No Call No Life

En el mercado negro, mi padre escogió para mi hermana mayor y para mí a dos gemelos como guardaespaldas. Mi hermana, sin pensarlo, se quedó con el hermano alto y corpulento, dejándome al “mudo”, que apenas seguía con vida. Me dio lástima y lo mantuve a mi lado. Como no hablaba, lo llevaba de un lugar a otro buscando médicos y remedios. Como tenía una severa misofobia, yo siempre mantenía cierta distancia entre nosotros. Creía que había sufrido algún trauma y por eso era así. Hasta que los enemigos de mi padre nos secuestraron a mi hermana y a mí. Él me dejó atrás, eligiendo sin titubear morir para recibir la bala por mi hermana. Antes de morir, habló por primera vez; con los ojos enrojecidos le dijo a mi hermana: —Por fin puedes verme. Y a mí, en cambio, me dijo: —En la próxima vida, te lo ruego, no me elijas. Entonces entendí que no era mudo ni tenía misofobia. Lo de “mudo” y “misofobia” era solo hacia mí. Al abrir los ojos de nuevo, había vuelto al día en que elegíamos guardaespaldas. Esta vez, cumplí su deseo.

Sia Bennett pensó que conocer al despiadado Alfa de La Cumbre sería solo una formalidad. Hasta que lo olió: cedro, pólvora y puro, y auténtico, pecado. Kaelen Voss es su Compañero Destinado. Así como también es el prometido de su madre. De día, Kaelen interpreta el papel del padrastro frío y distante. Pero de noche, él invade su espacio personal; sus oscuros susurros y caricias robadas la empujan a la locura. —Sé una buena chica, Sia —le advirtió, mientras su mano se deslizó peligrosamente hacia lo alto de su muslo por debajo de la mesa donde se celebra la cena familiar—. Y no dejes que mami te oiga gritar. Atrapada entre la lealtad hacia su madre y un vínculo de compañeros que exige el amor de su compañero, Sia está librando una batalla perdida. Porque en esta casa, el Alfa siempre come primero.

My fiancé is the heir to a mafia empire. For seven years, I believed our love was the one true thing in a world built on lies. Then, on the night of our engagement party, I found him holding another woman — my own half-sister, the daughter of our family’s oldest enemy — whispering words that shattered everything: "I regret everything. Come back to me, and I’ll call off the wedding." I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I made a phone call instead. Three weeks later, on what should have been our wedding day, I erased my identity and vanished from his world. But not before making sure our wedding would be one he — and every family in the underworld — would never forget.

In my past life, my mother had adopted me out to my aunt, but kept my older sister close to her. I followed my aunt into the world of business and became a success that everyone envied. My sister, consumed by jealousy over my life, seduced my husband. To claim my fortune, she even schemed to burn down my villa. But she hadn't counted on the fire spreading too fast—we both perished in the blaze. Reborn, I now had a second chance. And of course, my sister was the first to step forward, claiming she should be my aunt's daughter. I smiled. Things were panning out just as I'd hoped.

I am Ivy Blackthorne, the Luna of the Graystone pack and a princess of the White Wolf royalty. Tomorrow, when the full moon rises, I will personally place the heirloom upon my nine-year-old pup, Lucas Gowling, as both his mother and Luna. Lucas is not only my pup with my Alpha mate, Alexander Gowling, but he is also the Child of Prophecy foretold to lead the Graystone pack to glory. For nine years, I have believed that moment will be the most perfect in my life. But three minutes ago, I caught a faint yet chillingly bitter scent in my breakfast. It is wolfsbane, a rare poison that can kill wolves. My blood runs cold. Who would poison my food? I force myself to stay calm and not react immediately. I lift my bowl and pretend to drink its contents, but I secretly pour it into a napkin under the table. A more terrifying thought forms in my mind—if my breakfast is poisoned, then what about Lucas' food? I shoot to my feet right away. Without even stopping to grab a coat, I rush toward the training grounds in the back of the mountains. Before I reach it, I hear Lucas' voice from the woods toward the north. "Mother, did I do well today? I watch her eat breakfast with my own eyes." I freeze like I was hit by a bolt of lightning. Trembling, I push aside the bushes, only to see someone unexpected standing there. It is Sophia Crow, Alexander's childhood sweetheart, whom he had supposedly cut off from his life long ago. She crouches slightly and wipes Lucas' sweat off his brow, her movements intimate and natural. "Very good. Just one more day. After the succession ceremony tomorrow, you won't need to call her 'Mother' anymore," says Sophia. Lucas replies, "I've grown tired of calling her Mother for a long time. If she dies, can I openly call you 'Mother'?" Sophia gently pulls Lucas into her arms. "Of course. You are my pup to begin with." In that instant, every breath I take feels suffocating. The pain is unbearable. The pup I raised for nine years is actually the illegitimate child of my mate and his childhood sweetheart.

