Geoffrey Moore: Books の小説・ストーリー

On our fifth anniversary, I came across the Instagram page of a stranger named Serena Reed. The girl lay sideways on a hospital bed, her bandage-wrapped hand intertwined with a man's larger hand. On the man's ring finger was a moonstone ring, with Vincent Carter's name and my own name clearly engraved on the band. Below the photo, the girl had written: "It's just a tiny scratch, but he was so worried he insisted I stay in the hospital. Being loved like this feels incredible!" An hour earlier, Vincent had apologized to me over the phone. "Nina, there's an urgent matter with the patrol team. Don't wait for me for dinner. When I come back, I'll bring you a gift." He was not coming home for our anniversary because he was with another woman. I silently melted down the moonstone ring and sent it to Vincent as a gift. Then I packed all my belongings, including the pup in my womb, and left the Shadow pack quietly, never to return.

I, Elena Rossi, was diagnosed with acute kidney injury a year ago. I need a kidney transplant to survive. My fiance, Dario Ajello, is the Don of the mafia family, and he looks everywhere to find a suitable kidney donor for me. As it turns out, my younger stepsister, Lucia Rossi, is the only person who is eligible to be my kidney donor. However, she refuses to take the five million dollars Dario offers her as compensation. Instead, she makes a ridiculous demand—that Dario pretend to be her boyfriend for an entire month. I am all against it. I would rather die than agree to her conditions in order to receive her kidney. Dario promises me that he won't fulfill her demands, but I soon find out that he still has agreed to be Lucia's boyfriend for a month. After learning the truth, I decide to give up on my treatment and silently make arrangements for my passing. That is because I know that Lucia will never donate her kidney to me, even if Dario fulfills his side of the obligations.

The Rossi mafia family followed an ancestral rule. Before marriage, the heir received one chance each year to draw lots. Drawing a fortunate lot meant he could choose his own spouse and avoid an arranged marriage. Dante Rossi drew an unfortunate lot for five consecutive years, and I, who had been dating him for seven years, never managed to marry him. This year marked the sixth year. I overheard his conversation with Marco Valentino, the Underboss. "Mr. Rossi, you drew a fortunate lot again." Dante's voice carried an unprecedented coldness. "Same as always, switch it to an unfortunate lot." Marco hesitated, then tried to persuade him. "Mr. Rossi, you've switched it for five years straight. Aren't you worried Celia will leave? Celia's the most beautiful woman in Nopales. Half the men in the city are chasing her." Dante said with absolute certainty, "She won't. Celia loves me too much. She won't marry anyone else. "Years ago, Livia's father died saving me. His dying wish was for me to stay by her side for five years. After this year ends, I'll give Celia a grand wedding as compensation." My last shred of hope died after I heard those words. Dante probably did not know that the Rossi family had one final ancestral rule. If the heir failed to draw a fortunate lot six times, he would lose the right to choose his own marriage. Moreover, I would soon be marrying someone else.

On my way home from picking wild berries in the woods, I see my mate, Ethan Volkov, feeding our pups roast chicken. His childhood sweetheart, Zoe Hathaway, is snuggling next to them. While chatting with Ethan about her experiences studying on the northern grasslands, she entertains the children. My five-year-old daughter is happily swinging her legs as she holds out a piece of roast chicken to Zoe, while My son carefully wipes the grease off Zoe's hands. Ethan never once looks away from Zoe. It is as if he only has eyes for her. Seeing my beloved mate and the pups I've tirelessly raised so attached to another she-wolf leaves me devastated. I draft a Bond Breaking Agreement, give up custody of the children, and leave. Pursue the herbal research career that I gave up for my family Yet later, the always calm and composed Ethan loses his composure. My daughter Katrina and my son James search everywhere for me, openly expressing their love and begging me to come home.

When Elijah cheated, I didn’t cry or make a scene. I pretended not to know. When he kept Naomi on the side, I forced down the pain and endured it. After all, I had a lovely son with Elijah. He loved me, and I wanted to give him a complete family. It wasn’t until the day I found out that my son, Kai, had gone with Elijah to that other home and was calling Aunt Naomi with affection that I stopped wanting to endure it any longer. I told my childhood friend that I wanted a divorce. He looked at me deeply, saying, “Hazel, everyone in Neopolis knows that Elijah loves you with his life. His influence covers the entire city. Leaving him won’t be easy.” However, I replied numbly, “Then let Hazel die. Let her die in front of Elijah. Let him watch his wife disappear with his own eyes. From that moment on, there will be no more Hazel Foster in this world.” When I learned that Kai preferred Naomi, I realized that the past two years of endurance had been nothing but a joke. This time, I don’t want either my husband or my son anymore.

