Thirty Seventh

Imagine being murdered by the very woman meant to protect you, your own grandmother, consumed by her lust for power. It sounds unreal, doesn’t it? But that has been my reality. This is my seventh life, seven times I have been reborn, and seven times I have died before the age of eighteen. At only five years old, I hid in a cupboard and watched through a crack as my grandmother, Lunice, gave the order that slaughtered my brothers, the royal princes of Ahenil, after news came that my father, King Ahenos, had been killed in battle. To secure her throne, she commanded the execution of every male in the royal bloodline. My mother’s maid, Martha, risked everything to smuggle me away. She raised me like her own, alongside her daughter Jane, the girl who became my light, and later, the love of my last life. But no matter where I ran or how I lived, fate found me. In each of my six past lives, my grandmother’s shadow hunted me down, ending me at eighteen. Sometimes she killed Jane too. Sometimes even Martha. Each death left me broken, yet each rebirth filled me with memories, scars, and a growing resolve. Now, in this seventh, I am no longer the helpless boy cowering behind a cupboard’s door. I carry the wisdom of six lives, the pain of countless betrayals, and the fire of vengeance that will not be quenched. This time, I will reclaim my throne. This time, I will protect those I love. And when October comes, the cursed month of my death, the world will remember my name. I am the rightful heir, the cursed prince reborn. And this time… I will defy fate itself.

Beatrice’s once-happy life came crashing down on her Seventh birthday after her parent's unexpected visitor. Forced to be enslaved and treated like trash by her supposed mate, Beatrice believed she would never be happy again. Until the night with the Lycan King sent her rethinking her whole life. He was here for her, but she knew he reeked of doom. Choosing peace, she fled with her unborn baby, but what happens when their paths cross Seven years later? When an important business deal forced them to meet eye to eye. Will Xander ever be able to forgive her after believing that he was the reason she committed suicide Seven years ago? Will she run away again, especially now that she has three of his kids?

Juliette Kerson does not want to fall for the Alpha Kings scheme of luring in Wolves, forcing them to compete for a place in his pack by attending the Thirty Day Trial. She wants freedom, not discipline. But this year, she is nominated to compete, and she is no loser. Free spirited, Juliette catches the young Alpha's eye. But she also is the product of an unspeakable species called Skinwalkers. She's different, but keeping that from an interested Alpha proves harder then it seems, especially with Ace, the deadly Skinwalker with a secret lurking around.

My daughter’s kindergarten held a family event, and I rushed there, only to see her holding hands with my wife’s male secretary. “Daddy,” she said, “I wish our family could stay like this forever.” I watched as the three of them hugged, radiant with happiness. Suddenly, exhaustion washed over me. Later, I filed for divorce. Then I left to teach in rural villages for thirty years. If I couldn’t light the lamp in my own home, I’d at least illuminate the path for others.

After my father’s death, I decided to divorce my husband, Captain Marcus Hale, and stay in Pine Ridge Village forever. On the first day, I tricked Marcus into signing the divorce papers. On the fifth day, I handed in my resignation to my old unit at Fort Haven. On the seventh day, I cooked a full table of food and said farewell to all my friends. Frowning, Marcus accused me of making the very meal his childhood sweetheart, Julia Summers, hated. I stood up and raised my glass to toast her. From this day on, Marcus and I would have nothing more to do with each other. Half a month later, I saw Marcus returning from a mission in Pine Ridge Village. Only this time, the country evening breeze brought tears to his eyes.

In the seventh year of our marriage, I caught Nolan Garrison kissing his secretary at a bar. He called me shortly after I walked away. "It was just a friendly kiss! What’s with the attitude?" he snapped through the phone. I could hear his friends in the background teasing him and saying that I would be madly jealous while pleading for him not to leave me tonight as usual. Before hanging up, Nolan warned me that he wouldn’t come home if I didn’t apologize. However, I wasn’t bothered by his threat. I didn’t care if he decided to come home or get a divorce. Three minutes later, I posted an update on my social media: “Prioritize self-love and grant others the freedom they seek.”

I was checking out our own hotel. Got hungry, so I snagged a tiny bread roll before my order came out. Then the lobby manager strutted over and slapped me with a fine. "Hi, miss. No outside food. You stayed eight minutes and thirty seconds, spent $150, and your fine's $128,000." I stared at the ticket like, What the hell? Snapped a pic and sent it to the board, tagging my lovely brother: [Getting fined at our own hotel—so THIS is how you're boosting revenue?]

My billionaire husband suffered from chronic insomnia for years. Only the sleep balm I made could help him sleep. On the night of our seventh wedding anniversary, his childhood sweetheart poured a basin of scalding water over the old camphor tree in our garden. I wept and tried to save the tree as she apologized, “I didn’t know you used its leaves to make the sleep balm.” My husband gently comforted her and ordered his men to tie me to the tree trunk instead. “What a precious tree. You’ll spend the rest of your days with it!” With my wrist fractured as a result, I filed for divorce immediately. A month later, my husband was unable to sleep late one night. He stood in the garden and stared at the withered camphor tree.

Alex, a CEO and university professor, struggles with his disabled legs, leading him to be harsh on himself and others. Claire, the daughter of a prostitute, feels low self-esteem and faces numerous challenges in her life with nothing to offer. They are afraid to approach each other, yet their hearts yearn to be together. 'I never chose to love her; my heart did, and I was powerless against it.' 'Three years, thirty years, three hundred years... as long as your heart still loves me, I will still be here waiting for you.'

(The Queen And The Freak Sequel, BUT... Can be read in your comfort.) *** The hybrid mates, Blair and Pryce, have just woken up from sleeping and are surprised to know that thirty years have passed since the last time they were awake. Things were about to change in their lives as they had to cope with the things in the new era. Old-looking old friends and new people to meet, new ways of living, new schools, new status, new powers, new roles, new problems, and new almost everything. How can they survive if their new lives are about to be destroyed by old enemies?