the art of saying no

The tree I fell from was rotten. It's leaves were rotten, it's bark was rotten, and it's roots were rotten. Unfortunately, I am an apple that didn't fall far from that rotten tree. I was groomed in the shadow of that rotten tree and sprayed with poison to ensure I would be nothing but it's germinated seed. My earliest memories are dark and painful. My most vibrant memories are coated in crimson red and shame. The small pieces of my soul that I kept hidden and protected are the only parts of myself I can tolerate. The rest of who I am... The despicable trash that haunts my dreams... I hate. Death is the only answer to my life. Not love. I don't deserve love. A tainted apple is never put amongst the ripe juices apples. It is thrown away, discarded... As I should be.

Miguel had always known that he was destined to be the next Alpha of his pack. As he grew older, he trained hard and honed his skills, preparing for the day when he would take over from his father. But when he met his mate, he was thrown off course. She was human, and he knew that he could not be with her, even though he felt a strong pull towards her. He rejected her, breaking both of their hearts. A month later, they met again, and Miguel discovered that his mate was not just any human, but a direct descendant of the werewolf royalties.

"Bind her up," I heard a woman's stern command. They roughly shoved me to the ground, placing my arms on a bench and tying them with ropes. "It’s an honor for you to be a surrogate candidate for our King! HOW DARE YOU try to escape?! Now you’ll pay the price!" As his partner handed him a pair of pliers, he flashed me a purely evil smile. My heart sank into my stomach. The king? Surrogate?! I had no idea what he was talking about... "NO PLEASE! Listen, you’ve got the wrong person..." They didn't even let me finish before they pulled out the nail on my index finger. "Ah-----" I thought I knew pain, but his actions proved I didn't. I had never experienced such torture; my helpless screams filled the entire dungeon. Tears streamed down my face, and my hands were soaked with innocent blood. The woman sat not far away, legs crossed, smiling at me. Soon, she raised her hand to signal everyone to leave and then crouched in front of me, slowly untying the ropes around me. "I know it's not you, but a she-wolf escaped. We'll use you to replace her. So, if you want to survive here, shut your mouth and do as you're told." Just like that, everything changed... *** Betrayed by my fated mate and my best friend. I, the powerful daughter of an Alpha, was scheduled to be executed on the false allegations of murdering my father and his comrades. Fate had other plans as I escaped but landed myself on an island ruled by a mysterious king, Asher Ludwig... No matter how difficult it is, I will fight my way back and reclaim everything that belongs to me!

Yvonne Quintin is a young seventeen years old girl who was chased out of her park by her parents when she shifted for the first time on her thirteenth birthday and turned out to be a cursed wolf. She wandered around and found rogue friends who also betrayed her when they found out who she was. Alpha Raymond is a twenty six years old Alpha of twilight park who claimed yvonne as his mate immediately he set his eyes on her. The Alpha sisters conspired against Yvonne on her seventeen birthday and killed her having found out she was cursed but said their brother sent them. Yvonne vowed to avenge them if she's ever given a chance with life again. Yvonne is later reborn as Mia in the land of the witches . Will he betray her like he did,in her previous life or will she spare his life since he is her mate. Will Yvonne avenge her death on those that betrayed her in her former life or will she repeat the exact mistake she made in her previous life and fall blindly in love only to be betrayed yet again … How will she avenge her death towards the Alpha sisters? Will she ever succeed in her plans? What will happen when the Alpha sisters find out that she is a witch pretending to be human. Find out in the rebirth of the betrayed Luna.

My in-laws-to-be are poisoned, but my fiancé insists on going fishing with his true love. I don't stop him. In fact, I lend him my car. In my past life, he chose to take his parents to the hospital after I stopped him. However, his true love died at sea and ended up being eaten by the sharks. My fiancé was normal after her death. However, when we were on our honeymoon, he stabbed me and pushed me into the ocean. "It's all your fault, Fiona! I failed to save Lauren because of you! Now that she's dead, you don't deserve to live, either!" The scent of my blood attracted the sharks. They ripped me to pieces before I could drown. When I open my eyes again, I find my in-laws-to-be lying in their bed. My fiancé runs off to save his true love. Ultimately, he still regrets his actions.

