112 Book(s) Related to piper powell mtg

Beautiful, kind and loyal.
Who would have thought this would happen to her?
When Piper steps in to help a friend, she would never expect she would land in serious trouble. Abused, broken and used as a pawn in a conspiracy to bring down her best friend’s husband’s company, her life takes on a sudden somersault.
Will she ever walk out of this living hell or will she be drawn in by the temptation of the evil within?

Love is not part of why Kane Beaumont marries Emilia Taylor.
It was purely a contract deal to him and nothing more. Saving her family's business from the claws of evil loan sharks is Emilia's motive for marrying a man she barely knew.
However, she doesn't count on being hopelessly attracted to him even when he treats her like a worthless peasant.
Their relationship is chaotic, thanks to Kane's lover who is determined to ruin any opportunity of their romance ever blooming.
Even if it means putting Emilia's life in danger, setting her up, and turning the world against her.
When sparks begin to fly between Kane and Emilia after an unfortunate accident, their relationship goes through a tough test that destroys the tiny flames of love burning between them.
Will love eventually find a way in the end or will this marriage continue to be a high-stakes business deal with dangerous rewards?

Jason is the future Alpha King, he’s waiting to turn 18 so he can finally step on the throne. However a sudden attack at the castle makes him become the King of the Werewolf World a bit sooner than expected. Jason has now to deal with his own Kingdom and his recently found mate, the mysterious new girl at his school.
—
Castiel is a kind soul with gentle looks and a sweet pure heart. In Jason’s eyes, Castiel is the perfect mate with only one little problem…she’s human.
With threats and secrets being revealed he tries to protect his mate from the Supernatural world…little does he know that she’s way more into it than he thinks

A Werewolf Story Of Revenge

“I need just one more powerful man. It can be a dragon, a wolf, an elf or a panther.” Betla said to Aranya as she turned to look at her. She placed her hand on both her shoulders while she looked at her with fire dripping from her eyes, “Promise me, Aranya, that you’ll fulfil my only wish.”

“I will, mother. I promise to give you the power to avenge!” And a promise made to Betla must be fulfilled.

Will Aranya be able to fulfil the promise she made to her hungry mother? Looking for a way to avenge at all cost? What if the only powerful man available to fulfil her mother’s wish is the only mate she loved?

Who will she choose between the two of them? Will she sacrifice her love for her mother? Or she’ll hold onto her mate at the cost of sacrificing her life?

"Why are you here, Carly? What brings you all the way to Russia?" Landon inquired, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Tell me, are you working with those agents, perhaps, mingling in some thrilling covert operation?" he pressed further, his eyes welling up with tears, gripping Carly's arm.

"You're my girlfriend, Carly. You shouldn't be keeping secrets from me!" Landon shouted, his voice filled with frustration and hurt, his grip tightening.

"Pretended girlfriend, remember? But don't worry, love, our secret mission awaits!" Carly corrected gently, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.


Landon, a wealthy tech mogul plagued by a genetic disorder, uncovers a hidden past that connects him to a clandestine organization, yet his life lacks one vital element: true love.

When he hires Carly as his secretary, their paths unexpectedly intertwine, leading them on a thrilling journey.

However, their blossoming love is put to the test as Carly's past resurfaces, putting their lives in jeopardy. With unexpected twists lurking at every turn, Landon must confront his own secrets and make a heart-wrenching choice between love and his covert mission.

Will they find solace in each other amidst the chaotic circumstances, or will their concealed truths drive them apart?

They say some secrets are meant to stay buried.

I used to believe that too—until Roman Aldridge walked back into my life fifteen years later, no longer the broken thirteen-year-old boy I once held through his darkest nights, but a devastatingly handsome man who looked at me like I was his salvation and his damnation all at once.

"I've never stopped loving you, Vivian."

Those seven words shattered the carefully constructed walls I'd built around my heart. Because the truth? I'd never stopped loving him either.

Fifteen years ago, I was his dead mother's replacement—a twenty-three-year-old political advisor tasked with caring for a grieving child. I held him when he cried, watched him grow, and somewhere along the way, developed feelings that terrified me so much I fled Seattle like my life depended on it.

Now I'm back. Divorced, desperate, and apparently still weak enough to melt under those same dark eyes that once looked at me with innocent adoration but now burn with a man's desire.

The scandal writes itself: Governor Candidate's Son Seduces Former Caregiver. Or is it the other way around? Does it matter when the entire world thinks you're a predator who groomed the boy you were supposed to protect?

Roman doesn't care about the headlines. He doesn't care that loving me could destroy his political future, his relationship with his father, everything he's worked for. He says he'd rather burn the whole world down than live without me.

The problem is, I believe him.

And God help me, I think I might let him.

Because sometimes, the most forbidden love is the only one worth fighting for.

Even if it means that a woman falls in love with the child she once nurtured.

Alana is a beautiful girl, kind, cheerful, innocent and sociable. Due to a slander Quenza Alana was kicked out of the house by her parents. Even his family members no longer considered him and removed his name from the family register.

