Plot Twists Contract Marriage Short Stories & Novels

I had an arranged marriage, and my wife was the only daughter of her family. Because of PTSD, she couldn't be intimate with anyone. When she handed me the signed agreement, she also sent a gentle, obedient woman to my room. "Even though it's our wedding night, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with this." I stared at her in disbelief, wondering if this was some kind of test of my character. Just as I was about to launch into a speech about loyalty and marriage, I suddenly heard the thoughts of the psychologist standing beside her. [What does he have to complain about? That position should've been mine! If Kayla didn't need the Grant family's support, she never would've agreed to marry a loser like him! Luckily, Kayla loves me. She even used PTSD as an excuse to save herself for me. I just need to try harder and get her pregnant, then Benjamin Grant will become a complete laughingstock!] The words that had been on the tip of my tongue disappeared instantly. Without hesitation, I accepted Kayla's arrangement. There was nothing wrong with people in a business marriage living separate lives. I wasn't an idiot. Why would I pick a fight with Kayla over something like this? Living peacefully and minding my own business was the smartest choice. To show that I had no inappropriate intentions toward her, I even ordered maternity and baby supplies for her. "I heard you're pregnant. Coincidentally, the woman you sent to me is pregnant too." I was planning to ask her for some advice. Instead, her face darkened. She gritted her teeth and snapped, "I'm not pregnant! She's not your mistress either. She's the IVF coordinator I hired to get you up to speed!"

I'm just a regular human being, and yet I've ended up signing a soul-bond contract with Erik Pendragon, the Frost Dragon King. Due to my lowly status, Erik refuses to let me attend the festival that we're supposed to show up at. So far, I've organized 18 grand festivals for Erik, and yet I'm forced to hide in the shadows. But somehow, Erik agrees to let me attend the 19th festival as the Dragon Queen. Of course, I'm excited to no end. I even go to great lengths to doll myself up, only to see Erik holding hands with another human woman named Clara Beech. The memory montage, which I've put hard work into making, has been replaced by a lovey-dovey montage featuring Erik and Clara. After Erik slips the ring that symbolizes the Dragon Queen's status onto Clara's finger, he turns to look at me in disdain. "Our Dragon Queen needs to be acknowledged by everyone in the clan. It's not like you have an official title anyway, Aurora. To top it off, Clara had received everyone's acknowledgement far earlier than you, too. From today onward, she shall replace you as the Dragon Queen." All the dragons in the lobby are waiting to watch me go ballistic before descending into hysterics. But I'm not mad in the slightest. In fact, I feel a little relieved. After all, there are three days left before my three-year contract with Erik gets dissolved.

A few decades ago, human birth rates started dropping. The federal government tried everything, and they finally introduced a matching program that paired humans with werewolves based on genetic compatibility, hoping that cross-species unions would stabilize the population. High compatibility meant the human could stabilize a werewolf during their heat cycles, which was why the government prioritized it above everything else. The program came with a one-year trial period. I was assigned to the Stone brothers. Every night, I prepared two bowls of herbal broth for them. After a long patrol along the border, it helps restore their energy and speeds up wound healing. The older brother was cold and distant, but he would take the bowl politely and say thank you. The younger one was short-tempered. He often smashed his bowl and shouted at me. I thought I was being fair to both. Until my friend saw it one day and asked me hesitantly, "Do you not think that is unfair to the one who treats you better?" I thought about it all night. She was right. That evening, I came out of the kitchen with only one bowl of herbal broth.

On the way to the Spring Garden Ball, I was seized by men with murder on their minds, and the undercover guard meant to protect me vanished without a trace. I clawed my way through three days that should have killed me and finally dragged myself back to the estate, only to find a whole line of men kneeling in front of my guard. "Your Highness, if you fancy Lady Melanie, you could simply ask for her hand. Why disguise yourself as a bodyguard and stay glued to her elder sister, Lady Elizabeth's side, going so far as to have men dump her out in the wilderness just so she wouldn't outshine your beloved?" Julius Fitzroy's expression didn't so much as flicker. He kept turning the sapphire ring on his finger. "Melanie is only a concubine's daughter. She's sensitive by nature, and I was afraid a hasty proposal would frighten her off. This was the only way." That was how I found out. The Prince Julius had been living at my side in disguise this whole time, and it had never been about me at all. It was always about getting close to my half-sister. My heart turned to ash. I shoved open my father's door. "I'll marry the Crown Prince, sickly or not."

I accompany the Luna of the north and my future mother-in-law, Willow Joynes, on a cruise for a vacation. A high-pitched, feminine voice resounds behind us not long after we make our way to the deck. "Who gave you permission to be here? Moonshine is reserved for noble wolves. Rogues have no business being on this cruise ship!" I turn around and see a she-wolf clad in a tailored gown and dazzling jewelry. She marches toward us and lets out a scoff after she scrutinizes Willow’s plain clothes and mine. "Whose maids are you? Or did you sneak onto the ship? How repulsive. The Moon Goddess blessed this part of the sea, and yet it's been tainted with the stench of poverty that both of you reek of." My expression immediately turns cold. "Moonshine is open to all invited patrons," I say. "If you don't like looking at other wolves, you should buy your own cruise ship." The she-wolf's expression darkens. She points an accusing finger at me and exclaims, "Do you have any idea who you're speaking to, you bitch? I'm Beatrice Quillo, and my mate is the future Alpha of the north! This entire stretch of sea is his territory. The luxury suite on this ship is open only to me! "Get on your knees and grovel for my forgiveness right now. If you don't, I'll teach you the consequences of getting on my bad side." Willow and I frown as we exchange glances. It's true that this part of the sea belongs to the north. However, the future Alpha of the north, Julian Layton, is Willow's only son—as well as the wolf I'm about to be mated with. When did Julian get another mate?

