Fading Echo

I shivered in the darkness, the air stale, damp and cold making goosebumps appear on my bare skin. The low rumbles and huffs which were coming from behind made me a little scared, and I knew the beast was still there, watching me with interest. I knew screaming and calling for help was futile since my voice was already hoarse for trying to scream the past few hours, but the only thing to be heard was my echo, and the snarl that followed next. I heard it shift and felt it's soft fur brush against my body and skin. I swallowed hard and held in my voice. The more it leaned in, the more my heart beat wildly, and I tried to move away from it. It's warm breath brushed against my cold skin making me shiver in response. I couldn't see but I had an idea what it wanted. I kept resisting but it was much stronger than I was, easily able to pull my thin legs apart. It showed it's dominance as a way to make me submit. I knew I wasn't strong enough to fight or escape it, but that didn't mean I was going to willingly do what the beast said, at least at that minute. But everything changed when I felt it's big head dip between my legs, easily parting them to the extreme, and a rough, yet soft , in my opening. I couldn't help the moan that left my lips. The was long, rough, and filled me to the brim, and that's when I knew I was in . The beast wanted to breed with me.

I was seventeen when Rowan Ashcroft promised we’d disappear together. I was eighteen when my father sold me to a man who wanted to own my blood. For twelve years, I was the perfect trophy wife to the ruthless Alpha Julian Cross. To the world, I was untouchable, beautiful, obedient, and carefully medicated to keep my true nature buried. In reality, I was a locked vault, a prisoner hiding a forbidden Silver Omega lineage that the supernatural Council had spent generations trying to erase. But the haze of the pills is fading, and a secret is growing inside me. I am pregnant. And I know exactly what Julian will do when he finds out his "perfect wife" is carrying a child that shouldn't exist. So, I run. I don’t get far before the Council’s executioner finds me. Rowan Ashcroft steps out of the shadows wearing the silver marks of an Enforcer and the same cold eyes I once trusted with my life. He isn't here to save me. He’s here because my bloodline and my unborn child are worth killing for. Instead of ending my life, Rowan offers a lethal contract: Three months. A fake mating bond. Absolute protection from the Council. The bond is supposed to be a lie, a way to cloak my scent and hide me in plain sight. But as Rowan’s mark burns into my skin, it awakens something ancient and primal in my blood. I was never just an Omega meant to be owned. I am the return of a legend they thought they’d killed. Julian wants his property back. The Council wants me dead. But they are about to learn what happens when the woman they tried to erase finally becomes Untouchable.

Ean's face twisted with anger as he grabbed me by the arm, dragging me toward the old, rusted freezer in the corner of the warehouse. "You're going to feel what Helen felt," he spat. "Maybe that'll teach you not to mess with her." I struggled against him, panic rising in my chest. "Ean, this is insane! It was an accident! Let me explain—" He wasn’t listening. He shoved me inside the freezing metal box and slammed the door shut. The echo of the lock clicking into place made my heart pound in my ears. I banged on the door with my fists. "Ean, please! You can’t do this!" I screamed, but the sound of his footsteps grew fainter as he walked away. He left me with nothing but a single bowl of water, like I was some kind of prisoner. I slumped against the cold metal, shivering. The temperature plummeted almost instantly. The hum of the freezer kicked in, and I realized too late—it wasn’t broken like he thought. It was working, and I was trapped. My body shook uncontrollably as the cold seeped into my bones. I screamed for help until my throat was raw, clawing at the walls in desperation. My bloody handprints smeared across the icy surface, a silent plea for mercy that no one would hear. Seven days passed. When Ean finally returned, the look on his face was one of smug satisfaction. He had expected me to beg, to apologize. But when they pried open the freezer, all they found was my frozen body, stiff and silent, my suffering long over.

"Why can’t you just leave me alone?" Valentina snarled, breath hitching as she shoved against the bark of the tree behind her. He stepped closer, eyes glowing with an untamed hunger. In one swift, possessive motion, he pinned her hands above her head, his lips grazing the pulse at her neck—dangerously close to the spot only a mate should touch. “Because, little wolf,” he whispered, his voice dark velvet against her skin, “you belong to me—and I’m done pretending otherwise.” _______ Stabbed by the man she once loved and betrayed by the friend she trusted most, Valentina was reborn in the ashes of heartbreak. No longer the obedient luna of the Shadow Crust pack, she rises from the shadows to reclaim her life—and her power. But home is no longer safe. Her pack is in ruins. Her father? Bewitched by a mysterious woman named Carmella. And fate? Cruel, as always. Because waiting for her in the heart of the storm is the man she should never desire—Andres Donovan, the cold and dangerously obsessive Lycan King… and her second-chance mate. He watches her with eyes full of secrets, speaks in riddles that echo of a past she can’t remember, and touches her like he’s been starving for centuries. But as enemies close in, alliances fracture, and war brews over the divine blood flowing in her veins, Valentina must decide: Will she fight fate again… Or surrender to the one man who could ruin her—or save her?

