How Democracies Die

It was the day of our marriage. We were supposed to meet up at the City Hall, but my fiancee stood me up. I waited for her the whole day, and the only answer I got was a picture from her assistant. My girlfriend sat astride on his lap, and her arms were wrapped around his neck while they were locked in a deep kiss. "Sorry, Mr. Terraton. Sophie insisted on comforting me. You don't mind, do you?" I demanded answers from my girlfriend, but that only made her impatient. "He donated his blood to me. Yeah, I was with him, but so what? Man up, will you?" That killed any love I had for her, and I called my soon-to-be ex-girlfriend's sister. "Hey, Sylvie. Yeah, about your proposal. So will you marry me?"

On the day I was awarded the highest honor in the vampire world—the Order of the Night—I died. Three hours after my death,my parents, my brother, and my Consort had just finished celebrating my sister’s Nightfall Commencement. While my sister Olivia was posting warm, smiling family photos on the vampire social network,I was locked in the basement,dragging my tongue across my phone screen,desperately trying to make a call for help. The only person who answered was my Consort—Julian. He said only one thing: “Bella, stop acting. Olivia’s Nightfall Commencement is important. Stop throwing a tantrum.” That was the ninety-ninth time they had disappointed me.And the last. I lay in a pool of blood so dark it was nearly black,my breathing fading into nothing. They thought I was just sulking somewhere,hiding as usual. They believed that if they taught me a lesson,I would crawl back obediently, like I always did. But they didn’t know. I had never left the house. I was already dead.

"Fuck, I am going to cum inside your tight pussy, Daisy" "I am close too. Want me to cum on your pretty face?" "Yes. Yes, daddies." * The Drakton brothers have never agreed on anything in years. Two rivals, deep hatred. They are hellbent on never agreeing on anything and sharing a woman? It was the last thing any of the brothers would have ever imagined. The last thing until I came through. I wanted them both. They both wanted me. None wanted to give me up and I didn't want to give any up. And for the first time since I knew my father's two friends, they both agreed on one thing. To fuck me. To share me. And I wanted it more than anything. It was wrong. Desiring, wanting or lusting after one of them was wrong but wanting both? Nothing could be more wrong, more forbidden and yet nothing could feel more right and hotter.

Claire Hanzel was an omega by birth with an extraordinary power: she can communicate with witches, dead or alive. As her race was always considered the lowest and she was rejected by her mate, the Alpha King's son, Ajax Larwoods, Claire felt heartbroken and went to seclusion with the help of a witch. Thinking back on how poorly she was treated by everyone, including Ajax himself, Claire was resolute to live a new life where she can be free and happy. So when Ajax suddenly appeared to her peaceful abode and almost killed everyone surrounding Claire, Claire was beyond speechless. With a horrible but powerful alpha such as Ajax, Claire was imprisoned and suffered through the hands of her very own mate. Every full moon, she prayed to never want to see Ajax ever again, even in their next lives. But as if fate continued to play its trick on her, when the war emerged and she died, on her rebirth with memories intact, Claire found herself facing her scum alpha mate once again. But why was Ajax suddenly showing her differently? He was the cause of her demise. He was a scum alpha... he was, right? Status. Identity. Power. When everyone wished for omegas to die, one omega desired to live. This was the story of a powerful alpha and his brave, little omega who wanted to change the world's views, challenged by the hands of fate.

The night before my wedding, my mom got into a car accident—she needed a blood transfusion, fast. Her blood type was rare. Mine matched. I was pregnant, but I didn't think twice. I donated. While I was bleeding out, losing my baby, my fiancé, Joffrey Habsburg, and his brother—my so-called childhood friend—Mateo, were busy holding Nancy's hand during her cosmetic surgery. I begged Joffrey to save my mom. Only then did he bother to pick up a scalpel. When it was over, he said, "Surgery failed. She's gone." Two days later, I overheard Nancy purring through the door, wrapped around the Habsburg brothers. "Mateo really is a racer—he hit that old hag dead on. And Joffrey? You were amazing too, making sure she didn't survive the surgery. Thanks to you both, I got Lori's blood for my operation."

