Tragic Antonym

Scarlet blood trickled from my thigh as I clutched Arvin Owen's hand. "My belly... It hurts so much..." He shook off my hand indifferently. "Come on, I know it's chicken blood you are using. Debby just suffered abuse from her husband and is now in the hospital without anyone to care for her. Don't be so spoiled!" But what flowed from me was not chicken blood. It was my life slipping away.

On the day I was declared pregnant, I ran into my husband in the ob-gyn. He was with his long-lost love for a prenatal checkup. "I'm not going home tonight. As you can see, I have business to attend to," Lawrence said quietly as he left with an arm wrapped around Melissa. I fell silent and booked an abortion surgery. Everyone around us thought I was a simp for Lawrence. They thought I wouldn't leave, no matter how badly he mistreated me. He had the same thought. No one knew that I only married him to repay a debt. That debt was now repaid. Ten years was up, and I could finally end this abominable marriage.

My mate is the bravest patrol chief of the Sundara Pack. When the rogue straps a bomb laced with wolfsbane to me, I try to reach him through our mind-link. Once, twice... He blocks me 99 times. The rogue forces me to call for help, and when Aiden Campbell finally answers, his first words come blazing with anger. "Lina Rutherford! You're risking your life over jealousy again? Kate's pet snow wolf has been stuck in a tree for three days! "She loves that wolf like her own child—if I'm late to save it, that's on you! You'll be a murderer!" I laugh so hard that tears stream down my face. That so-called "trapped" snow wolf? It's simply climbed onto a slanted pine tree in the yard so it can lazily sunbathe on the branches. No one trapped it—it just doesn't feel like coming down. "Thank you, Aiden. You're amazing!" There comes a soft, delicate voice through the phone. It's Kate Summers—Aiden's late brother's widow and also his childhood sweetheart. The bomb's countdown ticks down to three minutes. With a calm heart, I send my final message. "In the name of the Moon Goddess, I sever our mate bond." And then, I cut the mind-link.

Luo McCarner was dying when suddenly a woman who looked like her asked,'' Do you wish to go to the past before you made the decisions that led you to this unenviable state or die like a pathetic heroine in a play?'' Luo decided to take the chance to fix her tragic fate, which almost caused her death. But little did she know how deeply wounded her soul was and that she needed time to relearn how to be herself again. Unfortunately, the journey for self-discovery and self-repairing wouldn't be smooth. Her enemy was determined to bring her down and end her life for good. Some chapters contain violence.

The day before my wedding, I was insulted by two men. In my defense, I ended up killing one and injuring the other. My fiancé at the time, Alexander, who was supposed to protect me, abandoned me during the trial. I was sentenced to two years in jail. When I was finally released two years later, I discovered that my ex-fiancé had already married my best friend, Isabella. And Isabella? She didn’t just ‘steal’ my fiancé—she took the doctor position that was supposed to be mine too. I had nowhere to go, and in my most desperate moment, Eric Graves appeared at my door. As the most powerful mafia leader in NYC, Eric used his influence to ensure no one would speak ill of my past. He also proposed to me, confessing that he'd always had feelings for me and wanted to marry me. I believed he was my knight in shining armor, my true love. The first four years of our marriage were perfect—at least, that’s what I thought, until the day I overheard a conversation between my husband, Eric, and his right-hand man, Adam. “Boss, you were so clever to let those scums harass Evelyn. If it weren't for that, Miss Isabella would never have had a chance with Alexander.” Eric’s teasing voice followed, “I just wanted to scare her for a bit. Never thought she’d kill one of them and end up behind bars.” Adam sounded confused. “But Miss Isabella is already married now. Why would you still keep that whore around after she got out of prison?” “Because,” Eric paused, “I have to make sure she doesn’t run back to Alexander or disturb Isabella.” The laughter that followed shattered my heart. All those memories of Eric saving me from humiliation? They were all a lie. He was the one who made my life fall apart, just to make sure Isabella could live happily ever after. Wiping away the lingering tears, I dialed Eric’s biggest rival in NYC, Caleb Nightshade. "Do you still want to wipe Eric out of New York?”

During the year when my relationship with my Alpha father was at its worst, he gave me the newly elected Beta of the Sunfang Pack to make me happy. After spending the night with him, I fell for him. Three months later, I mended things with my father. Four months later, I was pregnant. From then on, I became the most distinguished expecting she-wolf in the pack. Whenever it was time for a checkup, the Alpha and Beta of the pack would come with me. But when I was six months pregnant, neither of them was around. “I have something urgent to take care of in the pack.” My father patted my head. Scott stroked my pregnant belly. “I have to help too. I’ll prepare gifts for you and our pup.” I smiled as I sent them off, only to receive a video from an unknown number. My father was dressed as a groom, and beside him stood Jelena, the mistress who drove my mother to her death. Katie, their illegitimate daughter, was also pregnant. She wore a wedding gown as she leaned against Scott and smiled happily. “This is a doubly joyous occasion!” Someone in the video raised their glass. “Congratulations to our Alpha for bringing his first love back, and congratulations to the Beta for holding his bonding ceremony!” At the end of the video, my father said airily, “Your mate certificate with Claire is fake. Wouldn’t that make Claire’s pup illegitimate?” Scott chuckled and said, “Claire has had everything since she was born, but Katie has been an illegitimate child for most of her life. I can’t let her pup grow up bearing that shame as well.” At that moment, my heart shattered into pieces. I called my brother, who had become the Lycan Chairman, and cried as I said, “Hoills, I want to leave with you.”

