Illegitimate

After my husband, Trevor Penn, abuses me for the 98th time just to stand up for Callista Whitcombe, I've completely given up on him. That's when I accept his best friend, Maddox Harlow's confession. After spending the night with Maddox, he agrees to help me fake my death. That way, I'll be able to use a brand new identity to marry him overseas. I've taken the fake-death drug Maddox has given to me, only to wake up in a coffin earlier than expected. I can't move a single muscle in my body. But that's when I overhear Maddox's conversation with another person outside the coffin. "Mr. Harlow, you convinced Trevor to abuse Judith before pretending to save her from her abusive life. Now that you've obtained her full-fledged trust, why did you still arrange for her to be buried after faking her death?" "Only by doing this will the Whitcombes trust that Judith is truly dead. That way, Callie's position as the heiress will be unshakable. No one will ever bring up the fact that she's an illegitimate child ever again." The other person sounds hesitant. "Won't it be too long if we only dig the coffin out one week from now, after you've held the wedding with Callista?" "The fake-death drug's effects can last for five days. I've already had someone put enough water, food, and oxygen tanks in the coffin. There's no way Judith will die."

They laughed warmly. Abruptly, the door swung open. A troop of five men around their twenties came in view. They were in black formal suits. Only one attracted her sight. She sucked in her breath, her heart raced, her body trembled. She grasped the bed sheet in her hands. She felt tightness in my chest, her belly ache and dizziness. Last night's memory was standing in front of her in the beautiful shape of him, reality. He took her virginity. She could feel her body on fire. His white shirt was hugging his muscular body, not bulky but regnant. Three buttons of his shirt were unfastened, showing his tattoos on chest and toned body. There was a light wary smile on his face, showing him some kind of Goddess. There were four people behind him, charging their guns at them. She was terrified of him. Was he here for her? What would he do to her? Why didn't he forget last night and let her also forget this mistake. . Liam Rodrigues is a ruthless cold hearted Mafia & Billionaire. He is the illegitimate first child of his father. Although, her stepmom has accepted him and dotted him like her own born. But he strongly doubts it. He never let anyone be near to him. Except his half brothers, who are more real and loyal to him.Roselyn is an orphan, was adopted by a rich family. She was adopted as a toy for the spoiled brat, Isha Pinto. She wanted to chase her dreams and wanted to build school and colleges for orphan children.

I agreed to transfer out of Central Wolf Academy with Lucien because he said he was being bullied. Eighteen years old and still unawakened, in an academy obsessed with bloodline purity and dominance, he stood out in all the wrong ways. So he begged me to leave with him—to move to a less demanding school, where lineage mattered less. The day before we were supposed to finalize everything, I went to find him. Outside the door.That was when I heard it. One of his Beta companions drawled, amused. “I’ll give you that, Lucien. Pretending you were being hunted just to get her to leave Central Academy for you.” Another voice hesitated. “You two grew up together. You’re really letting her go like that?” Lucien answered without pause, his tone relaxed, faintly amused. “It’s not even overseas. She’ll be fine.” Then, colder. “She’s clung to me since we were kids. I was getting tired of it. This is… efficient.” I didn’t confront him.I turned and walked away. Back in my room, I reopened the transfer application. I crossed out the name of the ordinary werewolf academy he claimed he needed—and wrote in the one my parents had insisted on years ago. Everyone had forgotten something. I am the sole heir of the Bloodmoon Pack. And Lucien—an illegitimate son tolerated by the Silvercrest Alpha—would never touch the Alpha throne without a formal bond to me. One day, he would realize that what he discarded was not just my devotion.

"Behold!" The Priestess yelled above the noise of the crowd. It became deathly silent. She could feel the malevolent eyes of the crowd on her and she didn't know why. "The Fox!" Cassidy let out a yip of horror that echoed in the silent village. A Fox Shifter. Cassidy was a Fox. Terror coursed through her smaller body. In all her pleading with the Moon Goddess, she had never thought she would be so terribly cursed. She would be torn limb from limb by the crowd. Shifting to the Fox was a death sentence. Neither prey nor an apex predator, the Fox was an outlier in Shifter society. The crowd roared as one as the High Priestess lifted her. "Run Cassidy, no-clan, and know that pain is only temporary." She whispered softly, before tossing Cassidy into the waiting crowd. All Cassidy had ever wanted was to survive her first Shift. If she didn't end up as prey, all the better. As the illegitimate child of the aging Alpha, and daughter of a rabbit shifter drudge, Cassidy knew the world was an unfair place for those who were not born predator. No one expected Cassidy to be a fox, least of all her. Reviled and feared by predator and prey alike, fox shifters were cast out from home and clan, into the wilderness. If they were lucky. And Cassidy had never been all that acquainted with luck. Rejected by her clan, beaten and broken, left for dead...Cassidy welcomed the darkness. But death will have to wait for her just a little longer. The Lycan King has need of a new assassin, and Cassidy is forced into his world of intrigue, politics, and romance.

