Who Was

Synopsis Athena never imagined grief could hurt this much. Losing both her parents and the parents of her best friend in a single tragic accident shattered her world and the only person who could ease the pain was the one she could never have: Tristan Blackwood, her brother’s best friend, the enigmatic biker Alpha she had secretly wanted for years. One night of weakness leaves them tangled together, hearts and bodies entwined but Tristan rejects her before she can even breathe. He calls her a sister, a mistake, a danger to himself and his world. Heartbroken, Athena escapes across continents, vowing to heal alone, far from the man who claimed her so briefly, so intensely, and so wrongly. Five years later, fate isn’t so forgiving. Tristan returns more dangerous, more powerful, and more determined than ever. The bond between them hums like fire, pulling them toward each other with a force neither can resist. Athena wants to resist. She has to resist. But some bonds aren’t broken by distance, time, or pain… Now, Tristan is ready to claim what he lost, and Athena must decide whether to risk her heart again for the Alpha who refuses to let her go.

Having stripped off the Luna position because of her husband's death, Ophelia is made a rogue by her late husband's half-brother after he takes over the Alpha throne. She's been struggling to make ends meet until one year later, someone shows up at the tavern where she works with the news, "Alpha Finlay isn't dead, my Luna." Mystified, Ophelia didn't know whether to be sated or frightened. She shifted into her wolf and ran to the council hall in fast gallops, only to see the man she mourned for one year because he wasn't completely hers. Finlay Dupree wasn't dead, he was the only survivor of the death trap set by the Barbarian pack members. He was interrogated by the elders because he was believed to be dead after his headless body was buried and funeral rites were performed. Ophelia reclaims her position as Luna over the Crimson Paw pack, however something doesn't seem right with the Alpha. Dislike was a mutual feeling and common between them, because Ophelia was married off to Finlay as a debt repayment owed by her father. Finlay had a mistress whom he loved. However, he's been a different person since his return. Showing interest in Ophelia and becoming more considerate than normal. Ophelia is still having doubts about him, but the redness in his eyes when he shifts into his wolf gives out that he's truly an Alpha. Truly, an Impostor wouldn't uphold such supremacy? Aside that, the man is hell-bent on making her fall in love with him. Now, is he truly Alpha Finlay who's changed after survival? Or an Impostor trying to make her believe his lie so he'd never get caught?

What the council wants, the council gets. And what they can't get, they eliminate. When she is forced back to Oakblood and into Kingsbury College, Rain Riverton is well aware there are only two ways out. Survive or die. But survival isn't as simple as it seems, not when the council is watching her every move, not when the students at Kingsbury possess magic she could only dream of owning. And certainly not when she gains the attention of the one person she shouldn't. Kai Malek is as dangerous as the council she fears, or maybe more. Her tormentor and the reason she left Oakblood years ago. He swore to kill her, and there is nothing more sacred than a blood oath. Oakblood isn't what it used to be. Kingsbury isn't the safe haven everyone thinks it is, and Rain isn't the same girl she was when she crossed the wards into the cursed town. The council wants something with her and she is going to make sure they never get it, even if it costs her sanity, her life... or the enemy she has no business caring about.

I donated 45 million to the city's best kindergarten, but my daughter failed the enrollment interview. She was a polymath. Furious, I demanded an explanation from admissions. She hurled an assessment file at my face. "Your daughter's brilliant, but you're the exact opposite! You're dead last among the parents!" She continued, "The others have tech domes! You're nothing but a regular Ivy League graduate! Your degree's worth about as much as toilet paper!" The other teachers laughed as well. "If we admit her daughter, it's going to look bad on the other kids. She can't take that responsibility." "Yeah, I can't believe she's demanding an explanation from Ms. Johnson. Her husband is the kindergarten's biggest stakeholder. He can make sure her daughter has nowhere to go." The admission teacher shoved me away. With disdain in her eyes, she said, "Out of my sight if you know what's good for you. My husband is picking me up in his Rolls-Royce. His car plate alone is worth more than your life! It's lucky 777! Only one in Georgeport!" Three sevens? That was my husband's car. I laughed mirthlessly and texted my husband. "I had no idea you had another wife behind me."

