Silk Mirage

I funded my husband's entire Dragon Knight Corps with my family's merchant gold, only for him to return from the border with a frail, pregnant woman in his arms. Dashawn stood tall in the Great Hall, his voice booming with unquestionable arrogance. "Beryl saved my life and is carrying my pure dragon heir. Starting today, she lives in the main keep." In my past life, I swallowed my pride and accepted her to keep our family intact. But Beryl was a Blackflame enemy spy. She drained my fortune and used her fake, stillborn fetus to frame me for murdering a royal bloodline. My husband, whom I had sworn a sacred oath to, didn't hesitate to side with her. He stripped off my enchanted armor and threw me onto the battlefield as bait, leaving me to burn to death in a sea of scorching dragonfire. Until the flames consumed my flesh, I couldn't understand how my absolute devotion was repaid with such vicious betrayal. I bought his armor and fed his three thousand knights, yet he handed me to the grim reaper for a lying refugee. Opening my eyes again, I was back in the Great Hall on the exact day he brought his "lifesaver" home. This time, I didn't fall to my knees and weep. Instead, I slammed a vial of lethal Dragonslayer poison onto the rosewood table and smiled. "If she takes one step into this keep, I will cut off your army's supply lines immediately. Choose for yourself."

I was locked in a freezing stone dungeon, condemned by my own father as a "wolfless" disgrace to the Howe Pack. My stepsister, Candyce, glided into my squalid prison wearing sapphire silk, bringing news that shattered my world. She smiled cruelly as she told me my loyal protector was slaughtered at the gates, and my sweet, naive little brother Rowan had been executed that very morning. "It was never about love, you silly girl. It was about what your mother left behind." She revealed that the Prince only courted me to uncover my mother's secret, then she forced silver-laced wine down my throat. As the silver dust tore through my insides like a thousand burning knives, I realized my entire family, and even my intended mate, had conspired to destroy me. They had orchestrated my ruin, stolen my birthright, and stood by watching as I was thrown to the wolves. I died in unimaginable agony, staring at Candyce's beautiful face, finally seeing the ugly, raw jealousy she had hidden for so long. If I get another chance, I swore to the darkness swallowing me whole, I will make them pay in blood. Opening my eyes again, the suffocating stench of cheap cologne filled my lungs, and a heavy weight pressed down on me. I was back on the night of my fifteenth birthday, the exact moment the setup to ruin my life began. This time, I didn't cry. I kneed my attacker, grabbed a heavy crystal ashtray, and waited for my stepsister to kick the door down.

I was the abandoned daughter of the Foster family, locked away in a sanatorium for five years. Today, my father forced me to marry the notorious, wheelchair-bound billionaire Alistair Carlisle in my sister's place. My sister had faked a fatal heart condition to escape the arrangement. My ex-fiancé stood right beside her, telling me to just accept my fate. They all thought I was a broken, crazy doll they could use as a sacrifice. My father threatened me, my mother guilt-tripped me, and high society mocked us, saying a lunatic and a cripple were a perfect match. At the wedding, Alistair was poisoned and collapsed at the altar. His family immediately tried to stop me from saving him, ready to let him die and pin the murder on the crazy bride. They didn't know my sister's "illness" only cost her fifty thousand dollars in bribes. They also didn't know I wasn't a helpless victim, but a survivor with lethal medical skills and a hidden empire of my own. Why did my family think they could step all over me and get away with it? I didn't cry or beg for mercy. Instead, I extorted five percent of the family shares, walked down the aisle alone, and pulled my new husband back from the gates of hell with three hidden needles. When my "crippled" husband suddenly stood up from his wheelchair in our bedroom that night, I smiled. The real game had just begun.

Bethany discovered her "true love" was a lie the moment she was sent to another man's bed. Her fiancé and sister had cheated on her and conspired to steal her family's fortune. With nothing left, she struck a deal and entered a contract marriage with a feared man rumored to be ruthless. People were eager to see how long Bethany could survive in this marriage. Determined to take revenge, she expected nothing more than a transaction. But when her sister mocked her for being ruined by some stranger, he calmly said, "That man is me." And when her ex threatened, he gifted her a rare diamond. "My woman deserves the very best." As the contract neared its end, she tried to leave-only for him to pull her close. "I want this contract to last forever."

Lillian woke in a werecreature universe as a total loser. Good news was that women ruled here and could take multiple mates, yet she still ended up as the one everyone looked down on. Compared to her talented sister at every turn, she watched her first match get stolen and her next four mates reject her without mercy. The first mate was the King of Succubine himself. On their very first meeting, he warned Lillian that he was only staying long enough to recover from his injuries-and that there could never be anything between them. The second mate was a merman. He took one look at her and said he had no interest in a loser like her, tossing her some cash so she could break off their bond herself. The third mate was the progenitor vampire-over a thousand years old. He admitted to admiring her sister instead and made it clear he had no interest in a layabout like Lillian. Lillian cut every bond and chose her own path instead. But as she rose higher and higher, those same men returned, full of regret and begging her to look at them again. The fourth mate was a werewolf Lillian had rescued from an underground fighting ring. She thought he might actually stay-until he revealed himself as royalty. And of course, he wanted to break their bond for more power.

