The Last Gift Novel Novels & Stories

Lorien Daniel is a fan of any celebrity: bands, actors, singers. You name it. But just like fate, she met the pride of her town, a famous band: Zenith, at Kofibucks where she would often go for coffee and some relaxation. Who would have thought they'd be there, too? Over time, Lorien and the boys of Zenith become good friends. She had found love, too, which really did not surprise her. But the members of the band are three brothers... and two of them had fallen for her. From friends to lovers to rivals... who among of the two brothers, is Lorien's happily ever after?

On Christmas Eve, our three-year-old daughter, Noelle Gilder, who has cancer, takes a turn for the worse. All she wants is for her mother, Ivana Lance, to dress as Santarina and bring her a gift. I frantically call Ivana, but she impatiently yells into the phone, saying, "Why are you calling me nonstop? I am helping Charles look for Bubbles! Do you really have to make a scene over this? If Bubbles is gone, Charles will be so heartbroken that he will not be able to sleep for days!" Bubbles? So she was looking for the dog of her first love, Charles Larsson! Suppressing my anger, I tell her that Noelle might not survive the night. She laughs disbelievingly, "Mr. Gilder, do not think for a second that I'm not aware that you've spoiled Noelle rotten! If she had not suddenly kicked Bubbles, he would not have run away. Make Noelle apologize to Charles tomorrow." After hanging up, I accompany Noelle as she spends her final Christmas Eve with tears in my eyes. The next day, Ivana publishes a post on Instagram, still looking for the dog. Meanwhile, my post is Noelle's obituary. Ten years of marriage melt away into nothingness like snow.

Growing up, you may have heard stories about magical creatures and other unknown beings that the grownups would tell kids to make them behave and listen better. These stories didn't start out as 'Once Upon a Time' instead would be told as a warning to not go to a place or be out past a certain time or else something would come and take them away. Most of the stories were passed on by the elders over the many generations. There is this one specific story you are about to hear, or I should say read is about a young woman by the name of Ashley who grew up hearing all kinds of these stories. She would come to find out that a certain story that she has heard many times wasn't just some made up fairy tale. Once she turns18, her will change forever.

At the label showcase, Lily Monroe pointed at the second microphone beside Adrian Vale and asked, "Is this where Mira usually sings with you?" The room went quiet. That mic had been mine for seven years. From dive bars with sticky floors to sold-out theaters, I had stood to Adrian's left for every acoustic closer. I wrote the lyrics, arranged the harmonies, booked the early gigs, and talked club owners into paying us when Adrian was too proud to ask. Everyone in the band knew that final song was ours. Adrian had once promised me that when we sold out our first arena, we would sing it together before he announced our engagement. But Lily only tilted her head and smiled, all nervous charm and pretty innocence. "Can I try her part?" Adrian looked at me for half a second. Then he handed her the spare in-ear monitor. "Go ahead." The rehearsal room went silent in the way people go silent when they know they have just watched someone get replaced. Lily stepped up to my microphone. Adrian leaned close to adjust the stand for her height, his hand lingering at her waist as he showed her where to come in on the chorus. The band looked anywhere but at me. That was the moment I realized Adrian Vale and I were over.

Before my death, I repeatedly remind my son, Clark Sinclair, what to do after I pass away. I stress that my heart must be donated to my husband, Craig Sinclair. He has suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy for 30 years. This is the last thing I can do for him. Clark shakes me off impatiently and snaps, "Enough. Stop pretending to be kind. Dad was never sick." I think I must have misheard him. "What?" He lets out a cold laugh and continues, "If you hadn't refused to divorce him all these years, why would he have needed to fake an illness just to be with Vern in secret?" My whole body trembles as I demand proof. Clark hands me a marriage certificate. On it are the names Craig and Verna Bloom, my widowed sister-in-law. The two lean against each other intimately, smiling sweetly at the camera. In an instant, rage and grief overwhelm me. The family I spend half my life building turns out to be nothing more than a complete lie. Clark continues expressionlessly, "Actually, Vern is my real mother. Your child was drowned in a bathtub long ago. Back then, Dad and Vern couldn't resist each other. She went into premature labor and nearly bled to death. She gave birth to me on the same day you gave birth. "Dad was so frightened that he developed heart palpitations. He was afraid you'd never stop causing trouble if you found out, so he pretended to be sick for 30 years." Curled up on the floor, I cough up a mouthful of blood. "Why tell me now?" Clark looks at me with eyes full of nothing but hatred. "You stole Vern's place for 30 years. And now, even on your deathbed, you want my dad to owe you a favor. Why should he?" An inexplicably bitter taste fills my mouth. In the end, I die consumed by regret. When I open my eyes again, I find myself in the delivery room next to Verna's. A wave of excruciating pain surges through my lower body.

