The Scars She Hid From The World

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener's shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose-the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Chapters

Chapter 4

Clarisa stood under the recessed lighting of the porch. Mud dripped from her sweatpants, pooling on the imported Italian marble. She was a stain on the pristine facade of the Dillon family.

The heavy oak door swung open.

Helen Dillon stepped out. She was wearing a silk evening gown, emerald green. Her hair was coiffed into a helmet of blonde perfection.

"Oh my god," Helen gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Look at you. You're... a mess."

Clarisa looked at her mother. There was no hug. No tears of joy. Just shock that her daughter had ruined the aesthetic.

"Hello, Mother," Clarisa said.

Kaleigh stepped out from behind Helen. She was wearing a soft, white cashmere cardigan that looked like it cost more than a car. She looked angelic. Innocent.

"Clarisa!" Kaleigh squealed. She rushed forward, arms open. "You're finally back!"

She lunged for a hug.

Clarisa sidestepped. It was a smooth, practiced movement. Kaleigh embraced the air.

"Don't," Clarisa said flatly. "You'll get your cashmere dirty. It's dry-clean only."

Kaleigh froze. She looked at Clarisa, then looked past her to Ambrose, who was walking up the steps. Her lower lip trembled perfectly.

"I just missed you," Kaleigh whispered, her voice breaking.

Ambrose reached the top step. He moved to Kaleigh's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. A protective gesture.

Clarisa felt a sharp pang in her chest, sharper than her bruised ribs. That used to be her spot.

"Let's go inside," Helen said nervously, glancing at the driveway. "Before the neighbors see."

They moved into the foyer. The crystal chandelier overhead was blinding. The light reflected off the polished floors, making Clarisa squint.

A maid stepped forward, reaching for Clarisa's plastic bag. "Let me take that for you, Miss."

Clarisa jerked the bag away, clutching it to her chest. "No."

Brady, who had been leaning against the staircase banister holding a tumbler of whiskey, laughed. "What's in there? Gold bars? Drugs?"

The word drugs hung in the air like smoke.

"It's my life," Clarisa said quietly. "It's the only thing I have left."

Brady rolled his eyes. "Dramatic. Just like always."

"Clarisa," Helen chided, smoothing her dress. "Watch your tone. Brady is your brother."

Clarisa turned her dead gaze on her mother. "And what am I? The stray dog you let in out of the rain?"

Helen paled. She looked away, unable to hold eye contact.

"Your room is ready, sister," Kaleigh said softly, leaning into Ambrose. "I made sure they put fresh flowers in it."

Clarisa looked around the foyer. The walls used to be lined with family photos. Now, they were different. There were photos of Kaleigh graduating. Kaleigh winning a debate trophy. Kaleigh and Ambrose at a gala.

Clarisa was gone. Erased.

"I don't see my room," Clarisa said. "I don't see me anywhere."

The room spun slightly. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving only the pain in her ankle and the gnawing hunger in her belly. She swayed.

She bit the tip of her tongue, hard. The sharp pain grounded her. Do not faint. Do not give them the satisfaction.

"Mary," Helen snapped at the maid. "Take Clarisa to her room. Let her get cleaned up."

Clarisa turned to follow the maid. She didn't look back at Ambrose. She didn't look at her family. She walked with a limp, dragging her bad leg, a broken soldier marching away from the war.

Continue to next part

After Alpha Draven Black rejected her, Nyra Storm fled her pack to protect her unborn child and heal her broken heart. Years later, fate forces her return to the Crescent Moon pack alongside her powerful young son. As an ancient enemy threatens their survival, Draven realizes the depth of his mistake. However, Nyra is no longer the submissive wolf he once knew. She must decide if she can trust her former mate to protect their family and save their kind from total destruction.

Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Werewolf

8.9

Beyond the mission

8.9

Jason's life was a canvas of broken colors, painted by the harsh brushstrokes of his reality. Craving connection, craving love, but stuck in a home that felt like a prison. So, he broke free, embracing the unknown. New streets, new faces, new demons... and a new lease on life. Little did he know, some encounters would leave scars, while others would expose him to the raw truth."

