Ouroboros Feast

"Ethan," she began, her voice wavering slightly, "I've been thinking... considering our situation, maybe it's time we end this charade." Ethan, engrossed in a book, looked up, his eyes meeting hers. "End what, Mia?" he asked, his tone gentle yet curious. "Our marriage, Ethan," Mia said, her words hanging heavy in the air. "It's not real, and we both know it. We're living a lie, and I can't keep pretending anymore." Ethan placed his book aside, his expression serious. "I understand it's not ideal, Mia. But we made a commitment to our families. We can't just throw it all away because it's difficult." "But what if there's another way?" Mia suggested, her voice gaining strength. "What if we stage a cheating scandal? "Mia, I can't agree to something like that. It's dishonest, and it would hurt both our families. I won't play a part in such a deceitful plan." **** Ethan's voice, low and filled with desire, broke the sultry silence. "You look absolutely enchanting tonight, Olivia." Olivia's eyes smoldered with seduction as she replied, "And you, Ethan, are simply irresistible. This dinner is a feast for more than just our appetites." Their hands grazed each other, sending electric pulses of desire through their bodies. Ethan leaned in closer to Olivia, his voice a seductive murmur. "I can't resist your charms, Liv. You have a way of igniting my deepest desires." Olivia's lips curved into a seductive smile as she replied, "And you, Ethan, have a magnetic pull that's impossible to resist. Our little secret is driving me wild."

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?

Xalara Silvyn, a seemingly powerless girl from the Shadowveil slums, is claimed as a fated mate by Cassian Holt, heir to a powerful noble house of ember magic. After being brought to his estate, she discovers their bond was merely Cassian's temporary fascination. At his engagement gala to Vionna Kress, he publicly betrays Xalara, relegating her to servitude under his cruel fiancée. As Vionna systematically humiliates Xalara, the crystal pendant Xalara found in a hidden chamber beneath the Veil becomes her sole comfort. With help from Cassian's brother Verin, she learns the crystal may connect to House Silvyn—a noble family of essence-based primal magic supposedly destroyed centuries ago. When Vionna arranges to transfer Xalara for potentially fatal bond severance after her wedding to Cassian, Xalara's desperate situation takes an unexpected turn. During the wedding feast, she encounters Lord Elaric Nox, a feared shadow magic tyrant avoiding political marriage proposals. After overhearing his frustrations with traditional arrangements, Xalara's impulsive quip "Where do I sign?" intrigues him. Elaric's emissaries arrive at the wedding with a formal offer—a contract marriage of mutual benefit. Elaric gains a shield against political marriage pressure while offering Xalara protection from Vionna and access to knowledge about her crystal and heritage. Their three-year contract specifies a purely practical arrangement with no emotional obligations. At House Nox, Xalara begins training in essence magic under Elaric's guidance, discovering her "minor" warming ability is actually rare primal magic thought extinct. As she awakens to her true abilities and learns about her possible connection to House Silvyn, the bond with Cassian naturally fades. Meanwhile, a complex but respectful dynamic develops between Xalara and Elaric as they navigate their unconventional arrangement.

The beastfolk are a powerful race, and to strengthen our family's power, Father arranges marriages for both me and my stepsister, Arya Hearthguard. In our past lives, Arya entered a high-profile marriage into the wealthy, powerful dragon clan, while I was forced to wed into the crumbling lion clan. The clan leader of the dragons—Draken Vorgath—was cold and detached. He cared more for gold than his bride, leaving Arya in a glided cage of loneliness. Overwhelmed by the desolation, she seduced the future leader of the fox clan, who was flirtatious.. And when the scandal exploded, Draken resolutely divorced her. Arya's scandal brought shame upon our family. Despite Father's favoritism, he was compelled by family honor to exile her in disgrace. Clan leader of the lions and King of the Jungle—Kael Hawthorne—was a man of unwavering devotion. Our marriage blossomed, and within a year, I bore him a golden lion cub blessed with the Aetheric Divinity. With the Aetherborn, Kael rose to rule all beastfolk as the chieftain, and I became their most revered chieftess. Consumed by envy, Arya sneaked into my son's first birthday feast and strangled the golden lion cub in his cradle. Then, she set the place ablaze and burned me alive along with it. When I wake up, I am back on the very day of our marriage. This time, Arya volunteers to marry into the lions and leaves me the chance to marry into the dragons. I accept everything meekly with only a tenth of her dowry and marry Draken. Later, she bleeds her dowry dry, propping up the lion clan, only to fail in conceiving a cub. When the elders demand she mate with other males, regret drowns her. As for me, all I want in his new life is an heir and a quiet life among the dragons. But no one warns me about the dragons, least of all that my supposedly cold-hearted husband will relentlessly demand me once awakened. Or that his members came in pairs and ridges!

My partner, Derek Crawford, calls himself a traditional man. On our tenth anniversary, I bought him a pair of his favorite AJ sneakers. Instead, he gifted me a bag of pastries. "Your cake is extremely tiny, and yet it costs you a few dozen dollars! Look at the pastries I got you—not only are they cheap, but they are also huge in quantity! Now this is what I call worth it!" After that, Derek tells me that he'll make it up to me by throwing an engagement party. He has also invited my parents and my relatives to the party. With anticipation brimming in our eyes, we arrive at the restaurant, only to see Derek serving us with store-bought pickles and dinner rolls. "I'm a traditional man, you see. I'm not used to fancy food and foreign cuisines. This, right here, is the basics of a traditional dinner. You don't see patriotic men like me nowadays!" My relatives' expressions change drastically on the spot. Meanwhile, my parents look very mortified. I can only smile awkwardly at them while doing everything I can to stop them from leaving. But as soon as I leave the hotel, I receive a notification from the bank that 200 thousand dollars have been deducted from my account via a supplementary card linked to it. At the same time, Derek's childhood sweetheart, Renee Young, posts a photo of her 12-layered luxurious cake on her social media account. "When I told Derek that I wanted to celebrate my birthday, not only did he buy me the most expensive strawberry cake, but he also reserved a dozen or so tables that are served with the grandest feast! "If your man loves you that much, he won't need any lessons in pampering you! Traditional men definitely know how to love and pamper their queens!" I tighten my grip on my phone. As I look back at Derek, who keeps claiming that he's a traditional man stuck to his traditional ways, I suddenly find it exhausting to continue being in a relationship with him.