The Fifth Vital

The night of the Blood Moon Hunt, our pack was ambushed. We were being slaughtered. Yet my mate, Alpha Ridley, chose to save his first love, Yolia, without a second thought. He told me to stay behind and hold the line, claiming it was my duty as Luna. He claimed his precious Yolia was a vital warrior who needed to be protected. Even my own son, Leo, stood by Yolia's side to defend her. I was captured by the rival pack, tortured with a silver dagger until I was on the brink of death. Just as I was about to give up, a voice echoed in my mind. "The blood of the Luna Prime flows through your veins. You have three days. Let your life end before the eyes of your fated mate, or the one you love most, and you will be reborn." A power surged inside me, calling to me. I ran toward that glorious death, embracing it. But as I drew my last breath, I saw Ridley and our son, Leo, fall to their knees, howling my name, begging for a return I would never grant them.

For the nursery's Family Day, my husband, Gary Lane, said that he was busy at work and told our daughter, Emily Lane, and I not to participate in the event. I looked at Emily's disappointed face, my heart ached. Therefore, I decided to take Emily to the event myself. As soon as we arrived at the nursery, we saw Gary carrying a little boy in one hand and holding his childhood sweetheart, Shannon Harvey's hand in the other. They looked like a family of three and were very happy. That was until they saw me and Emily. Gary furrowed his brows a little and then let go of Shannon's hand. "Don't get me wrong, Jasmine. It's not easy for Shannon to raise a child as a single mother. It's the child's fifth birthday today. She wanted him to experience some fatherly love." I looked at him meaningfully, squatted down, and held Emily's hand. "Honey, say hello to Mr. Lane."

One silly dare in a crowded club. One clumsy puff of his cigarette. One choking cough that turned innocent giggles into something dangerous. Grace thought she was just playing a game with her friends. She never expected the man in the shadows, the one with the cold eyes and the lighter that flicked like a promise, would watch her every second after that. Adrian Valente doesn’t chase women. He claims them. Ruthless mafia king. Owner of the night. The kind of man who makes rooms go silent when he walks in, whose name alone is a warning carved in fear. She ran back to her table laughing. He stayed seated, cigarette forgotten, staring at the spot she’d left like she’d stolen something vital from his chest. Now he knows her name. Her laugh. The way her cheeks flush when she’s embarrassed. And Adrian Valente never forgets what belongs to him. One dare started it.One look sealed it. She has no idea the devil just decided she’s his. And devils don’t let go.

I happen to come across a popular post regarding a company's finance department on social media. "Seriously, that person in the sales department is such an idiot! All I wanted was to claim reimbursement under her name for the bag I bought, and yet she still refused! "Since she doesn't want me to reimburse my bag, then she can forget about reimbursing everything! This time, I'll teach her a lesson about what happens when she offends a member of the finance department!" There are many bashing comments in the comment section, but the original poster doesn't care at all. She continues adopting a haughty tone. "What am I scared of? The finance department is extremely vital to the company! I refuse to believe that the boss has the courage to offend me, the most important person alive, just to stand up for a sales employee who's easily replaceable!" As I stare at the familiar profile picture belonging to the original poster, I can't help but mentally sneer. She wants to suspend all of my reimbursements, huh? Go ahead, then! This time, I'd like to see what the consequences are for offending a member of the finance department!

It's Family Day at my daughter, Hannah Neel's, preschool, but my wife, Samantha Miller, says she has to work and tells both Hannah and me not to go. Seeing the disappointment on Hannah's face breaks my heart, so I bring her to school anyway. As soon as we step through the gates, I see Samantha. She's holding her childhood friend—Oscar Barnett's—hand, with a little boy clutching her other. The three of them look like a perfect family, laughing and chatting, as if they belong together. When Samantha sees us, her smile fades, and she lets go of Oscar's hand. "Zach, it's not what you think. Oscar's raising his son alone. Today's his fifth birthday, and he just wanted to give him a little taste of a mother's love," she says quickly. I study her for a moment, then kneel and gently take Hannah's hand in mine. "Sweetheart, say hello to the lady."

