Stepping Stones Synonym

The world deemed Akira a waste, not by default, but due to his own actions or lack of. He lacked the enthusiasm and desire to be anything. His family were all geniuses in their respective fields, but he spent the entire eighteen years of his life eating, drinking, and having fun. Despite all these, he loved his family and therefore it was an instinctive reaction to save his father from what could have been a fatal collision. He was supposed to be dead, but… Out of nowhere, a system appeared and thus began his journey of world-hopping to save the cannon fodder villains. In every story, there were always a few individuals whose purpose was to act as stepping stones for the love of the protagonists. Their suffering is there to act as the foil for their happiness. As a result, Akira must remove their protagonist's halo and teach these protagonist scums to value the life of others.

Alec and his best friend Keith are the elite fighters in their village. Swordsmanship has been part of their life since they were children, and now that they've grown up they want to be soldiers. Their dream will be shattered once Alec mistakes the Mad King for his friend because of their incredible resemblance. The consequence of their unfortunate encounter will lead Alec to be forced to work in the palace, doing anything requested from him in order to escape from execution. But being near the Mad King will open his eyes to a world he's never seen before. Keith will break the rules trying to save his friend, but stepping inside the palace will bring untold tales, uncovered secrets and bloodbath.

On the day I died, my boyfriend was with another woman. He was a man I had rescued from the clutches of rich women. My condition was for him to be my boyfriend for three years, and he agreed. I showered him with money, resources, and connections, single-handedly making him famous. Yet, while he told me we could not date publicly, he casually engaged in fake romance rumors with others for publicity. One of his rumored girlfriends even came to me with a voice message. "If it weren’t for using her as a stepping stone, who would bother with someone so dull and boring?" But after I died, why did he go mad?

"We reject your rejection, Dirk!" Tricc growled, his voice dripping with determination. "You can't run away from us, Alpha or not. You are our Mate, and we won't accept your rejection!" Seth added, his words filled with unwavering conviction. Kurt tsked, stepping closer to Dirk, his gaze intense as he looked down at their whimpering mate. "Your body's heat and scent are driving me wild, and yet you dare to reject us when your pheromones clearly say otherwise." The air thickened with their Dominant pheromones, overwhelming Dirk to his very core. His limbs quivered, and each breath escaped him in short, desperate gasps. He was on the brink of losing his sanity. If they continued drenching him in their pheromones, he feared he would succumb before he had the chance to carry on with his plans. It was a miracle they still yearned for him so fiercely, considering all that he had done to hurt them all these years. ***** In a world where shifter prides reign and Alphas are revered, destiny throws a curveball that shatters all expectations. In "The Alphas' Pride Mate: The Pride Who Goes Into Heat," love, power, and tradition are pushed to their limits like never before. Seth, Kurt, and Tricc, the enigmatic triplets, had long awaited their destined Mates. But they never could have anticipated that Dirk, a fiercely independent Lion Pride member, would be the one meant for them. Confusion and anger consume the triplets as they grapple with this unconventional revelation. Dirk, a proud Lion Pride, is equally astounded. As a Pride, he believes his place is with an obedient Omega, not in the arms of commanding Alphas. Now faced with the unexpected reality of being Mated to three Alphas, Dirk is torn between fear and anger. Rejection is his only escape plan.

Michael spent five years dealing with his disorder: haphephobia. Afraid to be touch. Afraid of stepping out of his home to enjoy a normal life. After moving to a new school, Michael has to challenge himself again from the beginning, but now with help from his new friend Elliot. Update: Monday Disclaimer: trigger warning. The novel goes through disorders that can be triggering and sensitive for viewers.

After three decades of fighting each other, the humans and the werewolves had signed a peace treaty in Alexandra's hometown. She was summoned by the Alpha to marry the playboy billionaire, Luther Sinclair, to strengthen the treaty. But she knew that peace was the last thing that humans were aiming for because from the beginning, they were the ones who were more beastly than the wolves. They had always wanted to eliminate every single wolf in town. Alexandra became Luther's wife; he was the Governor's son and her stepping stone to infiltrate the humans' society and to fulfill their revenge plan. Her mission was to spy on him and make him fall in love with her and dispose him once she had uncovered all his family secrets. But there was a problem. She didn't expect the strong attraction she had felt for Luther. He was a tease and a devil in disguise who would never let himself be pushed around. And he had a mission, too: to own her heart, body, and soul. In this new battle where the loser will be devoured and only the wicked will win, can she still guarantee her victory?

"You claim to hate me because I'm an animal but look at how your c**t has soaked my fingers," he brought his hand to my face and indignation washed through me when I saw how soaked his fingers were from my wetness. I tried to avert my eyes, to look away but my eyes were latched on his hand and he brought it to his mouth to lick his fingers clean and he released the last one with a pop with his eyes locked on mine. And I died. Literally. **************** Nadine Singh is a human in the normal and she works in a real estate company. When she proposes a development plan to convert a forest into a mega city, she doesn't know that she's stepping on the toes of the race of werewolves that inhabit the forest and are unseen to the humans until she's kidnapped by their Lycan King. Kai Cruz, the Lycan King and the Alpha of the surviving werewolf race that lives in Eden City, a city that looks like a deep forest to humans is forced to make a drastic decision to save his people. He's forced to kidnap the human that's hell-bent on converting their natural habitat into a mega city. He plans to convince her to stop the development and he's not prepared to discover that the human is actually his mate, a mate that he has been looking for for years because she's the only one that can put a stop to an impending doom for the whole werewolf race. Will Nadine accept her fate as being mated to a Lycan King and fall in love with him or will she fight her for her freedom all the way to the end?

Jamari has been through a lot since becoming the Wolf Queen. She has now found herself in the Vampire Realm and confronted with her Vampire mate who is less than thrilled about sharing her with three others. With the help of Fate, Jamari must convince Lucern that they are meant to be together, the fate of the Realms depend on it. With a new threat stepping on the scene, will Jamari be able to convince Lucern to accept her as his mate before time runs out? Or will his loyalty to another get in the way of the yearning they feel for each other? *Book 2 of the Alpha Queen Series (Book 1: Rise of the Alpha Queen)*

Devyn Reilly isn't a socialite or mafia princess - she's down on her luck and it shows. Her rent is due, bills needed to be paid and she just got fired. Her singing career was going the same way as her life was - nowhere. But would all this be enough to make her go down The Rabbit Hole? Kieran Teague is a ruthless Irish mob boss, known to be so callous that even the Russian Pakhan of New York was wary of him. Stepping into his newly opened BDSM club, The Rabbit Hole, he did not expect to be intrigued by a lowly new dancer. However, the second she opened her mouth to sing, he knew he had to have her. Will the ruthless mobster be softened by the submissive siren? *Book 3 of The Mafia Trinity Series of Novels*

In this life, I told my father I didn't want to marry Leon Williams. I'd rather marry his half-brother instead. My father was shocked—after all, everyone in town knew I had been obsessed with Leon for ten whole years. But in my previous life, I only discovered the truth as I lay dying in childbirth: the baby I carried wasn't even mine. It belonged to Leon and the struggling medical student he'd been secretly funding. The cruelest part? They conceived it using the drug I had developed. After my death, the three of them lived happily ever after as one perfect little family. So in this life, I'm willingly stepping aside for them. I'm curious to see how their love affair works out without my drug. What I never expected was Leon's reaction when he saw his brother's ring on my finger—he completely lost it.