Could Have Been Us

The only thing Kyle Rutherford ever lived for is revenge. After the murder of his billionaire parents, he lost not only the wealth, but he was forced into hiding and left with nothing but rage. Now, years later, with a new surname and a deadly plan, he’s ready to strike. But everything changes when he meets someone at the Masked Ball who gives him hope, desire, maybe even love. Until he discovers the truth. The one person who makes his heart race, is the son of his greatest enemy, Williams Thorne. Williams was groomed to rule. Not to feel. But something about the masked boy haunts him. And when secrets start to unravel and desires start to burn where hatred once lived, Kyle is torn between two fates: Destroy the Thorne’s Legacy or Fall for the one person he was never supposed to love. Because some mask don’t just hide who we are, they show us who we could have been all along. Will he go through with his plan for vengeance? Or will love become the most dangerous game of all?

I loved the pup my parents adopted so deeply that I cared for him as if he were my own son. At his slightest request, I willingly braved the storm to search the cliff edges for the plant he needed for tomorrow's assignment. Just as I stumbled toward them, battered and disheveled, I heard him secretly call my sister "mama, and call my mate "Dad”. It turned out my beloved Alpha mate had been cheating all along. He said it was too early for us to have pups, then turned around and started a family with my own sister. And my parents had known all along. They even wanted to force me to step down from my Luna position. The pup I cherished like my own heart cursed me with the most vicious words. Looking at them, I laughed through my tears. They didn't know I was already dead. The Moon Goddess had shown mercy—if I could receive one genuine declaration of love within these seven extra days, I could return to life. But they all wished for my death. I granted their wish. So why did they all regret it when the pack enforcers asked them to identify my body?

Family was meant to be sacred. Untouchable. Azriel was supposed to be my stepbrother. Instead, he became my ruin. I should have kept my distance. But whenever he’s near, my body recalls what he has done to it. His wolf lurks beneath the surface, and it’s drawing me in closer than I’ve ever dared to approach. He’s mine—not by name or claim, but in the way my blood ignites a fire within him. Each touch, every hushed growl leaves me trembling, yearning, and afraid. I know this isn’t safe. The heat between us could burn us both, yet I can’t stop leaning into it. Some rules were never meant to be broken. Some bonds were never meant to exist. And some desires… can’t be denied.

Max Siegel loved me deeply and promised me the grandest wedding anyone had ever seen. However, just three days before the big day, everything changed. The custom-made wedding dress he'd ordered for me was given to his stepsister, Fawn Lewis, and instead, he handed me a pill—one that could erase memories. “Kate,” he said, “I don’t want to hurt you, but Fawn has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She doesn’t have long. Her last wish is to marry me. I can’t have her leave this world with regrets. “This pill will make you forget everything about us for a few days. But don’t worry. After the wedding is over, I’ll give you the antidote, and you’ll remember everything again. Then, I’ll give you the wedding you deserve.” His tone left no room for negotiation. Without hesitation, I took the pill and swallowed it. However, what he didn’t know was that I developed that drug myself, and there was no antidote. Three days from now, I would forget the man I loved most—him. And once that happens, there’s no turning back and no chance to start over.

When my ex starts stalking me, I turn to the man I resented for years for help—a rich and private named Krew Selik. At first, I’m just a damsel in distress, and he’s a knight in shining armor, but our attractions are undeniably strong. I have grown to him that I’d never been with anyone, breaking me free from my own restraint. I soon find that he is not only my knight, and he’s been struggling to fight his own demons, haunted by his secrets until I become his light in the dark. When I thought that my life is going in the right direction, everything falls apart. Being with him comes at a price, and some secrets threaten to tear us apart.

When the star pirate, Black Mamba demanded one of us give birth to his child, my older sister didn't hesitate to sacrifice me. I never imagined that after my cruel death and eventual rebirth, she would throw herself into his clutches instead. When I saw that terrible serpentine swelling once more, horrifying memories sent shivers through my body. All I wanted to do was run. But my sister grabbed me by the jaw. "You've been reborn too! I'm going to make you suffer!" I could tell she meant it.

I took my gun beside the table and playing it with my bear hands. I'm eager to kill the assh*le who is now kneeling in front of us but my dear brother said that he should suffer first before we gonna kill him. "Now assh*le, I'm going to ask you for the last time. Who ordered you to kill us?" My Brother said while he pointing his gun on the forehead of the assh*le. "I WILL NEVER ANSWER YOUR QUESTION EVEN IF YOU KILL ME." The assh*le shout right on the face of Clay, which cause Clay to get mad and give him a hard punch on the stomach. "Ouchie! If I we're you I'm gonna tell him who's behind of killing us before my dear husband get angry." Suzanne Medina the wife of Clay. "You don't know me when I'm angry." Clay get a dagger and slice the face of the assh*le. "ARRGGHHH!" The assh*le keep screaming everytime Clay slice every part of his body. I smile a devilished one. That's my dear brother wants. Torturing his prey. But I have a short temper. *BANG!* "Sharp shooter, baby." I'm pointing my gun to Suzanne. I don't want to call a baby. "Easy dear sister." She hang her two arms in the air. She surrender. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Anger is written all over the face of Clay as he turned to me. "Tss." The damaged has been than and we could do nothing to turn back the time. "Short tempered as always, my dear sister." He about to put his arm when I grab it and put it on his back. "Easy dear sister. I'm kidding." He said.

Divorce. And a rejection. That's a fact I can't accept. Alpha Liam is going to divorce me, but I have no idea why he would come up with that after I have been his wife and Luna's wife for three years. On Monday morning, the Elders, Beta Jack, and my best friend Hazel, and I was waiting for Liam in the pack hall. They asked Liam to think about it twice. The way he showed up gave us all a punch in the gut. Liam walked into the room…with another woman on his arm!!! “Trista,” he said snidely. “Meet the NEW Luna, Lucy.” Lucy? Was he kidding me! She was an omega from the Red Moon Pack. She was the maid of the alpha there, but rumor had it she was also his mistress! How could he rejected me because of such a woman! But I was wrong. She was his first mate. And about me, I am his second chance mate after she left him three years ago. I was so broken and I decided to kept that secret from Liam--I was carrying his babies. I chose to live far away alone with my children, as further as I could. But what I didn't expect was that five years later...

I never expected to be taken. Varek is everything I've been taught to fear: cold, ruthless, a conqueror who destroys anyone in his path. But when he grabs me, drags me away, I realize I have no choice but to go. If I want to protect my kingdom, I have to submit to him. He's relentless, and the heat between us is undeniable. He's not just after my kingdom-he wants me, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. His eyes burn into mine, like he knows every weakness, every desire I've been hiding from myself. I hate him for what he's done, for who he is. But with every touch, every glance, I feel my walls start to crumble. I can't let him break me, but I don't know how much longer I can resist.

“In every enchanting story, there's a beast that will beat you up. At ikaw 'yong beast na binabanggit ko.” I have a boss who is always telling about how slow-witted I am. He's sharp-tongued with a rough attitude and unyielding standards. “Parang lahat na yata ng masamang pag-uugali ay nasa iyo na.” I thought there's no romantic between us that blooms amidst the chaos. Our relationship has not been good, but we prove that hates and opposites truly attract. — Helliry Chrysopeleia Flieyh Dizon. His Slow-witted Maid