngayon, bakit ito umaasta na parang mahal siya nito? Bakit umaakto si Ezekiel na parang siya pa ang may malaking kasalanan kung bakit niya ito iniwan noon? Subalit hindi niya lubos akalain na unti-unting mabubunyag ang mga lihim at sikreto, maging ang mga taong nasa likod ng kanilang nasirang pag-iibigan.

Anya Who would have thought turning 21 would change my life and send me into the depths of hell and into the arms of a bad man. A very bad man who has a vendetta against my father. He can never know who I am or my life is over before it even begins. I'm kidnapped during my birthday celebration and tossed into the underground of a hotel to be auctioned off, then bought by the very same man who would love to watch me bleed. I do the only thing I can - fake it, if only to survive one more night. I tell him my name is Anika and he seems to buy my excuses. But how long can I hide behind a mask and how long before he learns of my true identity and brutalizes me for revenge? I'll pay for my father's sins. Maybe even with my life. *** Bastien I've never claimed to be a good man. I trade in the dark; anything, save for humans, can be up for sale to the highest bidder. The king of the black market, this city is my playground. All until tonight... All until her… The auction is held at my hotel once every four months with one iron clad rule in place: no trafficking. So to say that I'm shocked to find her on my stage amongst the goods like a precious lamb to the slaughter is putting it lightly. I had to buy her to appease one of my biggest clients, but the more I look at her, the more I realise… That I want her to be mine alone. But who is this little doll truly and why did she end up on my stage, ready to be sold to the highest bidder?

After our eighty-eighth canceled wedding, I called my business partner. "I'm taking the Haviana market project." There was a beat of stunned silence. "Seriously? That's ten years overseas. You just got married—well, weren't you? Does your husband even know? What about your parents? You always said staying close to them was everything." I glanced around the empty church and let out a sharp laugh. "There was no wedding. No husband. And my parents? They've got Cindy. That's all they need." Another pause. "Alright. Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow." After the call, I ran a hand down my wedding dress. One last tear slipped out, quiet and pointless. Cindy had another "episode" today. Claimed she'd off herself. Andrew canceled—again. I'd looked at him, drained. "It's the eighty-eighth time." He dropped his head, guilt all over him. "Just a little more time, Viv. She's been off since the accident. I'm scared she'll actually do it. I swear, I'll talk to her. For real this time. Then we'll get married. Promise." My parents didn't hesitate. "Vivian, let Andrew go. If Cindy hadn't gotten kidnapped trying to save you, she wouldn't have these breakdowns. Are you really putting a wedding over your sister's life?" "How could you be so selfish?" I'd heard it all before. Used to fight it. Not this time. If neither my fiancé nor my parents wanted me around, then fine. I'd leave.

My sister had always despised school. So when she suddenly declared she wanted to go to college—and even urged our parents to marry me off to a high-ranking officer's son to fund her studies—I knew at once: she had been reborn too. In our previous life, my sister believed studying was pointless. She barely graduated high school before marrying Anthony Brown, the officer's son who had come to propose with a pretty penny. However, when Anthony was later transferred to a remote outpost, she found the harsh conditions unbearable and refused to follow him. Meanwhile, I worked part-time jobs to put myself through college, landed a secure job after graduation, and became a full-fledged city resident. My sister, still living in the military compound, started using her father-in-law's name to take bribes. Her actions dragged him into a scandal and got him dismissed from his position. Eventually, my mother-in-law kicked her out. After the divorce, she was tricked into investing in stocks in Eastbridge City. The market crashed, and she lost all of our parents' retirement savings. Desperate and with nowhere to go, she turned to me. Cornering me with a knife, she demanded I hand over my savings and apartment so she could "start over." In the chaos, she stabbed me twelve times. I died from massive blood loss. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment she asked our parents to marry me off to Anthony. This time, I smiled, said yes—and dropped out of school that very day.

"I've purchased you, which only means one thing; I own you. I own every bit of you, Margarette. Your body, your heart, and even your soul. You are mine. And no one can take you away from me." Possessive, cold-hearted, and ruthless. That's Xavier Ivanov, a Russian Mafia boss or also known as the devil himself. He cares no one but himself. He kills people for money and satisfaction. He runs illegal businesses and is one of the most influential yet dangerous people in the world. People were afraid of him. They despise his existence. He's a living Satan, and people tremble upon seeing him. It was quite impossible to tame a devil like him. No one can tame Xavier, or so they thought. Margarette Ferrero. She is a total opposite of him. An angel sent from above and was bound to burn an evil like himself. She is sweet, loving, yet naive. Being purchased by a powerful mafia boss from the dark market, Margarette was supposed to fear him. However, that was the total opposite of what she felt. Oddly, she felt safe and saved. And Xavier was beyond amused and enthralled by the naive girl. People were afraid of him, but that is not the case with Margarette. He's her saviour, her angel, and her owner. No one owns her but him. Two people with different personalities, different worlds, and different stories to be told. Is it possible to find love amongst the odds? Does love know no boundaries? Or was it all just an illusion? When secrets begin unfolding themselves and then the past that was buried six feet below the ground resurface, will the love be strong enough to keep the two people together? Or will the past change what is present?