ASHLEY or ASTRID
/1/130821/coverbig.jpg?v=7f74e3da9208fbd64237b41f638ad1f6)
Rejected By My Betrothed, Claimed By The Warlord Alpha
I was born a wolfless cripple in the Richmond Pack, but by royal decree, I was engaged to the kingdom's Champion Knight, Emory. During the winter banquet, my half-sister Dessie suddenly tilted backward into the royal ice pond, screaming that I pushed her. In my previous life, I reached out in panic to save her, only to be dragged down and framed for attempted murder. When Emory dove into the freezing water, he swam right past my sinking body to rescue her instead. Once ashore, my own father and my betrothed ignored my desperate pleas. They branded me a vicious, jealous traitor. Emory publicly broke our engagement to marry Dessie, while my father threw me to the executioner to wash away the family's shame with my blood. Until my head was on the chopping block, I didn't understand. Why did my own family want me dead just because I had no inner wolf? Why did the knight who swore to protect me conspire with my illegitimate sister to destroy my life? Opening my eyes again, I was back on the snow-dusted terrace, right as Dessie was setting up the exact same trap. "A wolfless cripple like you should crawl back to the gutter," she whispered, falling backward. This time, I didn't flinch or beg for help. Instead, my fingers shot out like iron clamps, grabbing her wrist, and I dragged her into the freezing depths with me.
Chapter 1
Kalea POV:
"Emory Lambert is destined to be mine," Dessie Richmond, my sister, whispered, her voice a poisonous thread slipping through the frigid breeze of the Royal Lunar Garden. "A wolfless cripple like you should crawl back to the gutter where you belong."
Her amber eyes gleamed with malice.
Before I could even process the violent sting of the freezing air on my face, Dessie tilted her body backward, angling herself toward the black waters of the royal ice pond.
She was setting up the exact same trap from my past life.
She wanted the entire court to see her fall, to hear her screams, and to watch me take the blame for attempting to drown the favored younger daughter of the Richmond Pack.
In that past life, everything had favored her. I had screamed in panic and lunged to grab her, my fingers clamping hard around her wrist and leaving livid grip-bruises on her skin.
When we fell, I thrashed and begged Emory to save me, so when he swam straight past me to lift Dessie first, onlookers called it justice — the Champion saving the victim from her attacker.
The healers found my marks on her, and nothing of hers on me. That was enough for a charge of attempted murder.
Now, everything is different. The terrace is crowded with high-ranking nobles, and I know exactly where her nails will land.
I had already seen through her act completely. I would play along — and turn her own trap against her.
I did not flinch. Instead, I calmly extended my left arm toward her, offering the loose silver-blue cuff at my wrist as if trying to catch her. Dessie, already falling backward to fake her accident, instinctively clawed out and seized my wrist hard to make it look real, her nails digging deep into my sleeve.
Dessie's smug grin instantly froze.
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized she had grabbed me first. Before she could let go, I stopped resisting. I leaned into her pull and let her own backward momentum drag us both off the marble edge together.
A chorus of shrill gasps erupted from the noble onlookers lining the snow-dusted terrace.
Then came the deafening crash of freezing water.
The shock of the sub-zero pond slammed into my chest, squeezing every drop of air from my lungs.
The weight of our velvet winter gowns pulled us straight into the dark depths.
Dessie thrashed wildly, her arms flailing like a dying bird as her silken skirts tangled around her legs.
Even as she thrashed, her right hand remained locked around my left wrist, her nails tearing frantically at my silk cuff.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream under the water, bubbles bursting around her terrified, contorted face.
Unlike my past self, I did not scream, did not beg, did not leave a single mark on her. I stared back at her through the murky blue, cold and completely still.
Pain tore through my limbs, but my mind was clearer than it had ever been in my two lifetimes.
Above the surface, muffled shouts vibrated through the water.
"Someone help! The Richmond ladies have fallen in!"
Through the rippling surface, I saw a familiar silhouette on the bank tear off his heavy velvet cloak.
Emory Lambert.
The newly crowned Champion Knight of the Grand Royal Trials, and my betrothed.
He dove into the water with a clean, powerful slice.
His eyes scanned the depths, searching desperately.
He looked right past my sinking form.
Without a single glance in my direction, Emory swam furiously toward Dessie, wrapping his strong arms around her waist to haul her toward the light.
A bitter, silent laugh bubbled in my throat.