Adventure Fantasy Romance

8.3

Botched Past: Wreny The Wrenison

8.3

She had always been attracted to both men and women, something that was frowned upon. She never understood it herself. But once she found her mate, an Alpha, she thinks everything has fallen into place, only to feel even more incomplete than before. Something is definitely missing. She can very well feel that she is not the one supposed to carry the heir for the Alpha but how can she explain this to him? He would never understand. She feels like she is his equal. A dominant just like him and even her wolf agrees. But the question is who is supposed to dominate? Her wolf is ever restless, still looking even while in the arms of their mate. It is not like she is not satisfied. She is just tired of being submissive. She hates it and her wolf feels it even worse than she does, on the verge of taking over most of the time to show the Alpha they are equals. But they both know no one will understand even him. He has rejected her once. Why give him a reason to do it again? The pack has firm beliefs and a woman being an Alpha's equal is frowned upon. So, she is stuck being submissive no matter what. They also do not believe in a two-way mating since it has never been heard of. But what happens when the mated Luna out in her adventure encounters her mate? And what will she tell her Alpha and her pack members?

Adventure Romance Werewolf

8.3

CLAIMED BY THE MAD ALPHA BROTHERS.

8.3

"Kiss me." He prowled. "Kiss me until you're sick of it. Kiss me and prove your body is deserving of my touch." ******************************* Branded a Murderer, betrayed by her mate and sister, disowned by her family–Anokai Rivers never had anything at all. After spending three years in a cell for a murder she never committed, Anokai is finally released, only for her freedom to come at a price. To infiltrate the most feared pack in the werewolf world and destroy the four Shadowcrest brothers from within. But the brothers are monsters–cruel, powerful, insatiable. No person, man or woman, who enters their territory ever comes out alive. Every look is a test. Every touch is a threat. And every kiss pulls her deeper into a game she was never meant to survive. She was sent to tame them and learn them. But monsters are never tamed. Nope, they're the one who does the taming. Follow the journey of Anokai Rivers and the Shadowcrest beasts in this sweet, tantalizing dark romance.

Adventure Romance Werewolf

9.0

Frame Me Twice? No Way, Ma'am

9.0

In Frame Me Twice? No Way, Ma'am, a firefighter faces a recurring nightmare. In his first life, he earned the captaincy only for his wife, Jessica, to drug him, leading to a disaster that claimed 58 lives and his own. Reborn, he yields the promotion to his rival, Stanley, yet finds himself framed for arson via security footage. Now in his third life, he refuses to play their game. As Stanley celebrates his rank, the protagonist requests leave and heads to the airport to break the cycle.

Action Adventure Modern Mystery

9.2

His Obsession, Her Perfect Calculated Escape

9.2

When Alma's father stood in front of the bulldozers to protest, the energy company's thugs beat him half to death in the mud. Instead of arresting the attackers, the police handcuffed her bleeding father and threw him into a cruiser. "Stay back, kid," the officer barked, shoving Alma away. Her father was denied bail and framed for assaulting an officer. The corrupt mayor just smiled and told her not to cause a scene. Meanwhile, the company mailed her weeping mother a severance check that barely covered a month of groceries. Alma was forced to watch her family be completely destroyed by men with money and power. Kneeling in the cold dirt where her father's blood had spilled, she didn't shed a single tear. The panic in her chest died, replaced by a cold, absolute hatred. She realized that crying wouldn't do anything. In this world, justice didn't exist for the weak. Years later, Alma stepped onto a prestigious Ivy League campus, her cheap backpack slung over her shoulder. She was surrounded by the arrogant children of the very executives who ruined her life. She lowered her head, hiding her dead eyes, and put on the perfect mask of a timid, helpless charity case. Undergrad was just a training ground, and these elite kids were just her practice dummies. The hunt was officially on.

Action Adventure Modern

The Scars She Hid From The World

Chapter 4

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