I knelt on the cold stone of the Dragon God Altar, waiting to marry Lord Harper Carney. It was my only chance to escape the gilded cage of my family. But when Harper finally arrived, he wasn't alone. His arm was wrapped tightly around my cousin, Hettie. Right in front of the entire court, he coldly announced that our marriage was a mistake. Hettie leaned into his embrace, wearing a triumphant smile while playing the innocent victim. The assembled nobles openly jeered at me. They mocked my greatest failing—that I was a worthless "Dragonless" born without the inner fire. My own father was furious, not at them, but at me. He demanded I go to Hettie's estate and beg for her forgiveness. When I refused, he threatened to cut off all my funds and revoke my only job at the Royal Scribes' Office. I was publicly abandoned, stripped of my dignity, and left with absolutely nothing. I didn't cry, and I didn't scream. Why should I be the one to apologize when they were the ones who betrayed me? For years, I had endured their abuse, treated like a pawn to be sacrificed at will. But looking at their smug faces, my despair turned into cold resolve. I took off my betrothal coronet and dropped it at Harper's feet, publicly nullifying the contract myself. I thought I would have to face the ruin alone, until a mysterious, powerful man with burning golden eyes stepped out of the shadows. "Marry me," he said. "I will be your shield, and we will crush them together."

I woke up to the stench of rust and rotting flesh, no longer a master botanist who commanded life itself, but a D-class exile dumped on a wasteland planet. Memories that weren't mine flooded in. I was framed by my stepsister, betrayed by my fiancé, and banished by my own family to the Ashfall Peninsula to die. The original girl actually starved to death in despair. The moment I opened my eyes, a scavenger tried to smash my skull with a rusty pipe just to eat me. After I killed him to survive, I discovered a harsher truth: in this universe, plant seeds are classified as A-level strategic resources, completely monopolized by the Imperium. But the universe had a sick sense of humor. A mandatory background scan suddenly triggered a galactic broadcast: I, the exiled trash, was a perfect genetic match for the Imperium's top war hero, General Alexander Orr. The family that ruthlessly erased my existence instantly saw me as a golden ticket. My cheating ex-fiancé was dispatched to drag me back, furious that his "property" was matched with someone else. They all thought I was still that weak, naive girl they could manipulate. But as I held the pure, glowing Life Source Crystals I had secretly extracted from the scrap heap, a cold smile crept onto my face. "I didn't come here to die. I came here to build an empire." I turned my back on the galactic broadcast and stepped into the deadly wilderness.

In the final days before the world collapsed, Ivy Brooks died... betrayed by the very people she trusted most. She had fought, struggled, and sacrificed everything just to survive the apocalypse only to be pushed into death along with her three daughters at the very end by her own husband. With her last breath, Ivy made a vow. If she could turn back time...she would never be weak again and of course protect her daughters. This time, she would stand at the top. When Ivy opened her eyes, she found herself back in time with her still rounded belly of her third baby.... Twenty days before the apocalypse. Armed with memories of the future and a mysterious system in her mind, Ivy moved without hesitation. She hoarded supplies, secured weapons, and took control of every resource she could get her hands on. While others laughed, doubted, and wasted time... Ivy was building her empire along with her daughters. In this life, she would not be prey but will be an hunter. With danger closing in and only twenty days to prepare, Ivy must outplay enemies both old and new, uncover the truth behind the system, and carve out her own kingdom in a collapsing world. Because this time...she wasn't just going to survive the apocalypse. She was going to rule it along with a man, a love interest from the past before her marriage collapse. He provided everything Ivy needed. Money especially in change of a marriage with her and when the apocalypse started too....he ruled it with her as well as her daughters.

I spent seven years building Apex Dynamics from the ground up, working seventy-hour weeks and writing code until my retinas burned, all for my fiancé, Celestino. But when I brought him the core algorithm that would secure his ten-billion-dollar valuation, I found his office door ajar. Inside, our newly appointed VP, Felisha, was draped across his lap, their scents tangled in an obscene display of biological compatibility. "Marrying her is an obligation," Celestino told her, stroking her hair with a tenderness I had never received. "Without her grind, Apex wouldn't have reached this valuation. I owe her a decent exit, but my core mate, my only true equal, has always been you." He then handed my life's work to his mistress, firing my loyal assistant and using his Alpha pressure to force her to her knees when she dared to defend me. Seven years of my youth, my intellect, and my loyalty were reduced to a handout of pity. He actually thought I would crawl back in tears, begging for his approval while he paraded his new "true equal" around the office. I didn't shed a single tear. Instead, I shredded the algorithms, left my three-carat engagement ring on his assistant's keyboard, and walked out. I accepted a CEO position at his fiercest rival, ScentNova. He has no idea the codebase he stole is a landmine without my encryption keys, and I am going to make sure he chokes on every single byte.