To save her sister from dying—and herself from going to prison—brilliant but desperate hacker Layla “Lyx” Costov must do the unthinkable: seduce and betray Micheal Wade, the ruthless tech billionaire from her past and Atlanta’s most untouchable bachelor. Her mission is simple and deadly—slip into his life, earn his trust, and steal the incriminating evidence that will destroy his empire. But the man she remembers isn’t the man she meets. Beneath Micheal’s cold power and fortune is a lonely genius who’s drawn to her fire, her defiance, her refusal to bow to him. The more she pushes him away, the deeper his obsession burrows. And the closer she gets to his secrets, the more tangled she becomes in his arms… and his world. Every touch she shares with him is a lie. Every kiss is a trap she set for herself. And every moment she falls harder. As the clock races against her deception, she must decide: save her sister, or shatter the heart of the only man who has ever seen her—the man she’s sworn to ruin, and the man she’s terrified to love. But everything changes when she uncovers a darker truth: her dead, brilliant mother may have been murdered… by Micheal’s father. Now the line between love and survival blurs. Will Layla protect her sister and expose the powerful man she loves—soon to be a father in law? Or face the monstrous truth about her own blood… and her illegitimate father? One betrayal will destroy an empire. Another will destroy her heart. And only one will save the people she loves.

Elena Bennett, the illegitimate daughter of the Bennetts, was never supposed to matter. The unwanted daughter of a powerful family, hidden away like a dirty secret. But one night—one reckless, alcohol-soaked night—changed everything. Elias Vanguard, billionaire bad boy, notorious womanizer, and a man with enough family drama to sink an empire. Their drunken encounter becomes front-page news, and suddenly, they’re both drowning in a scandal neither of them wants. His solution? A fake marriage to clean up his reputation. Her motivation? The chance to finally claw her way out of the shadows and show everyone who they messed with. But playing house with a man who treats her like dirt wasn't part of the fantasy. Elias brings home his mistresses like it’s nothing, and with every insult, Elena’s heart cracks a little more. Until one day, he shoves divorce papers at her—because his precious mistress is supposedly pregnant. Elena signs the papers, disappears, and rebuilds herself from the ashes. Five years later, she’s a tech powerhouse, running the biggest company in the States, raising her son alone. Meanwhile, Elias is down on his luck, crippled from an accident, and abandoned by everyone he thought he could trust. When fate brings their worlds crashing together again, Elias isn’t the man he used to be. And Elena? Well, she’s the woman he should’ve never let go. But with betrayal, heartbreak, and an empire of her own to protect, forgiveness isn’t on her list of priorities. He wants her back. But this time, Elena's playing by her own rules.

“All my life I’ve waited for a love like this, Misha. And there you are… I look at you and I can’t believe you’re mine….” Maxim placed his hand over her belly. His expression was so intense. “And this baby that you carry, ‘amor mio’. This is my baby… OUR baby. I couldn’t feel it more if you had conceived in my bed.” His voice had a husky rasp that made Michela’s pulse pound. “My sweet prince… I didn’t plan on falling in love with you. In fact, everything about you entering my life when you did, wasn’t how I wanted it to be. But now… I can hardly breathe when you’re not around. There’s no one else for me, Maxim. Only you. Forever you.” An honest mistake brought together two lonely people, who knew nothing about each other’s existence, who weren’t meant to be together. Michela ‘Misha’ Roberts, an accomplished lawyer, an eternal single lady, in love with her romantic independence, wanted a baby, but not a man in her life. An IVF procedure granted her wish... Sort of… Misha was now carrying a child, but a mix-up happened in the clinic, and the baby she was expecting was the Royal heir of Massimiliano ‘Maxim’ Federico Arturo di Montbéliard, Prince of Carpathia! Maxim gave up on the hope of fatherhood long ago, but now the fascinating, lonely Prince of Carpathia, will seize this surprise second chance. However, tradition is high on the prince’s agenda, and he'll never stand for an illegitimate child... He must marry the mother of his heir. The fiery Michela is about to discover that royal marriage is a command, not a choice!

