Barely Synonym

Alaric and I had been mates for five years, and I had believed with all my heart that I would become the first female Gamma of the pack by proving myself in the warrior’s trial. I had trained relentlessly, sharpening my claws and honing my instincts, ready to fight for my rightful place. But fate had other plans. Three days before the trial, I was ambushed by rogues. They didn't just attack me—they hunted me like prey. They tormented me with the silver knife so that my wolf was dead. The scent of death clung to me, my wolf howling in agony, desperately trying to heal, but the wounds ran too deep. As I lay barely conscious on the blood-stained sheets, I heard my husband's cold, indifferent voice. "Is she dead?" The witch doctor hesitated before answering, "No, but—" "It doesn’t matter," Alaric interrupted, Coat her wounds with wolfsbane and silver—make sure it seeps into her blood, burns through her veins, and poisons her wolf beyond repair. I want her body to reject her own nature, so she will never heal. There will only be one Gamma in this pack, and that's Serina." In that moment, the truth became clear—I had never truly stood a chance in the warrior’s trial I had dreamed of. The battle had been decided long before I ever stepped into the arena.

“This innocent act of yours is pissing me off more than I already am.” He said, baring his teeth with agitation. “You owe me every dime that you stole from me for eight years. And by my name, I swear, pet, you will pay for it. You will pay for all of it!" "You can pretend to be someone else. Your name can be anything you want it to be, but I know you and I know all your tricks, so save it, pet, save all of it." When the scary man let go of my jaws, I could barely breathe. It seemed that nothing I'd say would change his mind. Whoever this man was, he was out for blood and he was about to have the wrong one. I was the wrong one. This is the story of Ivory Hollis mistaken as Lori- a possessive billionaire’s long time girlfriend who betrayed and duped him. Blinded by revenge, Arlo Covelli is determined to make Lori pay for breaking his heart and stealing from him. The only mistake- he’s refusing to acknowledge that there’s a slight chance that Ivory may not Lori, and now to have a full control over her, he presents her with a pet/marriage contract in exchange for her freedom. Torn between being a sex-relief for the billionaire’s boys, and being his pet/wife, Ivory chooses the latter. But then, Lori resurfaces! Find out what happens next in the compelling story of Ivory’s life!

-Who are you?" Finally, he stopped the silence. His words were strong, angry, and loud. "-What?" I felt so confused still couldn’t let my eyes from his new look. And his actions of killing without any emotions made my voice trembling. "-I...TOLD...YOU...WHO... THE FUCK... ARE... YOU...?" With stiff teeth he seemed to lose his patience, slowly and frighteningly, he asked, no, ordered to me, without lifting his eyes from me, with every word he took a step closer to me until I could smell the sweat, dirt smell of his ammunition from him. His hard chest-like rock was so close that it barely touched my body. I was shivering he was so scary and I still wanted him badly. "-Are you joking with me? How to understand, who am I?" I whispered... I stopped our deep gaze, even though it wasn't easy. -"What's happening here? Where are we? Why are you...." I couldn't finish one of my hundreds of questions when my husband turned his eyes away from me to his men. -"Take that strange ‘pause from his lips, his eyes traveled from the top of my head to my legs" bitch, to the cell, that little mouth soon will be open for me. And she will talk as well too."

On the day Tristan Spallone, the head of a mafia family, and I mark our fifth wedding anniversary, the manager of the Spallone family vault calls. Something that was stored away for a long time has finally come due, and Tristan is to retrieve it. He's so busy that he barely has a moment to breathe, so I go in his place. What I bring back is an old roll of film. The manager warned me that if it wasn’t developed soon, its age might cause it to be ruined beyond recovery. But when I have them developed, frame after frame is filled with Winnie Leigh, his first love. Her smile looks so sweet in those pictures that they nearly suffocate me. What about me, one may ask? I never once appeared on his albums. The office door slams open. Tristan bursts in, already out of breath. "Anna, is your life really so empty that you have to dig through mine?" I turn toward him, the man who's usually so composed. I neither question him nor break down. Instead, I speak slowly. "We're getting a divorce." Tristan frowns and thrusts the stack of photos into the shredder. He then looks back at me. "They're gone. Do you still want a divorce?" A bitter smile tugs at my lips. "Yes."

Hanna Ortiz, a free girl, now found herself bound by a promise she made to her mother on her deathbed, to marry someone she barely knew in order to fulfill an agreement that even she didn't understand. Everything seemed fine until her fiancé ran away, and his father had to take her place. Even if she wanted to give up, too much was at stake and there was someone she loved very much and needed to save. Hanna saw no other option but to accept the marriage arrangement with Morgan until her real fiancé, David, returned. Although Hanna was young, her age wasn't attractive enough for Morgan who had a promise on his back that prevented him from getting married, plus the fact that he and his entire family knew that Hanna's family suffered from a rare and destructive disease that could even deform the carrier, none of them could bear the thought of living with Hanna, before they even met her they already repudiated her for her appearance. On discovering that Morgan was repulsed by her, Hanna only intensified his anger and estrangement, making him think that she, like her past relatives, had also inherited the disease, making her a disfigured bride. Now, she is nothing more than a wife rejected by her husband, who sees her as a freak and an ambitious woman who will do anything for money. However, Hanna has far greater desires than money.

