

On a torrential rainy night, Lewis Kane is accidentally hit by a dump truck and sent straight to the underworld. A judge is fretting over problems plaguing the three realms when Lewis is mistakenly brought in. The judge notices Lewis glowing with golden light—the mark of someone with immense karmic merit—and sees hope. He appoints Lewis as the liaison officer for the three realms,serving as the underworld’s representative in the mortal world to help meet their quotas. When Lewis refuses, the judge reveals that Lewis is cursed with nine lifetimes of loneliness, and this is his ninth life. If he doesn’t accept the position, he’ll be trapped in endless reincarnations of solitude. Terrified, Lewis throws a tantrum, begging the judge to grant him a life of romantic fulfillment this time around. The judge tosses him a smartphone, explaining it can connect directly to the underworld, then sends Lewis back to the mortal realm. And so,Lewis’ destiny begins to shift because of that one mysterious phone.

The night of my first shift at eighteen, my two older brothers brought home a twelve-year-old orphaned Omega. My alpha brother seized the rare healing herb I'd spent all my savings on—herbs meant to ease my first transformation—and gave them to her instead. "You're strong enough," he growled. "You don't need such precious herbs." My beta brother snarled with fury, pointing toward the door. "Get out! Don't come back!" I said nothing more, just grabbed my packed bag and left. They assumed I was merely throwing a tantrum, that I'd return in a few days. My brothers, finally free of my presence, took the orphan girl on an international vacation to the Caribbean islands I'd always dreamed of visiting. Many days later, when they returned to the pack, they were shocked to discover I'd accepted an offer from the neighboring pack's Head Healer. The position required fifteen years of isolated herbal research. I could never return home. That night, they fell apart.