What exactly does it mean to be his bride? *** Every year, in each of the seven villages that made up the great Kingdom of Ignas, a Choosing Ritual was conducted. During this Chosing Ritual, one of the ladies in the village would be chosen to be the dreaded Dragon King's Bride. No one knew exactly why the ritual was being performed every year or what happened to the brides that had been chosen in the past. Was he turning them into slaves? Feeding them to his dragon? Or was he... feeding on them? That couldn't be ruled out. After all, there were rumours that the king wasn't like them, that he wasn't human. Yet the question relentlessly troubled the people's heart. What was he using them for?! But they dared not question the King, afraid of what fate daring to go against him would be. Anyways, none of these was Belladonna's business. Although it was her village's turn to produce a bride this year, she was certain she wouldn't get chosen. Why? Well, because she had a plan and she was absolutely certain it wouldn't fail her... or would it?
"How Not To Get Chosen," Belladonna mumbled to herself in her silvery voice, her blue eyes on the cover of the thin black book she had just picked.
It was fairly covered in dust, making the letters on it a little unreadable.
She went down the ladder, then blew the dust off the book which made her cough lightly.
"By Moria Nakuriver," She mumbled the name of the author to herself and instantly shook her head.
This book would be of no help because the author actually ended up being chosen as a bride.
Moria was the daughter of the Village Head of Nakuriver, one of the seven villages that made up the mighty Kingdom of Ignas, which was ruled by the dreaded Dragon King.
When Moria was 18, she had participated in the Choosing Ritual, as the rules had demanded, and had somehow been lucky enough not to be chosen.
That was when she had written this book.
Almost every lady across the kingdom started reading it, so they could be as lucky as she had been. But then she got chosen at 25, and people threw the books out their windows, realizing that even the book couldn't save them from the doom they called a King.
In fact, Moria was the bride that had been chosen last year. Everyone had thought she would be the last bride but no! Something unknown had gone awfully wrong once again, and as usual, it was the next village's turn to produce a bride.
That next village happened to be Inaymi, the smallest and seventh village in Ignas, also the one where Belladonna lived.
Belladonna climbed up the ladder and put the book back in its place. She got down and then continued her search.
As her hands tapped across every book, flipped through some, reading their titles and seeing if they could help, she couldn't stop thinking.
The Choosing Ritual had been in existence for as long as she could remember. Each year, every lady between the ages of 18 and 27 who was neither married nor pregnant was presented during the ritual.
Seven of them would be chosen by the Dragon King as Potential Brides; they would leave with him to the castle, and then after some days or weeks, six would return.
The six that returned usually would have no memories of their days in the castle, while the one who had been chosen as the bride would stay behind, never to be heard of or seen again.
Many said the chosen brides were killed, and some said he fed them to his dragon. Many people came up with different theories of what he was doing with them.
None, good.
The truth was that nobody knew what truly happened to those brides or why the Choosing Ritual existed, to begin with, but no one dared to question the Dragon King.
He was ruthless and powerful, and anyone who fought against him, no matter how slightly, was sure to meet his end in a terrible way.
It was even rumored that the Dragon King was not human.
Truth or not, nobody knew.
They had never even seen his face before. Many suspected that he hid it away because it was hideous and monstrous - because he wasn't human.
Belladonna held the same belief.
She suddenly stopped and looked around the library. The sun was no longer brightly peeping through the window, but it was now golden, signifying the setting of the sun.
The library was now so empty that she could even hear the sound of her own breathing.
She sighed heavily, her legs already getting tired from all the searching, her eyes watering from lack of sleep.
She really needed to rest but she couldn't.
How could she when the Choosing Ritual would soon be upon them?
Everyone in Inaymi was scared right now. If possible, they would run away from the village with their families but they couldn't. The Dragon King's guards would hunt them down and drag them back here. No one had ever escaped from the Kingdom of Ignas and no one ever would.
Belladonna sat down in a chair, feeling absolutely exhausted. She heard the low rumbling of her stomach and she sighed.
For some days now, she hadn't been eating regularly, but how could she eat when there was fire on the rooftop?
Truthfully, she had no need to worry. In three days, she would no longer be qualified to be presented at the Choosing Ritual as a Possible Potential.
Why?
Because she would be getting married!
She smiled to herself, her stomach fluttered with butterflies at the thought of her fiancee.
Lytio.
Lytio was the perfect man in Inaymi and the one everyone wanted.
The 'standard'.
He was humble, handsome, and every other thing anyone could ever want in a man. He was also the first son of the Village Head and the best fisherman their village had.
In fact, sometimes, she wondered why he had picked her.
Lytio was a wonderful man, she had nothing but respect and love for him. So much respect and love that she adored the ground he walked upon.
