Apa Itu Once

They say karma strikes when you least expect it. And for me, it did. That small boy I once harassed, ignored, and bullied is now a fully grown Urekai Alpha. With powers that crushes empires and a name associated with so many fearsome reputations, even the most ruthless villains whisper it with caution. And because he once swore vengeance, I have been running all my life. But he has caught me. The hatred he has for me, is one I have never known before. Coated with venom. Burning with spite. Only in those cold, satanic gray eyes have I seen hatred in its rawest, purest form. I thought I had prepared for this day. That I was ready for the revenge and retribution he promised. However, the punishment he delivers is one I never saw coming. But how do you break what is already broken? How do you drown one who lives with their head buried underwater? How do you kill something that stopped breathing a long time ago? And more terrifying still, how the hell does love grow from the most venomous, hate-filled, black heart to ever exist? . . WARNING: This book contains really dark themes that cross the line from dark into pitch-black territory. It has disturbing contents that may be very unsettling or triggering to some readers. Please proceed with caution. Please take this warning seriously. • NOTE: This book is a complete standalone. Though set in the Urekai universe, this story introduces entirely new characters with their own depths, nuances, and experiences. You need not read "That Prince Is A Girl" to enjoy or understand this tale, for it is a completely independent story of its own.

I used to believe fate was cruel. Taken as a child. Forgotten by the family who should have fought for me. And bound to an Alpha who only ever looked at someone else. For three years, I’ve lived as his wife in name only— a ghost in my own home, unwanted and unloved. When I told Matthias I was pregnant, I thought something might change. But his golden eyes burned with fury. He called me a liar. A mistake. A deceiver. Then she came back. The sister I thought I’d lost forever. The woman he grieved. The one he truly loved. The one his mating bond was connected to. Now, just as I’d walked away and reclaimed my freedom, Matthias decides he wants me back. But it’s too late. Because Alpha Cassiel Aldric—the coldest, most respected Alpha of them all, held me tight… and said, “Mate. You are mine.” Now I’m caught between two Alphas: One who threw me away. And one who would burn the world to claim me.

Tristan Howard sudah memanjakan Talia Lewis selama lebih dari 20 tahun. Talia mengira mereka akan menikah, punya anak, dan hidup bahagia bersama seumur hidup. Sampai suatu hari, Tristan membawa pulang seorang gadis dan memberi tahu Talia, “Tally, dia ini kakak iparmu.”

She thought high school couldn't get worse-until a bet turned her first kiss into a viral nightmare. Bullied for her weight and mocked by the school's elite, Nova Foster had one goal; stay invisible. But when a leaked video of her kissing the school's bad boy explodes online causing her world to shatter. It was just for rehearsal or so she thought.Tricked, humiliated, and betrayed, Nova reaches her breaking point. But while they expected her to disappear, she returns stronger, transformed-and ready to burn their perfect little world to the ground. He broke her. Now he wants to fix her. But can she ever trust him again?

Even if he hated me, I couldn’t look away from him. Even if he called me an imposter, a trickster, all I could think of was how alluring his scent was. Even when he was ready to take my sister’s words over mine, I couldn’t help falling for him. I wanted him to take me in his arms and tell me that the last few weeks had been a dream after all. That he loved me, like a true mate would. I wanted him to be my prince charming. To be my salvation. But that was not my fate. Goddess forbid if I had anything easy in life! Sometimes, I truly believed that this mate bond was the curse. Not my being the Stealer. Callista Leander turned eighteen with hopes of finding her happily ever after. But instead, she was left locked in a tower of a castle, doomed to be married off to her true mate’s feral brother to save him from certain death. All because of one curse and a conniving sister. Her life was suddenly filled with betrayals and secrets, and in every corner she looked, danger lurked. Now, with the whole world against her. At the mercy of an angry king, her oblivious one true mate, will she make it out alive on the other side?

Astra wanted nothing more but genuine happiness and the strength to move on from her failed marriage. When she got married to New York’s most eligible bachelor, she felt her joy was at its peak. One night, she got thrown out in the rain by her billionaire husband, and she had no idea her marriage was about to end. Billionaire Nicholas Michealson felt betrayed when he discovered his wife of almost two years was cheating on him, and he divorced her without listening to her side of the story. He felt betrayed and hurt by the only person he ever let into his heart. Five years later, and the hurt is still fresh, They both want closure to move on from each other. In a period of five years, everything has changed except the truth. Astra has huge secrets, and Nicholas has been wrong all along. Maybe it was indeed too late for both of them.

