Phoenix Mode, Activated: Burn Me Once, Watch Me Rise
Chelsey loved Brett for seven years and tried everything for a baby-doctors, IVF, surgeries. Then she found out he'd been dosing her food with contraceptives.
She woke back at the fire years earlier and watched Brett carry another woman out, leaving Chelsey to choke in smoke. She realized he'd been reborn too-and picked his "true love."
Chelsey walked away and married Julian, her friend's cousin and the hot firefighter who saved her; he gave her all his money the day they married.
Brett scoffed... until Chelsey shone at an AI summit and Julian's real identity shocked him.
Seeing her with twins and another baby coming, Brett begged, "Come back to me! Please!"
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Chapter 5
"Mom," Chelsey said gently.
Gretchen turned toward Chelsey, her eyes reddening almost instantly.
With a calm smile meant to soothe, Chelsey spoke again. "Mom, please don't let this get to you. Someone like Brett isn't worth your anger. You'll only end up hurting yourself."
Noticing the wheelchair beneath her, Brett seemed to recall something and asked with visible unease, "Are you alright, Chelsey?"
Fixing her eyes on him, Chelsey replied with open sarcasm, "Why would that matter to you at all?"
A spark of sarcasm flickered inside her. Brett's attention was entirely on Lydia, to the point that he had forgotten how her injury even happened.
With his brows drawn together, Brett said, "I'm sorry. I know this hurts you. But my feelings for Lydia are real, and I hope you can understand my decision."
Did he mean the decision he made during the fire last night, or the one he was making now?
As that thought surfaced, pain gripped Chelsey's chest once more.
Soon enough, the ache grew so overwhelming that it dulled into emptiness.
Letting out a cold scoff, she said, "A man who can cancel a wedding at the very last moment has no right to call himself decent. Brett, listen carefully. Even if you got down on your knees and asked me to marry you now, I would still say no."
A faint crease formed between Brett's brows as he focused on Chelsey.
What he saw from her completely missed his expectations.
He thought she would cry, cause a scene, or angrily demand answers. He even braced himself for the possibility that she might lash out at him.
That was how Chelsey had been at twenty. She was proud, direct, and quick to react.
He had even prepared himself for every possible outcome. But none of those reactions came.
Instead, she looked more like an onlooker, and her composure left him deeply uncomfortable.
Could it be that she had also been reborn?
As that idea took hold, Brett's expression stiffened, and the look he gave Chelsey grew increasingly conflicted.
Sensing the strange tension between them, Lydia stepped forward and blocked Brett's line of sight.
With guilt written plainly across her face, she spoke. "Chelsey, I'm sorry. I never planned for this to happen. Hurting you was never my intention. Last night, Brett stayed beside me the entire time. Even in his sleep, he kept calling my name, and I couldn't bring myself to reject him. You'll forgive me, won't you? Can we go back to how things were and still be best friends?"
Chelsey rolled her eyes and refused to acknowledge Lydia at all.
The reaction left Lydia stiff, and the awkwardness showed clearly on her face.
Trying to recover, she pressed her lower lip and put on a look that seemed wronged.
Watching Chelsey ignore Lydia entirely, Jorge spoke with sharp displeasure. "Chelsey. The guests have been waiting downstairs for quite some time, and you are only showing up now. Have you forgotten basic courtesy?"
Already holding back her fury, Gretchen finally snapped again. "Chelsey breathed in a large amount of smoke, and her ankle is injured. As her father, have you shown her even a shred of concern since she came home? If you refuse to care about her, that is your choice, but you have no right to lecture her about manners."
After finishing her words, she turned away and raised her voice. "Phyllis!"
At once, the housekeeper hurried over. "Yes, Mrs. Holden."
Fixing Lydia with a cold stare, Gretchen spoke without restraint. "Since Lydia never planned to stay long and has already secured herself another place to live, she should leave now. Our home is far too small to accommodate such a distinguished guest. Throw all her things out. Not a single belonging is to remain."
