Ophelia Volkov was born into a life of privilege and power. The daughter of Valdoria's High Chancellor, she has everything-wealth, influence, and a family that adores her. She lives in a château more opulent than most royal palaces, with an army of servants catering to her every whim. Her life is perfect. Except for the dream. It comes in waves of pain and longing, always the same. A room soaked in blood. A woman's voice, raw with agony-It hurts!-before the world fades into darkness. Ophelia never remembers the details. She doesn't know who the woman is. Except that she is also named Ophelia. And every time she has that dream, she wakes up weaker, her body betraying her. Weeks spent bedridden, as if something is draining the life out of her. No doctor-no court physician, no foreign specialist-has been able to explain it. Until Gideon Garnett arrives. A brilliant doctor, unflappable and composed beyond measure. A man who doesn't bow to nobility, but watches her with an intensity that makes her feel exposed, unravelled, hunted. He knows something about her condition. About the dreams. And Ophelia is about to learn that the past isn't done with her yet.
'Dahlia, is it snowing yet?'
Dahlia spoke softly. 'It snowed last night, Mrs Garnett, but not much.'
Ophelia's face lit up. 'Really? Help me up, I want to see.'
'Careful now, Mrs Garnett. You're four months along. Give it another half a year, and the baby can watch the snow with you.' Dahlia gently helped Ophelia sit up.
But Ophelia was already pushing forward, too eager to wait.
She threw off the blankets, not even bothering with shoes or her thick coat, and rushed barefoot to the door.
Dahlia let out a startled gasp and hurried after her.
Ophelia stepped outside, her breath catching as she took in the scene.
Beneath the pale blue sky, delicate snowflakes drifted lazily, dusting the marble steps like scattered pearls.
It was beautiful-soft, almost dreamlike.
But the moment she had been waiting for, the one she had clung to, wasn't there.
Disappointment flickered across her face.
Her voice was a whisper. 'He promised. He said he'd be back the day it snowed.'
Dahlia draped the thick coat around Ophelia's shoulders and knelt to slip warm socks onto her freezing feet.
'Dr Garnett always keeps his word. Maybe you just need to wait a little longer. And when he gets back, you'd best let him check on you properly. If anyone can make sure you and the baby are safe, it's him.'
Gideon Garnett was a man revered by the world. A brilliant doctor, a name spoken with admiration, trust.
And to Ophelia, he was simply hers. Like Dahlia, she believed there was nothing he couldn't do, even if obstetrics wasn't exactly his field of expertise.
A small smile touched Ophelia's lips.
Encouraged by her reaction, Dahlia went on, 'You two have spent so much time apart since you got married. He's been away for months-he doesn't even know about the baby yet. Imagine his face when he sees you like this.'
Ophelia placed a hand over her barely swollen belly, warmth spreading through her chest.
Their child. Hers and Gideon's. The thought alone made her throat tighten.
Dahlia, knowing Ophelia never tired of hearing about her husband, continued with enthusiasm. 'Everyone's jealous, you know? Marrying Dr Garnett-there's no better man to spend your life with. He's brilliant, well-read, always thinking ahead. And more than anything, he loves you.'
Ophelia lowered her gaze. 'Yes, he does.'
Dahlia smirked. 'Good thing you got to him first. That princess from-what was it, some tiny kingdom?-was circling him like a vulture. If you hadn't married him first, he'd be stuck as her royal lapdog right now.'
The past felt so close, as if it had happened just yesterday, even though this was their third year of marriage.
Ophelia had met Gideon back when she was still in university, falling for him the moment she laid eyes on him.
But back then, he'd been her professor. And students weren't supposed to fall in love with their teachers.
So she had buried it. Suppressed every glance, every lingering thought.
Until the day Princess Sofia Belvani of Belvara appeared.
Sofia, an international student from a small but influential kingdom, laid eyes on Gideon and decided she wanted him.
And when a princess wanted something, she didn't ask-she took.