Luna, and her journey of self-discovery and finding her place in the world. Despite initial difficulties, she realizes that she needs to adapt to her new situation for her own growth and development. Her mother wants Luna to pursue higher education and convinces her to study in Manila. She agrees, understanding that education is a powerful tool for personal progress. She prepares for enrollment and plans to leave for Manila soon. However, her encounter with Ryker Gregory, who seems to have negative feelings toward her, shakes her confidence. “I find myself swept away by the profound emotions that linger in the air. It is a realm where authenticity becomes fleeting, leaving behind nothing but remnants of my once vibrant feelings. Thoughts echo within me, whispering their secrets and leaving me yearning for more. Within the depths of my heart, I discover a peculiar contradiction—a longing for simplicity entangled in the complexities of love. Despite the dangers that lie in exposing my soul, it slowly emerges from its hiding place, craving connection and intimacy. Words wield an intriguing power in this realm, embracing both poverty and richness. Love becomes the enigmatic pursuit we strive for, seeking to be seen and appreciated amidst the captivating beauty of the world. Yet, I encounter individuals who weave intricate webs of lies, whether out of habit or with deliberate intent. In the face of such encounters, I am confronted with a choice—one that encompasses the essence of great and true love. As I traverse this labyrinthine journey, I embark on a quest to unravel the enigma of love. It is a search that takes me to the depths of my soul, forcing introspection and contemplation,” – Luna.

[MATURE CONTENTS, NO RAPE, VIOLENCE, DARK] She didn't realize she was slowly falling deeply for the handsome billionaire who always hid in the shadows, shrouded in darkness and mystery. Despite the blaring alarm in her head screaming 'danger alert,' she just had to trust him. But he wasn’t just a wealthy heartthrob; he was a bad boy with sinister intentions. He became her weapon for revenge, an addiction that transformed her into a villain. (EXTRACT) Eamon's gaze flicked to the name tag on her uniform, which read "Mia." He smirked, clearly aware of the deception. "Heather, do you think you can save your life from me in a hospital?" he teased. "Well, if... if you're a disease," Heather retorted, trying to regain some semblance of control. Eamon chuckled softly, a chilling sound. "Sure I am. A terminal one." "Anyway, Mr. Eamon, sorry for taking things the wrong way this morning. Perhaps you thought I was mocking your blindness by saying you changed my clothes," she said sincerely. "It's alright," Eamon replied, a hint of amusement in his tone. "I saw everything though." Heather blinked in confusion. "Huh? But... you're blind. How can you see everything like you claimed?" Eamon's smile widened, and he leaned in slightly. "Let me tell you a secret then, Ms Heather," he said, removing his dark lenses to reveal a set of emerald green eyes. "You have a fading tattoo 'A & H' on your left waist and a tiny black dotty mole underneath your right breast," Eamon said, his voice low and intimate. Heather: "...." Eamon's eyes bore into hers, a predatory glint in them. "You can't hide from me, Heather. Not in a hospital, not anywhere."

Before our wedding, my fiancée, Sarah Hargrave—a professor of medieval history—held a private ceremony in a secluded chapel in the countryside. But not with me. Under the glow of candlelight, she cradled Benjamin Wheeler—her first love, his face gaunt from the cancer consuming him—in her arms. Her smile was soft, almost reverent, as she murmured, "In the eyes of God, vows made before the altar are the only ones that matter. Even if the law says I belong to Daniel, my soul was never his." And so, to the faint echo of hymns and the scent of old incense, they drank from the same silver cup, exchanged rings, and stepped together into the dimly lit sacristy—their makeshift bridal chamber. I watched. Silent. Motionless. No outbursts, no demands for explanation. Just the quiet dialing of a clinic to undo the vasectomy I'd gotten for our future. From fifteen to thirty, I had loved Sarah for fifteen long years. But in all that time, there'd never been room for me. That space had always belonged to Benjamin, my stepbrother. So I let her go. Afterward, I joined a geological research team bound for the isolation of Antarctica—a land cut off from the world, quiet and clean. Before I left, I handed Sarah a divorce agreement…and a final gift to mark the end. I never anticipated that Sarah, who'd always met my devotion with frosty detachment, who'd never once glanced back as I walked away, would look ten years older overnight.