He was supposed to be my promised mate by royal decree, yet his body reacted purely on instinct to save my illegitimate half-sister.
I let my limbs go limp, allowing the darkness of the pond to drag me downward.
I needed this.
I needed every high-ranking noble on that terrace to see him choose her over me.
Darkness began to creep into the edges of my vision.
My lungs burned for oxygen.
Then, the water exploded behind me.
A massive shockwave ripped through the freezing depths, stirring a violent current that pushed the weeds aside.
A shadow moved with terrifying, predatory speed.
Before I could even register the beast-like force tearing through the water, a pair of scalding, calloused hands locked onto my waist.
The grip was unyielding, made of pure steel.
I was yanked violently against a broad, rock-hard chest.
Even submerged in ice, the overwhelming scent of crushing cedar and raw, wild musk flooded my senses, piercing straight through the freezing haze in my mind.
It was the aura of a dominant, top-tier Alpha.
Yet the moment his skin touched mine, the suffocating pressure of his command miraculously softened, wrapping around my freezing body like an invisible shield.
I forced my heavy eyelids open.
Through the distorted water, I looked directly into a pair of piercing, golden-amber wolf eyes.
Gaines Moss.
The notorious young lord of the Moss Pack, heir to the northern iron legions, and widely feared across the capital as an uncontrollable, violent rogue Alpha.
There was no cruelty in his gaze.
Only a dark, frantic intensity that bordered on madness.
The moment my wet shoulder pressed against his collarbone, a sharp, electric jolt surged from his palm straight down my spine.
My frozen muscles trembled beneath the sheer heat of his touch.
Gaines's jaw tightened.
His arm banded around my waist with possessive force, pulling me flush against him as his powerful legs kicked against the current, launching us toward the surface like an arrow.
On the other side of the pond, Emory was already breaking through the surface with Dessie clutched tightly against his chest.
The freezing air hit my face in a violent rush as Gaines hauled me out of the water, his long fingers instinctively cradling the back of my head to shield me from the jagged marble edge.
The deafening roar of the royal court swept over us in an instant.
/0/81108/coverbig.jpg?v=c45985da2c30207aa45cacf51f43a695)
The Second Life of Ashley: A Bitter Payback
Kevin' s sharp, accusing voice sliced through the heavy haze. He stood in my old room, its faded floral wallpaper mocking me, holding up a therapeutic massager. "What' s this, Ashley? Something dirty?" My heart hammered, a wild bird trapped. I blinked. It was real. I was back. This exact moment, t
/0/22446/coverbig.jpg?v=8d606e795fa76fa5389acf2a904e3682)
For Bitter or Worse
** "I do have to say, you taste exquisite. Nothing like an ordinary wolf." He comes even a bit closer, leaving nothing more than a few feet between us. "It's almost magical." He breathes and reaches out. He slowly carresses the fur on my back and to my horror he leaves a trail of sparks, my breathin
/0/89287/coverbig.jpg?v=5f08b95967d4d0d1ed1ebf40edc2ec46)
Fame or Revenge.
"I can't stop myself. You consume me Olivia, all of you!" Only daughter of powerful business mogul and drug lord, Olivia Murray wants a family of her own. Her world is shaken after she finds her husband-to-be, Asher in bed with one of his employees a week before their wedding. Feeling betrayed, s
/0/24881/coverbig.jpg?v=edac2c268ec053816be9f250cb12c9c5)
Wolf or Love
Danica Hart, the strongest female alpha has to mate but she is not going for the male who has been known to be her true mate since they were young. Is she going to mate with an Alpha whose wolf has the tendency to turn wild? Or Mate with another Alpha who doesn't want he
/0/38872/coverbig.jpg?v=cdfe1d1a5e5ea4dfd4046367afd5318f)
My Love Or Job
Gina Howard is on a mission to uncover the truth behind Silicon Valley's most influential and wealthiest man, Raiden Snow. But when the tabloid journalist is assigned to infiltrate his multi-million dollar company, love threatens to derail the mission. Pretending to be an intern, Gina finds herself
/0/14097/coverbig.jpg?v=40c38f8a40984bf9b1ac6bc670ddd018)
/0/7776/coverbig.jpg?v=7ce63d4ab4f9e07fdbfb82e16afec05b)
/0/18571/coverbig.jpg?v=430b80cdaf5f188bc3dd9142815ce12a)
Betrayal or Love?