At first, Gideon turned her down. Politely, then firmly.
But Sofia didn't understand the word 'no.'
Furious at being rejected, she ran back to Belvara and wept to her father, King Marco Belvani.
The king, indulgent as ever, saw no reason to deny his daughter her latest obsession.
So he pulled strings. Applied pressure. Went through diplomatic channels.
And just like that, Gideon wasn't facing an infatuated princess anymore-he was facing a goddamn royal decree.
His university, Belvara University of Health Sciences, was caught in the crossfire.
The king had donated an obscene amount to the medical research department, and the message was clear: marry Sofia, or lose everything.
If Gideon refused, he wouldn't just be out of a job-he'd be blacklisted. No university would touch him. No research hospital would hire him.
He would be done.
Ophelia knew Gideon. Knew his pride, his stubbornness, his unwavering dedication to medicine.
There was no version of this where he gave in. He would rather destroy himself than be forced into a life he didn't choose.
So she did the unthinkable.
Before he could submit his resignation, Ophelia proposed to him.
She still remembered that night. Her pulse hammering, cheeks burning, words spilling out so fast she barely breathed between them.
She laid out every angle, every consequence. Marrying her was the only way out.
Sofia had her father's power, but Ophelia had something just as strong.
The Volkov name.
The Volkovs weren't just wealthy-they were a dynasty. Their reach stretched across Valdoria and beyond, with influence in politics, business, and medicine.
If anyone could stand against a foreign king, it was them.
A marriage to Ophelia meant protection. Freedom.
And, though she didn't say it out loud, it also meant fulfilling the one desperate, hidden wish she had never dared voice.
It was the perfect solution.
And it wasn't even permanent.
Ophelia was still in med school-she had two years before she'd even consider a real wedding.
By then, Sofia might have found someone else to obsess over, and Gideon could walk away clean.
He had been silent for hours.
She had sat beside him, waiting, nerves fraying with every passing minute.
Then, as dawn broke, he finally spoke. 'You won't regret this?'
Her hands curled into the fabric of her dress, knuckles white.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She met his eyes, her voice resolute: 'Not a bit.'
Back then, she had convinced herself that his agreeing to the engagement meant he must care for her-even if just a little.
After all, he could have easily chosen any other woman from a powerful family, or even just up and left.
The engagement didn't go as smoothly as she'd hoped, but Ophelia didn't give a damn about what the other students at the university thought, or even her family's disapproval.
She was hell-bent on being his.
In her naïve optimism, she believed that even if Gideon's feelings were nothing more than what a teacher felt for a student, her youth and beauty would eventually win him over.
But that didn't happen.
Even long after she'd manoeuvred him into marriage, he'd never truly loved her.
At twenty-four, Annelise de Valois has the world at her feet. She's the CEO of a rapidly expanding empire. Old money flows through her veins-the kind that makes new money look like spare change. She lives in a heavily guarded château that no one can breach-no rivals, no suitors, not even paparazzi with drones. Her grandfather, a business legend, backs her. Other titans of industry admire her. Her enemies? They either grovel or disappear. Whatever she wants, she gets. A company? Snapped up. A competitor? Obliterated. A scandal? Buried before it even sees the light of day. She has everything. Except him. Leander Grimaldi. He's too young, too trusting, too fucking pure for someone like her. A five-year age gap isn't much, and the decades-old alliance between their families shouldn't even matter. The real problem is him. Leander has never known betrayal, never played the cutthroat games of high society, never learned to second-guess every word or every smile. Meanwhile, Annelise lives and breathes that world. She doesn't just play the game-she is the game. While he wanders through life unguarded, she calculates every move ten steps ahead. While he sees the best in people, she sees their weaknesses and exploits them. She should stay away. She should let him think of her as nothing more than a family friend-a big sister who looks out for him, protects him. But she doesn't. She lets herself get too close. She wants him too much. And she always gets what she wants. Even if, this time, taking it means destroying the one thing she can never buy back-his trust.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.