The Dressmaker's Gift

When 15-year-old Callisto's life's flipped completely upside down in a matter of hours, it's up to to her and her companions to restore a broken kingdom before an evil warlock, Zephyr, destroys all she holds dear. They travel across the nation of Pasiphae to find the only person who can help them, an old, wise wizard who has the power to beat Zephyr. Can this sheltered teenage unite a divided kingdom? Or will Zephyr and the darkness and pain of the real world show her that most things in life are out of her control? •••Updates Every Sunday and Wednesday at 11:11 am EST

I had agreed to pay 10,000 at the wedding. At the very last minute, my mother-in-law, Alice Thompson, suddenly raised it to 500,000. I went to confront them. My husband, Dylan Forrest, kept his head down, pretending not to hear a thing as he looked at his phone. Alice rolled her eyes, clearly about to brush me off with some excuse. But instead, the truth spilled out of her mouth against her will. "Of course we have to take advantage of you being pregnant and unable to run to squeeze as much money as we can. It's the perfect timing to use it to buy Gideon a house, paid in full!" The words were like a silent explosion. I was so furious I actually laughed. "So, that's the plan? You're trying to strip me for everything I have? If I don't pay, does that mean there's no wedding?" Alice clamped a hand over her mouth, panic flashing across her face. But her voice came out louder than ever, like it was blasting through a speaker. "If you don't pay, then get lost! You're just a pregnant, used woman. Who else would want you besides Dylan?" The guests erupted instantly. Dylan's face went pale as paper. I smiled. Then a mechanical voice rang in my head. "Honest Lies System activated. Malicious fraud detected. Reward granted: 100 billion. Match assigned: the richest man in Lumeria at the next table." "Fine," I said softly. "You said it yourself." I wanted to see just how the Forrests planned to show their faces tomorrow after every ugly truth they'd tried to hide was dragged out into the open.

After a humiliating divorce and years of being dismissed by her own family, Lena Marlowe wants nothing more than peace, quiet, and the chance to rebuild her confidence. But the universe and her dangerously determined neighbor have other plans. When Lena reluctantly agrees to a date arranged by eccentric matchmaker Aunt Calliope, she expects a polite evening with a mildly attractive stranger. What she gets instead are two breathtaking wolf-shifter leaders, Ronan Vale and Silas Thorn, who insist she is the missing piece to their rare Lunar Bonded Triad. Ronan is a fierce and battle-scarred Alpha; Silas is a gentle yet deeply intuitive Omega. Together, they rule the Emberfall Pack powerful, respected, and united by duty. But without a mate to stabilize their shared power, both men are vulnerable… and their enemies know it. Lena wants nothing to do with supernatural politics, pack rivalries, or the intense pull she feels toward both males. But when her cruel ex resurfaces and a jealous she-wolf challenges her right to stand beside Ronan and Silas, Lena is forced to confront the truth: She is not human at all; she is an untriggered shifter with a destiny she never knew existed. To survive, Lena must claim her power, trust her heart, and embrace the dangerous, tender, overwhelming love of two men who are prepared to burn the world for her.

Three years into my marriage with Dominick, Gia, his stepsister, sent me a video clip out of nowhere. I tapped on the video, only to find Dominick tying his stepsister to the bedpost with the tie I had given him. His stepsister lay naked under him, addressing him intimately. After getting their freak on, they shared an embrace, and Gia cozied up against Dominick and uttered, “I don’t like the ring you bought me. Give it to Luna, and tell her it’s a birthday gift from me.” The next day, I sat in an upscale restaurant and stared at the vacant seat across the table. Suddenly, the Underboss wheeled a massive cake toward me. “Don Costa was called away on urgent business. He sent me to deliver your birthday gift.” The box contained his stepsister’s discarded reject. My phone buzzed with new pictures from Gia. Dominick was at the hospital with Gia for a check-up. Without a fuss, I signed the divorce papers and made preparations for a wedding. “Donna Costa, whose names should I put down as the bride and groom?” “Dominick and Gia.” A week from now, I would show the world the kind of filth the supposed solemn Don had been rolling in with his stepsister.

