Five Total Strangers

"I know I don’t deserve a second chance. I know I’ve hurt you in the cruelest way. But I regret it, truly regret it. I've spent five years searching for you, hoping to atone for my mistakes. I... I still love you." My heart raced. Part of me wanted to believe him, wanted to surrender to the words I had longed for. But I couldn’t just forget how he had shattered me. "Love?" I let out a small laugh. "You’re talking about love after what you did to me? After you made me feel like nothing more than a replacement? I’ve moved past the days when I cried over you, when I questioned my self-worth just because you chose another woman. You want me back? But what if one day you find another reason to leave me?" "No!"

Because I loved him, I became Luke’s secret lover for five years, thinking he must have some feelings for me.  However, when someone kidnapped me, and I called him for help, he impatiently said, “Suzy Roland? I have no idea who that is.” Then, he turned around and flirted with another woman. As he wished, I cut ties with him and became a stranger. Yet now, he’s weeping and begging me for another chance.

Malaking gulo ang nagawa ni Liam na maaaring magdulot ng pagbagsak ng kanilang kumpanya at malagay ang kanyang ama sa kapahamakan. Kaya kailangan niyang gawin ang lahat upang mailigtas ito, kahit pa ang magpakasal sa isang taong hindi niya kilala. Isang hindi inaasahang pangyayari ang nagtulak kay Crystal upang makilala ang sikat na tagapagmana na si Liam Spencer. Ang lalaking nag-alok sa kanya ng kasal kapalit ng malaking halaga ng pera. Noong una ay nag-dalawang isip siyang tanggapin ang kanyang alok, ngunit nang marinig ni Crystal kung magkano ang kayang ibayad nito sakanya ay agad rin siyang sumang-ayon, dahil matagal na niyang hangad ang pamumuhay na mas marangya at komportable kumpara sa kasalukuyan niyang kalagayan. Kahit na walang alam ang dalawa tungkol sa isa't isa, at hindi isinasaalang-alang ang mga kahihinatnan ng isang mahalagang desisyon, ang dalawang hindi magka-kilalang tao ay lumagda sa isang kasunduang kasal. Ngayon, kailangan nilang mabuhay bilang mag-asawa upang maiwasan na madungisan ang reputasyon ng Spencers.

My husband, Daniel Thompson, looked down on me. I was just a farmer's daughter in his eyes, and he never loved the son I gave birth to. It wasn’t until our baby turned 100 days old that he held him for the first time. Then, one day, his first love, Claire Matthews, came back to the city. That night at dinner, Daniel, who was always cold and distant, finally smiled. He even reached across the table and placed a piece of meat on Noah’s plate. Noah beamed all evening, clutching onto that tiny gesture like it was a treasure. Just before bed, he whispered to me, "Mom, do you think he likes me now… even just a little?" I wrapped him in my arms, tears blurring my vision as I gently shook my head. "No, sweetheart. It’s because the woman he truly loves is back. It’s time for us to go."

Zoe was never meant to obey. Born to power and raised in chaos, she and her notorious Shadow Gang ruled Diamond Ville with pranks, secrets, and strength. But one explosive mistake lands them in Asheville Academy—a brutal school for the supernatural elite where silver fences bite and trust is a liability. When Zoe discovers she’s fated to five powerful, unpredictable mates—each from rival packs—the stakes become deadly. Love was never part of the plan. Neither was betrayal. Now the Shadow Gang must survive training rooms that break bones, enemies who play nice with knives, and a prophecy that could end everything. Zoe’s heart might not survive five fates. But the world won’t survive what happens if she rejects them. Witty, wild, and addictive—every encounter with the Alphas is where danger kisses destiny.

Upset about the sudden marriage arrangement, Via ran away from home to come back with shocking news: she was pregnant and did not even know who the father was. Due to disappointment, her father sent her away. But after a few years, she was asked to return with her adorable twins. Little did she know that as soon as she stepped foot in her home country, she would once again encounter the stranger who gifted her two adorable children, and her life would be turned upside down when the man started pursuing her. “We already had children together. Aren't we a little more than strangers?”