The day before my wedding, I was insulted by two men. In my defense, I ended up killing one and injuring the other. My fiancé at the time, Alexander, who was supposed to protect me, abandoned me during the trial. I was sentenced to two years in jail. When I was finally released two years later, I discovered that my ex-fiancé had already married my best friend, Isabella. And Isabella? She didn’t just ‘steal’ my fiancé—she took the doctor position that was supposed to be mine too. I had nowhere to go, and in my most desperate moment, Eric Graves appeared at my door. As the most powerful mafia leader in NYC, Eric used his influence to ensure no one would speak ill of my past. He also proposed to me, confessing that he'd always had feelings for me and wanted to marry me. I believed he was my knight in shining armor, my true love. The first four years of our marriage were perfect—at least, that’s what I thought, until the day I overheard a conversation between my husband, Eric, and his right-hand man, Adam. “Boss, you were so clever to let those scums harass Evelyn. If it weren't for that, Miss Isabella would never have had a chance with Alexander.” Eric’s teasing voice followed, “I just wanted to scare her for a bit. Never thought she’d kill one of them and end up behind bars.” Adam sounded confused. “But Miss Isabella is already married now. Why would you still keep that whore around after she got out of prison?” “Because,” Eric paused, “I have to make sure she doesn’t run back to Alexander or disturb Isabella.” The laughter that followed shattered my heart. All those memories of Eric saving me from humiliation? They were all a lie. He was the one who made my life fall apart, just to make sure Isabella could live happily ever after. Wiping away the lingering tears, I dialed Eric’s biggest rival in NYC, Caleb Nightshade. "Do you still want to wipe Eric out of New York?”

When April Caddel was just a child, her world changed with the arrival of Orion King, a guarded teenager taken in by her loving parents. For over a decade, Orion was her protector, her strict older “brother,” and the unshakable force in her life… until he vanished without a goodbye. Now, six years later, Orion is back. No longer the boy she knew, he’s a powerful, aloof businessman with a new name and carefully guarded secrets. But April’s heart remembers the boy who saw her when no one else did. And her body reacts to the man he’s become. Orion is determined to help April rebuild her life, all while clinging to the one rule he’s never dared to break, he is her brother in every way that counts. But April is no longer the little girl who followed his lead. She’s falling for the one man she was never supposed to want. As boundaries blur and emotions spiral, forbidden love burns between them, threatening to upend everything they thought was safe. The arrival of Orion’s entitled half-siblings and a father who wants his son back only adds fuel to the fire. They share no blood. But will that ever be enough? When love dares to bloom in forbidden soil, will it survive the storm? Or would their love story become one more secret they can never afford to tell?

“The night I signed my divorce papers, a stranger leaned close and whispered— ‘From now on, you belong to me.’” The night Elowen Corvella cast away the title of Mrs. Hale, she collided with the cold, enigmatic billionaire whose empire makes men bow and women tremble. Alexander Veyrek—His gaze pinned her like a claim, and he offers her a dangerous proposition—a marriage that promises both sanctuary and ruin, thrusting her into the world she didn't realise existed before.  But, behind his ice-edged charm lies a hidden agenda—a motive that could cost Elowen everything, even as it ignites a passion she can’t resist. In a world where loyalty is fragile, betrayal bleeds deep, and desire burns hotter than vengeance, Elowen must face the truth: can she trust a man who holds both her salvation and her destruction in his hands?

I married him without love. I never knew he despised me… or that I would be blamed for a tragedy I didn’t cause. In a house full of secrets and lies, can I survive a husband who sees me as his enemy and maybe, just maybe, make him love me?

In my previous life, my husband had suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage, leaving behind a massive mountain of debt. For the sake of my son, who was still in high school, I sold the house my parents had left me, gritted my teeth, and worked three jobs to pay off the debt. Overworked and exhausted, my health deteriorated, and I eventually collapsed in the hospital. From my bed, I could hear my son, now a graduate from a prestigious university, smiling as he spoke on the phone. "Hello? Dad, it's me. Yeah, she's about to die. I bought insurance for her, so we should get close to one million. You and Aunt Rena should come back home right away." The "Aunt Rena" he spoke of was none other than my husband's childhood friend and neighbor who had known him for years. It turned out that the debts were all part of a massive money-laundering scheme between my husband and his childhood sweetheart. They had fabricated false accounts to hide their crime, and he had faked his death to escape the law. My son, eager to become the heir to wealth, had stood by and watched me work myself to death. When I next opened my eyes, I was back in the moment of my husband's feigned brain hemorrhage, the day it had all begun.

Love and hatred can't coexist ever, but love combined with generosity can leave a lasting impact, which are not easy to hide. My story, however, was a dark and unsavory tale that would make the world shun me even more than they already do. It's not a story suitable for innocent ears, a cautionary tale of how I dragged my princess charming into a toxic and bitter love. My love was genuine, yet I'm haunted by the guilt of my actions. When everything backfired, my Alpha introduced a new woman he claimed to love, and I was forced to accept it. But a life without love is a dumb, lifeless existence, a bleak and hopeless hues.