Alana decided to go abroad, namely Germany. While living there, Alana managed to build a company and found a new family who loved her very much.

There, Alana also met a handsome young man whom she had once helped. The young man’s name was Devan Alexander.

I closed my eyes as a dying, ugly servant, but I woke up in the bed of the Alpha King's son, pregnant with his heir!

The tropical storm raged outside, but inside this silk-draped room, I was safe. My scarred, pathetic body was gone, replaced by flawless skin and the voluptuous curves of Luna Rosie. I touched the protruding belly—I am carrying Alpha Gideon’s baby, the man I secretly loved for years! But the twist of fate is cruel. The real Luna Rosie didn't die; her soul is now trapped in my old, ugly body.

She stands in the corner as a maid, forced to serve me tea while I live the life she took for granted. She glares at me with hatred, but I don't care. I finally have everything I ever wanted.

But when Alpha Gideon returns and looks into my eyes, will he recognize the soul of the servant girl who used to wash his clothes?

A group of young teenage rich heiress which is led by Tessha Marie Gavelan, wanted to have a spooky Halloween vacation.
They are bored and want some adventure.
They wanted to make a Halloween documentary just for fun and uploaded it to their webpage.

They search for the most haunted and spooky hometown.
And found four places then raffled them.
Villa del Bungo wins!

A haunted villa in the City of Infierno...

A sudden wrong turn of events happened.
The moment they enter Villa del Bungo is the day that they are trapped and the game of life and death begins!

Unfolding the truth about herself that shocks her...

Who is the mastermind?
Is there any hope for them?
or will they be buried in the City of Infierno?

She is the only daughter of a notorious mafia boss, but she is forced by her father to marry a hateful bastard in a contract marriage. To avenge her father, she has a one-night stand with a charming man, but unexpectedly falls into the trap of another terrible man, who is her father's enemy and another mafia boss. His mission is to make her father disappear.
She regards him as her only salvation, but he regards her as a pawn for revenge. When two enemies dance on the sharp knife, what will be the final outcome?

She is an ordinary high schooler girl with an ordinary life, her daily activity is something that she always does and repeat everyday that makes she slowly feel bored with her life. She want to find something new in her life and her wish come true when someday she find an unique crystal near the big tree in the middle of creepy empty garden. Her life was completely change when the crystal lead her entering the other world, other planet in the other dimension, but she never knew that she has a big fate when she meets the prince with his knights. She never knew that her ordinary life will completely change from the start she decide to take the crystal. How could an ordinary high schooler play a role as a heroine to save a whole planet??

After the crash, everyone told Mara Ellis to be grateful her husband survived.

Evan Vale came home breathing, walking, smiling when people told him to smile. But the man in her kitchen no longer cared about the tiny rules that had once held his brilliant mind together: the blue mug facing east, the dry workbench, the exact order of every file name. His stepmother called it healing. His half brother called it a second chance.

Mara called it a warning.

When Evan's family moves to take his company, his money, and his legal voice, Mara discovers the real Evan saw the attack coming. He left her a trail hidden inside the ordinary life they built together. To save what remains of him, she will have to stop begging people to believe her and become the one person his enemies forgot to fear.

When Bella and Dylan meet in an unusual way, they immediately fall in love and experience a hot and intense romance. However, the powerful Alexander Kicher discovers that his son is involved with the daughter of his arch-rival Anthony Hahn and forces him to stay away at the risk of killing her. Dylan then, to protect his beloved, abruptly moves away, thus awakening anger and Bella's resentment, especially after she discovers her pregnancy and is forced to marry someone she doesn't love.
A few years later, by coincidence of fate the two meet again and Bella will have the chance to take revenge on her great love from the past who betrayed and abandoned her. But will she succeed or the love that was until then forgotten as a Will the sad and bitter memory have another chance or will the power struggle between their families prevail, defying all expectations?
Don't miss this Epic Journey! Thrill with passion, challenges and crucial choices. Embark now on this intense story that transcends time, a saga of love and power that will captivate you from start to finish!

To give my twelve-year-old daughter a peaceful and ordinary childhood, I sealed away the "Eagle" badge that represented the highest military authority in the Federation, willingly becoming a repairman with an oily phone in a remote town.
I suppressed my murderous intent, swallowed my humiliation, and even remained silent about the injustice of the referee.
But my concessions to the powerful and wealthy resulted in the richest man leading a group of professional thugs to smash my home to ruins.
to fight in front of my daughter , until his reckless son smashed my "Eagle Badge," hidden deep inside.
They had no idea that the instant the badge broke—
the SSS-level emergency beacon hidden at its core—had been triggered !

Kira Grey was supposed to be the "rejected mate," a disposable Omega meant to be broken by the cruel Alpha of Silverpine. She was never meant to survive the wedding night, let alone command the throne.
But when a mysterious pendant awakens a dormant power within her, the servant girl begins to fight back—not with brute strength, but with intellect, organizational strategy, and the uncovering of ancient, dangerous secrets.
As she dismantles the pack's hierarchy from within, she realizes she is the last heir of the legendary Moonridge line, possessing the rightful bloodline to claim the throne Ethan currently occupies. She craves not just survival, but total sovereignty.
Caught between a mate who wants to cage her and rivals who want to destroy her, Kira must embrace her hidden heritage. Will she succumb to the shackles of her past, or will she burn the throne to the ground to claim her true destiny as the Luna Queen?

