Soft Science

Three years of marriage, and it all ends with two words. Sign it. He didn’t even look up when he said it. Just slid the papers across the table like I was another business deal to close. We weren’t supposed to fall in love it started as a contract, something practical, something safe. But feelings have a way of growing where they shouldn’t. For a while, I thought he cared. The quiet moments, the small things he remembered my favorite song, how I take my tea, the way I hate the rain. I thought they meant something. Turns out, they did. Just not for me. Every gesture, every soft word, was borrowed from a memory. From her. The woman who had him first. The one who left. The one who’s now back. So I signed. I smiled. I walked away. Not because I wanted to but because I had to. He doesn’t chase me. Not yet. But I can feel it the weight of everything unsaid still hanging in the air between us. Maybe he’ll realize what he’s lost. Maybe he won’t. Either way, this time, I’m not waiting around to find out.

“What the fuck is this, Amanda?” Xander’s eyes scanned the document, his jaw tightening, a vein throbbing at his temple. Amanda didn’t flinch. Her smile was soft and cruel as she slid the pen across the table without breaking eye contact. “It’s a contract,” she said, her voice like silk wrapped around steel. “Sign it... so I can use you until I get bored.” Four years ago, Amanda gave her heart to billionaire Xander Westwood, but she was betrayed in return. She was labeled desperate, dragged to a hospital, and nearly forced into an abortion. And thanks to her manipulative stepsister, she was disowned by her father. However, she disappeared without a trace, but not before giving birth to triplets, two of whom she took, leaving one behind with the man who shattered her. Now, Amanda’s back. Richer. Colder. And dangerously calculated. Her revenge is no longer just a fantasy, it's a plan. A plan for her sister who betrayed her, and the family who turned their backs. And the man who thought she’d stay broken. This time, she holds the pen. And they all play by her rules. But love, like revenge, has a cost, and when secrets begin to unravel, Amanda must choose between the vengeance she craved and the love she thought was dead.

Seven months pregnant with our heir, I was on the front lines, fighting for my Alpha mate, Ethan. I’d just secured a thirty-million-dollar territory for our pack and rushed home, eager to surprise him with the news. But as I neared the council room, the broken sobs of his adopted sister, Tessa, stopped me cold. "A low-born Silver Wolf like Sophia... she's not worthy of being our pack's Luna." "Ethan, we're the ones who are fated to be together. Mark me... please?" My blood ran cold. I expected Ethan to shove her away, to defend my honor. Instead, he caressed her cheek, his voice a soft, gentle murmur that cut me deeper than any blade. "Just give me a little more time, Tessa. On the next blood moon, I'll sever my bond with Sophia." My world shattered. I fled, only to be cornered and brutally murdered by Tessa. She framed my death as an attack by a rogue wolf before tossing my body from a cliff. It wasn’t until the news of my death reached him that Ethan finally broke. He fell to his knees at the edge of that same cliff, his agonized howl echoing into the night. "Sophia… I was wrong. Please, just come back to me."

I'd loved my childhood friend, Colleen Decker, for ten years, until a car accident changed everything. She loses the ability to walk and never stands again. Her fiance, Ronald Coleman, and other self-proclaimed admirers disappear overnight. Even the Decker family turns their backs on her, cutting her off as the heiress. I'm the only one who stays by her side. I drop out of school and spend two years caring for her, doing everything I can to find the best specialists in the country. However, the moment she gets back on her feet—during the proposal I'd prepared—she announces in front of everyone that she's continuing her engagement to Ronald. When I confront her, Colleen grabs my hand, her voice soft and earnest. "Lucius, I'm not doing this because I want to. I'm marrying him to get back at him for walking away from me back then. You have to believe me. I only love you." But during a game of Truth or Dare, Ronald draws the King card. He points at me and says, "Lucius, choose any girl here and kiss her for one minute." I look to Colleen for help, but she turns her head away. "Don't look at me. I belong to Ronald now."

"Please, don't do this, I have a husband... I am married" Ash begged with her joined hands while walking backward. Tears streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision. In a snap, his handsome face contorted in distaste and his eyes lost all their warmth. "Not tonight! Tonight you are mine. And ONLY MINE," he paced towards her like a predator. "Michael...Michael..." Ash shouted her husband's name as her back hit the cold wall. He started caressing her cheek with his knuckles. He leaned forward and whispered in her ears "he has sold you to me, for tonight. So, tonight the only name you are allowed to take is mine. And believe me, angel, I'll make sure you scream my name while I'll do things to you that I have been wanting to do with you since the moment I saw you" He said in his raspy voice. He had been imagining this moment since the day he had laid his eyes on her. And finally, he got her. Daniel slammed his bow-shaped hungry lips on her soft plumpy ones just after finishing his sentence. She squeezed her eyes shut letting tears tumble out.