My boyfriend is a forensic doctor. I've been abducted and tied to a bomb—there's only ten minutes to detonation. The abductors force me to call my boyfriend, but all I get is a scolding. "What the hell do you want, Michelle? What are you playing at, using your life as an excuse just because you're jealous? "Vi's cat has already been stuck in a tree for three days. She loves it like it's her life! If you delay me from saving it, you'll be a murderer!" I hear a coquettish voice ring out on the other end of the line. "Thank you for this, Kev. You're amazing!" I recognize that voice—it belongs to my boyfriend's childhood friend. I text my boyfriend when the bomb is about to explode. "Farewell forever. I pray we won't meet each other again in another life."

My mother was once adored and protected by three men. As such, I had three fathers. After her death, I was raised by one of the greatest doctors, the richest man in Theala, and an award-winning actor. For 13 years, I was showered with overwhelming adoration. That was until three years ago—the day they adopted Erin, an orphan girl. From then on, they began to dote on her. When she accused me of stealing her necklace, they tore my room apart in their search, smashing my most cherished music box in the process. They only felt remorse when they saw me sobbing over the shards. As compensation, they bought me every music box they could find. When she claimed I mocked her for being an orphan, they forced me to write a hundred apology letters as punishment. They only massaged my hands in remorse upon seeing them trembling so badly that I could no longer feed myself. When Erin accused me of shredding her gown, they locked me in the dark basement, starving me for three whole days. When I was let out, they were filled with remorse upon realizing how much weight I had lost. Their bloodshot eyes watched over the grand feast they prepared as an apology. All of that lasted until Erin poisoned my cup of water. I kept coughing up blood as my body grew weaker by the day. Daniel only diagnosed me with malnutrition and made me take prescribed supplements. Unbeknownst to him, those supplements only hastened the poison's effects. After I collapsed at school, I went to the hospital for treatment. "You only have three days left to live," the doctor said. Why then… Why did my fathers drown themselves in sorrow and kill Erin after my death?

"Little mouse thought she could run from us, but look at her now—spread open, begging, taking every inch like she was made for it." My toes curled as Caspian's deep octave sent shockwaves through my body, pussy dripping with every brutal thrust he made deeper into my cunt. My back arched off the bed, and my lips parted… body trembling as every stroke pushed me closer to shattering completely. Zavian's hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing just enough to steal my breath. "Tell him how good it feels, pet. Tell him who owns this body now." *** I didn't mean to surrender to them, but I did. And one night of reckless abandon,born from heartbreak and humiliation, suddenly became my new addiction. It should have been nothing but a drunken mistake… but what happens when your biggest mistake refuses to let you go? When the men who once made you cry now make you scream their names in every hidden corner of the city… right under your ex-fiancé's nose? I should not crave them. I should not melt when Zavian's fingers dig into my hips while Caspian's mouth does sinful things between my thighs. I should not ache for the way they unravel me completely, turning me into a desperate, trembling mess who can't remember why she ever tried to resist… but I do. And they've made damn sure I understand that my body doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs to them.

The night before my wedding, my best friend flew back from overseas to attend my bachelor party. We were just having a few drinks when his stomach started acting up, so I quickly reached into his bag for his medication. Instead of pills, I found a naughty remote control. I grinned mischievously and waved a hand toward him. “Didn’t know you were getting this wild overseas, man.” He smiled awkwardly and told me to just hand him the medicine and not to touch anything else. Alas, his reaction made me even more curious. So I purposely pressed on one of the buttons. The next second, my fiancee, who was sitting right next to us, shuddered.

In my previous life, my husband suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage and died instantly in his office. When I arrived at the hospital, all that awaited me was his lifeless body. Overwhelmed with grief, I coughed up blood and was bedridden ever since. On my deathbed, I happened to see a news report—my husband had won a $15 million lottery. Standing beside him at the prize ceremony was none other than my best friend. The shock killed me on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my husband had just died.