My fated mate, Alpha Ronan Thornwood, gets betrayed by his best friend, Asher Crowe, during a pack battle. In order to preserve his position as the Alpha, Ronan begs me to travel to the Onyx Wolf pack with him in search of help. I accept his request immediately. But three days before our journey is set to begin, Ronan gets shot in the leg by a silver arrow when he's hunting a deer for me. In order to not delay our trip, he suggests that I travel to the pack on my own. Out of guilt toward Ronan, I decide to drop by the Healing Sanctuary to visit Ronan before the journey. But that's when I overhear his conversation with Asher. "So you first pretended to have bad blood with me, then you pretended to get hurt? All this just to trick Freya into traveling to the Onyx Wolf pack? You do realize that in order to get there, one must travel through the Dark Forest, right? Rumors have it that ferocious Rogues prowl that place! "You and Freya have grown up with each other since you two were pups! Do you really have the heart to let her embark on such a dangerous journey?" As Ronan unties the bandages around his leg, he replies coldly, "Those are just rumors. It's not like there really are Rogues infesting the forest. "Anyway, Freya is too docile and boring. The thought of being bound to her forever after she turns 18 suffocates me to no end! Willow, on the other hand, is different. She might be an Omega, but she's passionate and bold, not to mention she's also interesting and outgoing!" "So, are you going to abandon Freya and be with Willow?" "No way!" Ronan replies firmly. "Freya is my Luna. I just want to spend an unforgettable time with Willow before bonding with Freya." It turns out the pack battle, the betrayal, and Ronan's injury are all lies. Ronan wants to trick me into leaving the pack just so he can be with another she-wolf. After drying my tears, I change my destination. Now, I'm heading toward the Moon Goddess' Sacred Ground. I'm born with the mark of the Moon Goddess, which automatically makes me a Luna. But this mark doesn't just represent the title of the Luna—it also represents the most prestigious position in a pack, which is the divine messenger. From now on, I have nothing to do with Ronan.

After being reborn, I didn't stop my Alpha mate, Caden, from bringing home his childhood friend—Lilith. She was carrying a pup, and he wanted to take care of her. I didn't fight it. I broke the mate bond myself. Handed him exactly what he wanted. Set up every private moment between them. Then slipped out of their story. Because in my past life, even as I lay dying, Caden hated me for not letting Lilith stay with us while she was with pup. She lost it on the way out. Couldn't carry again. And Caden? He said once I was gone, he'd make it right. Be with her. Protect her. So this time, I let him. Gave them everything. Gave them everything they wanted. So why did Caden lose his mind searching the world for me—begging me to come back?

I've been in a relationship with my older brother's best friend, Alpha Alexander Parker, for seven years. But there's a twist—this relationship is a secretive one. After having too much moonshine to drink one day, Alexander tells me drunkenly, "Willow, Stella is with pup now. If she doesn't have a mate, she'll get exiled out of the pack by the elders. Is it okay if I give her the Luna position for now?" In a calm and docile tone, I reply, "Okay." In my previous life, I didn't agree to Alexander's suggestion. I also insisted on holding the mating ceremony with him. Meanwhile, Stella Lockhart's belly continued to grow as weeks passed. In the end, she couldn't conceal it anymore. The enraged elders eventually cast her out of the pack. After Stella was gone, Alexander no longer came home, nor did he speak a word to me. I knew that he blamed me for everything. Some time later, I died from overwhelming guilt and depression. When I was about to close my eyes, I saw Alexander rushing into my room in alarm. Stella, who was supposed to be cast out of the pack, trailed behind him with a pup in her arms. That was when I finally realized that while Alexander was Stella's savior, he was never the most suitable mate for me. Now that I'm reborn, I don't turn his suggestion down. Instead, I decide to cut off all ties with him so that he and Stella can live happily ever after.

When my appendix bursts, my parents, my brother, and even my fiancé are all too busy celebrating my sister's birthday. I'm outside the operating room, frantically calling every family member I can think of to sign the consent form, but every call is either ignored or hung up on. After hanging up on me, my fiancé, Joel Graham, texts back. "Sophie, stop being dramatic. It's Yvette's 18th birthday today. Whatever it is can wait until after the party." I quietly set my phone down and sign the consent form myself. It's the ninety-ninth time they've chosen Yvette Norton, my sister, over me. This time, I choose not to care. I'll stop letting their favoritism hurt me. Instead, I'll do everything they ask of me without complaint. They'll all think I've finally learned to be obedient, and they'll never realize that I'm preparing to leave them for good.

At our wedding, my wife's assistant "accidentally" uploaded the wrong photo. The big screen was supposed to display our wedding portraits. Instead, it was a picture of my wife and him in full wedding attire. Their fingers were laced together, their eyes locked in a soft, intimate gaze, looking every bit like a blissfully happy couple. The entire venue erupted in shocked whispers. The assistant froze in shock, acting like he had no idea why he was in the photo. He started panicking, asking if we should just postpone the ceremony. My wife, however, stayed surprisingly calm. She whispered her solution, “Everyone’s here. Postponing now would be humiliating and, honestly, a bad omen. Beside, most people here don’t even know what the groom looks like. Why don’t we just let him stand in for you?” Our friends were dumbfounded. They all thought I’d explode in anger and jealousy after hearing something so outrageous. Instead, I nodded, saying it was actually a great idea. Seeing how composed I remained, my wife looked pleased with herself. She told me that since we were legally married anyway, she’d make it up to me later with another ceremony. However, she seemed to have forgotten one thing: she had just signed the divorce papers.