Forty-seventh

As I was cleaning up the house, I noticed something had fallen out of the cabinet my wife always kept locked tight. I remembered Megan's constant warnings. "That cabinet holds all our family's important records. If anything gets lost, there's no getting it back. Just leave it alone and don't touch it." Worried something valuable might have fallen out, I rushed to pick it up. But what I found was a thick stack of remittance slips. From forty years ago to now, every month, my wife had been sending money to the same account. And that's when it hit me. My wife had been lying to me. The money I'd been pouring into this family had been flowing right out, into the hands of someone else.

At our seventh wedding anniversary party, Caleb Thorne shares a drink with his childhood sweetheart. My face darkens, and he publicly snaps at me in front of everyone. "It's just playful fun between friends—why are you so uptight? If I really had something going on with Emma, do you think you'd ever have become my wife?" He storms off in anger. That same night, his childhood sweetheart updates her social media banner to a photo of her holding hands with Caleb. In the past, I would've rushed to her house without a second thought, dragged Caleb out, and demanded to know if he ever truly loved me. But this time, I don't care anymore.

In my seventh year of trying to win the favor of mafia Don Ethan Larsen, the system declared my mission a failure. I was set to be erased in one month. I did not cry or make a scene. I accepted the death countdown with calm detachment and started a livestream called "My Last Wishes Before I Die." The first thing I did was throw the multimillion-dollar wedding ring into the drain, right in front of Ethan and his first love, just to hear it clatter out of sight. Ethan's expression hardened. "Nina, what kind of trick are you trying to pull this time? You begged me in order to wear that ring and stood there for three days." I smiled, lifted my middle finger, and replied, "Pfft… As if you deserve it."

Imagine being murdered by the very woman meant to protect you, your own grandmother, consumed by her lust for power. It sounds unreal, doesn’t it? But that has been my reality. This is my seventh life, seven times I have been reborn, and seven times I have died before the age of eighteen. At only five years old, I hid in a cupboard and watched through a crack as my grandmother, Lunice, gave the order that slaughtered my brothers, the royal princes of Ahenil, after news came that my father, King Ahenos, had been killed in battle. To secure her throne, she commanded the execution of every male in the royal bloodline. My mother’s maid, Martha, risked everything to smuggle me away. She raised me like her own, alongside her daughter Jane, the girl who became my light, and later, the love of my last life. But no matter where I ran or how I lived, fate found me. In each of my six past lives, my grandmother’s shadow hunted me down, ending me at eighteen. Sometimes she killed Jane too. Sometimes even Martha. Each death left me broken, yet each rebirth filled me with memories, scars, and a growing resolve. Now, in this seventh, I am no longer the helpless boy cowering behind a cupboard’s door. I carry the wisdom of six lives, the pain of countless betrayals, and the fire of vengeance that will not be quenched. This time, I will reclaim my throne. This time, I will protect those I love. And when October comes, the cursed month of my death, the world will remember my name. I am the rightful heir, the cursed prince reborn. And this time… I will defy fate itself.

After my father’s death, I decided to divorce my husband, Captain Marcus Hale, and stay in Pine Ridge Village forever. On the first day, I tricked Marcus into signing the divorce papers. On the fifth day, I handed in my resignation to my old unit at Fort Haven. On the seventh day, I cooked a full table of food and said farewell to all my friends. Frowning, Marcus accused me of making the very meal his childhood sweetheart, Julia Summers, hated. I stood up and raised my glass to toast her. From this day on, Marcus and I would have nothing more to do with each other. Half a month later, I saw Marcus returning from a mission in Pine Ridge Village. Only this time, the country evening breeze brought tears to his eyes.

In the seventh year of our marriage, I caught Nolan Garrison kissing his secretary at a bar. He called me shortly after I walked away. "It was just a friendly kiss! What’s with the attitude?" he snapped through the phone. I could hear his friends in the background teasing him and saying that I would be madly jealous while pleading for him not to leave me tonight as usual. Before hanging up, Nolan warned me that he wouldn’t come home if I didn’t apologize. However, I wasn’t bothered by his threat. I didn’t care if he decided to come home or get a divorce. Three minutes later, I posted an update on my social media: “Prioritize self-love and grant others the freedom they seek.”

My billionaire husband suffered from chronic insomnia for years. Only the sleep balm I made could help him sleep. On the night of our seventh wedding anniversary, his childhood sweetheart poured a basin of scalding water over the old camphor tree in our garden. I wept and tried to save the tree as she apologized, “I didn’t know you used its leaves to make the sleep balm.” My husband gently comforted her and ordered his men to tie me to the tree trunk instead. “What a precious tree. You’ll spend the rest of your days with it!” With my wrist fractured as a result, I filed for divorce immediately. A month later, my husband was unable to sleep late one night. He stood in the garden and stared at the withered camphor tree.

Beatrice’s once-happy life came crashing down on her Seventh birthday after her parent's unexpected visitor. Forced to be enslaved and treated like trash by her supposed mate, Beatrice believed she would never be happy again. Until the night with the Lycan King sent her rethinking her whole life. He was here for her, but she knew he reeked of doom. Choosing peace, she fled with her unborn baby, but what happens when their paths cross Seven years later? When an important business deal forced them to meet eye to eye. Will Xander ever be able to forgive her after believing that he was the reason she committed suicide Seven years ago? Will she run away again, especially now that she has three of his kids?

It was our seventh year of marriage when my husband, Joseph Lowe, brought my best friend, Teresa Shaw, to my ward. And they were the picture of a perfect couple. I gave them my most genuine blessing. "You two make the perfect match." Joseph tossed an agreement in my face. An asset transfer. He demanded that I give Teresa everything I had. I took the papers and signed my name without wasting a moment to think. Teresa laughed happily, pleased with my obedience. She then hugged Joseph and said, "Thanks for taking care of Joseph for me, Selina. Oh, there's the divorce papers, too. How about…" I noticed the look of impatience in Joseph's eyes, so I snatched the papers from Teresa's hand. "Yeah, I'll sign them all."

Get on your knees and take Daddy’s cock like a good boy, Jace.” * Rough hands. Sharp tongues. Zero restraint. ‘Shadowed Cravings’ is a hot cum-pilation of 40 gay erotic stories that leave you wet; made for filthy readers who love it hard, fast, and dirty. From hookups to intense love making that leave you breathless and messy, these stories don’t hold back—dominant men and submissive good boys, dark obsessions and fluff, and raw satisfaction. No feelings. No strings. Just pure, unfiltered heat. One book. Forty chances to lose your breath, plus 5 bonus stories at the end of the collection. You do NOT want to miss out. ;) Trigger Warning: This collection contains explicit sexual content intended for mature audiences (18+). Themes explored include dubious consent, power imbalance, manipulation, degradation, rough sex, obsession, and emotionally dark dynamics. Some stories may involve kinks that are not suitable for all readers. Please read with caution. Your comfort and safety matter.