On the eve of the apocalypse, I awakened a survival system: send me $5,000, and the sender can unlock a safehouse and awaken a life-saving ability.
The first person I told was Chloe, my girlfriend of three years. In return, she humiliated me in public and cheated on me without a shred of remorse.
That was the moment I finally gave up. The "nice guy" she had drained dry was dead for good.
One month later, the zombie horde arrived right on schedule. For old times' sake, I saved her one last time. And she repaid me by shoving me straight into the jaws of the mutated dead so she could save herself.
What she didn't know... was that I wasn't the only one who had awakened powers.

In his eyes, I had always been "understanding." Understanding enough not to fight, not to make scenes, not to ask for status.

He said we couldn't go public now, but it was for our future.

Only later did I realize that his "future" never included me.

He chose power, chose arranged marriage, chose to keep me hidden. When I finally left, he started having regrets, started saying he loved me.

But by then I understood—he wasn't regretting losing me. He panicked because I was no longer obedient, no longer his.

So I never gave him another chance. I turned and walked away.

But that was only the first step.

I chose to let the truth surface at his moment of greatest triumph, to let him taste what it feels like to lose everything.

My name is Ethan, and it wasn't until the apocalypse arrived that I realized just how cruel fate could be.

Ability awakening became the new normal. Most survivors gained some kind of supernatural power, ranging from F-rank to the legendary S-rank.

F-rank abilities were barely better than being ordinary, while S-rank ability users possessed the power to face a hundred enemies alone.

My childhood friend Davis awakened a B-rank ability [Thermal Perception], allowing him to sense the heat distribution of all living beings within a hundred-meter radius.

And me? I got the F-rank ability that everyone mocked—[Refresh].

"Hahaha! Refresh? What can that do? Refresh your life?" People at the camp always laughed at me like that.

But I didn't care. I only wanted to protect my sister Leia.

Leia is eighteen this year, one of the few ordinary people in this camp who haven't awakened an ability.

I swore to protect her, no matter the cost.

That evening at dusk, Davis came to find me, but he had already betrayed me and become a lackey of the Gray Mark Gang.

In the wasteland era, the soil is dead. Whoever can grow food is king.
In my last life, my brother gave me the spore we had nearly died to get, and the two of us awakened plant-growing powers together.
But every grain he grew was full and perfect, and the leader placed him on a pedestal; everything I grew was poisonous, and I was mercilessly cast out as worthless.
It wasn't until I died that I learned the truth: his power was never plant-growing, but transfer.
As long as he had eaten the spore, he could transfer away all the crops I grew.
When I got a second chance, I returned to the very day my so-called brother tried to shove the spore into my mouth.
This time, I slammed into him, knocked the spore to the ground, and crushed it under my foot.

In my past life, my brother-in-law predicted the coming of an extreme cold apocalypse and claimed he would awaken a spatial ability on the day it arrived.
I didn't believe him, but under pressure from my wife's family, I purchased supplies anyway. Then the frozen apocalypse actually came.
I thought we'd survive together as a family, but my brother-in-law had bragged about his spatial ability and massive supplies before awakening. When his ability manifested, the space was pitifully small, and everyone he'd told came to rob us.
When food ran out, my wife's family turned on me, killing and eating me.
Reborn, I've decided to take revenge on my wife's entire family. And it all starts with secretly building my own shelter.

After being abused for most of her life, Emily turns to witchcraft for protection. However, she gets more than she bargains for when twin demon brothers show up. They protect her from everything while longing to fill her every need.


At that moment she found out she really liked being controlled in the bedroom. He had already given her a few orders, each one turning her on just a little bit more than the last. “Suck.” Sal ordered Emily, while placing a black toy in her mouth.

“Now I am going to watch while you pleasure my brother for a minute, then I will join in.” He said as he adjusted the toy to the lowest setting.

He came when he saw her lick every last drop of Manny and swallow not missing a drop. He put his hand around her throat pulling her towards him, and kissed her roughly. His other hand moved down her chest and started massaging and pinching her nipples.

He nipped, licked, and sucked on one side, while Manny was doing the same on the other, making her moan in both pleasure and pain.

Trigger Warnings: Animal cruelty, Anal sex, Bigotry, BDSM, Breath play, Bondage, Death, Double-penetration, Homophobia, Mental abuse, Mentions of child abuse, Mind manipulation, Non-consensual drug use, Non-consensual body modification, Orgasm denial, Oral sex, PTSD, Physical abuse, Pseudo-incest, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Sexual abuse, Strong language, Speciesism, Sex, Spanking, Self-cest, Torture, Trauma, Thoughts of suicide, Triple-penetration, Verbal abuse, Voyeurism

Adrianna always thought that everyone had that voice in their head that told them 'dont touch that', 'run' or 'dont go in there'. Most people called it intuition saying it was their subconscious keeping them from danger. The only difference with her 'subconscious' was that it was a mans voice that called himself Apollo, and he was NEVER wrong.


