Is it wrong to love someone? They say, love knows no bounds...
The Titus Alsfield Republic.
A place where all elements coexist alongside each other in harmony.
Outside of the city limits lies the horrors of discrimination and the residences of non shifters, stuck in poverty and crime.
In a small family of four, Luisa Donaldson lived in the slums of Zephir, a populated city just outside of Montrose that was flooded with the shiftless. Despite the poor living conditions, she remained diligent; straight A's, a student athlete, and still managed to work a part time job.
Luisa was completely ordinary, surrounded in her world without the magic of elements.
But how did being ordinary make her so different?
Her father, little brother, and even her stepmom shared the same reddish orange eyes and the ability to shift fire. Of course it always confused her as a child, considering she was the only one in her family who couldn't shift at all.
Her eye color wasn't even blue, gray, or green like the other elements- it reflected a deep amethyst hue.
Growing up, she definitely assumed she was adopted with heavily similar features to her family, but nevertheless, she stopped questioning it as she grew older.
That was, until they decided to move into the Republic.
It was a dream for her family, getting to experience life around people just like them after settling in the slums.
Though, she couldn't dread it more, knowing she would be the only person who wasn't like the others.
"Hey, sweetheart. Got everything for school tomorrow?" a knock on the door was heard, making her head snap up at the sound.
Her father, Calvin, peeked through the opening. His eyes trailed over the boxes that still weren't fully unpacked, despite moving in two weeks ago.
"No." she mumbled, inattentively scrolling through her phone.
Calvin let out a sigh, stepping into her space. He looked at her room that was barely decorated, only the essentials laid out. "Min, it's been days. Your brother is already unpacked." he frowned.
Luisa rolled her eyes, hearing the younger boy yell from the other room at his television. "Jason only unpacked cause he wanted to play video games."
He chuckled, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.
"I know it's different, but I've been wanting to move here with Maribel for years. Jason deserves a chance to be around people like him."
"I know, I was holding you guys back from moving here." she replied bitterly, pitying herself for being the only non shifter in the household.
Despite living with Jason's real mom, Maribel, most of her life, she just never considered her as her own. Sure, she makes an effort, but it's never settled correctly that she has absolutely no memories of her biological mother.
"No, it's not that. Living in the Republic is expensive and Maribel couldn't afford commuting here for work anymore. We're lucky we saved up enough and landed some pretty good paying jobs." he tried reassuring her.
"Whatever." she sighed deeply.
"Have you been talking to Damon? It's a bummer he couldn't drive up here for Christmas." Calvin changed the topic, understanding she wasn't fond of the idea of moving.
Luisa nodded in response, cracking a small smile at the mention of his name. "Yeah, he and I are fine." she shrugged.
"Long distance, huh?"
Her lips pursed at the reminder, feeling heavily burdened with the concept. "It can't be that bad, it's only a thirty minute drive without traffic. He said he'll visit on the weekends and I can drive to Zephir too." She convinced herself.
Calvin ruffled the messy hair on her head, standing back up. "That's the spirit, Minnie. Make sure you wake your brother up for school tomorrow." he smiled, walking out of the room.
A small groan left her lips, remembering she had to go to the same school as him.
It was bad enough being the only non shifter attending the school, but people knowing she had an annoying first year brother? She could only imagine how dreadful the first week was going to be.
Finally stretching out of her bed, she lugged her feet to the room beside hers, swinging the door open.
"Go mid. No, I said mid- fucking shit!" the pubescent boy yelled into his headset, angrily mashing the buttons on his controller.
"Watch your language." Luisa leaned against the doorway, earning his attention.
"What do you want?" Jason grumbled, laying back into his beanbag while taking a sip of the energy drink beside him on the floor.
"Is that your hot older sister?!" a boy in his headset asked, making both of their faces scrunch up in disgust.
"Keep dreaming, kiddo." she leaned into the mic, rolling her eyes. "I'm waking you up early tomorrow, I need to get gas and breakfast." she informed him, making an obnoxious groan leave his lips.
"Why?" he whined.
"I just told you why, you brat. Get some sleep tonight, you've been yelling till six in the morning the past week."
Jason silently mocked her as she walked outside of his room, back into her own.
She unlocked her phone, clicking on someone's contact to FaceTime. It rang a few times before they picked up, making a small smile appear on her lips.
"Hey, babe." a deep voice greeted her on the other end.
"Hi, I'm about to go to sleep so I wanted to talk for a bit." she grinned at the screen, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.
The boy didn't spare a glance to his phone, keeping his eyes focused on the monitor of his PC setup.
"You're playing video games, aren't you?" she exhaled deeply, still not gaining his attention.
"Damon?" she said louder into the mic, finally averting his gaze.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I'm in the middle of a game right now." he let out a low whistle, making her lips form into a slight frown.
Nevertheless, she smiled at the camera softly. "It's alright, I'm gonna get some rest then. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Her tone was sweet, but disappointment filled her system.
"Cool, I'll talk to you tomorrow, babe. Love you!" he said over the clicking of his keyboard.
"I love you too." she hung up the call, shutting her phone off in the process.
There was no doubt that she felt the inevitable melancholy that followed as she adjusted to the new space. Her eyes trailed over the unpacked boxes that still sat on her floor, despite everyone else that had fully moved into the new home.
It was as if settling down meant really leaving everything she knew behind learning how to live with the new society she was foreign to.
A girl like her didn't know how to fit into the lavish house on the street full of politician's daughters and sons, skilled shifters at that.
No rays of the moon spilled through her curtains due to the gloomy clouds that always lingered above their roof, regardless if it were clear skies everywhere else.
"It's like the sky is feeling the same way." she whispered to herself, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
As she closed her eyes, she processed the idea of going to school tomorrow, a place where every kid was nothing like her. No matter how much she tried to make good of the situation, she couldn't come up with anything, accepting that she'd be friendless for the rest of her senior year.
"Welcome to the Republic, I guess." she sighed, falling into a deep slumber.
In a world of secrets, a tale unfolds where lies shape destinies. What if one lie changed everything? Dive into a story where truths unravel, and deception reigns. Explore the consequences of a single falsehood in this gripping narrative of deceit and its tangled web.
In the kingdom, a queen's love for another reigns strong. Amidst royal challenges, their bond shines bright. Will their love conquer all or crumble under the crown's weight? Explore this royal tale of love and strength in a kingdom where queens rule hearts.
She is someone's secret crush. Someone's dearly beloved. Can a puppy crush turn into something more?
A monster in disguise, someone who lives under your bed. Can you hide from the hunk forever?
Being rejected many times made me hopeless. But what if an Alpha claims I am his mate?
Being dumped by my mate, Ethan, on my dream New Year cruise tour was bad enough. Watching him swap spit with Vanessa? Absolute hell. Enter Lucas-the cocky, sinfully hot hockey Alpha-who claims I'm his mate. But he doesn't want love; he wants revenge, proposing a fake relationship to rile Ethan. Now I'm stuck sharing a suite with the guy who has secrets of his own. Christmas and New Year on a luxury ship was supposed to be magical...not a steamy, chaotic mess. What could go wrong?
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true stature—the wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Eliza Greer was abandoned by her mother, raised in an orphanage, and sold to the Burns family at 19. Even though she marries Mason Burns, the other people in the Burns family look down on her for her poor identity and want to try every way to bully her. Unexpectedly, they all failed. Eliza's hidden identities are gradually revealed in one incident after another, which astonishes everyone.
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"