I was a two-hundred-pound girl. But on the night of graduation, I slept with Nova, captain of the Ashbury Ravens hockey team. The next morning, laughter drifted down the hotel hallway from his teammates. "Nova slipped his room key to Sienna last night, right?" "What, you think he'd give it to the Zamboni? That tub of lard. One look at her gives you nightmares for three days." "Did you guys see her reporter's notebook? It's covered in Nova's name. She's actually got a crush on Nova. Disgusting." So the room key that had slipped into my notebook wasn't meant for me. And the name he murmured against me in the dark wasn't mine either. My eyes burned with humiliation. I got dressed, walked out alone, and disappeared for six years. Six years later, my mother, Diane Quinn, was three months behind on her dialysis bills, and the sports website I worked for was on its last legs. My editor, Claire Bennett, slapped a file on my desk. "Nova. Newly crowned MVP. Not one interview in six years. Land him, or you're out."

The day the Sterling family came to honor an old marriage agreement, my adopted younger sister suddenly confessed. "I used Sophie's photo to date a scholarship kid online. He's coming here today to propose, and someone that low is the kind of person I deserve. "Mom, Dad, I don't deserve the Sterling marriage. Send me away." Her eyes swam with tears. She looked stubborn and self-sacrificing, the perfect brave little martyr. My parents, who'd always favored Ava, made their decision immediately. They pointed at me, standing off to the side, watching the whole performance. "Ava grew up with us. She understands our world better than you do. She's the one who should marry into the Sterling family. "Since she used your photo for that online relationship, you can marry the poor boy in her place." I was about to refuse when translucent lines of text appeared in the air in front of me. [No! Don't hand the hero over to that awful sister! The scholarship kid is actually the Sterling heir in disguise! The Sterling guy showing up today is only from a side branch!] [Exactly! He pretended to be poor because he wanted someone who'd love him for himself, and now she's giving him away with her own hands? The villain will absolutely say yes. Her type grabs everything.] [Don't panic! He's never met the villain. He only came because of the photo. A few days around her and he'll know something's wrong, and then she's finished. Everybody watch closely so we can help.] I stared at the floating comments for three seconds. So that was the story. I changed my mind, and lifted my chin a little. "Fine. If he's poor, he's poor. I'll marry him."

The Gambino family's highest decree: every Don must be married before taking office. So the moment I came back from studying abroad, my father sent me to intern at the family company run by my fiancé, Ethan Clark—to prepare me for taking over family operations, pave the way for me to become the next Don of the Gambinos, and, you know, build some chemistry between us while we were at it. The first day I walked in, I saw a woman holding court, surrounded by everyone, with everyone deferring to her, calling her "Mrs. Clark" with practiced reverence. She tore up a two-hundred-million-dollar contract, and they all applauded. She spotted the ring on my finger, and they all reached out to take it off for her. I didn't flinch. Didn't panic. "Do you know who can wear this ring?" She scoffed. "An intern. What's the big deal? Take it off." I smiled. This ring is the heirloom of the Gambino heir. Anyone who touches it without permission doesn't live to tell the story. I pulled out my phone and dialed Ethan right in front of her. "Your 'Mrs. Clark' is trying to take my family ring. Care to explain?"

My father died. He left me a contract. A marriage to the Donovans. The Chicago Outfit. He wanted the future Don to protect me. The whole family's power, wrapped around me for life. But on my wedding day to the eldest, Finn… he ran. Took my family housekeeper's daughter with him. His brother, Cillian Donovan, stepped up. He married me instead. Wedding night. I was in the music room. Alone. Playing the cello. A sad song for my father. Cillian kicked the door open. His eyes were bloodshot. Pure jealousy. A sneer on his face. “Does marrying me instead of Finn really hurt you this much?” For the next five years, he brought women home. Different ones. Kissing them in my rose garden. Fucking them in our bed. I swallowed it all. Played the part. The perfect Donna of the Donovan family. Until today. When he kept his latest toy around for four months. My heart hit the floor. She clung to Cillian's arm, her red lips at his ear. “Cillian, the way your wife looks at me… like she wants to eat me alive.” Cillian stroked her hair, not really caring. His eyes found mine. A cruel smile. “My wife? She doesn't want to be. She wants to be his woman. The traitor's.” That night, a rival family hit the estate. Fire everywhere. Cillian grabbed his girl. Ran for the armored car. No hesitation. I was on the ground. Smoke in my lungs. Couldn't move. I watched him drive away. Leaving me in the dust. Something inside me just… snapped. Five years of this bullshit marriage. I was going to end it. Myself. …

After the war between humans and beastmen ended, both sides agreed that half-beast nobles would govern the world together. Under the marriage pact, every hundred years, each couple must bring their children before the altar. The High Priest cuts each child's palm and lets their blood drip into a chalice. The child with the purest blood becomes the next King. I married Todd, heir to the fox clan, and gave birth to a half-beast fox with the purest blood of them all. My sister, drawn to the wealth and status of the hawk nobility, chose their proud and distant heir. But he had no interest in women, and their marriage drove her mad. Consumed by jealousy, she demanded another test of my son's blood. She used a potion from the hawk clan to corrupt his blood, and my son and I were flayed alive after being accused of falsifying his claim to the throne. I woke again on the day we were supposed to choose our husbands. This time, my sister had already chosen Todd. Then I knew. She had been reborn too. What she didn't know was that the foxes lived for pleasure. Todd was always surrounded by women and made a terrible husband. I didn't want the hawks or the bears. I chose Leon of the white dog clan instead—the only man who had tried to save me in my previous life. But the white dog I chose was no dog at all. He was the last of the ancient celestial lions.