Throughout the last six months, Gretchen had shown Lydia nothing but careful attention.
From tailored suits to branded handbags, from rare perfumes to newly released jewelry, anything she believed suited Lydia had been given without a second thought.
She had even planned to introduce Lydia to a suitable partner after Chelsey and Brett were married.
Looking back on it now, the whole situation felt bitterly ironic to Gretchen.
Following the order, Phyllis Fuller acknowledged it and moved toward the stairs leading to Lydia's room.
Rushing forward, Jorge tried to block her path before turning on Gretchen. "Gretchen, haven't you made enough trouble already? Those things were gifts you gave Lydia. How can you just throw them out?"
Not bothering to look at him, Gretchen kept her gaze fixed on Phyllis and spoke with firm authority. "Phyllis, take several servants with you and carry out my instructions. Anyone who dares interfere today can try."
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7.4
In a world ruled by dominance and desire, being an Omega is a curse, especially when you're mine.
On his eighteenth birthday, Luca wakes to a nightmare, his wolf has chosen the lowest rank of all. An Omega. The scent of submission, the mark of shame and the kind of wolf others own, use, and discard.
But Luca isn't broken, he's burning and the only one who's ever made him feel safe is Rafe, his best friend, his protector and his temptation.
Then Rafe shifts and becomes an Alpha and their wolves recognize each other, the bond between them is instant, magnetic, and utterly forbidden.
Because an Alpha claiming a Male Omega?
That's forbidden, but this Omega? He's different
Now their connection is more than a secret, It's a sin to their world, a deadly craving, slow, delicious and primal to fall into.
And when one bite can seal a bond or spark a war, how long can they resist it?
He's not supposed to want him.
But gods, he does.
And once an Alpha touches what's his... he never lets go.
8.2
In my previous life, I, Claire Holloway, was eight months pregnant, kneeling in a storm, begging Lucas Ashford to save the bankrupt Holloway family.
But he held his first love, Vanessa Wren, in his arms, looking down at me with cold disdain.
"The Holloway family's downfall was orchestrated by me. Did you really think I'd fall for a spoiled rich girl like you? If it weren't for getting my revenge today, I'd have found even touching you disgusting."
In despair, I died that freezing night—two lives lost with me.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I was diagnosed with pregnancy.
Lucas was gently peeling shrimp for me, smiling as he asked what kind of diamond ring I wanted.
I looked at his hypocritical face and let out a quiet, cold laugh.
This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake again.
7.2
The Royal Pack’s glowing moonstone token rested in my palm.
Before I could even process the miracle of my rebirth, my half-sister Alyssa snatched it right out of my hand.
"This destiny is mine, little sister. Enjoy your cursed Alpha," she sneered.
My family easily caved to her whining. They forced me to take her place and marry Alpha Kaelen, a man they called an insane, crippled monster with three feral adopted sons. They laughed, expecting his beast to tear me apart before the honeymoon was over.
Alyssa thought she was stealing my crown. She didn't know she had just stolen my death sentence.
In my previous life, that exact token had made me the Alpha King’s Luna. But I was just a convenient, disposable meat shield for his true human mate. I died agonizingly, choking on poison meant for her, while the King didn't even blink.
I lowered my head, forcing my shoulders to tremble as if holding back terrified sobs. I played the part of the pathetic, wolfless Omega they all believed me to be.
But beneath my fake tears, I felt a profound relief.
I remembered the Kaelen from my past life. He wasn't a monster. He was powerful, agonizingly lonely, and slowly destroyed by a dark magic no one understood.
I wisely accepted the marriage pact and walked right into his freezing manor.
I know exactly who cursed him. And this time, I will save him, protect his boys, and make his entire pack mine.
7.2
Christa discovered her adopted daughter Evelyn was sneaking around with a street thug named Dante.
When she furiously confronted her, Evelyn squeezed out a few tears and played the tragic, abused orphan.
"Mom is so cruel to me, I just want someone to love me," Evelyn cried to the men of the house, who instantly took her side.
