I'm Ellie, an orphan. I fall in love with my daddy's friend, Austin. He's the Alpha King. He's my adoptive father. And he's twice my age. --- Ellie accidentally has a one-night stand with a stranger the day her adoptive father returns from war. Wow, this stranger is so hot and good in bed! He's much better than her scary guardian, only the room is too dark to see his face. --- When bloodthirsty, ruthless Alpha Austin learns his little Ellie had a one-night stand with a man, he is furious. "Who is that guy?" "You have no right to know who he is!" "If I find out who that stupid male dog is, I'll make him regret doing this to you!" "He isn't a stupid male dog. He's the best man I've ever met. He's sexy, he's strong and he makes me happy!" Until one day, Austin finds that stupid male dog is him...
Ellie's POV
"Don't come near me! Or I'll . . . I'll kill you!" Brave words like these erupt from my mouth but my body shudders in my disheveled clothes, and I raise my hands to the scissors and shout a warning at my cousin Alex. However, he grins sententiously and presses closer to me, not believing that I, who has always been submissive, would really dare to defy him.
"You are making this game interesting. Come on, dear sister . . ." Disagreement resurrects within me. If we are kids, it will be a game. But we are not. After I fell asleep, exhausted from my chores, Alex snuck into my room to fondle my bottom, and although he often leered at me, I never thought he would actually dare to do that.
I see the want in his eyes, but they are not lovely. His lids are almost shutting off, like the wings of a butterfly. He just wants to be satiated. Looks at me like a meal for his satisfaction. It makes me want to throw up and I clutch tighter on my little defensive weapon. So the moment he lunges at me, I close my eyes and thrust the scissors at him.
I feel contact and cannot help but open my eyes. I catch his eyeballs widen in surprise like ostrich eggs, no more in expectant pleasure, as I stab him in the shoulder, and when he takes a small step back with a frown, he ends up accidentally tripping over clutter on the floor and his body falls backwards. The back of his head hits the table and he suddenly stops moving.
My body begins to calm down. The scissors aren't in my grip anymore. I take tentative steps forward, more afraid that Alex might just be faking his fall. He could be quite cunning at times. When I get to stand beside him, I see the knife lodged halfway; crimson color making a full moon around the puncture site.
I prod him with a leg until I am convinced he has really passed out. Then I am not calm again. My hands frantically attack my hair, I am uncomfortable and my heart beats like a mad drum. Fear invades me. What do I do? Since my parents died, I was adopted by my aunt and uncle, and after successfully getting my parents' inheritance, they showed their true faces, beating me at every turn and giving me all the chores.
I had become a waif to them and to Alex here, some tool he wished to use as a pleasure giver. Sometimes I was driven to the brink. Sort of taking the leap. Then I stopped being suicidal and planned to run away. And looking down at Alex, and his barbaric behavior, I think I might be forced to bring that plan to an earlier date.
I control my fear, bringing myself to my knees and begin to search his pockets. I come up with some money and blue boys. The idiot didn't even have a condom. I know he will not forgive me when he wakes up, or if he wakes up. And my aunt and uncle, they must have a way to catch me, so I must have a strong backer.
The next thought which convulses within my mind is where I would run to, but I quickly think of him, Austin, the Alpha King of the werewolf world. My father had been his loyal gamma warrior, and shortly after, my father was killed in the line of duty. Then my mother died of a sudden heart attack, and I always suspected that their deaths had something to do with the Alpha King.
I really didn't know why then and I sure as hell don't now. All I know is that I have to find a way to get King to keep me, sort of like an adoption without papers and signatures, even if he is rumored to be bloodthirsty and warlike. In any case I cannot stay here; in my uncle's house any longer. I have no better choice now.
I grab my savings and my backpack, whatever scrap I have been able to keep during my thralldom and I let myself out of the house without bothering to look back at Alex. I put on the hoodie and walk briskly towards the town.
I acquire a map of the suburbs from a store, look up the Alpha King's palace and cannot find it. It is not listed as a place. The gray area is represented by one name: Outskirts. That sounds like a boundary, I think.
"This should do," I tell myself, folding the map and tucking it into my bag. I walk out of the store and glance at the sky.
The sky above takes the color of cat vomit and I wonder if Alex would have regained consciousness. Not as if I cared, I just cannot imagine what they will do to me if their son actually dies.
I travel for three days, using the map that cost all the money I had on me, mostly on foot and then hitching rides from less caring motorists, who weren't too concerned about my disorderliness.
