Qing Jiu

For nine hundred and eighty-six nights, I was exiled to the guest room while my husband, Alpha Corbett, let his dead wife’s sister sleep in our master suite. He claimed Ivana needed his pheromones to sleep. I was just the glorified janitor in my own pack. But the breaking point wasn't the neglect. It was the macaron. "Eat it," Corbett ordered, holding out the green cookie. "Show me you accept my apology." "I'm allergic to pistachios," I whispered. "I'll die." He didn't listen. His eyes flashed red. "Eat it." The Alpha Command seized my motor functions. My hand moved against my will, shoving the poison into my mouth. As my throat instantly swelled, I tasted the metallic tang of Wolfsbane. Ivana hadn't just ignored my allergy; she had laced it. I collapsed on the kitchen tiles, clawing at my windpipe, turning purple. From the living room, Ivana let out a fake, high-pitched shriek. "Corbett! My anxiety! It's coming back!" Corbett looked down at me, convulsing and suffocating on the floor. Then he looked toward the living room. The choice took him less than a second. He physically stepped over my dying body. "Hold on, Ivana! I'm coming!" he cooed, leaving me to die alone on the cold grout. I managed to jam an EpiPen into my thigh, gasping as air forced its way back into my lungs. As I lay there shivering, I didn't feel sadness. I felt clarity. I dragged myself to my studio, packed my research, and sent a single email. To: The Royal Lycan King. Subject: I accept. By the time Corbett realized Ivana was a fraud pregnant with another man's child, I was already gone. And when he finally came begging on his knees, he found me in the arms of a King who would burn the world before he let me bow.

For ten years, my world was silent. Bryan was my protector, my voice, my everything, shielding me from a world I couldn't hear after my parents died saving him. But when a new girl, Astrid, arrived and started a cruel war against me, I suddenly regained my hearing-only to discover the horrifying truth. Bryan wasn't my protector; he was the mastermind. "He loves seeing you squirm," Astrid sneered, her voice a venomous whisper I could now hear perfectly. "He told me he gets off on it. He hates your blank face." Their twisted game was to make the "emotionless Elinor" cry. My pain was their entertainment. The boy I trusted, the family I loved-it was all built on a foundation of guilt and deceit. He thought I was a silent, helpless victim he could control. He thought I would endure his betrayal forever. He was wrong. So, I jumped from the third-floor window, orchestrating a public "suicide" to expose their crimes. As the world erupted in chaos and his perfect life shattered, I knew my real story was just beginning.

My fiancé, Liam, told me to sign a document to save his family's company. It was a false confession, pinning a hundred-million-dollar mistake on me. A mistake his childhood sweetheart, Chloe, had made. When I refused, he showed me a live feed of my mother in her hospital bed. Her life-saving cancer treatment was funded by his family. He smiled, his thumb hovering over an icon on his phone. "One call, Ava. The funding stops. Her treatment is over." Later, after I signed, he locked me in a lab that caught fire. He thought I was trying to sabotage Chloe. As I pounded on the door, choking on smoke, he stood on the other side, comforting a perfectly fine Chloe. He looked at me, trapped and burning, and shouted, "This is your own damn fault. I'm disappointed in you, Ava." He left me to die. But I survived. When I woke up in the hospital, I made a single call to my hacker contact. My message was one word: "Execute."

