Tends Toward

She went to the palace as a guest… and ended up becoming Lycan King’s bride. Charlotte, a quiet girl from a middle-class family, never expected to be anywhere near royalty. But one wrong turn changed everything. Mistaken for the bride at the most important wedding of the year, she’s pushed down the aisle toward a man whom she doesn't love. Alpha Damien Blackwood, cold, powerful, and unreadable, claims her without a word. Not as his queen… but as something far more complicated. Trapped in the palace and caught between cruel whispers and judgmental glances, Charlotte becomes a ghost in a golden cage. The only thing more confusing than her new life is Damien himself. Raised by a ruthless king and taught that emotions are a weakness, Damien doesn’t know how to love, but he also can’t seem to let her go. With the palace full of secrets and a bond that feels one-sided, Charlotte must choose: run and protect her heart… or risk everything for a mate who was never meant to be hers.

I, Darcy Cowell, have been secretly married to my husband, Frank Winston, for seven years. He is the president of a company and has just hired a new assistant. The new assistant, Johanna Scott, is well-behaved and has a voluptuous figure. Scandalous rumors about her and Frank quickly spread throughout the company. Feeling uneasy, I seek Frank out for answers, only to overhear him telling his good friend over the phone. "I'm not interested in her. My wife, Darcy, will always be my only love." I am filled with warmth and relief at those words. A fire suddenly breaks out at the company banquet, and I get crushed under a falling cabinet. Yet, as my life hangs in the balance, Frank turns to run toward Johanna. When I next regain consciousness, I find that I have survived but lost my unborn child forever. This time, I truly lose all faith in Frank. Our child is gone, and I want him gone from my life as well.

My wife’s new assistant recently celebrated his birthday, and she splurged on a villa as a gift to him. On the day he moved in, the assistant, Zachary Shaw, bragged on Instagram with a post and captioned: [Bagged myself a sugar mommy, just FYI.] My wife, Ivy Bennett, commented on the post: [Happy birthday, my dear Zacky! 🫰] The photo was Zachary wrapping his arm around my wife’s slender waist, looking incredibly intimate. The work group chat blew up at once. Everyone expressed their envy toward Zachary, singing his praises for being so promising at such a young age. Then, my childhood friend, Autumn Sinclair, tagged me in the group chat and teased, [Love is a blinding green light. Your wife’s cheating on you so hard it glows. Congrats, Julian!] I smiled wryly and stubbed out my cigarette. Slowly, I typed my reply, [Want a house, Autumn? I’ll get you one too, better than her gift to him.]

On our wedding day, my wife's first love, Hank Scott, threatened to slit his wrists. She ignored him and went through with the ceremony anyway, until news arrived that he was dead, his blood staining the ground. From that moment on, Shirley Lowell withdrew into a convent, becoming the cold, distant woman everyone knew. In the name of atonement, she forced me to copy the Bible a thousand times and kneel in endless prayer, grinding me down until I was crippled. Bound to a wheelchair, I asked her for a divorce. She refused, saying we owed Hank a debt and had to atone for it together. She used my family to threaten me, keeping me by her side and tormenting me for the rest of my life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on our wedding day. This time, I chose to push her toward Hank. I would become the first love in her heart, the one who led her onto the path of devout faith.

Kael was the only man Ravynna ever wanted. He had promised her that the mate bond was nothing compared to what they shared but when she returns home after years away, Ravynna realizes she’s been holding onto an illusion. The man she loved doesn’t just reject her… he despises her. Every look of his and words that he throws her way, burns like venom. With his father’s health failing and the pack on the brink of a takeover, Ravynna agrees to a fake marriage to save what’s left of their honor. But the act only exposes deeper cracks especially when the Alpha King turns his sights toward her in particular. As secrets unravel about the mysterious, wolfless girl who’s stolen Kael’s heart, Ravynna begins to wonder if his sacrifice was ever truly love… or the beginning of something far darker. When it seems like the Moon had chosen wrong, what could possibly go wrong?