Ava thought that everyone in the world was just like another. Only caring about their interests. But when she was about to die alone on the streets, the man sitting in front of her had appeared like a guardian angel. His gentleness and concern had made her death not so painful and her life not so pathetic. Through him, she had felt that world could be a beautiful place. And now that she had been given another chance at life, the first thing she did was to find him. She looked at the man that she only knew of his name said through gritted teeth, “Sir, I know that we barely know each other, but as fate has it, I have to marry you!” Leo looked at the little woman sitting opposite him and smiled, “Well, if you were a man, I would say that you definitely have some extra balls. But since you are such a beautiful lady, I would just have to reluctantly agree.” Ava blushed when she heard the man. She never knew that she would one day ask a man to marry her. She said with the sweetest smile,“But before that, I have some personal business to take care of. I hope you don’t mind that I am almost a divorcee.” “Your past has nothing to do with me. Once you become mine, there will be no room for regret even if you want to.”

“You clawed your way into this position, Arniya. Now sit there like a good girl”- Nathaniel Verano. ~ “Let me take you away from all this. You don’t belong in their cage.” - David Sev Calderon. ~ "Everyone has their agenda. I just know how to play their tricks” – Arniya Belle Santillan. ~ Arniya Belle Santillan thought she had her future figured out. Arrange marriage with Nathan Verano, the man she once looked at with nothing but love, she believed she was walking into a life of stability—maybe even happiness. But the more time passes, the more Nathan starts to feel like a stranger. Cold. Controlling. The kind of man who only cares about keeping his family's image spotless, no matter the cost. Trapped in an engagement she no longer wants and expected to play the perfect fiancée to a man she barely recognizes, Arniya starts to lose herself. Then, she meets David—a man with a quiet intensity, and his reasons for hating the Veranos. He offers her something no one else ever has: a way out. But it comes with a catch. Now, Arniya is torn between the life she’s always known and the unknown path David opens for her. Can she risk everything to break free and take back control of her life, or will she end up stuck in a world that’s always told her who she should be?

In the fifth year of my marriage to Kevin Gray, he, a sailor, is reported dead during a mission at sea. When his twin brother brings home his ashes, I break down and sob until I can barely breathe. Nothing can stand in the way of our love—not even death... or so I think. Grief consumes me. I cannot accept the reality of losing him. I try to end my life five times. Every time, Kevin's mother or his brother saves me. They plead with me to let go, to live on. After all, Kevin's last wish was for me to find happiness in every day of the life I had left. But in the third month of mourning, I discover the truth—he never died. He lied to me. He took his twin brother's identity and spent his days by Evelyn Stewart's side. He told me he still loved me, that he couldn't live without me, and that everything he was doing had a reason. He said he'd explain everything after Evelyn gave birth. To protect Evelyn and her unborn child, he asked me to move out for a while—just temporarily, until the baby was born. Then, he promised to bring me home again. Kevin, don't bother coming to get me. I'm not coming back.

Angela Hunter. She died once—betrayed by the two people she trust and loved most. But the moon goddess gave her a second chance. A second life. This time, she wouldn’t fall for a pretty face or promises wrapped in lies. This time, she’d find a mate before fate dragged her back into hell. So she picked the darkest, most dangerous wolf she could find. He doesn’t smile. He barely speaks. He smells like secrets and death. But when he looks at her, it’s like he sees every crack in her soul—and wants to hold the pieces. She asked him to pretend. She didn’t mean to fall. Aaron Shepard. He was never meant to fall in love. With vengeance burning through his veins, he walked the world like a shadow—cold, silent, and deadly. But then she came along—reckless, stubborn, and wild-eyed—and flipped his world off its axis. Now, she thinks he’s just a rogue. A stranger willing to pose as her mate to prevent her from getting chosen. But every time she smiles at another man, he feels something unholy crawl under his skin. She doesn’t know he’s the Alpha king. She doesn’t know he would tear down packs to keep her safe. And she definitely doesn’t know…She’s already his.

Six years ago, I gave everything to the boy who set my world on fire, my heart, my body, my trust. The next day, he vanished without a word. Since then, life hasn’t been kind. I buried my parents in the same week I brought my newborn son home from the hospital. At just eighteen, I became a mother and a guardian to my fifteen-year-old sister, barely surviving the weight of it all. When I finally thought I found stability in a loving husband, I discovered he was living a double life, with another woman. Now, my son, Jaxon, is acting out, angry at the world and carrying wounds I can’t heal. After yet another phone call from the school, this time, expulsion. I knew we couldn’t keep pretending things were okay. We needed a fresh start. I never expected that fresh start to lead me to a sleepy mountain town hiding a dangerous secret… or to him. Because this town borders a hidden pack of wolf shifters, and their alpha is none other than the boy who disappeared six years ago. The same boy who doesn’t know he left me with more than a broken heart… He left me with his son. Warning! This story is a reverse harem and contains explicit scenes (including M/M) throughout.