“Fuck, Adrianna, your mouth is heaven. But I need more. I need to be inside you.” He'd pulled me up roughly, crushing his lips to mine in a kiss of fire and possession. Tongue invaded, tasting of smoke and sin, hands yanking my lingerie off to expose my curvy form—breasts heaving, pussy slick. I'd melted into him, arms around his neck, kiss deepening as his cock ground against my belly.

Trigger Warnings included: Abusive Parents, Alcohol, Alcohol Consumption, Anal Sex, Assault, BDSM , Betrayal, Bigotry, Blood, Blood Magic, Bondage, Breath Play, Bullying, Captive Scenarios, Chaos, Cheating, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Consensual Dubious Consent, Cursing, Death, Degradation, Degradation Kink, Demons, Description Of A Violent Death, Discussion Of Mental Health, Double Penetration, Dubious Consent, Dubious Non-Consent, Emotional Abuse, Explicit Sexual Situations For 18+, Face Fucking, Fear Play, Gangbang, Gore, Graphic Murder, Graphic Rape, Graphic Violence, Home Invasion, Inappropriate Use Of Meds, Mental Abuse, Mention Of Drunkenness, Masturbation, Mentions Of Child Abuse, Murder, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Consensual Touching, Oral Sex, Orgasm Denial, Parental Neglect, Physical Abuse, Physical Harm, Primal Play, Profanity, Psychological Abuse, Rape, Rough Sexual Content, Sadomasochism, Satan/The Devil, Self Harm, Self Harm/Cutting For Magical Purposes, Serial Killer And Their Crimes, Severed Han, Sex, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Sexually Explicit Scenes, Slut Shaming, Somnophilia, Spanking, Speciesism, Stalking, Strong Language, Suicidal Thoughts. Suicide, Suicide Ideation. Thoughts Of Suicide, Torture, Triple Penetration, Verbal Abuse, Violence, Voyeurism

At the dawn of human civilization, beings from another planet land on Earth. At first, they seem friendly enough, promoting peace and sharing their incredible magic with the habitants of their new world. While human in appearance, Dragonians have the ability to transform into the towering beasts we know today as dragons. Carving out a canyon, they create their capital and claim their own piece of land. After a terrible tragedy during the birth of the Dragonian king's son, they begin enslaving humanity, imposing despotic rule over their new home. As the dragons' hold on the land surrounding their black castle begins to tighten, the king's allies begin to question his motive, and his sanity. In the middle of a plot against the king and his rule is a young, untrained prince; a hero some don't believe exists. As he becomes more and more entwined with those plotting for change, he must open himself up to learn what he's missed his entire life. Soon, he will learn what it truly means to be free, and what it means to fight for those who cannot.

Jayde Roberts is an executive for Google and working on her Master's degree at Stanford. He sister, Amara, is a Hollywood star. Amara was toyed with and tortured by her boss, Maximous King, until she tried to kill her self. Jayde goes to L.A. to help her sister. She wants to get revenge for her. She meets Maximous and while waiting for Amara to wake up, Jayde gets closer to Max. Jayde gets confused by the feelings she developes for him.

A hybrid of werewolf and vampire could save the world


(Strix) I am a created vampire. After years of moving, my vampire family finally settle in a small town. New place, new school, really can't remember how many times I've been to school in my eternal life. Just when I was ready to go to my class, I notice a man in the corner.

The wind blew just then and I was distracted by the most amazing scent. I had never before smelled anything so … heavenly. It is enticing, pulling me toward its source, the man.

My brother grabbed my arm and started dragging me backwards. “We have to go, now!”
“Why?” I asked, concerned by whatever danger he saw at that moment. “Oh!” I gasped. I am the danger.

(Shawn) As the wind blew towards me, I realized it wasn’t Lycans in the woods, but vampires. And then I caught it, the most amazing scent. MATE! Was my mate being chased by vampires? Surely they would have caught her by now unless they are carrying her.

I jumped into a nearby tree and watched as three vampires ran through the woods. Three vampires, no humans, no lycans, just vampires. Wait… Does that mean my mate is a vampire?

"You are absolutely my fucking woman, Dani. Got me?"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Dani," he pressed. "Do you get me?"
"No, Austin, I don't," I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. "You confuse me."
He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell me what's on your mind."
I sighed. "You're everything my parents warned me against. You're secretive, but you're also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I've ever known. You're a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don't get you because you're not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I'm feeling things I don't quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don't want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don't want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he's super pretty and makes me come."
Danielle Harris is the daughter of an overprotective police chief and has led a sheltered life. As a kindergarten teacher, she's as far removed from the world of Harleys and bikers as you could get, but when she's rescued by the sexy and dangerous Austin Carver, her life is changed forever.
Although Austin 'Booker' Carver is enamored by the innocent Dani, he tries to keep the police chief's daughter at arm's length. But when a threat is made from an unexpected source, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the only woman who can tame his wild heart.
Will Booker be able to find the source of the threat before it's too late?
Will Dani finally give her heart to a man who's everything she's been warned about?