"I am your husband, Leah! We're still married, and we love each other!" cried Jerome as he glared at her. "He lied to you, and you know it! You have been separated since more than a year ago!" said Adrian, his jaw tightening and his fists clenching tightly. Leah stood between the two with a throbbing pain in her head. If that damn memory had appeared soon, it wouldn't have been like that! Three months ago, Leah woke up from her long coma and found that her life had completely changed. The doctor said she had lost some of her memory, so she had no idea what had happened in the past five years of her life. Suddenly, a young billionaire named Jerome introduced himself as her husband, and when she started to believe that fact, a mysterious man named Adrian showed up and broke everything by telling her that she was being manipulated by her own husband.

My name is Cedric Bainbridge. For six years, I've been hiding the fact that I'm married to Beatrice Thorne, the CEO. Despite everything, she won't allow our son to call her "Mom". Once again, his birthday slips her mind. Her thoughts are entirely consumed by her male secretary. I've had enough. I sign the divorce papers and walk away with our child for good. For the first time, Beatrice, who is always so calm, completely loses control. She storms into my office, demanding to know where I've gone. But this time, neither my son nor I will ever look back.

All my life, I have been trapped in the shadow of my sister, Selene. She was the Silver Moon Pack's Daughter of Moonlight, blessed by the Moon Goddess, the prize every Alpha coveted. What she didn't know was that this time, I had been blessed as well. I was reborn on the night of my mating ceremony. Just as in my past life, she smiled that harmless smile, insisting on giving me the first choice of a mate, maintaining her perfect facade of a generous and doting sister in front of everyone. This time, however, I wouldn't give her the chance. In my last life, I genuinely believed she had my best interests at heart. I foolishly gave her the first choice and chose Alpha Damien of the Black Forest Pack, a man who suffered from Moon Sickness, sending him into frequent, uncontrollable rages. I gave up my birthright within the pack and became the balm for his violent wolf, staying by his side every moment like a full-time caretaker, even though he never offered me a single ounce of a mate's affection. It was not until a Rogue wolf attacked during the celebration for Selene's heir that he attempted to use dark magic to steal her unborn pup's spirit. In that instant, the Alpha who everyone believed had been lost to madness for years was suddenly lucid. He lunged forward to protect Selene, but in his haste, he accidentally pulled me into the path of the dark magic. The spell struck me instead, crippling my wolf spirit. Only then did I finally understand. He had never truly suffered from Moon Sickness. His pack had never seen him as a discarded monster. He had feigned madness only because he knew he could never have Selene's love and refused to bond with anyone but her. In my final moments, he apologized to me. "Forgive me, Elara." "I could never let anything happen to Selene. I'll repay you in my next life." When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the night our father ordered us to choose our destined mates. This time, they were the ones begging for my love.

On the Lunaris Festival, the palace banquet glittered with candlelight. It lasted until the Crown Prince rose and dismissed every consort of his for the sake of his first love, the woman he had never stopped idolizing. Everyone else accepted the gold coins from the prince and returned home for reunions. I had nowhere to go. I found a rope and hanged myself at the gate of the Withered Court. I had been reborn into this world and spent 21 years locked in the System's mission. It demanded that I court four designated male leads and earn absolute affection from at least one of them. I failed every route. The final path collapsed in my hands. The System offered one last mercy. If this body died, I could return home and reunite with my family. As my consciousness slipped away, I thought I heard someone scream my name, as if the world itself were breaking.

Leo never pretended to love me, but I fell for him all the same. The day I lost my daughter - our daughter - because of him, and I followed after her, I was given another chance. A chance to right my wrongs and make sure history wouldn't repeat itself. I might have been scorned by him once, his wife only because duty dictated it, but now I would rather drink acid than have his child again... Leo could be with Aurora or whoever he fancied. I thought I had it all figured out: the cunning woman he loved and her minions who never failed to try to trap me weren't much of a problem if I played my cards right... the real issue was that Leo began to take notice of me, and I wasn't sure I liked it. I was desperately trying to forge my own path and walk out of his life, but it seemed he was having none of that!