Harold missed our fifth anniversary. He said Rogues had attacked the border, and as the Alpha, he had to fight to protect the pack. However, the she-wolf who came to fetch him was dressed in a tight little dress and heels—she looked more ready for a date than a battle. Worried for Harold, I went to the Moon Goddess's altar to pray for his safety, like I always do whenever he's called to fight. However, on the way, a witch told me there was no war at the border at all. He lied to me. At that moment, I knew it was time to walk away. "I want to break my mate bond with Harold," I said. She turned the pages of an old, dusty spellbook. "Harold won't accept this. He was even willing to give up his claim to the Alpha title just to be with you." "I don't need his permission," I said. "I'm willing to pay any price." She sighed. "If your heart is truly set on leaving, I can brew a potion for you. One sip, and your scent will vanish from the pack's memory—as if you never existed. "However, think carefully. You'll lose your title as Luna, leave behind your home, your people. You'll start over somewhere new, where no one knows your name. Not even the Moon Goddess will be able to find you." I said, "I've made up my mind, I refuse to stay in a love built on lies. "How soon can I have the potion?" "Three days." Three days. Just enough time to say goodbye to everything I once called home.

Randy’s mother, Monica, was on her dying bed. Her only wish before she died was for him, my alpha boyfriend, to perform our marking ceremony before she passed. When Monica looked at him eagerly, Randy agreed to mark me. But after we left her room, Randy said that he was going to marry Alina. “Alina’s mother is critically ill. She also wants to watch her undergo the marking ceremony before she passes. We can wait a little longer before we conduct our own marking ceremony, Emma.” “But what about your mother? She wants to witness us undergo the marking ceremony too!” “My mother can hang in there a little longer. Don’t worry.” Randy then grabbed the ring that Monica had given to me. It had acted as a symbol of me being her daughter-in-law, but Randy gave it to Alina. Unbeknownst to him, Monica was already at Death’s door, and she was feigning a picture of health in front of him. On the day Monica passed away, Randy performed the marking ceremony with another woman. After I made preparations for Monica’s funeral, I vanished from Randy’s world. To my surprise, he started begging me to become his mate after I left.

I was eight months pregnant and had just gone into labor, but my Alpha mate, Damien, locked me in a silver cage in the basement to delay my labor. When I cried out for help, he just told me to wait. Because his late brother's mate, Victoria, was also giving birth that day. The Pack Seer had foretold that only the firstborn pup would be blessed by the Moon Goddess and become the future Alpha. "The title belongs to Victoria's child," he said. "She lost Marcus. She has nothing. You already have all my love, Elena. The silver cage will make sure you deliver after her." The contractions were torture. I begged him to take me to the clinic. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "Stop pretending. I should've known you never loved me. All you've ever cared about is wealth and status!" "To force your labor early, just to steal what belongs to my nephew… You're truly wicked." Pale and trembling, I whispered: "The pup is coming, I can't stop it. Please, I'll make a blood oath. I don't care about the inheritance. I only love you!" He scoffed."If you loved me, you wouldn’t have forced Victoria into that contract to give up her pup’s birthright. I'll come back for you after she delivers. After all, that's my pup in there, too." He stood guard outside Victoria's delivery room. Only after he saw the newborn pup in her arms did he remember me. He ordered his Beta to release me. But the Beta's voice trembled. "Luna… and the pup… they're dead." And in that moment, Damien went feral.

I've been married to Ryan Hardin for nine years. He's a pureblood and the Alpha of Silverfang Pack. And I'm just a "temporary Luna" picked for a political alliance within the pack. In those nine years, he's brought home 199 women. Tonight makes it 200. She's a freshly turned Omega who flirted with Ryan at a party. He didn't turn her down. Instead, he brought her back to the home we share. When the woman walks through the door and sees me sitting on the living room couch, she doesn't bother hiding the mockery in her eyes. "Alpha Ryan, so this is the Luna you still haven't bothered to mark?" she asks with a smirk. Ryan leans back in his chair and answers lazily, "Yeah." She strolls over, looks down at me, and smiles smugly. Then, she reaches out and pats my face. Her voice is soft, but every word drips with provocation. "Make sure you listen tonight. I'll show you what it really takes to drive Alpha Ryan wild." That night, I'm forced to sit outside their door, listening to every sound as they sleep together. It feels like a ritual meant to strip me of every last shred of dignity. By morning, Ryan comes downstairs like nothing happened. His expression is cold as he orders, "Make breakfast. I want raw meat and coffee." I tell him no. Maybe he's forgotten, but we're only bound by an agreement. We've never officially been marked as mates. And today is the third-to-last day before that agreement ends.