She Chose Herself This Time

My roommate won first prize in the national lottery, a full 100 million dollars. She quit her job on the spot, blocked her boss, and said to me, "Amanda, from now on, we'll live in Luxuria Heights, eating the best food and living it up." We went on shopping sprees at Hermès and treated Michelin restaurants like our daily canteen. On moving day, she told me to go ahead to the top-floor luxury apartment and wait for her. She said she needed to pick up a package. Excited, I entered the password she had given me. "Beep. Incorrect password." I was just about to try again. Then, the door opened. The person who came out was not my roommate but a stranger in a suit. He looked at me and frowned. "Who are you? Why do you have the password to my home?" I was stunned. "This is Lydia Zaydn's apartment. Who are you?" The man's expression turned strange. "Lydia Zaydn? I've lived here for five years. I've never heard of that name."

Astra Finnegan has always had a sharp tongue and a natural charm that made her popular—at least, in the human world. On her eighteenth birthday, everything changes when a voice whispers in her mind, “I’m Lola, your wolf.” Now, Astra must leave behind everything she has ever known to attend a school meant for her kind. She’s about to uncover the truth about the father she once presumed dead and the reason she feels irresistibly drawn to the mysterious boy who haunts her dreams. But if she wants to survive in this new world, she’ll have to play by its rules—even if that means faking a relationship with a boy she can’t stand and befriending girls she has nothing in common with. Except this isn’t the world she’s used to. Being headstrong and stubborn might have worked before, but here, it could lead to disaster. Can Astra adapt to the life of a werewolf, or will her defiance cost her everything? Will her fake relationship turn into something real, or will her reckless attitude ruin her chances? Above all, Astra is about to learn what it means to have a mate, as well as prove she belongs in the pack. Because if she doesn’t, rejection is the least of her worries. But, can anyone really run away from who they truly are?

In my last life, my sister and I got adopted into two very different worlds. My mom? The "cool" type. Let me perm my hair in elementary school, signed off on a nose job in middle school, and shoved me toward one of Northport's richest heirs right after college. Ella's mom? Hardcore strict. Pulled her out of a fling with some delinquent and married her off to a quiet professor with a just-decent paycheck. Ella hated it. Wanted my life so bad. So when I ended up in the hospital pregnant, she used her shiny doctor title to kill me—and my baby. Then boom—I woke up, and we were back to adoption day. This time, she dove for the mom she thought handed me the dream. What she didn't know? That "cool mom" she worshipped was straight-up a monster.

Blood poured heavily between my thighs, the metallic scent sharp enough to make my wolf whimper in agony. But the pain that tore deeper into my soul was the sight of my Alpha mate running past me without hesitation, chasing the overturned vehicle that had crashed toward Marina’s white car instead. “Marina!” he roared, his Alpha command raw and furious. A voice he had never once used on me in the five years I had stood beside him as Luna. I lifted my trembling hand, my lips parting in desperation. I wanted to scream that his pup was the heir of the pack, the secret I had protected for years was growing inside me. But he never looked back. He gathered Marina into his arms, his grip fierce and possessive, and carried her away as if she were his true mate. I thought that was the worst betrayal a Luna could endure. I was wrong. When I woke in the infirmary, the bond between my wolf and my mate was eerily silent. No Alpha. No pup. Only the cold scent of blood and a set of rejected papers resting beside my bed. I smiled faintly, my voice no more than a whisper. “This time I will be the one who makes Alpha Declan Jordan kneel until he howls in regret and begs his discarded Luna to return.”

“Just...I have one question before this,” I pretend to not see his hurtful look, keeping my eyes on his chest, “...Please.” Would it change anything if I’m pregnant? I want to ask, I don’t know how. Taking a deep breath, I look up, just to catch him rolling his eyes with a sigh: “I don’t have time for your games, Scar.” Home? I laugh bitterly. We don’t have a home anymore, Sebastian. I built one for us, and you broke it.

