Ost Of While You Were Sleeping

Three years ago, my husband, my parents, and my adopted sister faked their deaths to test whether I had married into the DeLuca family for love or for power. They cut off my money, took my home, and left me and my son with nothing. Three years later, they came back. My husband stepped out of a black Rolls-Royce, looked down at me, and said, “Evelyn, you passed the test.” What he didn’t know was that my son was already dead. And I was dying too.

I thought marrying the Alpha would finally give me a place in the pack. I was wrong. On the night we were bound, he rejected me. Not in private. Not with mercy. He tore the mate bond apart before the entire pack and accused me of carrying another man’s child. I was stripped of my title, cast out, and left to survive alone while pregnant with the very heir he denied. I should have died in those woods. Instead, I was found by something far more dangerous than an Alpha. The Direwolf Alpha is feared by every pack. Exiled. Scarred. Ruthless. He does not follow pack law or bow to fate. When he looks at me, he does not see a weak, wolf-less woman or a burdened womb. He sees something worth claiming. As my body changes, so does everything I believed about myself. The wolf I was told I did not have begins to stir, and the child I carry draws whispers of prophecy and power. The pack that rejected me wants me back. The mate who humiliated me suddenly remembers my name. But the Direwolf who claimed me has no intention of giving me up. I was rejected while pregnant. Now I must decide who I will become and which bond I will choose.

My brother-in-law had a sudden heart attack. The doctor said only my wife could perform the specific surgery he needed. It was a critical situation. By the time I finally managed to get through to her, her childhood sweetheart answered the phone. "We're just about to head out camping," he said casually. "We won't be coming back tonight." My heart sank. "Ryan had a heart attack. He needs surgery immediately. Tell her to come back to the hospital—now." Instead, my wife's irritated voice cut through. "Are you done? How dare you make up a lie like that and curse my brother!" Before I could explain, she hung up. When I tried calling back, her phone was already off. In the end, my brother-in-law died because the window for surgery closed. And my wife lost her mind.

Everyone thought Zed would end up with Amber. So did River — until Amber left, and fate forced her to take her sister’s place. River stepped in as his mate, his Luna, and the one who held his world together. While Zed loathed her, River ruled beside him… until one night changed everything. Three years of cold marriage vanished in one mistake — and one missed period later, River had something to tell him. But when she went to tell him, Amber was back. And this time, she didn’t just want Zed. She wanted River gone — with one deadly lie that could take everything. Even her life.

Nora was part of a transaction her father and Erik agreed upon. She was already married at the age of 18 five years ago. Nora is alone and desperate. The life, she thought, is nowhere near reality. The life of crime, and the unbridled carnal excesses that her husband lives, are dangerously bordering her on the brink of despair. Betrayed by her family, and by her husband. Nora wants to find a way out of this unwanted life, and one day finds love. Life seems to shine her way finally, but her that happiness was cut short. Nora thought that she had finally found her way to happiness. But her whole life fell apart in a matter of minutes. Alone and pregnant, Nora will have to face the person she fears the most from her past. Discover the future that awaits Nora. Where betrayals and misfortunes are just around the corner. And revenge is the main dish. Join Nora and Erik on this turbulent journey. Where mistakes are paid dearly. And the solutions are very painful.

As the end of the year approaches, my wife, Sylvia Small, who is five months into her pregnancy, accidentally falls into a lake. Our neighbor who is a police officer, Raven Weber, jumps in and rescues her. Unfortunately, she slips into a coma after her heroic feat. As I rush over, I see that a crowd has gathered at the scene. Sylvia is drenched from head to toe, wrapped up tightly in a blanket. Water droplets keep dripping from the tips of her hair. "Are you alright, Sylvia?" I ask, drawing near. The moment Sylvia sees me, she moves toward me and burrows herself into my arms. She clings to me like she is clinging for dear life. "You're finally here, Zach!" she exclaims emotionally. I frown and push her away. "Just say what you have to say. This suit is expensive. Don't dirty it," I said indifferently. My words make Sylvia's eyes go wide with disbelief and shock. But that only lasts for a second before an anxious look replaces it. She holds my arms firmly and says in a choked voice, "Officer Weber is in a coma because of me. Please transfer a sum of money to me so that I can thank her for saving my life." I glance at Sylvia impatiently and reply, "What's that got to do with me? Why should I transfer you my money so that you can give it to her?"

On the day of the earthquake, my sister Elena shoved me off the third floor, then burst into tears and said she had only been trying to save me. Everyone believed her. The only person who stood on my side was Nicolo, the youngest mafia boss Sicily had seen in decades. He lifted me out of the rubble, then proposed to me in front of everyone and said that from that day on, anyone who touched me would answer to him. Two months later, I was pregnant. Nicolo bought an entire island and planted it with my favorite irises for our wedding. My father spent a fortune on a one-of-a-kind gown made just for me. Everyone said I was the most envied woman in the family. Then I went into labor, and both of them disappeared. My father said the family had a deal on the line. Nicolo kissed my swollen belly, murmured that he would be back soon, and promised to bring gifts for me and the baby. Right before I was wheeled into the delivery room, an anonymous video landed on my phone. Nicolo was wearing a groom's suit. Elena stood beside him with a hand resting on her pregnant stomach. She was wearing my wedding dress. Her arm was looped through my fiance's as if she had won him fair and square. At the end of the clip, my father asked in a lowered voice, "If you and Valentina stay married only on paper, what happens to the child she gives birth to?" Nicolo was quiet for two seconds before he answered. "Valentina grew up with everything. Elena spent her whole life carrying the stain of being illegitimate. Her child will not grow up the same way." So all that tenderness had never been for me. It had all been for Elena. Fine. They could have each other.

My parents died when I was ten years old, but a big shot in Jade City adopted me. It was rumored that Sean Graham was a cruel and violent man, but he doted on me for nearly ten years. He booked the advertising screens in the city to celebrate my birthday and promised to marry me when I got drunk and pestered him about it. I called him Uncle Sean at his request. Fear gripped me when I woke up in his bed every morning, but I kept it a secret. Yet one time, we accidentally slept with each other. I got pregnant with his child and wanted to keep it, but I knew I would not live for much longer. One day, I heard his conversation with a servant. “Clean up Zella’s room for Yulia.” “But Mr. Graham, Miss Cooper has been staying there for ten years. Didn’t you design it for her?” “No, I only let her stay there because Yulia had gone abroad.” I touched my belly as disappointment gripped me. It turned out that the man who had promised to provide me with a home as long as he lived wanted to drive me away.

On the night of their third wedding anniversary, Ashley was ready to reveal a secret to her husband— She was pregnant. But moments after their passionate intimacy, her Alpha coldly delivered the blow—he wanted a divorce. His fated mate had returned. Stripped of her wolf spirit, abandoned by the pack, and carrying his child, Ashley was cast aside like a disposable Omega. Just as she prepared to leave alone— The boy she had once rejected had now risen as the most formidable Alpha King. The possessive hunger in his gaze sent shivers through her—did she dare face him? Was this vengeance, or something more? But did she even have a choice?

Bella was a teenager when her parents died in a plane crash. Afterward, she was taken in by the Hayes family, her parents’ close friends, who wanted to raise her as their own because of the strong relationship both families had maintained while her parents were alive. Two years later, Bella got married to Williams following his father’s counsel. It happened that Samantha, Williams’ girlfriend whom he had proposed to, rejected him for her acting career abroad. This made his performance at the company decline, which worried his father. Bella accepted the marriage because she loved Williams, hoping that one day the marriage would bring them together. But this decision she made later became something she deeply regretted.