The Shadow He Left Ao3

Master Ethan Thompson, the rich 25 year old lad returned to his father's hometown after 10 long years of living in Britain. Brought up in a broken family and seeing his parents divorcing, he owned one harsh personality to easily trust in relationships. Reason of his sudden return was one. The heavy inheritance of his father demanded his attention, being the only heir of the business. Certainly many things have been changed since he left. Sick father's health was giving up rapidly and it was time for him to take over all the duties as the only successor of Thompson's dynasty. Things were expected well until one mysterious woman entered in the picture. Gorgeous, attractive and a woman with positive morals. 23 year old Sylendra Louis was taken in by Master Ethan's father when she was just only 10. Brought up by the elder man, the woman was said to be raised like his own daughter. And that very fact wasn't so easy to digest by Sebastian who just returned to his father's home, what irritated him the most was the woman's involvement in his business too. Mysterious woman's closeness with his father and too way personal engagement on his family matters made Master Ethan insecure as he started showing his hate over everything related to Sylendra, obviously unknown to the knowledge of his life slowly being fated with her. "Magic was she, black magic!"

Selene Winters was raised to be the perfect Luna—elegant, quiet, and completely devoted to her fated mate, Damon Voss. She thought love would be enough. That being chosen by the Moon Goddess guaranteed a happy ending. She was wrong. On the night of their mating ceremony, Alpha Damon rejected her in front of the entire Bloodhowl Pack. Called her weak. Unworthy. A mistake. And when no one stepped in—not even her family—Selene did the only thing she could. She ran. Everyone assumed she died in the cursed Shadow Forest. No one survives that place. But they don’t know what really lives there. Two years later, Selene returns. Not as the broken girl Damon left behind—but as an Alpha. Strong. Commanding. Untouchable. And she’s not interested in forgiveness. Because the bond? It’s gone. The Luna he rejected? She's the Alpha he’ll regret.

"Tonight, I just want to feel something other than trapped," she whispers against his lips, and everything changes. Maddison Whiter's world shatters when her fiancé abandons her during a kidnapping, choosing to save his best friend instead. Rescued by William Chen, billionaire CEO and enigmatic boss of the Black Herd organization, she escapes death only to face a worse fate: her family's demand that she marry a predatory older man. In a world of calculated moves and cold arrangements, can two damaged souls find something real? A steamy billionaire romance of redemption, power, and choosing love over obligation.

For our third anniversary, my boyfriend claimed he wanted to 'broaden my horizons'. However, he was just waiting for me to step into the restroom from the moment we arrived. He immediately shredded my passport and every piece of identification I owned. Before I could even comprehend what he had done, he dragged me into an underground casino. He strutted in like he belonged there, greeting everyone along the way. "This one's premium, fresh from studying abroad!" I blinked at the massive men closing in on me. The black rose tattoos on their arms… They looked like the insignias of the Lyon family, the mafia syndicate led by my ex-fiancé, who was also their newly crowned Godfather. He once loved me obsessively, pursued me for eight years, and nearly forced me into marriage under the weight of his family's power. It took everything I had to escape that life back then. What just happened? One vacation, and I somehow landed right back into their hands?

Margot Keys was one of many she-wolves who were publicly claimed by their mate. For years, she was mated to a man who thought that women should do as they were told and their only value was to create an heir. In her first mate bond, she suffered horrible abuse, unable to escape the horrors of her mate. However, she refused to give him a child. She never wanted any child of hers to be raised by a man who didn’t value her as a mate, a Luna, or a woman. Ezra Hart is an Alpha who publicly claimed his first mate, as was expected for all ranked members. His mate, unable to live with the embarrassment of the public claim, killed herself and their unborn child, leaving Ezra alone and destitute. When Margot recognizes Ezra as her second chance mate, she is ready to reject him, unwilling to subject herself to another mate bond. But Ezra lost one mate and he isn’t willing to lose another. Thanks to his previous brother-in-law, Hunter, Ezra has seen that the public claimings are detrimental to all she-wolves. Now, the Moon Goddess has given him a second chance to make things right and be the kind of mate that he’s always wanted to be. However, when Margot killed her previous mate, willing to give her life in the process, Ezra does the only thing he can to save her. He marks her without her consent. When she wakes, Margot is furious but also surprised to find that Ezra isn’t forcing her to immediately accept him. Can Ezra convince Margot that he is different than her first mate? Can Margot let go of her past and find true love again?