My life, once a meticulously designed blueprint, began its demolition on the eve of my wedding. I was Ethan Miller, an architect on the verge of having it all, returning home to celebrate with my fiancée. Instead, I found her in our bedroom with my best man, a scene that shattered everything. Fleeing into the night, a car blared, then metal met bone, and blinding pain consumed my right arm. I woke in a hospital, my dominant hand irreparably damaged, my career as an architect declared over. The world celebrated my tragedy; my fiancée and best man married in my place, turning my life into a public spectacle of pity and gossip. The pain in my chest eclipsed the physical agony as my identity crumbled, rendering me a broken man, a backdrop for my betrayer' s rising star. I spiraled, questioning the point of it all, refusing to eat, to heal, to exist. My professional talent, the very core of my being, had become a burden, a target for those who sought to elevate themselves on my ruins. Then, in my deepest despair, Olivia Chen, my betrayer's best friend, appeared as my savior. She became my devoted wife, meticulously managing my recovery, holding me through frustrated tears, and becoming the anchor in my new, quiet life. Until a Tuesday. When I returned home early, the words from the sun-room sliced through the quiet, words spoken by Olivia and my physical therapist. "You arranged for him to be hit by a car for Mark Davis." "Yes." My world collapsed again. The woman who saved me, who spoke words of love, was my captor. She had orchestrated my accident, meticulously sabotaged my recovery, all to ensure Mark Davis's success. It wasn't love; it was a cage, a beautifully crafted prison designed to keep me broken, a pawn in their twisted game fueled by her obsessed ambition for Mark. Every tender touch, every encouraging word, a calculated lie. My love, her most effective weapon. How could I have been so blind? How could the woman I trusted with my broken heart be the architect of my ruin? Was there any truth to anything she ever said? This betrayal, so absolute, left me hollow, yet a cold clarity began to form. I was done being a victim.

My world with Chloe revolved around our eagerly awaited baby, our future taking happy shape with every nursery plan. An Instagram tag from her popped up then, a seemingly innocent ping. I opened it, and the image delivered a brutal, physical blow, vaporizing my reality. Chloe lay pale but smiling in a hospital bed, holding hands with her ex-husband Mark, in the bed beside her. The caption read: "This time, I'm choosing to be brave for love." My mind reeled: a bone marrow donor? Where was our baby? Comments hailed her a hero, oblivious to the life she'd just ended, never telling me. She returned, demanding comfort, yet casually dismissed my silent agony over our lost child. Her shocking nonchalance toward our baby' s life ignited a silent, seething rage deep inside me. I finally grasped that my unwavering kindness had enabled her, teaching her that monumental betrayals carried no real consequences. How could she expect recovery meals after such a horrific, selfish act? Staring at the stranger in my wife's eyes, the illusion shattered. "I want a divorce," I declared, beginning my fight to reclaim my shattered life.

After years hidden away, recovering from the fire that stole my old life, my meticulously crafted new identity as Ethan White was finally ready for a fresh start in Chicago, a surprise apartment from my sister, Sophia, waiting. But the key had barely turned in the lock when men burst in, led by Sophia’s fiancé, Rick Harrington, who saw not a brother returning home, but a stranger to be eliminated. Fists flew, bones crunched, and the man who was supposed to be my future brother-in-law sneered about Sophia’s "pet project," convinced I was just some con artist. Every desperate plea for my sister to recognize me, every mention of my true name, Evan, was met with another blow, another sneer, my new face cementing their conviction that I was an imposter. Even Mac, Sophia's head of security who’d known me since I was a kid, only saw a trespasser, his eyes blank with no recognition despite my desperate cries. As darkness swallowed me, battered and unrecognizable, the cruel irony was a bitter taste: the new identity Sophia had painstakingly crafted to keep me safe was now the very thing sealing my doom at the hands of her own fiancé. How could the security measures meant to shield me become the weapon used against me by the one person I was supposed to trust, the one who was about to marry my sister? Little did Rick know, a shattered phone with a single photo and a mother's heirloom would soon unravel his web of lies, bringing Sophia face-to-face with the brother she thought was safe, and unleashing her terrifying fury for justice.

On the eve of her engagement party, her half-sister and stepmother devised a trap, making Myra spend the entire night with another guy. She had no clue that this gentleman was no other than Kian, someone she had met a decade ago. That fun and crazy night started to unravel the course of their destiny. Engrossed in her life now and exacting revenge, Kian seized every opportunity to get closer to Myra and make her fall for him. He didn’t require any gifts except for her love and attention. Now that she has found the right man, she disregarded all the wrong ones.