She, on the other hand, was the weirdest of them all. Not because of anything she did but just because of how she would think. Her ideas were mostly termed ridiculous, even by her own family.
Belladonna normally had her extra curly black hair packed into a low messy bun, while she went through shelves and shelves of the library in her long blue tent gown. She was slim, curvy, with caramel skin, average height with a small, pointed nose and electrifying blue eyes
Those eyes - Lytio said, he loved most about her.
Indeed, she had nothing to worry about.
She wasn't in this library for herself, though; she was here slaving away for her younger sister.
Aniya, her younger sister, was 19, not pregnant and not married. She was obviously qualified for the Choosing Ritual and till that day would come upon them, she would remain qualified.
This had given Belladonna so many sleepless nights; although her wedding preparations had also been doing that, it was mostly her worry for her dear, sweet, and innocent Aniya that had kept her up late so many times.
She was always trying to find a way to pull her sister out of the wretched Possible Potential's list without ruining her sister's reputation in any way.
She had also been praying earnestly that her sister would be saved and not get chosen.
Today, she spent all her time looking for a book that could, perhaps, help Aniya. Sadly, the only one she found was unreliable.
She stood up, ready to leave. She got to the door quickly, the library wasn't a large one.
"Found anything?" The thick, low voice of the librarian stopped her from pressing down the old, heavy doorknob.
She turned and smiled at the old man, who was sitting at his table, a lantern on it and a scroll in his hand.
"Sadly no, but perhaps tomorrow." Her voice was gentle and a tired smile was on her face.
This Librarian was one of the few people that didn't think her weird at all. In fact, the only people who thought her weird were the young ladies in love with her soon-to-be husband.
They all wanted Lytio.
He smiled sadly and adjusted the little glasses that rested on the bridge of his straight, long nose. That nose took up most part of his small wrinkled face.
"I will try and search the register for you."
Then he focused on his scroll.
"That would be lovely. Thank you so much, sir. Goodnight sir."
"Goodnight to you too, child."
With that, Belladonna stepped out.
***
The sky was filled with stars and the big beautiful moon. The breeze blew gently too.
As Belladonna walked through the market in order to get home, the noises of the bargaining traders and customers filled the air. The lit lanterns placed on the tables and hung on stalls, the market women and men as they go about their night trade, the playful voices of children as they ran after one another, everything together made tonight.
Belladonna carefully maneuvered her way through the crowd, trying not to bump into anyone.
The market looked a lot more rowdy today because the closer the Choosing Ritual was, the more tense the villagers became. Right now, majority of the villagers were buying things in preparation for weddings.
Belladonna had passed by a temple on her way here, there was a wedding going on right now.
In fact, her own wedding would be the day after tomorrow. Hers and Lytio's family were so prepared, all they were waiting for was for the day to come.
Finally, she got home.
She knocked on the door but she got no response.
It was strange that her family was not in yet.
She pushed the door, and it slid open easily.
Her heart started hammering in fear.
Her parents were always particular about having the doors locked for safety.
The sitting room was dark. She looked around quickly to see yellow light seeping through the keyhole of the next door.
Then she heard it.
Muffled moans.
The closer she got, the louder the moans.
She could hear the grunts of a man and the high-pitched jargon of a woman?
Aniya?
Was she in danger?
Belladonna's hands got sweaty; she listened carefully and then realized that her cries weren't jargon...
...but a name.
She just couldn't process whose name it was.
She gulped.
With shaky hands, she pushed the door open quickly and her heart dropped.
Everything became quiet except for the moans of these two naked people roughly going at each other in her own bed.
A mate? No way. I already have a husband! *** Being a lone wolf, Zezi decided to chose a mate for herself. She ended up with the Beta of her pack and they had a daughter. They were living happily until an Empire of Vampires who were believed to have been wiped out resurfaced and started attacking the werewolves massively. Her Alpha, the King of all werewolves in Teeland, decided to fight them back but soon realized that the vampires couldn't be defeated. Left with no other choice, he decided to sign their King's Submission Deal. Everything was going according to plan until, Zezi found herself sharing a reckless gaze with the Vampire King - The very King of Darkness.
Being a lone wolf, Zezi decided to chose a mate for herself. She ended up with the Beta of her pack and they had a daughter. They were living happily until an Empire of Vampires who were believed to have been wiped out resurfaced and started attacking the werewolves massively. Her Alpha, the King of all werewolves in Teeland, decided to fight them back but soon realized that the vampires couldn't be defeated. Left with no other choice, he decided to sign their King's Submission Deal. Everything was going according to plan until, Zezi found herself sharing a reckless gaze with the Vampire King - The very King of Darkness.