I thought ten years of childhood sweethearts could weather any storm.

Until that night when Charles rushed out after her call, leaving me alone in bed with his child growing inside me, not knowing how to tell him.

Seraphina Blackwood, tech dynasty heiress, threatened Charles with her father's billion-dollar empire to marry her. And me? Just an orphan girl who seemed to mean nothing in Silicon Valley's power games.

When I watched him remove our wedding ring, when I saw their sweet photos at the hospital, when I lay bleeding on the floor and he chose her... I finally understood that maybe love really can't survive against money.

But what I didn't know was that while I started my new life in Switzerland, there was a man secretly protecting me with his kidney, his heart, his everything...

Until his assistant appeared at my little bakery, desperation in his eyes: "Ms. Thorne, please, you have to save him!"

At the board meeting, he voted to dilute my equity.

"This is business, Elena. Not personal."

Three years of hidden marriage. I thought we were partners. But in that moment, I finally understood—I was just his technical supplier on the road to success.

What Ryan didn't know: that Technology Contribution Agreement he signed three years ago contained one clause. 70% of NexTech's core algorithm IP belongs to me. Personally.

Product launch day. Two hundred investors watching. I took the microphone.

He thought I'd present the tech specs like always.

He was wrong.

Dante Ashford is my stepbrother, and the one person I should never have fallen in love with.

When I was ten, my parents died saving his family. The Ashfords took me in. He was good to me back then. Somewhere along the way, I fell for him.

When I was eighteen, he nearly died in an ambush. I donated blood, then a kidney to save him. I was unconscious for three days. When I woke up, Vivian Ross sat by his bed—and he believed she was his savior.

After that, he pushed me away. Vivian became his fiancée.

In my past life, Vivian's crimes brought disaster to our family. Dante got on his knees and begged me to take her punishment. I refused. She died anyway. Then he pretended to love me, planned our wedding—and on that day, his assistant announced to everyone: "This wedding was a lesson to show Miss Elena Hayes what it feels like to be abandoned by the whole world."

I jumped from the church balcony.

When I opened my eyes, I was back at that moment—him on his knees, begging.

This time, I said yes.

Dante, from now on, we're done.

My father died owing the Callahan family a blood debt. His payment? Me and my sister—married off to their sons.

I woke up reborn on the night they buried him.

Standing in that funeral chamber, watching the lawyer crack open the sealed will, I discovered I could suddenly hear thoughts. My sister Vivienne's voice ripped through my head: Not marrying that butcher. No way in hell.

She lunged forward and grabbed Adrian—the refined bastard son who looked like a lawyer instead of a mobster. The same "perfect gentleman" I married in my past life.

Which left me with Dominic Callahan. The scarred heir. The Executioner.

Last time around, Vivienne married Dominic and got beaten down for years. I married Adrian and lived like a queen.

I almost laughed out loud.

Because she has no idea—this time, she's the one who grabbed the monster.

Everyone in this city knows that the king of the underworld, my husband Vincent, is crazy about me.

Three years ago, when that bullet tore through my abdomen, it took away my chance of ever being a mother. He held my blood-soaked body and swore to God he'd make the shooter's entire family pay. A month later, that family was wiped off the map in this city. No one dares speak their name anymore.

He sat by my hospital bed, holding my hand. "I don't need kids. I only need you."

I believed him.

Until six months ago, when his brother died in an accident, leaving behind his wife Serena. The family pressure came like a tidal wave. An heir. A bloodline. That's all they cared about. And that woman became everyone's golden ticket to keeping the Caruso name alive.

That's when my husband stopped coming home at night. Every night, I hear them through the wall. Sounds that used to be mine.

But today, the doctor told me my body is healing. The chances are slim, but there's hope.

I clutch the medical report and rush home, imagining Vincent's face when he sees the results. Maybe everything can go back to how it was. Maybe he'll realize he doesn't need her.

Until I stand outside our mansion and hear laughter pouring out.

"Serena's pregnant! Can you believe it? The family finally has an heir!"

"Finally. The family's saved."

The day I died in a foreign country, my boyfriend was in the spotlight with another woman.

He's the man I built from nothing. Five years ago, I saved a broke orphan fresh out of college from the gutter. He said he wanted to be famous, wanted to make it to the top of the hockey world. In exchange, he became my boyfriend for five years.

I gave him the best coaching staff money could buy. Bought an entire hockey franchise and made him the centerpiece. Called in every favor I had to make him MVP.

But while he enjoyed everything I gave him, he refused to make our relationship public. Said it would "hurt his brand." He could make headlines with reporters and models, but nobody could know I existed.

He even said on national TV: "Those owners who just throw money around are pretty boring. Hockey is about skill, not money."

So why did he lose his mind when he found out I was dead?

One hundred years married to Everett, and I've learned one thing: whenever he wants to push me into a corner, he throws the mate bond dissolution agreement in my face. Whenever my parents want me to cave, they hold the family name over my head.