Christa didn't realize her anger only gave the girl the perfect victim card. Evelyn manipulated the family's guilt to drain their wealth and orchestrate a massive corporate fraud.
When the authorities closed in, Evelyn let Christa's eldest daughter Julianna take the fall, sending her to federal prison.
The Stephenson family went completely bankrupt.
Christa's husband Grant, crushed by the betrayal and debt, jumped off a Manhattan skyscraper.
Until her family was entirely destroyed, Christa couldn't understand. They had given the orphan a home, a trust fund, and endless love.
Why did Evelyn treat them like easy marks? Why did she use their kindness as a weapon to tear them apart?
Opening her eyes again, Christa saw the heavy velvet drapes letting in the pale morning light.
She was back seven years ago, on the exact day she first caught Evelyn texting that thug.
This time, Christa wouldn't scream or fight. She would cut off the money, drop the rules, and watch the parasite dig her own grave.
8.7
On the day of our mating ceremony, I wore a beautiful white dress, waiting to become the Luna of the pack. To ensure my Fated Mate, Kade, loved me for my soul and not my rank, I had hidden my true Alpha nature and lived as a fragile Omega.
But instead of my groom, my best friend Selena walked into the room. She flashed a fresh silver rejection rune on her wrist, smiling as she told me the ceremony was canceled. Kade had chosen her, the daughter of a powerful Beta, to secure his Alpha transition.
When I rushed to his study in disbelief, the words I heard through the cracked door shattered my heart completely.
"She's just an Omega. Her value doesn't compare to the loyalty of Selena's father."
Kade laughed coldly with his friends, calling our sacred bond a leash. He even planned to keep me trapped in the packhouse as a docile, broken toy under his and Selena's rule.
Every whispered promise of love was just a lie built for power. My disguise to test his true heart became the very excuse he used to discard me like trash. How could the man who promised to cherish my soul be so utterly ruthless?
Wiping my tears, I kicked the door open and publicly initiated the impossible: I, the "weak Omega," formally rejected him. After smashing a whiskey bottle over his head, I walked straight into the territory of his most feared rival—his older brother, Rowan. This time, I would tear his world apart.
7.4
As a princess who could not wield magic, Princess Daphne's only value to her kingdom was her arranged marriage. The task was simple, but when Daphne was kidnapped and brought to the cold mountains of Vramid, she realized that she was in over her head.
She had heard of these cursed mountains before― rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, and the land was ruled by a man feared by many within the continent.
King Atticus Heinvres, the blood-thirsty ruler of the North.
Even though she had never met him before, tales were spread of King Atticus's ruthlessness. Some said he was a monster, others claimed he was the devil himself, but whatever the story was, everyone knew of the man who had powers beyond anyone's imagination. He could topple armies and crumble nations with just one wave of his hand, aided by what others rumored to be a cursed obsidian ring.
No one outside of Vramid had ever met the fearsome king before. Not until Daphne.
However, upon meeting the formidable man, Daphne found out that the king might not really be the monster others had claimed him to be.
In fact, what was hidden under that obsidian shield could just be a diamond in the rough.
―
[Excerpt]
"Now... where should I put you both?" he asked casually, not expecting a reply. "It's regretful that I only have one chandelier."
"Underneath my bed? No, no, too dirty. My dust bunnies don't deserve this," Atticus mused to himself. "The mantlepiece? How about the vanity table? I suppose if I lop off one of your heads I could mount it over... Wife, which head do you want to stare at while you do your hair?"
"Atticus!" Daphne screamed. "I don't want any heads! Let them go."
"Fair enough." Atticus shrugged, and flicked his fingers.
There were two identical cracks as both necks snapped at once.
Daphne gasped, horrified. This man, her husband, had just killed two men with a flick of his finger, as though he was snuffing out candles.
"I told you to let them go!" Daphne cried out.
"Yes, I let them go," Atticus said. Then, his eyes darkened. "To receive divine judgment from the heavens."