I've been mated to Alpha Alaric Goremane for five years, and I'm still a virgin. On the night he claims me, I stand before him, naked. With my heart pounding against my chest, I muster the courage to step forward and wrap my arms around him. But he pulls away, and then comes the words that lingered in my head for years like a devil's whisper. "I'm sorry, Kyna. I have severe germaphobia and can't handle physical intimacy. Please give me some time." In that moment, my heart plunges into the abyss. But when I see the torment in his eyes, I convince myself that he doesn't love me any less. He's just sick, and all I have to do is wait. So, I wait for five long years. On our fifth mating anniversary, I cross thousands of miles in a raging storm just to see the look of delight on his face when I surprise him. Sure enough, I see the warmth in his eyes and gentleness in his expression. But what a pity… it isn't for me. The Alpha, who claims to be an obsessive clean freak, is on one knee before his childhood sweetheart. He gently slips off her rain-soaked heels, dries her feet, and warms her cold toes with the heat of his palm. It's as if that's the most natural thing in the world, and as if his world holds no one else. He sighs. "Serene, how many times have I told you that you'll catch a cold? What would you do without me?" In that instant, the last of my delusions shatters. I finally realize that his germaphobia is selective, and I'm simply the one he can't bear to touch. Instead of making a fuss, I slip off the ring I've worn for five years and walk into the storm without looking back. Later, I hear he tries to win me back with the most expensive roses in the city. But the Kyna Lupen who loves him is long gone.

My boyfriend's childhood sweetheart, Janine Swettenham, returned to the pack, alone and heavily pregnant. To protect her reputation, Aiden Monroe decided to mark her. I asked him in disbelief, "What about me? What about our baby?" He just shrugged and said, "Janine’s not like you. I’m the only family she has left. She can’t handle the gossip. Just wait for me. Once she has the baby, I’ll mark you." However, Aiden forgot that I don’t have any family either. While the entire pack mocked and slandered me for being pregnant out of wedlock, Aiden was by Janine’s side, holding her hand through every hospital visit. That’s when I finally understood that some favoritism didn’t need a reason. I left in fury. Then, the accident happened. I lost the baby. Broken and numb, I chose to walk away from it all. I left both him and the pack, vanishing from his world completely. Five years later, I returned, accompanying my mate on a business trip to the Silverglade Pack. Craving the taste of old memories, I went to the pack restaurant alone. I never expected to run into Aiden again. He looked at me with that same cold gaze and said, "You’ve caused enough trouble, haven’t you? The kid must be four by now. Bring him back. He can grow up alongside Janine’s child."

For eight years in a marriage devoid of light, I had abortions five times. Every time, Sam would grip my hand when I woke up, his eyes red, and promise to find the best doctors to help me recover. After the third miscarriage, he finally hired a team of top-tier nutritionists, ensuring that every single meal was planned perfectly. He always comforted me, "Don't worry, Penny. We're still young, so we can have another baby!" When I found out I was pregnant again, snowflakes were dancing outside my window. I wrapped my fur coat tightly around my body and rushed to the company, only to hear Wren's furious voice outside the VIP suite, "Are you insane? Those five babies were your own flesh and blood!" Sam replied coldly, "Nicole needs specimen for her experiments. All I'm doing is providing her with the materials she needs." His words dug into my heart like icy spikes, and I could even hear my own bones cracking. "As for Penelope…" He chuckled. "Do you think that our marriage certificate is the real deal?" Snowflakes stung my face like needles, and I finally found out the truth about our marriage. From the very beginning, I was nothing more than a living test subject for the woman he truly loved. Sam was right. Those unborn children never even had legal identities, and were worth less than a piece of paper, just like my so-called marriage. Glass shattered from inside the room, and I could hear Wren cursing, but I turned and walked towards the elevator. Since Sam's priority was Nicole and nothing else, I was hell-bent on making him pay the price.

They’re not just powerful. They’re possessive, obsessive, and sinfully dangerous. The dark-eyed leader who speaks in growls. The scarred fighter with a touch like fire. The silver-tongued flirt who tastes my fear—and wants more. The shadow who watches me like prey. And the broken one who swore he’d never love again… until me. ******** I was never supposed to exist. Born under a cursed eclipse, I was hidden away, raised as a human, and told to live small. But fate doesn’t forget. And when I turn twenty-one, five powerful alphas show up at my door—each claiming I’m theirs. They say I’m the key to saving the packs from war. They say I’m the chosen mate of five. But they don’t know the full truth. I’m not here to be their salvation—I might be their destruction.