They've always wanted the same thing — for me to hand over everything I have to my twin sister Rosalie, who's been sick her whole life.

I've fought it. I've grieved over it.

But when the doctor slid the diagnosis across the desk — Blood Depletion Syndrome, late stage, less than two weeks left — something in me just went quiet.

What's the point of fighting when you're already dead?

The alliance between the Human Empire and the Wolf Empire has stood for centuries. The treaty requires the Human Empire to send a princess to the Wolf Empire every so often, to become the Wolf King's mate and strengthen the bond between our kingdoms. Now, it's time to honor that pact again.

Father is old now, ready to step down. My sister and I have to choose.

In my past life, Adelaide chose the throne. She thought power meant she could do whatever she wanted. Within three years, the Human Empire crumbled in her hands. At home, she bled the people dry, filling her own coffers while they starved. Abroad, her arrogance drove away our allies. The Dwarven Empire, the Serpent Empire, they all cut ties. In the end, the surrounding kingdoms banded together and attacked. The Human Empire fell in the war. Our parents died by enemy blades, and Adelaide had to flee.

And me? I went to the Wolf Empire, just like the treaty said.

On the surface, I was the Wolf Queen, worshipped by every wolf, living in the grand Wolf Court, attending state banquets. In reality, I was his prisoner. Forced to run as prey in the hunting ritual, slapped to the ground in front of the council, shoved forward as a hostage when conflicts arose.

At one banquet, Adelaide appeared in front of me, gripping a dagger, madness burning in her eyes. "This is your fault! If you hadn't been so useless in the Wolf Empire, we wouldn't have lost everything!"

The blade sank into my chest. I collapsed in a pool of blood.

When I open my eyes again, I'm back in the throne room with Father watching us.

Adelaide barely hesitates before speaking up. "I'll go to the Wolf Empire. Let Brynn take the throne."

I smile.

Foolish Adelaide. She has no idea that beneath the Queen's crown lies nothing but chains and blood.

My beast companions are in the middle of my medicinal soak when a soft, dramatic little "ow" drifts in from outside.

Vex, my wolfkin companion, drops my leg. Brom, the bearkin, jerks his hand and a fortune's worth of elixir spills into the water.

They crash through the floor-to-ceiling window and bolt outside without a single glance back — all for some ordinary girl.

I'm still staring at the broken glass when a stream of glowing blue text pops up out of nowhere.

[The main character Ivy literally fake-tripped in the garden and these two idiots jumped out a window for her!]
[Honestly, the original side character Lillia had it so rough. Backstabbed by her own companions, dies a miserable death, and they end up in Ivy's entourage…]
[And she never even figures out what's happening. Just suffers through the whole thing without a clue.]

I read through all of it, and one thought slowly rises: seriously?

If my companions won't behave, just get new ones. Simple.

I go straight to my mom, and before I've even finished talking, she's already pulling me toward the door.

"Any beast that turns on its master isn't worth keeping. Come on, baby — let's go pick you out some new ones. Mom's paying, so make it the most expensive ones they've got."

Ryan loves me deeply—at least that's what everyone says. Seven years together, we look like the perfect couple to outsiders. But only I know he's betrayed me three times.

The first time was three years ago. His brother died saving him, leaving behind his widow Sophia—Ryan's unforgettable first love. He married her behind my back. When I found out, I completely fell apart. I have dignity. I refuse to be the other woman. I wanted to leave, but he begged on his knees. "This is just to take care of my sister-in-law. Once I find the truth about my brother's death, I'll divorce her. Then we can get married."

I believed him. I forgot that a man never lets go of a lost love he's gotten back.

The second time was at last year's company anniversary. In front of everyone, he introduced Sophia as his wife. I watched them on stage, a knife through my heart. That night he explained, "It's just for show. Once everything's over, we can be together."

I believed him again.

The third time was two weeks ago. Surveillance footage showed Ryan with Sophia entering a hotel room. I rushed to confront him, but heard her voice outside his office. "Ryan, I'm pregnant. It's your baby."

Through the crack in the door, I see him hesitate. In that instant I understand.

He's going to keep her.

He spots me and rushes out in a panic. "It was an accident! Let me explain! After she has the baby, I'll give her money and make her leave. She won't be in our lives anymore!"

In that moment, I finally wake up. There will be no future for us.

The mafia boss chose me as his decoy—a body double for the woman he loves.

Eight years. Three bullets, one car crash, one explosion. The doctor said ten more minutes and I would've died on that operating table when they took my kidney. I gave him a son. He let me play "the boss's wife" in public.

Until he cleared every obstacle for her and decided to marry her.

Her wedding photos replaced mine in the master bedroom. He has her initials tattooed on his arm. When I questioned him, he had his men slap me at a charity gala, forced me to admit "I'm just a stand-in." When I touched her, he took away my custody, declared she was "the true lady of this house."

The punishments got worse. When he threatened to cancel my mother's insurance, I finally learned to shut up.

He pulls me close, whispers in my ear: "She gave up everything for me. Not like you—you were born to take bullets for me."

