City Lights and You
/1/130821/coverbig.jpg?v=7f74e3da9208fbd64237b41f638ad1f6)
Rejected By My Betrothed, Claimed By The Warlord Alpha
I was born a wolfless cripple in the Richmond Pack, but by royal decree, I was engaged to the kingdom's Champion Knight, Emory. During the winter banquet, my half-sister Dessie suddenly tilted backward into the royal ice pond, screaming that I pushed her. In my previous life, I reached out in panic to save her, only to be dragged down and framed for attempted murder. When Emory dove into the freezing water, he swam right past my sinking body to rescue her instead. Once ashore, my own father and my betrothed ignored my desperate pleas. They branded me a vicious, jealous traitor. Emory publicly broke our engagement to marry Dessie, while my father threw me to the executioner to wash away the family's shame with my blood. Until my head was on the chopping block, I didn't understand. Why did my own family want me dead just because I had no inner wolf? Why did the knight who swore to protect me conspire with my illegitimate sister to destroy my life? Opening my eyes again, I was back on the snow-dusted terrace, right as Dessie was setting up the exact same trap. "A wolfless cripple like you should crawl back to the gutter," she whispered, falling backward. This time, I didn't flinch or beg for help. Instead, my fingers shot out like iron clamps, grabbing her wrist, and I dragged her into the freezing depths with me.
Chapter 1
Kalea POV:
"Sister, Emory Lambert is destined to be mine," Dessie Richmond whispered, her voice a poisonous thread slipping through the frigid breeze of the Royal Lunar Garden. "A wolfless cripple like you should crawl back to the gutter where you belong."
Her amber eyes gleamed with malice.
Before I could even process the violent sting of the freezing air on my face, Dessie tilted her body backward, angling herself toward the black waters of the royal ice pond.
She was setting up the exact same trap from my past life.
She wanted the entire court to see her fall, to hear her screams, and to watch me take the blame for attempting to drown the favored younger daughter of the Richmond Pack.
In that past life, everything had favored her. I had screamed in panic and lunged to grab her, my fingers clamping hard around her wrist and leaving livid grip-bruises on her skin.
When we fell, I thrashed and begged Emory to save me, so when he swam straight past me to lift Dessie first, onlookers called it justice — the Champion saving the victim from her attacker.
The healers found my marks on her, and nothing of hers on me. That was enough for a charge of attempted murder.
Now, everything is different. The terrace is crowded with high-ranking nobles, and I know exactly where her nails will land.
I already saw through her act completely. I would play along — and turn her own trap against her.
I did not flinch. Instead, I calmly extended my left arm toward her, offering the loose silver-blue cuff at my wrist as if trying to catch her. Dessie, already falling backward to fake her accident, instinctively clawed out and seized my wrist hard to make it look real, her nails digging deep into my sleeve.
Dessie's smug grin instantly froze.
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized she had grabbed me first. Before she could let go, I stopped resisting. I leaned into her pull and let her own backward momentum drag us both off the marble edge together.
A chorus of shrill gasps erupted from the noble onlookers lining the snow-dusted terrace.
Then came the deafening crash of freezing water.
The shock of the sub-zero pond slammed into my chest, squeezing every drop of air from my lungs.
The weight of our velvet winter gowns pulled us straight into the dark depths.
Dessie thrashed wildly, her arms flailing like a dying bird as her silken skirts tangled around her legs.
Even as she thrashed, her right hand remained locked around my left wrist, her nails tearing frantically at my silk cuff.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream under the water, bubbles bursting around her terrified, contorted face.
Unlike my past self, I did not scream, did not beg, did not leave a single mark on her. I stared back at her through the murky blue, cold and completely still.
Pain tore through my limbs, but my mind was clearer than it had ever been in my two lifetimes.
Above the surface, muffled shouts vibrated through the water.
"Someone help! The Richmond ladies have fallen in!"
Through the rippling surface, a familiar silhouette tore off his heavy velvet cloak on the bank.
Emory Lambert.
The newly crowned Champion Knight of the Grand Royal Trials, and my betrothed.
He dove into the water with a clean, powerful slice.
His eyes scanned the depths, searching desperately.
He looked right past my sinking form.
Without a single glance in my direction, Emory swam furiously toward Dessie, wrapping his strong arms around her waist to haul her toward the light.
A bitter, silent laugh bubbled in my throat.