"Truly, I am dangerous but it is nothing for you to fear." He said, tossing away the head of the vampire he had just yanked out and was still dripping with blood, while he moved closer to her. "Why?" She asked, trying her best to sound bold. "Because I am yours." *** Maybe if someone had showed Ivy what the future would hold if she decided to go to a nightclub a night before her arranged wedding, throw the word 'mine' to the first greek god she sees and have a one night stand with that stupidly rich greek god, maybe she would have just accepted her fate, stayed home and gone to her arranged wedding in the morning to pay up her father's debt. But no fortune teller had warned her and so she did all the above. Now here comes the consequences. Some are bad, some are spicy and some are just mysteriously unexpected.
On Diamant's 14th birthday, the strangest thing happened. A witch had almost killed her while warning her to stay away from the past. Diamant and her grandpa were people who lived on a survival skill of running and hiding from an unknown that relentlessly chased after them and threatened their lives. One night, this skill of Run and Hide met its end at the hands of a war brought upon their village by the mighty King of Alusa, the Dragon Lord. Having lost everything in the war, Diamant is driven by rage and grieve to seek revenge against the King. This is no easy task as she will get entangled in lies, conspiracy, betrayal, love, war and magic. In all these, she discovers there are important questions about her life that only the past has answers to. Will she delve into the past to seek these answers which may cost her everything including her life? Or will she face the present, forgo knowing these answers and live the life she is struggling to build for herself? ********************** Note: This novel contains mature content.
Benjamin Dylon, a mysterious billionaire abandoned at the altar Antonela Bianchi whose name she only knows. Suffering the greatest love humiliation, she goes to a bar and meets a handsome man and gives herself completely to him. When she wakes up the next day in a hotel bed, she realizes that she has committed madness. A few days later, Antonela discovers that she is pregnant and to make matters worse, she finally meets Benjamin, discovering that the man who abandoned her at the altar is the same man she met in the bar. Pregnant and alone, rejected by her own family, Antonela has no choice but to leave so that she can have that child in peace. Three years later, when her mother suddenly passes away, Antonela is forced to return to the city and meet Benjamin again. He is now her sister's fiancé, and Antonela must hide the fact that he is the father of her child.
Scarlett was left betrayed and broken beyond repair when her best friend Megan set her up with the male escort who stole her virginity...Or at least, that's what she thought he was. There was something odd about the strong and strikingly beautiful man that she spent a night with. Despite the pure hatred she felt for him, the deals he ended up offering wasn't one she could refuse. Scarlett always thought she'd marry her soulmate but turns out, that won't be the case for her. But could her mysterious husband make his way through her broken heart and fix it? It's hard to imagine but love has funny ways to manifest in places where it's least expected....
My family was on the poverty line and had no way to support me in college. I had to work part-time every day just to make ends meet and afford to get into the university. That was when I met her—the pretty girl in my class that every boy dreamt of asking out. I was well aware she was out of my league. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and bravely told her that I had fallen for her. To my surprise, she agreed to be my girlfriend. With the sweetest smile I had ever seen, she told me that she wanted my first gift for her to be the latest and top-of-the-line iPhone. I worked like a dog and even did my classmates’ laundry to save up. My hard work eventually paid off after a month. I finally got to buy what she wanted. But as I was wrapping my gift, I saw her in the dressing room, making out with the captain of the basketball team. She then heartlessly made fun of my inadequacy and made a fool out of me. To make things worse, the guy whom she cheated on me with even punched me in the face. Desperation washed over me, but there was nothing I could do but lie on the floor as they trampled on my feelings. But then, my father called me out of the blue, and my life turned upside down. It turned out that I was a billionaire's son.
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Stella Richard married Rene Kingston in the place of her sister Sophia due to some reasons. But from the beginning, she knows that her marriage was just a time-limit contract and once the time was up she had to go. For RK, this marriage was just a burden but for her, it was a gift from God. Because RK was the man who she had loved all her Youth... So, in the meantime of her marriage, Stella did her best so that this marriage may work out. But on the day she found she was pregnant, her husband gives her the divorce paper and said... "I don't want this child. Don't forget to abort." These words come out of his mouth, like a bomb for Stella, and changed her life... She signed her name on the divorce paper and left the house... Because she doesn't want to be with such a cold-hearted man... Five years later... RK bought the company In which Stella worked. But Stella did her best not to have anything to do with him... Because she had a child and she didn't want him to find out about him... But one day When Stella picked up her son from school he saw her... RK, "How dare you had a child with another man?" Stella, "I don't think it has anything to do with you." RK was about to say more when his gaze fell on the child beside her... His face looked as same as when he was young...