Tone Indicators

By chance, I stumbled across a trending post from our company's finance department while scrolling through social media. "That idiot in Sales. I just wanted to put my bar receipt under his name for reimbursement and he refused! If he won't let me claim it, then no one gets reimbursed! This time I'll make sure he learns what happens when you offend Finance!" The comments section was full of complaints and criticism, but the original poster didn't seem bothered in the slightest. The tone was arrogant, almost smug. "What's there to be scared of? Finance is the lifeline of any company! Would the boss really risk offending the backbone of the company over some replaceable sales guy? No way that's ever happening!" I stared at the all-too-familiar face in the profile picture and let out a silent, cold laugh. Blocking my reimbursement? Fine. This time, I'd like to see for myself what would actually happen if I mess with Finance.

On the day Zachary Lake stands at the pinnacle of global technology, accepting his award, I'm lying in a hospital bed, abandoned by doctors because I can't afford treatment for kidney failure. On TV, the host asks him to call the person he's most grateful for. Without hesitation, he dials my number. "Shannon, do you regret leaving me?" he asks. I clutch the astronomical medical bill in my hand, the paper crumpling beneath my fingers. Forcing a light tone, I reply, "Can you take me on as your kept woman now that you're a big deal?" On screen, his face remains expressionless as he hangs up without a word. Then, his cold voice pierces through the broadcast. "Now, I have nothing to feel grateful for." But what he doesn't know is that when he was on the brink of death years ago, I was the one who gave him my kidney.

Just before my wedding, my fate mate, my Alpha fiancé, Micheal, stripped me of my wedding dress—our wedding dress—and handed it to his mistress, Becky Porter. Not only that, but he locked me in the dressing room like some rabid wolf he needed to contain. "Becky has a terminal illness.She just wants to experience being a bride before she dies." I lunged forward, my wolf howling inside me. Alpha's strength pressed against mine, his dominance forcing my muscles to lock. My claws twitched, itching to break free. "You bastard!" I snarled, my breath ragged. Micheal barely blinked. Instead, he let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head . "She’s dying, and you can’t even show a little compassion?" His tone dripped with disappointment, as if I were the villain here. "You’re only losing a wedding, but Becky… Becky is losing her dreams and her life."

Being too weak was an original sin for a vampire, but falling for a werewolf was worse than weak… As the weakest vampire, I have always been bullied as a ‘disgrace’, especially since my father was the leader. Humiliated and finally exiled, I adapted to my new life as a normal café waitress. Until that man broke my tranquility. Scarred face, stink smell, flirtatious tone… Ration told me to run away ASAP, while the pounding heartbeat betrayed me, and I even saved him! For moonshine's sake, he’s a werewolf, our biggest enemy. And I was even entangled in his dangerous Alpha family stuff. However, I never realized the real disaster was ME! Everything went wrong when an ‘admirer’ appeared in my life who claimed to have infatuated me for decades… And he revealed to me the top secret of my family: I had a similar face to a Goddess'! Will he still trust me, when I am not me anymore?

A young, beautiful she-wolf moves into the house opposite mine. She always strikes up conversations with me, her tone filled with enthusiasm. "You and Mr. Howl have such a great relationship. Even after seven years of marriage, he still kisses you goodbye when he leaves. It’s so sweet." She blinks playfully before continuing, "I have a friend who constantly complains about his mate. He says every time he kisses her, it feels like he's kissing a fat pig. Her scent disgusts him, and he can't even get hard when she's around. "And at night… just the sight of her belly rolls and sagging skin makes him want to throw up." I don’t particularly like this she-wolf, but I still offer her a polite smile. That night, however, when my mate kisses me, he suddenly freezes—then pushes me away and runs to the bathroom to vomit.

At the annual gala, my father had me marry Asher Ziegler, a rising star in the finance industry whom he had groomed. Back then, I, Maddison Gruber, had no idea that Asher was in love with someone else. Sometime later, my father's company is investigated for product fraud, and his company's stock plummets. He even faces criminal charges. When this happens, Asher immediately brings his first love, Cora Singer, home and tells me outright that he is going to make her his legally wedded wife. My mother-in-law admonishes me. "Your family's bankrupt now, and you're completely barren! Why shouldn't my son remarry?" Asher slides a divorce agreement in front of me, his tone condescending. "Sign this, and I can let you stay here and live alongside Cora." But I say nothing. I merely quietly book a ticket to leave this place. In seven days, I will be following my father down south.

His magnificently beautiful eyes looked into mine with possessiveness. I exhaled out a shuddered breath, and he grabbed my jaw. “This is not who you are to me, Isabella. And I want more than what we have. Understood?” The dominance in his tone was obvious, while his words sounded like a fantasy I’ve always dreamt of. More than what we have. More than step-brother. ______________________________ I, a 19-year-old girl, had always had a secret crush on someone I shouldn’t have. That’s right—it was none other than Achilles Roman, my stepbrother, who was two years older than me. I had kept my feelings dumped in a Tupperware box for as long as I could remember. But how could I control myself when he himself started making moves on me? And what should I do when I realize that he was nowhere near the Achilles I thought I knew? Read to find out.

In my tenth year of marriage, my old childhood friend, Joshua Sears, posts a photo on social media. Both Joshua and my wife, Sabrina Lawson, are hugging his son, Andy Sears, and my daughter, Tiana Jenkins, in it. The four of them look very close to each other. The caption accompanying the post says, "Blessed to have the perfect son and daughter." I leave a comment below the post, saying, "Looking good together." A few seconds later, the post is deleted. The next morning, Sabrina rushes home and yells at me. "Ashton Jenkins! Joshua was finally feeling better for once. Why did you have to trigger him again?" Tiana shoves me hard and snaps in an accusatory tone, "It's all your fault that Andy's crying now!" I take out a copy of the divorce agreement and slam it down before them. "Yes, it's all my fault. That's why I'm stepping out of the picture now. Then, the four of you can form the wholesome family you've always wanted."

You are mine, little lamb! No matter where you go, I'll find you.” Jared said in a soft voice, yet Lael couldn’t shake off the deadly underlying tone beneath it. She knew he was trouble. She knew he was danger. Wherever he goes, Death and Hades follow after. Alpha Jared was a ruthless Alpha and now she is at his mercy either she accepts his proposal or she loses her brother. ~~~ When Alpha Jared captured Lael from her pack, he binds her to him with a powerful blood tie. He was supposed to make her fall in love with him to break the curse, but Lael vows to escape and exact revenge on the dominant wolf who had stolen her freedom. Lael, determined to ruin him, was shocked to discover that her hatred had turned into a forbidden attraction towards the beast. Now she is torn between her thirst for revenge or give in to her attraction. Where blood, loyalty, secret and power are interconnected, let dive into the story to see what choice Lael would pick.

At our Thanksgiving family dinner, my stepbrother brought his beautiful girlfriend to meet the family for the first time. She held up her wine glass and flashed me a malicious smirk. “I heard you had a first love you can’t forget, Summer.” I kept my head low and focused on my food, unsure how to respond. After all, my first love… was her boyfriend. When I was seventeen, my stepbrother Ethan Cole tricked me into crossing the line we should never have crossed, while our parents were blissfully unaware. Even right now, under the table, his foot was rubbing mine sensually. He did not bother holding back. On the table, he held his girlfriend’s hand tenderly as he mocked me with a smirk, “You’re twenty-seven, sis. Your shelf life is running out, and you’re such a plain Jane. Who would ever want you?” I stood up abruptly and looked at him, my tone calm and resolute. “I’m married, Ethan.”