Mate. Everyone in my pack dreams of hearing that one word at the Mating Ball, but for someone like me—a shadow wolf—this word may sound like a death sentence. I'm Asena Jordart, the illegitimate daughter of the great warrior, Erebus Jordart, and my wolf spirit is still asleep. For someone like me, a love game might become a gamble where life is at stake. Foolishly, I decided to risk it all for the one I loved, Kylar Venelo. The Alpha's son found his weak mate unworthy of becoming his Luna. Not caring whether I would live or die, he rejected me before the entire pack, savoring every second of my agony. The Fates decided I didn't die. I found my new life high in the mountains. I found a teacher who trained me to fight, and I found my life's purpose. As a leader of the resistance group, I fought against Alpha King Khaos's tyranny and saved lives. Then the Fates mocked me, forcing me to return to my old pack and help those who mistreated me. In order to free the members of my old pack and my dear sister, I had to give up on my own freedom, becoming a captive of Alpha Khaos's most brutal general, Alpha Kaan. Surprisingly, I found that being close to this vicious man was equally terrifying and fascinating. Once I tore through the layers of the cold-blooded killer, I found someone for whom my heart began to thunder. Now I begin to fear that he might be my second chance mate… And another rejection will surely be my death.

My son was kidnapped by rogue wolves during training. Ethan used all his connections as Beta to finally locate him in an abandoned hunting lodge. When I burst through the door, Tyler was already lying on the ground. His chest was a bloody mess, his heart ripped out completely. I chased after the rogue wolves like a mad she-wolf, desperate to retrieve his heart, but I was too late. Unable to bear the devastation, I collapsed and fell from the cliff edge. Ethan carried me to the pack healer's den, his face deathly pale. Before the healing ritual began, he gripped my hand tightly, his voice trembling: "Serena, you can't give up. Our son is already gone. I can't lose you too..." But when I regained consciousness, I found an anonymous text message on my phone. I opened it and heard a recording. "Beta Gray, you have already found another heart donors. Why specifically choose young Tyler? He's so young, and he's your son..." "He was just a tool to save Lucas. I raised him all these years—taking one heart isn't too much to ask, is it?" "Besides, the pack healer said a blood relative's heart has the smallest chance of rejection. Lucas is mine and Vivian's life. I can't bear to see him suffer even a little." My entire body shook violently. I could barely hold the phone. The man who repeatedly claimed to love me was the murderer who killed my son for his illegitimate child with his mistress. The marriage I thought was happy was nothing but an elaborate deception.

The Shermans are the richest family in town, and both of the Sherman daughters are about to get married on the same day. I, the older of the two sisters, am about to marry Andrew Hammond, a wealthy scion and the man I've loved for many years now. Meanwhile, my younger sister, Celine Sherman, is set to marry the heir of the Wright family. The upcoming wedding fills me with joy and anticipation, but suddenly, Andrew disappears for three whole days. When I go to confront him about it, I end up overhearing a conversation between him and his friends. "On the wedding day in three days, you guys must ensure that the wedding cars are switched, so that it's Celine's car that comes to the Sherman residence instead. "That illegitimate son of the Wright family is a cold, heartless man. I can't let Celine suffer by marrying him!" "Relax," one of his friends replies. "We've made all the arrangements with the drivers and everything. But what about Joanna?" Brimming with confidence, Andrew declares, "The Sherman family has the Wright family's business by the throat, and everyone knows that Joanna is mine. There's no way the Wright family would dare to do anything to her. "When the time comes, I'll send Celine off and bring Joanna back for the wedding ceremony. I'm sure the Wrights won't dare to say a single word." The initial shock leaves me on the verge of a breakdown, but eventually, it morphs into the stillness of despair. In the end, I decide to go along with the plan, letting Andrew and Celine get their happy ending. Thus, when Andrew proceeds with the next part of his plan and arrives to pick me up, all he's greeted with is the sight of my cold dead body.