Unlimited Void

My mate, Jasper Morrison, says coldly, "Elena, I'm breaking our mate bond." We stand on the open ground at the edge of the Silvermoon pack's territory. The full moon hangs high overhead, and this should be the sweetest moment for fated mates. We've loved each other for ten years. And now, he's about to break the bond Moon Goddess has given us. "Why?" I ask in a shaky voice. "You're an orphaned wolf," he says, turning his face away. "You don't have the bloodline to match me. The pack Elders have already approved this." A tearing pain rips through my chest. Having the mate bond stripped from me feels like my soul is being torn apart. I collapse to my knees, gasping for air. "Serena's father is one of the strongest Alphas in the North," Jasper says, looking down at me without a trace of guilt. "She'll help me rise as the strongest Beta in the Silvermoon pack's history." "You said…" I clench my teeth, fighting the pain. "You said you'd spend your life with me." "I was young and foolish," Jasper replies, already turning away. "The bonding ceremony is in three days. I suggest you don't cause trouble." Moonlight glints off his retreating form. I watch him walk away, my fingers clutching the moonstone bracelet my mother left me. It's my only keepsake. A message from an unknown number appears. "Elena, this is Damon, your older brother. I've been looking for you for 20 years." "I've attached a black card with unlimited credit. The resources of the entire Blackwood pack are at your disposal. No matter what you're facing, I've got you." I stare at the screen. The Blackwood pack? The top wolf pack in North Anthica? Another message soon pops up. "I'll come get you in three days. Wait for me." My finger hovers over the delete button. It has to be a scam. I'm just an orphaned wolf. How could I possibly have a brother from the Blackwood pack? Just then, a voice message from Jasper arrives. "Elena, for old times' sake, I'll arrange a place for you in one of the pack's spare houses when the ceremony ends. You can stay as part of the pack. I'll take care of you." He wants me to watch him bond with another she-wolf and thank him for keeping me in the pack. I delete Jasper's contact, then rename the unknown number in my phone to "Damon". My fingers tremble as I type a single word. "Okay."

At the afterparty, my daughter, Mia Volpe, suffers from a sudden asthma attack. She collapses to the carpeted floor and goes through a seizure on the spot. But my Capo husband, Lorenzo Volpe, wraps an arm around his secretary, Sophia Bianchi, while watching Mia suffer before his eyes. Sophia had once shown him a forged paternity test of Mia and him. As such, he firmly believes that Mia is the bastard child of me and a Soldato. When Mia tries to reach out for Lorenzo, her complexion already bluish-purple from suffocation, he merely averts his gaze with a disgusted look on his face. "Daddy… S-Save… me…" I look everywhere for Mia's inhaler like a madwoman, only to realize that it's already empty. Sophia covers her mouth while tittering softly. "Dear me, Mia sure has an affinity for acting! Elena, I can't believe you and your daughter are willing to go to such lengths just to get Lorenzo to pay attention to you! "Since Mia likes acting that much, she might as well make the performance perfect." She lifts a high-heeled foot before crushing Mia's fingers, which were attempting to curl around Lorenzo's pant leg. Poor Mia was in so much pain, yet she couldn't let out a single sound. All she could do was scream silently into the void with her mouth wide open. I kneeled on the floor, my forehead already bleeding from smashing it against the floor repeatedly. "Lorenzo Volpe, Mia is your flesh and blood! Please, I'm begging you! Give me some medicine or call a doctor!" But Lorenzo just looks at me coldly, as though he's looking at trash. "A bastard like her is better off dead. Elena Corleone, stop using such underhanded methods to spoil everyone's mood." At that moment, what little love I still harbor for this man completely dissipates as I feel Mia's heartbeat gradually weaken. I no longer beg him for help. With trembling hands, I press the button on the emergency transmitter that I've sworn I'd never touch. That transmitter is the direct line to the highest authority in Smeraldia—my father, Don Vito Corleone.

Don't fall in love with the Superior. That's the only one forbidden Rule! If you don't want the contract to be void; and in order to survive, build a strong wall and don't let your heart fall. __ Arissa Paige is the bread winner in the family. S'ya na lang kasi ang inaasahan ng dalawang nakababatang kapatid. Their parents died in a car accident 3 years ago, kaya naman napikitan si Arissa na pagsabayin ang pag-aaral ng kolehiyo pati na ang pagtatrabaho. Halos gawin na nga n'ya na araw ang gabi, kumita lang ng perang ipangtutustos sa kanilang pag-aaral at pangangailangan sa araw-araw. Ngunit dahil sa kakarampot na kinikita ay kinailangan pa n'yang maghanap ng ibang mapagkakakitaan, may ipandagdag lang sa kanilang gastusin sa bahay at paaralan. Hanggang sa... Isang site sa internet ang inirekomenda ng katrabaho, na naghahanap ng bagong sekretarya ang isang mayamang negosyante. Dahil sa malaking sahod, hindi nagdalawang isip si Arissa na mag apply sa nasabing job fair. At parang isang malaking milagro ang nangyari, dahil sa isandaang libong aplikante, si Arissa lang ang bukod tanging nakapasa. But what if sa pagpasok ni Arissa sa kontratang tinanggap, matuklasan din n'ya ang tunay na katauhan ng pamilyang kanyang pagtatrabahuhan. Handa kaya s'ya sa misteryo na matutuklasan? Magawa kaya n'yang makatagal sa puder ng masungit na Young Master? O, ito pa lang ang simula ng bagong dagok sa buhay ni Arissa? Dahil sa pagpirma pa lang n'ya sa kontrata, binigyan na rin n'ya ng pagkakataon ang puso na labagin ang ipinagbabawal na utos. At iyon ay huwag mahulog sa kanyang boss... ... na isa palang bampira? Ngunit sadyang mapaglaro ang tadhana, dahil isang sumpa ng katauhan ng nakaraan ang pilit na humahadlang sa kasalukuyan. Kanila ba itong malalampasan? O isang disesyon ang tatapos sa kontratang nasimulan? ___ HANDA KA NA BANG MAGPAKAGAT?