Betrayed. Abandoned. And Avenged with Triumph. When I married Damian Carter, I believed in forever. In loyalty. In love that withstands time, success, and hardship. I was the woman who stood beside him when he was nothing, who helped him build his empire, who sacrificed everything so he could become the man he always wanted to be. And when he finally got there—when he was rich, powerful, untouchable—he threw me away like last night’s mistake. He didn’t just cheat. He rewrote our story, twisting the truth until I was nothing more than a pathetic, useless wife clinging to his fortune. The world believed him. My own family doubted me. I lost everything. But they were all wrong about me. I didn’t break. I didn’t shatter. I rebuilt. With the help of a man who saw me for who I really was, I built my own empire. I exposed Damian’s secrets, stripped away his power, and took back everything they said I never could. And when he came crawling back, whispering apologies, asking for another chance—his voice trembling with regret—I simply smiled. Because I wasn’t that woman anymore. And more than that, I had finally found a man who never needed to lose me to understand my worth.

Amber is a simple, kind, and brave girl. She’s the eldest among three siblings. Despite having a complete family, they lack one thing that is essential for survival—money. Her father works as a security guard in a well-known construction firm while her mother is an online seller of thrifty clothes. At a young age, she saw how her parents worked hard to provide the needs of their family. That is why she promised herself that she will do everything to help her parents once she graduated—but things won’t be that easy for her. Amber is a third-year college student in a well-known university, but unlike most of the students, she got in because of her scholarship. She was never the type of student to ace her academics, but her marks are enough to lessen her school fees by 50%. In order to pay for the remaining half, she applied as a student assistant in their university. William James Walton, he's one of the most sought after business man in his generation. He's young, good-looking and smart. Many of his business opponents envy the his charm and strategies. Will these two people from two different world be able to find happiness in each others arms? Or will their differences hinder the chance of a happy ending?

When Italy's Most Dreaded Capo discovers his true identity, the world is thrown into disarray. A bloody war erupts between werewolves and the Mob. The dice has been cast, and the Capo must decide whose family he actually belongs to. The werewolf clan (where he was once a Beta) or the Mob clan (where he is now a Capo)? Is he his Alpha or his Don? His Mate or His Moll? His past life or the one he has grown to love? It's a conundrum with no way out without spilling a lot of blood and losing loved ones. ************************************************* Ryder's eyes were partially closed as he held a pistol to his head. That was the end of it. He's probably finished. He was not afraid of death. But this was a particularly painful time since it was his Beta who was holding the pistol to his head. Jason, who used to be his wingman, was now going to be his assassinator. "Do it," Don Carianno urged, irritated by his tardiness. Jason pressed the gun's point harder on Ryder's temples, but his fingers wavered around the trigger. He couldn't pull it off. "Remember what we've gone through, man. Jason, you and I have a long history. You're not going to be able to accomplish it. You can't get rid of your Alpha..." ****** This is the second book of ONCE ABUSED, NOW LOVED. Although it may be read as a stand-alone, it is highly recommended that you first read the first book to have a better grasp of this one. BOOK 1 - ONCE ABUSED, NOW LOVED. BOOK 2: ONCE A BETA, NOW A MAFIA.

Dorian Keene was once untouchable—admired, feared, and cruel in the way boys are when they believe the world belongs to them. Caspian Vale was the opposite: quiet, brilliant, marked, and easy to target. What Dorian never admitted was the truth beneath the cruelty—he was terrified of how badly he wanted the boy he was meant to destroy. Years later, life shows no mercy. Penniless, grieving, and battling a worsening illness, Dorian takes a job that feels like a miracle only to discover his employer is Caspian. No longer the boy he buried, but a powerful tech mogul with an unreadable stare, a carefully constructed life… and a fiancée at his side. Dorian tries to keep his distance. Caspian pretends nothing ever existed. But desire doesn’t die, it waits. And the closer they get, the harder it becomes to tell where control ends and longing begins. As secrets surface and memories fracture, Caspian is forced to confront a truth he’s spent his life denying and Dorian must decide how much of himself he’s willing to lose for a love that was never supposed to exist. ~~~~~ “Once His Nightmare, Now His Employee” is a slow-burn MM romance that drifts from longing into obsession, where power shifts, choices cut deep, and loving the wrong man may cost everything.