"Deal with it. She's not replacing you. This is her house now."

Even my son took her side.

"Stop being dramatic! Natalie actually loves us! You're nothing!"

But their pure, innocent Natalie? She unplugged my mother's ventilator while I was locked in the basement. Let his enemies slip poison into my drink during the last job.

When Grayson found me, all he said was: "She's pregnant and emotional. Go rearrange the flowers at the wedding venue."

I wipe the black blood from my lips. Look at him quietly.

"I'm dying."

Everyone in our circle knows I'm Adrian's caged bird, and the "bad woman" his son Miles hates most.

For Miles, I gave up my fellowship in Zurich and spent seven years playing housewife.

What did I get in return? Adrian took Sophie to gallery openings on our anniversary. Miles smashed cake in my face in front of everyone, calling me a frumpy housewife.

Adrian was certain I couldn't leave him. Certain I couldn't leave our son.

He threw the divorce papers on the table with a cold smile. "Sign this, and you lose everything. Including Miles."

He expected me to beg on my knees.

I didn't.

I picked up the pen and signed without hesitation.

"Fine, Adrian. You keep Miles. And I get to keep myself."

For just a moment, I saw shock flash in his eyes.

I heard later that Adrian searched for me like a madman, and the son he doted on cried and screamed for his mommy.

Too bad. I'd already burned it all down myself.

I've been secretly married to him for five years, but he's never treated me as his wife. Our six-year-old daughter has never called him Dad in public.

One drunken night, I got pregnant. He gave me a marriage contract that came with one condition: secrecy.

I thought time would change everything. I stood by him through the company's darkest days. When I was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer, he didn't come. When our daughter was born, he was in a meeting. Every moment that mattered, he wasn't there.

Then that clumsy intern showed up.

From that point on, he gave her all his attention and patience. He broke his own rules for her again and again. That's when I finally understood: when someone doesn't love you, they just don't.

So I took my daughter and disappeared from his world completely.

But why did that calm, controlled man lose his mind?

I helped him claw his way up from nothing—from the family's bastard to king of the underworld.

I saved him when he got jumped in the streets. Took bullets for him when his father beat him half dead. We fought our way up from nothing, survived assassination attempts, built an empire that made people fear our name.

I thought we'd always stand together.

Until the day I nearly died giving birth, and all I found in the bassinet was a stack of cash.

I asked him where our baby was. He couldn't look me in the eye. His stepmother walked out holding my son. Smiled and said she deserved this, a child of her own, since she couldn't have one herself. He'd given my baby to another woman.

Turns out he'd been sleeping with her the whole time.

I threw the money in his face. I spent the next six years trying to get my son back.

Last week, when some small-time gang grabbed him, I went in alone with a gun. Bullets flew past my ears, kicked up concrete dust. I fought my way to the back and pulled him out. At the hospital, he pushed me away, crying, "Why'd you have to come?! We could've been a real family by now! Just leave! Leave me alone!"

I stared at his small face for a long time.

Finally, I said, "Call me mom one last time. Then I'll let you go."

Our engagement has gone unfulfilled for ten years.

My parents saved his family in that yacht accident. With their dying breath, they asked his family to look after me. In return, we go to city hall every year, trying to fulfill this obligation.

Ten attempts. Ten failures.

Elevator malfunctions, food poisoning, home invasions, car crashes... Every single time, I get hurt at the worst possible moment while he walks away without a scratch.

This makes ten. A truck slams into the passenger side, my head smashes against the window, and he's already running across the street, pulling that woman into his arms.

On my way to find him after they stitch me up, I hear his assistant's voice in the hospital corridor:

"Mr. Ashford, the truck driver's been taken care of. Money'll hit his account like we agreed... but is this really fair to Miss Bennett? It's been ten years, every single year—"

William's voice comes out low and tired. "I don't have a choice. Her parents saved me, but I'm in love with Emma."

I look down at the diagnosis. ALS. Late stage.

Turns out I've been trying to marry a lie this whole time.

Landon Rhodes and I grew up together, both dreaming of becoming top chefs. But I knew he was the one with a palate kissed by God.

So when Rowan Stone, this street-rat punk, got her claws into him, I took the drinks, the smoke, the slaps for him. When he wanted to skip the National Young Chefs Competition to stay with her drunk ass, I dragged him back to the culinary lab.

He won the championship, got recruited by a three-star Michelin restaurant, graduated and made millions. I became the most invisible prep cook in his kitchen.

Until Rowan wrapped her car around a pole during one of her episodes, and he lured me into a basement.

"This is all your fault! If you'd minded your own damn business, she'd still be alive!"

His foot came down on my right hand. Bones cracking. My fingers ground to pulp.

All those 5 AM trips to the fish market for him. All those nights watching stock simmer for forty-eight hours straight. All the praise he soaked up at final practicals. My sacrifices, and all I got in return was his hatred.

"These worthless hands that can only cut vegetables deserve to rot in the ground with her."

The pain swallowed me whole.

When I wake up again, I'm back to that afternoon when he said he was going to the bar to find her.

This time, I won't stop him.