Photo by Anastasiya Doborvolskaya via Pinterest A hundred years had passed since the war against witches reached its conclusion, leading the Kingdom of Londeve to a century-long peace. Everything's all well either for the young village baker boy, Tristan who lives a simple life with his two younger siblings not so far away from the country's capital. As ordinary as he might seem, it is not to be expected that he's actually acquainted with the only living royalty residing in his homeland, Crown Princess Anne of Londevè. Even so, their decade-long friendship never brought any significant change in each others' lives throughout the years, and for the humble young man, it is something to be relieved for. However, fate seem to have its own mischievous way of twisting the humble orphan's life. It was a remarkable encounter that turned his seemingly normal life into a dangerous rollercoaster ride as he got involved with the epitome of misery herself — the manipulative and mysterious lady, Serina Lourdemayne, who has been ironically keeping the peace at the Kingdom as a substitute Queen despite being a witch herself. Will this accidental and unwanted engagement ever reward him? Will they be able to work progressively despite their obvious and huge differences with their loved ones, responsibilities and aspirations in line? Dive into the world of magic and witness the journey of Tristan and Serina together with the noble Paladins as they protect the Kingdom from the coming calamities and from the new enemies that could possibly be more powerful and sinister than the wicked witches the human race had faced before.

A story of reincarnation. The Queen of the Arab world asks the help of an alchemist to create a potion for her King to fall in love with her. They, however, fall in love with each other and their forbidden love is threatened by the King's power. A gush of wind sends them to another time during their flight from the citadel. They come alive again in modern times, New York where they rekindle their love and protect it from the forces of the King, who has come down to end them as well.

Hurt, betrayed, and killed by the people she trusted with her life, Kiana Frost faces a brutal death when she least expects it. But during her last painful moments, she offers a silent prayer and prays for a second chance. The heavens are on her side because she finds herself reborn and ready to punish all those who dared to betray her and the people she loved. But it's not going to be easy and she will need protection, which only one man is powerful enough to give. Arthur Reed. He is cold, powerful, and a billionaire but the only problem is that he's also her ex. Will he help her even though they didn't part on good terms? Desperate and left with no choice, she approaches him but what she doesn't know is that he never stopped secretly loving her. Will fate be on their side and rekindle their love while Kiana gets the revenge she deserves?

I thought the worst part of my life was over when Lucas Mattfield divorced me and dissolved our bond. I thought I'd be free. I was wrong. After enduring two years of abuse at the hands of the future Alpha of Red Ridge, I’m left bruised and broken. Betrayed by my mate, my pack, my best friend, and even my own father, I’m nothing more than a discarded Omega, sold to yet another man. A rogue Alpha in a town I’ve never heard of - Haven's Crest. Alpha Johnathan Banks — tall, commanding, and impossibly handsome — offers me a new life and the chance to be his Luna. With his dark eyes and rugged charm, he’s as dangerous as he is captivating. The town is breathtaking, the people are friendly, and everything seems perfect. But something dark and dangerous lurks beneath the surface, and I don't know who I can trust anymore.

Ophelia Evans, an orphan and a mystery to everyone, No one knows who she is? Where did she come from? Tristin Rivera, a CEO and a bachelor who is sought worldwide by thousands of women, but other than his name, no one has seen him (still, he is famous). They both are a world apart; they shouldn't meet, let alone falling in love. When these two aren't even in each other's world, that's where fate came. A natural matchmaker… After all, every single pair was a match made in heaven, these two also. Like every love has to go through the test. They also went through the ordeal of destiny and the past trial. What will happen when the truth about their origin comes out, and with that many dangers also? Can they face that? Can their love and determination win through trials and have a happy ending? In the end, will they have their own little sweet and happy ending love story? Let's go and join Ophelia and Tristin's journey...