I take the long road snaking to God knows where. That part is excluded and cut off from the map. I reach a fork on the right, and the road isn't tarred. A wooden signpost reads OUTSKIRTS in red diagonal block letters. This is my destination so I walk down with the evening sun regarding me with heated consciousness.
The palace is too big when I see it, looks like it was sliced off from the Tower of Babel or something, then painted violet. Because in place of workers, there are gamma warriors dressed in jackets and jean trousers that look neater than mine, patrolling the grounds. Maybe the color is a synonym for violence.
I hide around, circling the edifice, the soles of my shoes almost a hindrance to the stealth I need to maintain. My snooping around brings me to an open-air swimming pool, and right there by the bank, I see a man sitting in the water.
He is hardly moving. So could he be unconscious in this position even with his eyes closed? His delicate facial features and bare pectoral muscles are built like the most perfect sculpture. Who is he? Is he a prisoner locked up here by that brutal Alpha King? I need to find out.
"Hello," I whisper in his direction, trying to see if I can catch his focus. He ignores me like I am a roadkill. I amplify my voice again, letting him feel I am a distraction that should be accorded some interest. "Tsk. Hey. This isn't the time for a modeling shoot. If you could at least open your eyes and help a lady out here?"
No reply. The statue man doesn't even look at me. I pace along the bank. "Please, wake up. I really need your help," my voice whimpers like a puppy's.
Then I stop to listen. At this moment, I hear the pit-a-pat of footsteps coming this way. A gamma warrior's voice comes from outside, humming to himself. "Why are they always male?" I say to myself, throwing my hands up.
In panic, I run towards the pool, hoping to immerse myself in it until whoever has seen me leaves. Jumping in, I find out that the pool isn't just water. It's actually full of ice and it stimulates my calf cramps, sinking me to the bottom of the water.
My undercover act disappears as I cry out, "Help ... help me! Gollum ... help ... " I reach out my hand in an effort to call for help towards the prisoner, hoping he would wake the hell up now. He actually does. He opens his eyes and looks at me. His pupils are blood red, like the store paint.
His eyes are like windows and I feel like I can see I'm right where his soul lives. In bloody Hell.
I begin to flail. My body wants to get away from those eyes and emerge from the water at the same time. He doesn't grab my hand. He isn't Jesus. My body submerges, resurfaces; I swallow cold water and my throat begins to fill up.
A memory comes to mind. I remember the rumor that the Alpha King was wounded during the war a few years ago, and since then, whenever his wound attacks him, his eyes are blood red and he will kill everyone who comes near him. Oh my, it is Austin.
"I want a divorce." The day before her third wedding anniversary, Fiona sees her husband walking to the obstetrics wing with his arm around his ex-girlfriend, Rowena. Rowena is pregnant. Something Fiona thinks she can never be. Betrayed by the man she has come to love, Fiona decides to leave. However, leaving the Lycan Prince of the Alastair Kingdom, the most powerful Alpha in existence is easier said than done. With his devilish smirk, icy blue eyes and actions that break all of Fiona’s walls - Micah Lancaster is a man who doesn’t easily let you walk away. Still, having her heart crushed, Fiona packs up her life and decides to vanish. Only to find out that her husband has spent the last three years searching for her like a mad man. Until one day, when he sees her walking down the street holding a little girl. --- “Is she my daughter?” Micah hisses as he pins her against the wall. His eyes trace her beautiful features with equal parts anger and desire. This time he won’t let her go. This time she won’t let him stay.
When I woke up with a hangover, I found a handsome and naked stranger sleeping beside me. --- I'm Tanya, a surrogate's daughter, an omega with no wolf and no scent. On my 18th birthday, when I planned to give my virginity to my boyfriend, I found him sleeping with my sister. I went to the bar to get drunk, and accidentally had a one-night stand with the handsome stranger. I thought he was just an ordinary werewolf, but they said he was Marco, the alpha prince and the most powerful Lycan in our kingdom. 'You slut, you're pregnant! Fortunately, Rick is kind enough to let you be his mistress and save you from shame.' my stepmother said, tossing a pregnancy strip on the table. Rick was an old pervert. No she-wolf could keep up with his sexual demand. No she-wolf could survive with him more than 1 year. When I was in despair, Marco came to my rescue. He got down on one knee, took out a ring and said he would marry me. --- I thought Marco married me because he loved me, but later I found that was not the truth...
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."