In the tenth year of my pursuit of Henry Stone—the profoundly devoted deuteragonist in the novel—he arranges a lavish, extravagant wedding on my behalf. I still feel uneasy even though Henry continues to love me deeply after we get married. This is because the mission progress bar displayed by the system has never moved past zero. On our wedding anniversary, I happen to stumble upon a hidden diary in Henry's desk drawer, which reveals a very shocking truth—Henry has been reborn. He possesses full knowledge that this world is a novel and that I am the antagonist who poses a threat to the protagonist, Renee Schmidt. He puts on a careful act of profound love toward me, strictly for the purpose of shielding Renee, the person he truly cares for. I have just gotten the gist of the whole situation when the system's warning goes off. "You have failed your romance mission. Your existence will be terminated within 48 hours."

ADAM: The mafia boss learned the price of betrayal the hard way. A brutal ambush—masterminded by his girlfriend and his greatest rival—left him on the brink of death. His fate, however, was stitched back together by the unlikely hands of a stranger. SAMANTHA: A humble employee at one of his hotels, also scarred by heartbreak, became his only safe haven that night. She’s beautiful, strong, and—without realizing it—holds the key to mending Adam’s heart. But by saving the mobster’s life, Samantha signed her own warrant for danger. Adam’s rival not only uncovers the identity of the woman who saved him but develops a twisted obsession with her. Now, Adam must protect her from the chaos he brought into her life—while fighting the pull of desire toward his savior. In a world of shadows, where love is the most dangerous weapon of all, can Adam and Samantha heal the wounds of their past and embrace the second chance fate has written for them—before the enemy’s obsession destroys them both?

Anthony Lake, my wealthy fiance, falls in love with Lila Hart, a blind professional dancer, and insists on breaking off our engagement, even though I am the heiress of a powerful family in the region. To preserve the alliance between our families, I seek out renowned doctors to treat Lila and set the stage to support her comeback. However, she accuses me of humiliating her and insists on jumping into a river to prove her resolve. Ten years later, my former fiance has taken control of the region. He swallows up my family's assets and drives us to the brink of suicide. "This is the price you pay for killing her!" Then, I open my eyes, and I'm back in the moment where Anthony publicly confesses his love to Lila. This time, I walk straight toward Shane York, the silent mining tycoon from the northwest, who is quietly sitting in the corner. I wrap my arm around his neck, place his hand on my waist, and command him to kiss me.

We should have been born to hate each other, but love has a will of its own, and I can't turn my back on you even though the whole world hates me. * I turned toward the woods and squinted. Then I smelled something in the air. A scent so strong that it makes me freeze. And shortly after, I heard a howl of pain, just a moment, but enough to make me sure something was wrong. I clutched my bag, ready to open it to grab my phone when something jumped over the fence between the school and the woods. It landed right in front of me, and I thought I was seeing a werewolf. But no. it’s not a werewolf like I’ve always known. He stood on his two feet. And blood was smeared on his snout and his silver-feathered, clawed hands. I can’t scream. I could only stand transfixed while my eyes locked on his eyes which were as dark as the night sky.

Eli lives by structure, routine, and emotional restraint. As a university student, he finds comfort in libraries, late-night study sessions, and the certainty of logic. Feelings, especially complicated ones, are easier to ignore. That is, until Noah quietly becomes part of his world. What begins as shared academic spaces and casual conversations slowly turns into something heavier. Lingering glances, accidental touches, and silences charged with meaning begin to unravel Eli’s sense of control. He doesn’t understand the pull toward Noah or why his body reacts before his mind can catch up. Confused and afraid, Eli retreats, creating distance through denial and miscommunication, even as his feelings deepen. Noah remains patient and steady, offering closeness without pressure. As the tension between them builds, Eli is forced to confront the truth he has spent so long avoiding. Set against the quiet intensity of academia, this slow-burn romance explores longing, identity, and the fear of wanting something that feels both forbidden and inevitable.