The Pearl

The news spread quickly—my mate, David Jonson, had been promoted to Tactical Analyst and was heading to Texline to take on a new assignment. He proudly shared the news with every member of the pack—everyone except me, his mate. I was the only one he hid the truth from. Why? Because in his eyes, I wasn't a smart mate. My wolf had been badly damaged in the past, so I had a poor memory and I tended to be clingy constantly, something he looked down on with disdain. "I'm really grateful to my best friend, Commander Johnson, who governs in Texas, for recommending me so I could get this promotion." I overheard him say to someone. "As for Pearl? That clingy she-wolf who follows me everywhere—there's no need to tell her. She'll come to Texline looking for me anyway." Hearing his words, I was excited—finally, a chance to prove I had a sharp memory after all. I stormed to my room and began packing my clothes. David had always made decisions without me, often leaving me behind. But this time, I would leave first. I would get to Texline before him, and when he arrived to find me already there, he'd be shocked at how clever I could be. But the next day, when I arrived at the airport, my confidence crumbled. I stood at the counter, suddenly blank. I couldn't remember where I was supposed to go—Texline, Texas, or Tennessee? My damaged memory failed me again. The last flight to Texas was about to depart, and the impatient airport staff didn't want to wait for me. She rolled her eyes and was about to close the gate. Worried I might miss the flight, I gave her a pleading smile and said, "Texas, Miss. I'm going to Texas."

To save the merfolk from slaughter, I seduced the vampire lord himself-Lazarus. He still loved me after all. For three days and three nights, he drowned himself in my body, unwilling to let me out of his arms for even a second. I roused from the haze of fleeting bliss, only to have a searing, corrosive liquid poured mercilessly over my head. "You with eternal healing can taste the sting of agony？" "Yet your trivial suffering pales in comparison to the loss of my kin you brought upon me. It is nothing at all!" "This is merely the beginning. Refuse to reveal where my parents lie hidden, and you shall never break free from this castle." He was convinced that I alone had destroyed everything he held dear. Holding the entire merfolk’s lives hostage, he confined me within the castle. Time and again, he tore open my chest by force, wrenching out my pearl of the mer, feeding its essence to Isolde to mend her frail flesh. He condemned me to sleepless nights, forcing me to cleanse the filth he left behind. Barefoot, I was made to dance the mermaid’s lament upon razor-sharp silver blades, writhing in pain to lull Isolde into slumber. Later, Isolde feigned a pregnancy. Driven by false tenderness for her, Lazarus took to slicing chunks of my immortal mermaid flesh with cold blades, brewing them into nourishing potions for her. Hatred for me burned deep in his bones, yet whenever I was on the brink of death, he would still force his own blood down my throat to keep me alive. "You presume too much on my lingering love for you, choosing silence over the truth, do you not? Aurora… tell me, what became of my parents?" I endured in silence, bearing witness to his love torn between hatred and longing. Soon, I would no longer need to guard that fatal secret. For a mermaid who dwells on land for three years shall wither and perish, severed from the sea that gives her life. Only three days remained until my final breath.

Nachdem sie sechs Monate nach ihrer Hochzeit die Scheidungspapiere von ihrem Mann erhalten hat, versucht Lisa, ihre Ehe zu retten, doch sie zerbricht, als sie von der Affäre ihres Mannes mit ihrer Cousine erfährt. Verraten und am Boden zerstört, verlässt sie ihn, um ein neues Leben zu beginnen. Sechs Jahre später ist sie die mächtigste Frau der Unterwelt und eine geniale Ärztin in der Außenwelt. Was wird sie tun, als sie herausfindet, dass der Mafiaboss, der ihren Sohn entführt hat, um sie zu erpressen, damit sie das Leben seiner sterbenden Verlobten rettet, niemand anderes ist als ihr Ex-Mann? Wird sie ihren Hass gegenüber den beiden beiseitelegen und das Leben ihrer Cousine retten? Oder wird sie zusehen, wie sie stirbt? Wird sie ihrem Ex-Mann vergeben, dass er seinen eigenen Sohn entführt hat? ~~~~~ Trey Collins, ein rücksichtsloser, herrischer und mächtiger CEO in der Geschäftswelt und ein gnadenlos brutaler Mann, der in der Unterwelt nicht zögert, zu töten, zu foltern oder jemanden spurlos verschwinden zu lassen. Jede Frau in Pearl City träumt davon, seine Ehefrau zu sein, fürchtet sich jedoch vor seiner tödlichen, dominanten Aura. Trey heiratete Lisa nur, um seine Freundin Valerie zu bestrafen. Nachdem er wieder mit seiner Freundin zusammenkam, verlangte er die Scheidung, doch Lisa weigerte sich zu unterschreiben. Als sie schließlich doch unterschrieb, war er überrascht, spielte aber Gleichgültigkeit vor. Er dachte, sie wolle ihn nicht gehen lassen. Er dachte, sie würde betteln. Doch warum erinnert ihn nach ihrem Weggang plötzlich alles an sie? Er dachte, er wolle sie aus seinem Leben verbannen… Nein! Er muss zurückholen, was ihm gehört — nur ihm allein!