"Ever played with yourself?" He asked and she blushed in embarrassment, in understanding of what he said. She later gave a nod, answering his question. "I do, whenever I'm horny." "I've never made use of toys and neither have I gone way past my clit bud. My fingers do the job. I rub my clit
/0/21207/coverbig.jpg?v=a1fd0ef438989e3a49e6011b80b67de4)
Mine: Feelings or Family?
"Close your eyes" said a voice. I did exactly that. "What can you see?" the voice asked. "A man, a lonely man" I replied. "This is your calling, Zui. This is your destiny" the voice said. Zui, the daughter of the general of Wailand is made to marry Prince Mbaku, the fourth prince. However, she g
/0/58239/coverbig.jpg?v=6cb03a0d8f2e45dd02ccf98783bccd73)
Billionaire or Spark
Jessica, engaged to billionaire heir Henry, who is kind, dependable and deeply in love with her. Feels a spark for Henry's rebellious unidentical twin brother Damon, rekindling a forgotten childhood romance. When the truth explodes, what will happen?
/0/21622/coverbig.jpg?v=9f4a0663908d067519f20b5910cda366)
Billionaire's Obsession or Love
Ace Roberts, The owner of Robert Corporation. He has everything a girl wants. He once a Prince charming. But, when his girlfriend cheated on him.He became a womanizer.He starts using girl like clothes.. Bella Knight A sweet, simple yet beautiful girl. She loves Ace since her childhood but Ace ne
/0/24870/coverbig.jpg?v=f64030d947de1fa798bf156c495775db)
Enemy or Ally
In the dead of night while the cool breeze blew, a shadow was seen briefly, as if it never existed, never was. What made this shadow different from the others however was the fact that it was a human shadow. The figure of a young lady could be seen briefly at different points at the mansion before
/1/120473/coverbig.jpg?v=c7e29870a5a6f7fd67a239e462a7dc50)
FORGIVE OR FURY
In the stillness of my penthouse evenings, where my world ignited by Adrian's touch, I was, for all purposes, the luckiest woman in the world. And I am, or was, Cecilia Lancaster, a dreamer who fell for Adrian Blackwood's dark and brooding good looks, every moment, every laugh, every tear, all with
/0/74256/coverbig.jpg?v=d0363b070819aca36e65319725e37946)
Betrayal Or Love 2
Luna Nightingale, a dedicated werewolf, finds herself torn between duty and desire. Her mate, Luca Storm, lies injured after a brutal pack attack, but saving him comes at a steep price. Desperate for medical funds, Luna takes a job with wealthy entrepreneur Julian Salvatore, unaware that their forb
/0/59112/coverbig.jpg?v=bed195fd662ef15a71150e76186c2396)
Love or luxury
In the glittering heart of New York City, financial analyst Isabella "Bella" Carter is determined to carve out her success in a world dominated by powerful men. When she clashes with the arrogant and enigmatic CEO Alexander "Alex" Blackwood, sparks fly in a battle of wills and ambition. Bella's fier
/0/18400/coverbig.jpg?v=7282a8cc824c427c11edb43c6d59e68f)
Destiny or Coincidence?
We think that everything is in our hands and especially our present and future which we carefully plan it all together to make it perfect and easier for us. But what if our fate has other plans for us? what if we think that it was just a coincidence but turns out to be our destiny in the end? Is the
/0/38231/coverbig.jpg?v=ff5399373b3554a336ba0eeab14cd07e)
Trick or Love
Rosalie Garcia was born into a prestigious family. Her father is a skillful and kind doctor, which is respected by a lot of people. Affected by her father, Rosalie chooses to major in medical science. After graduating from university, Rosalie goes to Country Y for further study. However, on that day
/0/40538/coverbig.jpg?v=b81ad950938928e3cc4cb5fa2b001b8c)
LOVE: potion or poison
For nineteen year old Clara love has always felt as a pain; though not from her own experience. This changed when she met Julian. Love - does it hurt in future as Clara always thought? Is there really a happily ever after as said in fairy tales? Clara falls in love with Julian. Due to Julian’s mi
/0/12676/coverbig.jpg?v=feeffec04c1ae0f4a2d13f145f229b06)
/0/2835/coverbig.jpg?v=49e388a55025bcf25b90ebc91f3a24da)
54-40 or Fight
Emerson Hough was a late 19th century American writer best known for Westerns and historical novels about America. This is one of his most popular books.
