Soft Science

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."

Miles was livid. His father had to be joking, right? Marrying a nineteen-year-old girl? Who does that? He was twenty when she was born, for God’s sake. The very idea disgusted him. Not because of what anyone would say—Miles didn’t care about public opinion. Reclusive, cold, rude, and emotionally unavailable, he had no interest in the world’s judgment. But this? This felt wrong. He wasn’t a predator, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to marry someone two decades younger than him. But his father wouldn’t back down, and losing the company wasn’t an option. So, he reluctantly agreed. He would marry the shy, damaged girl who had survived the worst at the hands of her step-family. He made himself a promise: he wouldn’t touch her. He would protect her, not become another perverted man she’d have to fear. What he didn’t expect was how hard that promise would be to keep. She was undeniably beautiful—soft curves in all the right places, her presence igniting desires he thought he could suppress. Suddenly, Miles found himself fighting not just his morals, but his erection. But she was his wife. He could touch her, right? Or at least look? She was going to be his undoing.

“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.

"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.

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.

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.

Brie Larson and Alex Arterra have always been bitter rivals since childhood. They grew up attending the same schools together, and with the brilliant Brie bumped up by three classes because she needs a little more challenge, their constant competition only fueled their hatred towards each other. It is made even worse by the fact that Alex bags the scholarship Brie had worked hard to get, even if he doesn't need it. Years later, their rivalry escalates to new levels of petty when they clash at a shareholders banquet after Alex takes the leadership of Arterra Co. and he finds that Brie had grown from the little, scared nerd to a fiery, beautiful woman. When Alex needs a fake girlfriend, Brie is the only woman who fits his criteria, and at first all she wants is a taste of the soft life, even if it means sharing it with the one person she has sworn to hate for life. Eventually, they fall in love with each other, despite their initial hatred. Unfortunately, their families' long-standing feud becomes a significant obstacle in their relationship. As their relationship deepens, they face a range of challenges from their families' disapproval to the pressures of their different backgrounds. A secret threatens to undo every thread that pulls the duo together, and it is only the beginning. Will they get their happy ever after?

On the night of my 30th birthday, I waited until the early hours of the morning, but my husband, Theodore Hawk never showed up. Instead, I came across an Instagram post from his childhood sweetheart, Emily Gallagher. [What romantic is not the starry night, it is having you by my side.] In the picture, she was wearing a delicate, sky-blue camisole that revealed just enough to charm and seduce. A man stood close behind her, his hand firmly gripping her waist. The scene was set in the seaside villa that Theodore had gifted her, their figures intimately entwined under the soft glow of the night. Someone had commented beneath the post: [I can’t stand you two being this lovey-dovey all the time! Just get married already!] Emily had responded with a shy-face emoji. I had just liked the post when Theodore, who I had failed to reach all night, blew up my phone with calls. "Are you out of your mind, Camilla? Emi and I grew up together! If we wanted to be together, we would’ve done so long ago! Why are you being so petty?" Looking at how Theodore gently held her in his arms, comforting her, I realized something. Letting go of someone you’ve loved for seven years... can take only a moment.

Being an orphan without everything, Rage only wants two things in his life: love and acceptance. But he is surrounded by worthless adults who only regard him as a tool for achieving their dreams. He was beaten up, and his body has been experimented with at a young age. He expects nothing from everyone but betrayal. Trust issue became his best friend. Rage. They named him Rage, a wolf without a last name. For the past 23 years, he knows nothing about himself except that he is Rage. When he stepped into the Lotus Pack, he was mistreated and despised by everyone—avoiding him as if he had a contagious disease. But Dane Steele, the Lotus Pack's Alpha King, and his family never see him as a threat. They adopt him as their son, lavishing him with love and attention. He never felt anything like this before. Rage had no idea he'd find a home at the Alpha King's house and fall in love with their only daughter, Daphne. He never anticipated Daphne to bring out the soft side of him, and somehow it affects him. But loving her is a sin... and he is a threat. He is the young man in the prophecy who will destroy the whole world. How can he love his "sister", the daughter of the Alpha King, if he has nothing to offer? He is just a wolf without a surname. A pariah...