After dying from overwork, Rena woke in a werecreature world as its weakest female. Instead of accepting a pampered life, she chose battle and bonded with the Enchantress System, which rewarded her for winning males' favor. Soon, she was matched with five elite males: a stoic commander, a gentle healer, a cunning tycoon, an aloof scientist, and an underworld king. But while others chased romance, Rena built an empire and rose from F-rank weakling to SSS-rank war goddess. Then the males she was meant to charm started chasing her instead. "So, what are we to you?" they asked eagerly. Rena shrugged. "Just friends, babes."

"Do you take me for an escort? Or a casual pheromone dispenser?" Quinn Sterling had made the biggest mistake of her life. Climbing into the wrong car was bad enough. Tearing open the bespoke shirt of her ice-cold CEO and triggering his untamed Alpha rut was catastrophic. She thought Winston would demand a non-disclosure agreement. Instead, Manhattan's most terrifying luxury titan handed her a marriage proposal. "Kensington family honor dictates that I do not abandon a mate carrying my scent. I will take full responsibility for you." As an illegitimate daughter battling a betrayal from a two-timing fiancé, Quinn has no desire to play Cinderella in the billionaire's high-society world. She rejects him, draws the line, and dives back into her designs. But Winston Kensington doesn't take 'no' for an answer. When her ex comes crawling back, and corporate rivals circle in the dark, the ruthless CEO steps out of the shadows. "Touch her," Winston growls, his icy aura suffocating the entire room, "and you answer to me."

My engagement to Kile, the heir of House Golden, was witnessed by the Duke himself. I thought my days as a helpless orphan were over. But right before our wedding, he coldly informed me that my status was being revoked. I was to enter his family as a lesser consort. The title of primary wife was being given to his lover, Journey. She hid behind Kile, wearing a spotless white dress and trembling like a fragile lotus. "Cassie, please don't blame him, I can live without a title," she cried, playing the perfect victim. Kile shielded her, glaring at me with pure disgust, shouting that I was being completely unreasonable. The next day, the entire Elder Council cornered me in their grand hall. They told me that as a "Dragonless" nobody, I should be immensely grateful for any scrap they threw my way. They all stared at me, waiting for me to swallow my pride and accept a lifetime of humiliation. They thought I was entirely broken. They thought I had no backing and no choice but to bow down to their cruelty. Instead, I looked straight at the Chief Elder and smiled. "I refuse to be a lesser consort," I announced clearly, watching Kile's smug expression freeze. "But to preserve our families' dignity, I will fulfill the contract." I looked right into Kile's shocked eyes. "I will marry your dead older brother, Lord Ayden."

On my twenty-first birthday, I was just a broke orphan sitting in a dark apartment, staring at an overdue rent notice. A freak lightning strike suddenly shattered my reality, tearing me from Earth and dropping me into a primal alien jungle, where I was cornered by a massive white tiger. I thought I was dead, but I woke up in a high-tech hospital surrounded by people with animal ears, scales, and tails. The doctor looked at me with pity and delivered the crushing truth. "Earth is a lost world, Anya. To us, you are a purebred human relic." In this Varden Empire ruled by genetically superior Beastkin, I was painfully fragile, physically weak, and treated like a delicate museum exhibit. Worse, I learned that the monstrous tiger from the jungle was actually Marshal Jaxon Kensington, the ruthless and overwhelmingly powerful commander of the Imperial Army. I felt completely helpless and suffocated. I was trapped in an alien world where I was inferior to everyone, terrified of the military monster who had brought me here. Why was I dragged into this brutal universe just to be a weak specimen? What I didn't know was that the Empire's registry had just paired my DNA with the Marshal's, flashing an impossible 99% compatibility match. By Imperial Law, the cold, untouchable commander was now permanently bound to me, and his terrifying, primal obsession had just been awakened.

On my eighteenth birthday, I expected the Federal Matchmaking Bureau to give me the same answer it always had. No Match Found. For years, I had survived as the Greer family's defective male Omega-an embarrassment with no detectable pheromones, no beast-mark potential, and no chance of producing the powerful Alpha heir my father wanted. A failed test meant freedom. It would unlock my late mother's fortune and let me disappear for good. Then the machine demanded a blood sample. The next second, the entire Bureau went into lockdown. Duncan Cain, the Empire's youngest war general. Hollis Beaumont, the crown prince of our enemy empire. A pirate lord, a king, the Alliance's chief diplomat... Six of the most powerful Alphas in the galaxy. All matched to me at 100%. My father, who had treated me like a worthless stray for eighteen years, suddenly seized my arm with greedy eyes. "Ansel, you're going to make this family untouchable." My stepsister watched in horror as the Bureau declared me a Shared Treasure of Humanity. Armed guards surrounded me. The Empire decided my body, my future, and six Alpha suitors all belonged to them now. They had no idea I was never the weak, obedient Omega they thought I was. I was an ace mech pilot, the secret heir to a fortune large enough to buy my freedom, and I had spent years preparing one perfect escape. So while my father dreamed of selling me to the highest bidder, I opened my terminal and sent a single encrypted message. They thought they had trapped a helpless Omega. Instead, they had just started my contingency plan.