On our son's fifth birthday, the three of us went to watch a meteor shower. In the middle of it, my husband answered a phone call and left in a hurry. Late that night, our son had an asthma attack. The only medicine he needed was in my husband's car. I clutched my son and ran through the empty wilderness, stumbling in the dark as I called my husband over and over again. All I got back was an icy message: [Something urgent. Do not disturb.] The next day, he finally called. However, the voice on the other end was not his. "Last night, my dog suddenly fell ill and died. Elias was worried I wouldn't take it well, so he stayed with me all night. He has just fallen asleep. If you have anything to say, you can tell me." I stroked my son's pale, bluish face. "Tell him," I said, "we're getting a divorce."

This Christmas was actually one of my favorite and hilarious Xmas celebrations with uncle Gabriel here with us. It was fun and embarrassing too which made everything much of a sweet memory later on. How many can I remember? It began with little Josh's scandal, grandpa's embarrassment in the mall that day when he actually and mistakenly took his voter's card to the mall instead of his payment card. That day,I wouldn't dare wish anyone else the kind of embarrassment I felt under the unusual gaze of my classmates. I had to endure it all because my siblings and aunt ran away when they sensed what was happening. What if I tell you about aunt Caroline's argument with the pastor right there in the church on the twenty fifth of Christmas in the presence of everyone and with the pastor still standing in front of hundreds of people or is it uncle Gabriel's mischief which got us in trouble with the police, making us to sleep in the snowy woods with crazy imaginative ghosts hunting us down.

We had been together for seven years, yet my CEO boyfriend canceled our marriage registration 99 times. The first time, his newly hired assistant got locked in the office. He rushed back to deal with it, leaving me standing outside the County Clerk's Office until midnight. The fifth time, we were about to sign when he heard his assistant had been harassed by a client. He left me there and ran off to "rescue" her, while I was left behind, humiliated and laughed at by others. After that, no matter when we scheduled our registration, there was always some emergency with his assistant that needed him more. Eventually, I gave up completely and chose to leave. However, after I moved away from Twilight City, he spent the next five years desperately searching for me, like a man who had finally lost his mind.

“Cassie.” Everything around me froze. I stared at him without blinking for a second. “Cassie?” I repeated back to him. “The woman you brought into our house and claimed she was a distant cousin?” That was the moment I knew my marriage was over. Chloe Stone thought she had a perfect life, with a husband she loved and a future she had dreamed of since she was a child. But on the night of their fifth wedding anniversary, one text changed her life. Her husband was having an affair with another woman. Devastated, she walks away from her marriage with nothing but a suitcase and her pride. She leaves and tries to heal but it is difficult under the roof of a bitter father. Chloe lands a job in a powerful firm and comes face to face with Alex Blackwood, her ex-husband’s college rival, a powerful billionaire CEO with a guarded heart, raising a child on his own. Can two hearts shattered by their pasts, find love in the most unexpected second chance?

Eight years have passed since the battle that took the lives of many, eight years since the birth of an Alpha prince, and eight years since the world has been at peace. Alejandro Rossi, the Lycan King, ruled his country with a just and fair hand. Enjoying life with his mate Kiara and children in tranquillity. That is until the shadow of a new threat falls upon them. One mistake, one failure and one regret, destroy the very foundation of his life. A mother's pain, brings his queen to her knees. Will his guilt throw him back into the darkness he once drowned in? Will her pain make her forget everything she holds dear? With time ticking out, will they strength the bond of love, family and hope before everything is destroyed? THE FIFTH INSTALLMENT IN THE ALPHA SERIES Book 1 – Her Forbidden Alpha Book 2 – Her Cold-Hearted Alpha Book 3 – Her Destined Alpha Book 4 – Caged Between The Beta & Alpha