I was slowly dying from Silverthorn Wolfsbane, and there was only one cure—the Miracle Elixir. But my mate, Leo Ashford, bought it and gave it to my adoptive sister, Jane Smith. He did it because he thought I was faking my illness. I gave up on the treatment and swallowed a potent painkiller instead. It would kill me in three days by shutting down my organs. In those three days, I gave up everything. I handed over the fur manufacturing business I built from the ground up to Jane, and my parents praised me for caring about my sister. I offered to sever our mate bond, and Leo praised me for finally being sensible. When I told my son he could call Jane "mommy", he happily said that his new mommy was the best! I transferred all my savings to Jane, and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. They were just pleased with my "better behavior". "Viola is finally not so bad." I wondered—would they regret it after I was gone?

"Draven, where the hell are you touching? That's Mrs. Miran!" At my son Draven Tarell's, birthday party, he was making a wish with his eyes closed. But his hand ended up right on my neighbor, Rina Miran's chest. Rina was wearing a deep V-neck, showing off her fair chest, and his hand was already on bare skin. But what I didn't expect was Rina looking like she was actually enjoying it. She even arched into his touch. I was even more shocked when I realized that her ripped son, Kian Miran, was eyeing me like I was his next meal.

The day I found out I was a match for my dad—stage four leukemia—I bailed. Mom tore the world apart looking for me, but yeah, she had to watch him go. After that, she drowned herself in research, built a name, even adopted this perfect little angel. We crossed paths again at some fancy leukemia conference she was hosting. I was on the demo table. She took one look and scoffed. "Charlotte Stein, not the time for your crap. Get up and go." The host blinked, stunned. "Dr. Cooper... you know this cadaver?" She actually laughed. "What, she paid you for this stunt?" The host turned ghost-white. "M-Miss Stein passed three days ago..."

I secretly ordered a delivery of a thousand roses for my wife's birthday, hoping to surprise her. After the delivery was completed, I got a message from the delivery guy. [By the way, I tossed the trash by your door on my way out. Didn't expect you to be so kinky. Good for you, man!] He even sent me a photo. In the picture was an open trash bag stuffed with shredded pantyhose. My mind went completely blank. I was overseas on a business trip. My wife was the only one at home.

On Father's Day, I received a heartwarming gift. My one-year-old son called me Dad for the first time. But moments later, he convulsed, foamed at the mouth, and died before we could reach the hospital. My wife was shattered, and I was devastated. The doctors couldn't identify the cause of his death. Three years later, my wife emerged from her grief, and we welcomed our second child. But the moment this child called me Dad, they, too, died instantly. To spare her further pain, I suggested adoption. Yet, even our adopted children met the same fate. Unable to bear the losses, my wife divorced me. Everyone said I was cursed, never meant to be a father. Defiant, I remarried and had another child, vowing never to let them call me Dad. For years, we adhered to this rule. But when our daughter turned four, she came home from preschool, eager to celebrate Father's Day. Holding a card, she read aloud, "Dad."

In the underworld littered with only the worst people imaginable, it is very important to know who you can trust and who you can't. Where death is just a breath away and one mistake can cause an all-out war between powerful groups of people, trust is something earned, not given. Eden Maschera, the leader of an organization known as The Aberrants with their signature letter 'A' in all the clubs, restaurants, hotels and everything else they owned, knows this fact. To get where he is, he's had to make many sacrifices. With blood-stained hands, he watched over all the people under him with an iron fist and unwavering ideals. No one knows to be more cautious against other people than him, not after what he's been through. But, all that is thrown out the window when he meets a pretty, naked, black-haired man in a club with who he did not get along instantly. Even though several things happened just in the course of that night. In a world of betrayals, heartbreaks, lies, secrets and death, what will become of the two? Read to find out. Updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (GMT+8) P.s. Not my artwork