Four years into her marriage, when the dazzling woman from her husband’s past returned, Alyssa Jones finally understood the truth. Her husband, Justin Scott, was not cold by nature; he had withheld both affection and intimacy, saving them for his first love. He gave Alyssa a monthly allowance of six hundred dollars yet spent six hundred thousand dollars on research for the woman he truly cherished. The difference between being loved and being ignored was revealed in the most humiliating way. Justin claimed he couldn’t bear to let his “true love” be worn down by the trivialities of marriage. Yet he demanded that Alyssa quit her one-thousand-a-month job and settle into the role of a full-time housewife, willingly fading into obscurity. What Justin never knew was that Alyssa was no ordinary employee. For four years, she had been in charge of a nationally classified research project. Her clearance was so high that even the woman he idolized was qualified only to work under her. What he also never realized was that the document he signed so casually was the divorce agreement that ended their marriage. One month later, Alyssa’s identity as a leading scientific authority was made public and the finalized divorce certificate was delivered to Justin. The CEO who had always been gentle and composed tore it apart, disbelief turning into red-eyed fury. “Other than me, who would want a divorced woman like her?” Yet the one who spoke so harshly was also the one who later knelt, begging for reconciliation. When they met again, Alyssa appeared with her arm lightly linked through the hand of Lucien Wells, the man in control of one of the most powerful elite families. She looked at her ex-husband without the slightest trace of emotion. Lucien raised an eyebrow and calmly produced a marriage certificate. “Mind your manners, Mr. Scott. You should address her as Mrs. Wells.”

My husband slept with my best friend, then hit me with divorce papers all within a day. So I ended up in bed with his father–didn't realise it at first, but now his dad's handed me a contract: be his consort and I get my revenge. Who am I to turn down fate? Dahlia Dalmante has spent five years fading into the background of her own marriage–always loyal, always silent, hiding the filthy fantasies she only ever had about her husband. None of them mattered. By the time she discovers him in bed with her best friend, she realises she was never more than a place holder to a man that never wanted her. That night, Dahlia ends up in a dark bar and lets herself do the one thing she swore she never would: leave with a stranger. But the night doesn't end in regret. The stranger–commanding and older–pushes her to the edge, and she lets go of everything she thought she knew about her body. By sunrise, everything is different. Her one wild night? Turns out he's Dominic Dalmante–her husband's father. The real power behind the Dalmante empire. When Dominic steps in to save her from ruin, Dahlia finds herself locked in a game of raw heat and high stakes: he'll give her revenge, power, protection–if she gives herself to him, body and soul. The deeper she tumbles into Dominic's world of contracts, secrets, and dangerous demands, the more Dahlia learns just how far desire can twist. And when the past explodes and blood-stained secrets threaten everything, does she really want to pull apart all the ugly secrets piling up around her, or just get lost in the kind of wild pleasure her marriage always kept out of reach?

I was the fiancee of Lucian Veris, the celebrated Swan Prince, who had offered up the principal role in exchange for my hand. On stage, he was proud and untouchable, yet he surrendered completely to the choreography I created for "Eternal Crown." When I came back after three years in Valmont, I discovered that the understudy who mirrored me had already claimed our private rehearsal hall. At the company's welcome gala, Lucian abandoned a room full of sponsors just to chase after the crying understudy. From behind the velvet curtain, I overheard words he had never spoken to me. "Elara, I chose you only because you reminded me of her. I was looking for a replacement. But you were different. Your choreography captivated me—more than she ever could. Just make sure she never finds out until the closing night of 'Eternal Crown.'" Then came the muffled sounds of their entanglement, followed by his whispered vow. "I'll give you the principal's place." Right there, in that same room, he had once held my hand and sworn that I, Astraea Lynelle, would be his only soulmate in this lifetime. I turned and walked away, the sharp echo of my pointe shoes striking with finality. Back in the dressing room, I dialed his greatest rival, Caelan Thorne. "Mr. Thorne," I said evenly, "I accept your offer to join your company. And one more thing—prepare a gift for me. I intend to turn Lucian's grand finale into the most spectacular downfall the art world has ever seen."