"Wider, Millie. Yes, that's it." I lay weakly on the examination table, my hands unconsciously gripping the sheets. The voice behind me was low and restrained, but it made my ears burn. This examination position was too embarrassing. My buttocks were forced to arch high like some kind of submissive gesture. "Doctor, I can't open any wider..." I bit my lower lip, my voice trembling deliberately. I could see my reflection in the metal bars of the examination table. My messy hair stuck to my flushed cheeks as my eyes shone with a watery, dreamy glow.

In the era of mystical magical creatures, "The Continent" is a magical realm where all supernatural beings co exist together under a peace treaty. The continent is a barrier between the demon realm and the human world, and its land is blessed with an immense amount of magic. But, When the seal of time breaks, enemies once again rise from the depth of drakness, the protectors are born, and tasked to finding their way towards each other to help prepare for the last war.

Two young men and a love born and grown over the years, but unable to be fulfilled for the differences between the two. After seven years, they meet again and realize that nothing has changed in their hearts, but the outside world continues to hinder their love. Will they be able to break down the barriers that keep them apart and finally realize their dream of love?

“Are you crying?" She shook her head and wiped at her face as more tears were falling. “I’m so stupid.” she groaned. "Now I am truly and utterly alone. If I had just said yes to marrying him, none of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this mess.” Without warning, I turned sharp to the side, putting the car to a sudden stop close to the curb. “Don’t ever say that again. You think marrying a man you don’t love, a man who doesn’t care if he hurts you, just to please your family is the right thing to do?” I turned to her slowly. “That would’ve ruined you.” “But I would’ve had a home to go to, I would’ve been taken care of. Now I have nothing,” she looked away. I reached over and gently took her bruised hand in mine. “You did the hardest thing anyone in your position could have done. You saved yourself. That takes more guts than standing there and pretending to be happy.” I tucked a hair behind her ear. “You think you are alone? You’re not… you have me.” ___ Alina Etienne has always lived a life dictated by her parents. She is groomed to be an obedient daughter, a perfect public image, and now, a bride to a man she doesn’t know or love. On her wedding day, crushed by the weight of expectations, Alina does the unthinkable... she says “I don’t” and flees the altar. On the run and scared with nowhere to go, she crosses paths with Mikhail Antonov. A cold, guarded man with a past he doesn’t talk about. What began as a reluctant act of kindness turned into something neither of them expected.

When I was born, I was already a certified liar. That's a fact that everyone seems to agree with. The truth is, my mom, who's a scientist, has implanted advanced chips into me and my fraternal twin brother, Ryan Hartwell, when we were still babies. By right, as long as we lie or make mistakes, our mom will receive the devil signal from the chips. Then, she'll administer electrical shocks as a form of punishment. Ryan's chip often transmits the smiley signal. Even if he destroys our mom's research equipment and pins the blame on me, his chip still has the smiley branded on it. Meanwhile, when I reach home ten minutes later than usual because I had to help out a classmate, my chip transmits the scary devil signal. The next thing I know, I've already crippled to the floor from the intense pain caused by the electrical shock. At first, I'll still explain to Mom what happened. But she often exclaims, "Don't think you can pull off clever little tricks just like that gambling father of yours! The chip is ten thousands times smarter than you! The punishments will only be branded into your bones if the pain is searing enough! What I'm doing is saving your life!" After suffering from the pain countless times, I get brainwashed into thinking that I really am a liar and a troublemaker by nature. On the night of Christmas Eve, Mom comes to the attic to tell Ryan to join the family at the table for the Christmas dinner. That's when my asthma suddenly acts up, causing me to stumble and fall to the floor. "I… I can't breathe… Save me, Mom…" But Mom just coldly gazes at the devil signal that she has just received on her phone. Then, she dials the shock value to the maximum. "You don't have asthma at all! Ugh, you're kicking up another fuss just to attract attention! Seriously, you never change your ways!" After that, she takes Ryan's hand and leads him out of the attic. Soon, she slams the door heavily behind her. As I suffer from asphyxiation while on my deathbed, I can't help but think that Mom is right. After all, my chip has just transmitted the devil signal. Maybe the asthma attack really is just a figment of my imagination. I've always been a bad girl who loves lying to others, after all. When Mom finds out that this is the last time I've ever lied to her, she must be really happy, right?