Four years of loving Marchello Enzo taught me one thing— it was finally time to let him go. He was the Don of the Marchello mafia empire. And I was supposed to become his Donna—his partner, his equal, the woman who stood at his side. But the moment his childhood sweetheart returned, radiant and adored, I understood something painfully simple: The title of Donna was never meant for me. It belonged to her. So before I walked away, I made three quiet decisions— First, I tossed the wedding ring he believed I treasured, and altered my million-dollar wedding dress to the measurements of the woman who had always held his heart. Second, I packed every extravagant gift he had ever given me—and donated them all to charity. They had once felt like proof of love; now they were nothing but proof of my foolishness. Third,I reclaimed a position I once abandoned for him—one I had turned down twice because he wanted me at his side. This time, I chose myself. My work. My life. A path that did not depend on his promises. On the day of his wedding, when he lifted the bride’s veil and realized it wasn’t me… the ruler of a billion-dollar underworld empire shattered. He tore the city apart looking for me— But he never found me. Because by then, I was already thousands of miles away, buried in my work, building the life he never believed I’d choose. I held the one secret he never imagined he’d lose: our child.

Who would have thought that Adelaide's life would take such an incredible turn from being a worthless doormat to becoming a powerful Queen? No one—not even her stepsister or stepmother, who made her life miserable. Adelaide became the Queen to the Crippled mean king, meant to bear him a child. The King is rumored to be cold and harsh; his very name strikes fear throughout the kingdom. KAIUS MAGNUS. However, Adelaide soon discovers that he is not actually a cripple, putting her life at risk and causing Kaius to despise her. Yet, mysteriously, Kaius's inner beast yearns for her gentle face.

Aurora's world falls apart when her mate Bennet rejects her after finding him hsving sex with her step sister Alicia. She ends up homeless and pregnant after having a one-night stand with a stranger. She is taken in by Callum, a strong Alpha who tells her that he is her mate. Uncertain of his intentions and troubled by past betrayals, Aurora hesitates. Secrets about their common past surface as they get closer. Callum was the man from Aurora's one-night stand when she finds out. When Bennet reappears with regret, their relationship is put to the test. Aurora must decide between a bright future and her traumatic past, she must choose love, trust and the fortitude to go on.

"Bind her up," I heard a woman's stern command. They roughly shoved me to the ground, placing my arms on a bench and tying them with ropes. "It’s an honor for you to be a surrogate candidate for our King! HOW DARE YOU try to escape?! Now you’ll pay the price!" As his partner handed him a pair of pliers, he flashed me a purely evil smile. My heart sank into my stomach. The king? Surrogate?! I had no idea what he was talking about... "NO PLEASE! Listen, you’ve got the wrong person..." They didn't even let me finish before they pulled out the nail on my index finger. "Ah-----" I thought I knew pain, but his actions proved I didn't. I had never experienced such torture; my helpless screams filled the entire dungeon. Tears streamed down my face, and my hands were soaked with innocent blood. The woman sat not far away, legs crossed, smiling at me. Soon, she raised her hand to signal everyone to leave and then crouched in front of me, slowly untying the ropes around me. "I know it's not you, but a she-wolf escaped. We'll use you to replace her. So, if you want to survive here, shut your mouth and do as you're told." Just like that, everything changed... *** Betrayed by my fated mate and my best friend. I, the powerful daughter of an Alpha, was scheduled to be executed on the false allegations of murdering my father and his comrades. Fate had other plans as I escaped but landed myself on an island ruled by a mysterious king, Asher Ludwig... No matter how difficult it is, I will fight my way back and reclaim everything that belongs to me!

"Everyone has a story to tell and the truth is I am afraid to tell you mine; but in this world embraced by darkness, allow me to become your brightest shadow!" Two different individuals— David Chwe, an 18-year-old boy with secrets darker than a June's night without the guidance of the moon. A boy with phases that are likely to coerce one to kick the bucket. — Travis Fujiriki [Park], is a 19-year-old boy who has always isolated himself from the naked eyes of the world. All that David had to do was to get his mission done and that was to lure Travis into the spider's web but instead, everything chose to travel on a different route. Sparkles of love began to investigate themselves in the depths of their hearts— once an individual who ran away from affection, Travis was willing to expose his heart to David who became his comfort zone. Just like in many tales of love and war, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Will David drop Travis into the lion's den and sacrifice his love? Or will he drop it all and bring him closer under his wing and protect him regardless of anything?