He was supposed to be my promised mate by royal decree, yet his body reacted purely on instinct to save my illegitimate half-sister.
I let my limbs go limp, allowing the darkness of the pond to drag me downward.
I needed this.
I needed every high-ranking noble on that terrace to see him choose her over me.
Darkness began to creep into the edges of my vision.
My lungs burned for oxygen.
Then, the water exploded behind me.
A massive shockwave ripped through the freezing depths, stirring a violent current that pushed the weeds aside.
A shadow moved with terrifying, predatory speed.
Before I could even register the beast-like force tearing through the water, a pair of scalding, calloused hands locked onto my waist.
The grip was unyielding, made of pure steel.
I was yanked violently against a broad, rock-hard chest.
Even submerged in ice, the overwhelming scent of crushing cedar and raw, wild musk flooded my senses, piercing straight through the freezing haze in my mind.
It was the aura of a dominant, top-tier Alpha.
Yet the moment his skin touched mine, the suffocating pressure of his command miraculously softened, wrapping around my freezing body like an invisible shield.
I forced my heavy eyelids open.
Through the distorted water, I looked directly into a pair of piercing, golden-amber wolf eyes.
Gaines Moss.
The notorious young lord of the Moss Pack, heir to the northern iron legions, and widely feared across the capital as an uncontrollable, violent rogue Alpha.
There was no cruelty in his gaze.
Only a dark, frantic intensity that bordered on madness.
The moment my wet shoulder pressed against his collarbone, a sharp, electric jolt surged from his palm straight down my spine.
My frozen muscles trembled beneath the sheer heat of his touch.
Gaines's jaw tightened.
His arm banded around my waist with possessive force, pulling me flush against him as his powerful legs kicked against the current, launching us toward the surface like an arrow.
On the other side of the pond, Emory was already breaking through the surface with Dessie clutched tightly against his chest.
The freezing air hit my face in a violent rush as Gaines hauled me out of the water, his long fingers instinctively cradling the back of my head to shield me from the jagged marble edge.
The deafening roar of the royal court swept over us in an instant.
/1/103269/coverbig.jpg?v=a2ae6c98b83cbf0997c561464a34cb83)
Underneath city lights
This book is dedicated to all the underestimated ones, the ones who live in the shadows, whose strength is mistaken for fragility. To those who have learned to navigate worlds that were never built for them, finding their power not in the spotlight, but in the quiet resilience of their own spirit. I
/0/88420/coverbig.jpg?v=22532312abb581bb0af87ccc4a8b6038)
Beneath the city lights
⸻ Beneath the City Lights A Novel of Love, Trust, and Second Chances Elena Carter walked away from high society and corporate scandal to build something of her own. Independent, determined, and done with heartbreak, she vowed never to lose herself in anyone again-especially not a billionaire with
/0/45660/coverbig.jpg?v=e07f203525618a6f8d7e40b58e3f2b5b)
Love in the City Lights
In the rhythmic chaos of the bright city lights, where dreams come true and shatter, Love in the City Lights sets the stage for an epic, breathtaking love story. Meet Emily, an independent and driven young woman who has dedicated her life to making it to the big city. With a heart full of enthusias
/0/32460/coverbig.jpg?v=844414e3996768a9997cebac59a57014)
City Of Love And Fear
The novel about a rural city full of events of love, conflict, fight against good and evil. Sara is the main character, she found herself in the center of a troubled conflict between her late husband's past and her fugitive lover.