Felicia Rivers spends ten years hating me after the death of her first love, Samuel Gardner. No matter how hard I try to please her, she merely sneers in response. "If you really want to make me happy, why don't you just die?" A sharp pain pierces my heart when I hear that. But when a burning roof beam comes crashing down on me, she saves me but dies. As she lies in my arms, she uses the last of her strength to brush away my hand that is holding hers. "Michael Sommerson, how wonderful my life would've been if I hadn't met you…" At her funeral, her mother, Lady Rivers, sobs uncontrollably. "This is all my fault. I never should have forced you to marry him. If I had let you marry Samuel like you wanted, would things have turned out differently today?" Lord Rivers glares at me with hatred in his eyes. "Felicia saved you three times. Why do you only ever bring disaster into her life? Why wasn't it you who died?" Everyone looks back and think Felicia marrying me is a mistake, including myself. In the end, I leap from the top of Star Tower and return to ten years earlier. This time, I decide to sever all ties with Felicia and give everyone the ending they want.

Aurora Blackwood has spent her entire life being treated like a mistake. Mocked for her curves, ridiculed for being wolfless, and overshadowed by her perfect younger sister, Aurora has learned to survive on scraps of affection. The one thing she has never stopped dreaming about is finding her fated mate, the one person destined to love her unconditionally. But on the night of the Moon Bond Ceremony, that dream shatters. When Alpha Xavier Thorn, the future Alpha of Mooncrest Pack, discovers Aurora is his mate, he rejects her before the entire pack. Humiliated, betrayed, and framed for crimes she didn’t commit, Aurora is cast out by the very people she spent her life helping. Even her own family turns their backs on her. Alone and hunted in rogue territory, Aurora expects death but Instead, she is rescued by the most feared Alpha on the continent. Alpha Darius Nightfang. Powerful. Ruthless. Untouchable. And according to the mate bond, hers. As Aurora begins rebuilding her life, long-buried secrets come to light. She was never the weak, wolfless outcast everyone believed her to be. Hidden beneath years of lies is a bloodline powerful enough to change the werewolf world forever. Now the girl they mocked has become the woman everyone wants. As Alphas fight to own her, enemies emerge from the shadows, and a deadly prophecy begins to unfold, Aurora must decide who deserves her trust and who deserves her wrath. Because the rejected wolf they cast aside was never ordinary, she is the last Moonborn descendant. And this time, she won’t be the one begging.

On my fifth year anniversary, my wife, Rachel Sutton, announces her pregnancy on her social media feed. "After going through artificial insemination for the 39th time, I finally got pregnant with your child as I wished." The accompanying photo features Rachel lacing fingers tightly with her first love, Damon Calloway. I leave a like on the photo calmly. Then, I give them my blessings. The next thing I know, Rachel calls me on the phone. She roars at me furiously, "Damon is diagnosed with cancer! What's wrong with me bearing a child for him? Garrett Whitaker, you're being too much right now!" I reply coolly, "Then come back and file for a divorce. Once the divorce is through, you can go ahead and find yourself a husband who won't 'become too much.'"

I was on my knees, begging Henry to take our daughter to the amusement park for her birthday. She was going to have surgery for her ailing kidneys, and she wanted time alone with her father. He agreed to it, only for our daughter to wait in the cold, never showing up even as she passed out coughing blood. Through her tears, she asked me why her father favored his other daughter so much—was she such a bad girl? She died with her hopes crushed. Her phone slid off her fingers, still playing a video… A video of her own father renting out the largest amusement park out there just to celebrate the birthday of his mistress' daughter!

Due to my heightened sensitivity, even the slightest touch causes an uncontrollable reaction. My husband, concerned, sends me to the hospital for treatment. As I lie on the operating table, the attending doctor unexpectedly triggers a wave of intense response from me—right in front of my husband.