CONTENT WARNING ️ This collection contains: Strong, ruthless, and morally grey female leads as well as power imbalance, violence, brutality, torture, and dark themes, eevenge-driven plots, alpha dynamics, slow taming arcs, emotional intensity and possessive love interests If you prefer soft, gentle, or passive heroines, this collection may not be for you. These women are dangerous, monster-like, tyrants and unforgettable. BLURB They tried to break her but they failed. She Rises From Ruins brings together a powerful collection of stories about women who walk through betrayal, danger, and darkness and come out stronger, smarter, and more ruthless than anyone expected. From feared princesses who rule ancient kingdoms… To deadly werewolf queens who command armies… To ruthless and dangerous mafia queens who rule over houses and are feared….. To modern heroines fighting for their freedom, revenge, or healing… Each story follows a woman who refuses to bow. A woman who loves hard, fights harder, and rises from every ruin made to bury her. These are tales of power reclaimed. Love are tested, hearts rebuilt and men bold enough to fall for the fire. If you love dominant heroines, enemies-to-lovers, dark romance, brutal queens, and women finding strength after devastation, welcome to the world where she rises, no matter who tries to destroy her.

Before my wedding to Sophie Bennett, the impoverished student I've been sponsoring for ten years posts a photo on social media. "Successfully moved into the new apartment. Soph prepared such a big, soft bed for me!" In the photo, Zachary Wells lies sprawled on the wedding bed I bought for Sophie and my new home, taking a smug selfie with his hand waving at the camera. He's even wearing my wedding ring on his ring finger. Zachary also comments on his own post, "Just thinking about how I'm the first man to lie on this bed fills me with overwhelming happiness!" I reply with a question mark under his comment. The next second, Sophie's call comes through. "I'm just letting Zach experience the warmth of home. Why are you being so passive-aggressive?" In the background, I hear Zachary softly trying to calm her down. "Soph, he's not worth getting angry over." Hearing that, Sophie laughs and banters with him, then abruptly hangs up on me. The two of us have been together for ten years, from ages 18 to 28, and we've finally made it to our wedding day. But now, I no longer intend to go through with it.

“Beg me to lick you, malysh.” There was no way in hell I’d beg him. But that was until his finger slid into my pussy, stretching me at a deliciously slow curl. “Please.” I whimpered, trembling. “Say it like you mean it, baby.” “Lick me, please,” I panted. It was hard not to with the way his finger was curling inside me, hitting my g-spot repeatedly. °•°•°• Do you crave men who dominate every room they walk into? Men who won’t hesitate to destroy anyone who dares threaten what’s theirs? Men as lethal as they are possessive, yet drop to their knees for the one woman who sets their cold hearts on fire? Meet the Kings of the Bratva—ruthless, dangerous, and utterly unstoppable. From brutal assassins to stolen brides, these stories will drag you into a world of forbidden love, raw passion, and unrelenting danger. Arranged marriages, deadly betrayals, and second chances that will shatter your soul—these men live by their own rules, and their women? They’re the ones bold enough to break them. Love isn’t soft here—it’s a war, a fire that consumes everything in its path. These men will fight, kill, and burn for the ones they claim. The Kings of the Bratva don’t just promise passion—they deliver obsession. Are you ready to meet them?

I flinched as his breath fanned my face, my body trembled in his arms. This was the chance, but was I scared? His eyes affected me in so many ways, as they held grief, pain and regret. Our stare was our way of communicating. It was intended, emotional and agonizing. I was hiding the knife behind me, picturing the perfect place to stab him. His searing heat sent a gush of lust inside me. I shouldn't fall for that. This was a revenge plan, not a romantic show-off. "I'm engaged, and I have a child with him" I remembered, barely recognizing my cold voice which had become soft and weak. He let out a dirty smirk, lowering his eyes to my lips as we exchanged breath. "I know, but I can't stop myself from falling" he whispered, and before I could blink an eye, he captured my lips, twirling them to his taste. It was a long liquid kiss that made me wet so that I couldn't fight back. The knife slipped off my hand as my body yanked on his. We both dried up where we stood when her voice resounded in our ears. "Mom?"

Starla Xander was orphaned at a young age. With both her parents gone, it was her uncle, Xavier Lloyd, who rescued her from that hopeless home. For over a decade, he had cherished her, shielding her from the world, treating her like the most precious gem in his life. And so, inevitably, she fell in love with him. She truly believed he loved her too. She thought that one day, they would get married and build a future together. But when Starla finally confessed her feelings, Xavier reacted as if she had crossed an unforgivable line. “Starla, I’m your uncle. Get rid of those disgusting thoughts!” And that wasn’t even the cruelest part. He chose the most brutal way to reject her. On the twelfth anniversary of the day they met, he stood before her with a beautiful woman by his side. He met Starla’s eyes and said, “Meet her. She’s your future aunt-in-law.” As she watched them standing together—so effortlessly close—something inside her shattered. She let out a soft, bitter laugh. “I understand now.” Without another word, she turned away, pulled out her phone, and called her research mentor. “Professor Zimmer, I’ve made my decision. I agree to the cryogenic preservation procedure.”