As a wolfless charity case at the Hyde Pack's celebration, my world shattered when Braydon, my supposed protector, publicly announced Katherine Parrish as his Luna, erasing me. Heartbroken, I fled into a terrifying contract marriage with Alpha King Dallas Marshall for protection. Braydon's public assault and threats forced me to reveal my secret marriage, challenging the King. My "protection" felt like a prison. Braydon revealed I was a "key" to power, not a mate, confirming my fears. Enraged by my attempt to take a morning-after pill, Dallas forced me to swallow it, then branded my lips with a furious kiss. His chilling silence hardened my resolve. I immediately drafted an addendum to our contract, setting strict boundaries to reclaim control.

For eight years, Cecilia Moore was the perfect Luna, loyal, and unmarked. Until the day she found her Alpha mate with a younger, purebred she-wolf in his bed. In a world ruled by bloodlines and mating bonds, Cecilia was always the outsider. But now, she's done playing by wolf rules. She smiles as she hands Xavier the quarterly financials-divorce papers clipped neatly beneath the final page. "You're angry?" he growls. "Angry enough to commit murder," she replies, voice cold as frost. A silent war brews under the roof they once called home. Xavier thinks he still holds the power-but Cecilia has already begun her quiet rebellion. With every cold glance and calculated step, she's preparing to disappear from his world-as the mate he never deserved. And when he finally understands the strength of the heart he broke... It may be far too late to win it back.

He left her on the streets. His brother-in-law picked her up. and made her his wife. On the day her ex, Mark, married the wealthy socialite Bella, Elena was thrown out with nothing but the clothes on her back-humiliated, broken, and utterly alone. Until Eric Thompson appeared. Bella's older brother. Mark's powerful brother-in-law. And the most feared Alpha in the city. He offered her a hand when no one else would. Then, he offered her a deal: A marriage in name only. A shield against her past. A chance to rebuild. Elena accepted, expecting a cold arrangement between strangers. But behind closed doors, Eric's carefully guarded control unraveled-and so did hers. Their chemistry was explosive, their nights intense, and the lines between business and pleasure blurred beyond recognition. He was the one man she could never have. and the only one she couldn't resist. But when Mark realizes what he truly lost, and Bella discovers the secret behind her brother's bride, Elena must decide: Is this just a contract? Or is this the love she was always meant to fight for?

Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.

For two years, I was the Alpha's secret wife, a duty he resented. But the positive pregnancy test in my hand was a miracle, a blessing from the Moon Goddess. This baby, our heir, was supposed to be the bridge that finally mended our broken mate bond. That night, he left without a word. I saw on a gossip site that he'd gone to pick up his ex-lover, Isadora. Reaching for him through our bond, I wasn't met with his usual coldness, but with her emotions bleeding through him-triumph and smug possession. The next morning, I went to his office, ready to tell him about our baby, believing our child could fix us. But I stopped when I heard him talking to our Pack Healer about me. The healer said I looked fragile, that he should care for his mate. My husband laughed. "You seem to care for her more than I do," Demetri said, his voice dripping with ice. "Do you want me to give her to you? Take her. She's of no use to me." My world shattered. I wasn't just unloved; I was a thing to be discarded. I looked down at the pregnancy report, the proof of the life inside me, and made a vow. He would never know about our child, and I would sever our bond myself.

Luna has tried her best to make her forced marriage to Xen work for the sake of their child. But with Riley and Sophia- Xen's ex-girlfriend and her son in the picture. She fights a losing battle. Ollie, Xen's son is neglected by his father for a very long time and he is also suffering from a mysterious sickness that's draining his life force. When his last wish to have his dad come to his 5th birthday party is dashed by his failure to show up, Ollie dies in an accident after seeing his father celebrate Riley's birthday with Sophia and it's displayed on the big advertising boards that fill the city. Ollie dies and Luna follows after, unable to bear the grief, dying in her mate's hands cursing him and begging for a second chance to save her son. Luna gets the opportunity and is woken up in the past, exactly one year to the day Sophia and Riley show up. But this time around, Luna is willing to get rid of everyone and anyone even her mate if he steps in her way to save her son.

Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...

I gave him three years of silent devotion behind a mask I never wanted to wear. I made a wager for our bond-he paid me off like a mistress. "Chloe's back," Zane said coldly. "It's over." I laughed, poured wine on his face, and walked away from the only love I'd ever known. "What now?" my best friend asked. I smiled. "The real me returns." But fate wasn't finished yet. That same night, Caesar Conrad-the Alpha every wolf feared-opened his car door and whispered, "Get in." Our gazes collided. The bond awakened. No games. No pretending. Just raw, unstoppable power. "Don't regret this," he warned, lips brushing mine. But I didn't. Because the mate I'd been chasing never saw me. And the one who did? He's ready to burn the world for me.

My Luna became an alpha after I rejected her : she was my Luna. I rejected her. Now she's stronger than ever and she has my son. Amelia's world shattered the day her daughter died-and her mate, Alpha Aiden of the Red Moon Pack, divorced her to reunite with his ex-girlfriend. Cast out, disgraced, and accused of poisoning her own child, Amelia was stripped of her title and driven from her pack. The next morning, her lifeless body was found at the border.They all believed she was dead.But she wasn't. Far from the ashes of betrayal, Amelia rebuilt herself-rising from rejection and ruin to become the first female Alpha of Velaris, the most powerful and respected pack in the realm. She also carried a secret Aiden never discovered:She was pregnant-with his son.Years later, fate brings them face to face once more. A deadly disease is spreading through the packs, and the only one who can stop it is the renowned doctor they thought had died. When Aiden sees the boy at her side-his eyes, his blood-he realizes the truth.He didn't just lose his Luna. He destroyed the mother of his child.And now, she's everything he's not-stronger, wiser, untouchable. Will she heal the pack that betrayed her?Will she ever let him near her heart again?Or is his punishment simply living with the consequences?

I stood in the pouring rain at my father-in-law's funeral, the heels of my black pumps sinking into the mud. I was Mrs. Vargas, the wife of New York's most powerful billionaire, yet I was standing at the edge of the crowd like a forgotten statue. Ten feet away, under the dry shelter of the family tent, my husband Hayes held another woman against his chest. It wasn't me he was whispering comfort to; it was Felicity, his late brother's widow and childhood sweetheart. The humiliation didn't end at the cemetery. Hayes moved Felicity and her son into our home, relegating me to the guest wing while she took over the primary suites. He watched silently as her son smashed the only photograph of my deceased parents, then demanded I apologize for "scaring" the boy with my reaction. When Felicity's negligence ruined a twelve-million-dollar family heirloom, Hayes had the audacity to ask me to use my own savings to buy her a "consolation" engagement ring. He treated me like a parasite, never realizing I was a brilliant scientist with a hidden fortune and three patents to my name. I realized then that our three-year marriage was a hollow farce. Hayes had never even touched me, claiming he wanted to "remain pure" for his memory of Felicity. I was nothing more than a business merger, a smudge on the lens of the perfect family portrait he was building with another man's widow. The breaking point came during a lethal blizzard. Hayes promised to accompany me to my family's mandatory gala-a tradition where my absence meant a death sentence. But at the last second, he stood me up to stay home and tend to Felicity's stubbed toe. Left alone to face the wrath of the Santos Matriarch, I was forced to kneel in the freezing snow as punishment until my lungs began to fail and my vision blurred. Just as the darkness started to take me, a black Maybach smashed through the iron gates. My exiled brother, the man the world calls "The Wolf," stepped out of the storm to reclaim what Hayes had discarded. Hayes thought I was a helpless doll who couldn't survive a day without his trust fund, but he's about to find out what happens when you let a Santos daughter freeze.