I promised Ethan Caldwell, the boy I grew up with, I'd give up the top schools to attend some mediocre college with him.

On the final day of application submission, I brought homemade soup to his studio.

Outside the door, I heard him bragging to his friends: "Claire Bennett's like a damn puppy. I tell her to come to NYU with me, and boom, she changes her whole application to NYU. Lily's grades are shit. If Claire doesn't go for that full scholarship, Lily's got it in the bag. And Claire's so whipped, even when she finds out, she'll just suck it up like always."

The thermos in my hands feels cold now.

As the only daughter of a mafia family, I learned early that trust doesn't come cheap. When my father got sick, he gave me an ultimatum: if I want to take over the family, I have to get married first.

Everyone assumed I'd pick my childhood friend, Vincent Moretti—son of my father's right-hand man. Hell, even I thought so. Until my last life, when he left me to burn.

Father died in an ambush. I was trapped in a metal cage at an abandoned dock warehouse while flames swallowed everything. I begged Vincent for help. He stood thirty feet away, the cage key right by his feet.

"Cat, as long as your father's alive, he'll never give me the family. This isn't personal. It's business."

Sophia was wrapped around him—my so-called best friend. She smiled at me and said she'd take good care of everything.

Before I lost consciousness, I saw a figure in black charging into the flames—Elijah, the bodyguard I'd called "trash" and "a dog."

Then I opened my eyes and woke up a month before my birthday party. This time, I'm giving that position to someone who actually deserves it.

But why is Vincent on his knees at my engagement party, crying and begging me to marry him?

My boyfriend looks at me like I'm trash. Too fat. Too plain. My clothes are ugly. He never misses a chance to tear me down.

I thought he was just mean. Then his "good friend" Sophie spilled coffee all over our ten-thousand-dollar control board.

That board was three months of work. Three months of all-nighters, twice I passed out from low blood sugar. It was our entry for the National Robotics Competition. The deadline's tomorrow. Now it's gone.

I confronted Sophie, and he stormed in, pulled her into his arms, and pointed his finger in my face. "It's just a stupid competition. Did you really need to come at Sophie like that?"

Turns out he's not just mean. He genuinely can't stand me.

When Trevor Sullivan had nothing, I gave up billions to follow him to Silicon Valley. Everyone said I was crazy in love with him, until his first love came back to the States right after he made it big.

Seven years of playing the perfect wife and mother, and then I hear him coaching our five-year-old daughter: "Ruby, you can't tell Mommy about my fake wedding with Amber. Not a word, okay?"

"But Daddy, Mommy's gonna be sad..."

"If you tell Mommy, Daddy won't love you anymore. Got it?"

My daughter trembles, nodding frantically.

I stand outside the door, my heart turning to ash.

For the woman he never got over, he doesn't just betray our marriage. He makes our five-year-old lie for him.

Everyone expects me to cry, to beg, to fall apart.

Instead, I dial the number I blocked seven years ago: "Dad, can the family jet still come get me?"

Trevor Sullivan has no idea. I was never some gold digger who needed him to survive. I was the one with everything who made myself small for his sake.

As a regular student, I never expected to fit into the world of trust fund kids. But this real estate heiress reached out to me, said she'd show me how the other half lives, even promised to introduce me to New England's most powerful heir.

I thought she'd be my friend. Thought she actually cared. I even fell for him.

Until she framed me for stealing confidential school files. Until he said, "Just a scholarship kid. No one's gonna miss her." That's when I understood. I was never more than their toy.

They tore up my textbooks, stuffed dead rats in my locker, spent six months tormenting me online and off. My mother couldn't take the vicious comments. Her heart gave out. And me? After I completely broke down, they drove me to the coastal cliffs.

Ice-cold water flooded my nose and mouth. Suffocation dragged me down into despair. I hate myself for being weak. Hate them for their arrogance. Hate this rotten system that treats people like me as disposable.

But when I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the night she pushed me toward him.

This time, I won't be fooled.

Three years after my pilot husband "died" in a plane crash, I walk in on him cutting a birthday cake for his three-year-old son backstage at the company memorial gala.

Luke freezes in the lounge, his hand still on the knife, staring at me.

His parents rush over to shield him. The same couple who screamed at me in the funeral home, wishing I'd died instead of him.

"Nora, just calm down. There's an explanation..."

Claire covers her slightly rounded belly, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry, Nora. My baby needs his father. Please, I'm begging you. I couldn't help myself—I love him."

I thought I'd break down. Thought I'd scream.

But all that guilt, all that self-blame, three years of missing him burns away the second I see the truth.

Nothing's left.

Two weeks before my due date, my husband Ethan is racing out the door into a stormy night.

All because his childhood friend Scarlett's apartment lost power, and she says her claustrophobia is kicking in.

I'm clutching my belly, telling him my water broke, begging him to look at the blood on the floor.

"You pulling this again? Last week wasn't enough? Scarlett's actually in danger."

He shakes off my hand. The door slams shut.

I'm standing in a pool of blood, watching his taillights disappear into the rain.

My baby won't have a father anymore.