Love in Thorns Guns and Shackles
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:
"Sister, Emory Lambert is destined to be mine," Dessie Richmond 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 already saw 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, a familiar silhouette tore off his heavy velvet cloak on the bank.
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.
Poisoned Love: Guns And Roses
What are the odds...? Fuck that! Georgina's life turns upside down because of him. "Are you forcing me to marry you, Mr. Sajavedra?!" "Who told you that running away will save you, hmm? You can't, sweetheart..." Forced to marry a strange man, she found herself trembling because of his irresistible
TRAPPED IN SHACKLES
Warning: 18+ contents in few chapters. Athena Stanford and Terrence Adams are used to be childhood friends but tied into marriage. He was attracted to her but he hated her. She hated him but she secretly likes him. Similar to fire and ice, their relationship were hidden under some circumstances.
Contract With The Devil: Love In Shackles
I watched my husband sign the papers that would end our marriage while he was busy texting the woman he actually loved. He didn't even glance at the header. He just scribbled the sharp, jagged signature that had signed death warrants for half of New York, tossed the file onto the passenger seat, an
THORNS AND ROSES
Joan has no choice as her parents accepts the marriage contract offer without even an approval from her, Damien had to fulfill his father's last wish. The alliance being an opportunity for the settlement of the debt Joan's parents had to pay. But the dark past and haunting experiences suffered by J
Roses And Thorns
All the meek and ethereal Rose knows is a life of survival of the fittest at the brothel she's been sold to by her father. But all that changes when she's roped into the dysfunctional Williams family. An industrialist family in a subtle battle for the successor of the CEO title of their conglomera
Love Among Thorns
Amara had only ever known two things: fear and survival. Running from a past that left scars deeper than skin, she never expected to find safety - let alone love - in the arms of Rafael Moretti, the most feared man in the city's underworld. Ruthless, powerful, and haunted by his own demons, Rafael n
THORNS IN MY HEART (SEX, LIES AND HEARTACHES)
BURB "Marry me," he suddenly said, out of the blue, his voice shaky with emotion. Wynter's head snapped up, her eyes blazing with anger. "What did you just say?" she demanded, her voice sharp and cutting. He fumbled for words, trying to explain himself. "I've never done this before, I just..." B
Love In Black And White
Leia Summers burning desire to lose her virginity leads her to an encounter with Alexander Black. Little does she know that he is a powerful billionaire with a haunted past. Their one night stand lingers in both their minds, stirring unexpected emotions. As Leia becomes occupied with thoughts of the
Tangled In Love And Lies
Here's the translation of your text into English: "In order to avenge the Zleanding family that was wiped out, I became a tool for Prince Cody. He sent me to the regent's residence, and I helped him seize the throne. With the help of love witchcraft, I became the only woman to climb into Regent Tob
Guns and Roses (From Revenge to Lovers)
Alfredo Romano is the only son and heir to Don Romano, the head of the most powerful mafia family in New York. He meets and falls in love with Elena, a stunning, sexy young woman. Elena's father, Mr. Barnes, a wealthy businessman, was killed by stray bullets during a mafia war between The Romano
Guns Over Girls
The mafia rules are 10 in all. And they bind those who follow them. *********************************************************** Jaden Calvert Topaz never had a normal life. Right from when he was six, his mother got married to the most Horrifying and dangerous Mafia lord who made life a living hel
Thorns & Wildflowers
He wakes beneath a bleeding moon, surrounded by the dead. Again. Another night. Another alley. Another body count he didn't ask for. Cain Greymane has spent ten years as the Greymane Group's discarded curse-a half-wolf bastard branded with a thorn-shaped scar and left to rot. The family curse says
Reborn: Escaping the Shackles
Here's the translation: "I poured my heart and soul into raising my daughter, only to be seen as controlling her. She accidentally pushed me down the stairs, leading to my death. When I got a second chance at life, I decided I no longer wanted to be a 'good mom.' My daughter took the opportunity to
Veils of Thorns
Luca DeLuca was never meant to be a king. Born into one of the most powerful mafia families, he was raised in the shadows of blood and violence-protected, sheltered, and kept far from the world his father ruled with an iron fist. But when Don Salvatore DeLuca is assassinated, everything changes. Th
Love In The Air [Mora and Devya]
"If you are sad and hurt, come into my arms. I won't ask for a reason why you're crying, but I will make you believe that the world is not as cruel as you think," Edgar, to Devya. Mora, Devya's close friend, has a personality that is very different from Devya's. She is independent, mature, wise, soc
Love, Written in Blood and Tears
"Love, Written in Blood and Tears" is a haunting exploration of passion, sacrifice, and the fragile line between devotion and destruction. It is not a gentle love story-it is a portrait of hearts that collide with such intensity that they leave behind both beauty and ruin. This is a story where lo
Miss CEO: Lost In Love And Trickery
Her wedding night was nothing but a nightmare for Della, where her newly-married husband left her alone without so much as a second glance, ignoring her cries for him to stay with her. Hopelessly drunk, she found herself losing her grip on reality and even mistook Mark for her husband. However, what
A love forged in Darkness and Desire
"It won't fit," I whispered, my breath hitching as he leaned closer, his lips grazing my ear. His voice was dark, commanding, and impossibly seductive. "You have no idea what your body is capable of. Relax and let me teach you." Alessia never believed in fairy tales. Life had taught her that happy
Love and Lies In The Windy City
On a rain-soaked night in Chicago, newlyweds Beatrice Cooper and Albert Sean are thrown into chaos when an unexpected car accident and a mysterious envelope force Beatrice to confront a dark legacy-the suspicious death of Sean's first wife, Vanessa. As Beatrice delves into a dangerous investigation
Servants of the Guns
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not