/0/18413/coverbig.jpg?v=9deeb99a26556421e14fa3b0e9d32ab3)
City of Ice and Fire
BEWARE OF THE COLD DARKNESS, ONLY AN ARROW CAN PIERCE ITS HEART Arrowheart (Alec) and siblings have just became warriors of HunterClan. Arrowheart and Goldenclaw (Jace) are now Parabatai, and Clary has decided to join HunterClan. Life couldn't be better right? Wrong. Enemies lurk around every
/0/71606/coverbig.jpg?v=439eea7ba9c6b1e4c36c7fea4a6dcf30)
Lights, Camera, Love
When rising actress Lena Carter lands her first major lead role, the last thing she expects is to be paired with Noah Sinclair, the insufferably arrogant A-list actor she's despised since their first disastrous meeting. Forced to work together on the set of a high-profile romance film, their off-scr
/0/56316/coverbig.jpg?v=1cc7be2829609bcc35552a71239fd410)
Bright Lights Billionaire
Ethan Lewis has been in the bright lights for as long as he can remember. He’s just turned the cusp of celebrating his twenty-fourth birthday, and yet he feels more like eighty. Living the life of a celebrity isn’t all it is chalked up to be, and dealing with the unruly number of women who are more
/0/14508/coverbig.jpg?v=6b6e3aac9cd720be405888b28add6406)
/0/9039/coverbig.jpg?v=21df0c422023a356ed9a815ae0c01cb3)
Jupiter Lights
Constance Fenimore Woolson was the great niece of James Fenimore Cooper and a close friend and correspondent of Henry James. A successful short story and novel writer Woolson was one of the "local color", or American literary regionalism authors popular in late-nineteenth century America. She travel
/0/71402/coverbig.jpg?v=22532312abb581bb0af87ccc4a8b6038)
Love and Lies In The Windy City
On a rain-soaked night in Chicago, newlyweds Beatrice Cooper and Albert Sean are thrown into chaos when an unexpected car accident and a mysterious envelope force Beatrice to confront a dark legacy-the suspicious death of Sean's first wife, Vanessa. As Beatrice delves into a dangerous investigation
/0/54260/coverbig.jpg?v=22532312abb581bb0af87ccc4a8b6038)
SIN AND DEATH IN SAINT'S CITY
"Sin and Death in Saint's City" by K. Li is a compelling novel that delves into the lives of two teenagers, Kyle White and Lorraine Thompson, both burdened by painful pasts. Their connection unfolds within a program aimed at nurturing Christian values in young adults. Lorraine, scarred by heartbreak
/0/66476/coverbig.jpg?v=20250121110650)
Me, You and Forever
Kathleen Murphy is on the verge of career breakthrough, having secured a prestigious project that promises to catapult her to the top of the corporate ladder. The catch? She has to work with her billionaire ex-boyfriend, Levi Grey-the man who vanished from her life five years ago without a trace. T
/0/6857/coverbig.jpg?v=20210813192210)
The City and the World and Other Stories
The City and the World and Other Stories by Bp. Francis Clement Kelley
/0/23573/coverbig.jpg?v=5ca09373726660112164cba3ee998d5f)
City Mermaid
Kapella Elijah, The High School hottie whose beautiful and voice was beyond the normal, was the last surviving species of Mermaids known as The Arctics. She gets to live a normal life as her secret self is hidden by her foster parents. But all is about to change when a Billionaire Family, The Arrow
/0/54386/coverbig.jpg?v=20240416181806)
CEO city
nervous. — Is that Dominic's number? It should be, considering that he himself saved it in my phone's calendar. - And yes. This is his wife. Who is talking? - Wife?! — I changed my voice, almost shouting, due to the shock. This is a nightmare, it has to be! - Yes my dear. Wife! — His arrogant tone m
/0/22307/coverbig.jpg?v=e6c93d7b81df6eccc113e82d002e95b9)
You and I
Tripartite love - A love triangle - Love between blood - Love between the poor and the rich - Wearous High School - From the name, you would already know that it's a school mostly attended by students from wealthy homes. If you are not rich or if you have no relationship /connection with someone w
/0/87348/coverbig.jpg?v=f66cd6a1baf5d7f227b8e6d304ff835b)
Just me and you
At sixteen, Eva is just trying to survive high school with her close-knit group of friends by her side. But everything starts to shift when a night of fun leads to a missed call-and a broken trust. As her best friend Piper spirals from family troubles and heartbreak, Eva is forced to face her own pa
/0/20164/coverbig.jpg?v=d4dcac2e4eb7b5e7421d9f63b5feb15b)
And Then There's You
What do you think will happen if an emotionally damaged woman meets an emotionally lost man? This is a story about two strangers with their fair share of heartbreak. Fion Scott is an emotionally damaged woman because of a failed relationship. Her ex-boyfriend made her believe that she's too hard
/0/3101/coverbig.jpg?v=55a8ef098d143104a753dceb36329941)
/1/101857/coverbig.jpg?v=dabbf64065d12faa66c4c4402c95f9f0)
Broken Vows And Paris Lights: My New Beginning
For fifteen years, I buried my dream of motherhood because my husband, Bennett, swore he carried a tragic genetic defect. "If we have children, they will suffer," he had cried on our bathroom floor. I believed him. I made him my religion. But at a charity gala, everything shattered. He introduced
