Wafting Devotion

Before our wedding, my fiancée, Sarah Hargrave—a professor of medieval history—held a private ceremony in a secluded chapel in the countryside. But not with me. Under the glow of candlelight, she cradled Benjamin Wheeler—her first love, his face gaunt from the cancer consuming him—in her arms. Her smile was soft, almost reverent, as she murmured, "In the eyes of God, vows made before the altar are the only ones that matter. Even if the law says I belong to Daniel, my soul was never his." And so, to the faint echo of hymns and the scent of old incense, they drank from the same silver cup, exchanged rings, and stepped together into the dimly lit sacristy—their makeshift bridal chamber. I watched. Silent. Motionless. No outbursts, no demands for explanation. Just the quiet dialing of a clinic to undo the vasectomy I'd gotten for our future. From fifteen to thirty, I had loved Sarah for fifteen long years. But in all that time, there'd never been room for me. That space had always belonged to Benjamin, my stepbrother. So I let her go. Afterward, I joined a geological research team bound for the isolation of Antarctica—a land cut off from the world, quiet and clean. Before I left, I handed Sarah a divorce agreement…and a final gift to mark the end. I never anticipated that Sarah, who'd always met my devotion with frosty detachment, who'd never once glanced back as I walked away, would look ten years older overnight.

A century ago, the war between humans and beastkin nearly destroyed the world. To restore order, the five major beast clans—Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, Serpent, and Peacock—formed an alliance with humanity. Under the Treaty of Balance, every hundred years, a union between humans and beastkin must occur. The first child born of this union—a half-beast—will inherit the throne and rule over the Human-Beast Alliance. In my past life, I chose Max, the Dragon Clan's heir. Known for his unwavering devotion and noble bloodline, he seemed the perfect mate. I gave birth to the first half-beast child of the generation—a rare white dragon. Our son was named the next ruler, and Max rose to unmatched power. My half-sister, Alice, chose the Tiger Clan—seduced by beauty, blinded by arrogance. Her husband betrayed her, and she was left barren and disgraced. She envied me. Hated me. One night, she drugged me, set our home on fire, and watched as the flames devoured me and my son. But fate was not done with me. When I opened my eyes, I had returned to the day of the choosing ceremony—the moment that would decide our mates, our fates, and the future ruler of the realm. Only this time… Alice had already climbed into Max’s bed. She had been reborn too. But what she didn’t know was this: Max is not the devoted prince she remembers. He is brutal. Possessive. A beast of blood, not love. And this time, I won't make the same mistake.

Even the coldest heart would soon grow warm if she kept holding on to it. That was what she believed. That was why she became his unloved placeholder of a wife. Unfortunately, all her devotion only led to a heartless divorce. “She’s awake now,” he told her. “Step down and step away, you miserable knock-off.”Then, he left. When he came back, it was because he needed her to do something only an impostor could do: go to jail for his dream girl’s crime. Deirdre McKinnon was condemned to perdition. She lost her baby before it was born. She lost her face to violence. She lost the ability to see. It was two months of a hell-like nightmare. At last, something died inside her heart. Two years later, she found herself another man, but when Brendan Brighthall met her by pure happenstance, a new feeling was born in his heart: jealousy. There were no means too terrible, no scheme too underhanded—not if it meant he’d possess Deirdre’s heart again. And yet, she simply refused to love him anymore.“What do you want me to do, Deirdre McKinnon?! What must I do to go back to the good old days?” His eyes turned red. “I’ll give you everything I have!”“You gave me a copper trinket two years ago. It was a sorry excuse for a wedding ring, and yet I cared for it as though it was the most precious jewel in the world…“But now? Nothing you can give would be even remotely worthwhile. Not even you.”

Tessa and Raymond’s marriage was never about love, it was convenience, appearances, and expectations. Raymond, with his conventional charm and striking handsomeness, was admired by everyone, but his heart was never fully hers. He had always been drawn to Danielle Green. He claimed she was just a friend, but Tessa knew better. Every secret outing, every hidden smile all carved wounds into Tessa’s heart, leaving her feeling invisible in her own marriage. The tipping point comes when Tessa stumbles upon a post online, a wave of public scolding aimed at her for supposedly breaking the home, for being the obstacle to Danielle. In a blaze of frustration and humiliation, she serves Raymond divorce papers. But instead of freeing her, Raymond refuses. He offers her silly, manipulative terms to meet him, seduces, and taunts her, proving he will never let her go easily. Fueled by a mix of rage and determination, Tessa begins to reclaim her power. She finds herself drawn into a complicated dynamic with Derek, Raymond’s best friend, a man with his own history of tension with Raymond and secret feelings for Tessa. The attention stirs something in her: attraction, validation, a hint of revenge. It ignites a spark Raymond cannot ignore. For Raymond, it is only the beginning. The thought of losing her shook him to the core. He begins to fight for her in ways he never has, even as his love twists into jealousy and obsession. When Raymond finally drops the mask, revealing the man beneath the arrogance, the man terrified of losing her, Tessa is forced to ask herself the question she swore she’d buried: Can love truly be reborn in the depth of hate, or is his devotion just another chain designed to keep her bound?

Anne rose: "To burn with the fire of unrequited love and keep hoping for it to be returned one day is the greatest punishment one can bring on oneself." My life took an unexpected twist when I married the enigmatic billionaire, Nicholas Hart. Despite sacrificing my dreams and family for Nicholas, our marriage remains loveless. A glimmer of hope emerged when I discovered that I was pregnant after four years of marriage but a shocking revelation in his office shatters all of my illusion of happiness – his first love has returned after five years, reigniting old flames. Maybe, I was never enough or I was just not her. After four years of endless devotion and love, I realized my husband's heart belongs to another woman, instigating me to make a heartbreaking decision of divorcing him. Nicholas Hart has burned me with the fire of his betrayal and I was nothing but ashes. I made the most reckless decision to leave him– I faked my death to leave the man who refused to leave me even after shattering my heart into tiny unfixable pieces. ….. Nicholas Hart: She was the best thing that ever happened to me and I realized when it was too late. In the end, she became all of my 'I wish' and 'what ifs'. …. Five years later, Anne Rose Swift is living her life as Roseanne De Luca with her son in a foreign country, away from Nicholas' world. An incident causes their worlds to collide again. Will Anne Rose give another chance to her husband? Or will she move on with her new life? Are they still bound by the thread of fate? Or would they cause immeasurable pain to each other's heart again?

On my wedding day, my husband abandoned me to marry his childhood sweetheart, while I was tortured to death. *** Yeah. That was how my first life ended, pathetic. Wasn't it? I was the perfect fiancée: quiet, obedient, hopelessly in love with a man who never loved me back. For three years, I erased myself to become Adrian Whitmore's first love, Isabella Clarke, the woman he truly loved. I cooked for him, fought for him, and even gave up my father's company for him. And what did I get in return? Betrayal. Humiliation. Death. But heaven gave me another chance. I wake up three years earlier, at our engagement party. The same party where Adrian threw our rings into the pool and I—desperate and pathetic—dove in to retrieve them. Not this time. This time, I throw the rings back in his face. I expose his secrets, reclaim my father's empire, and walk away from the man who never deserved me. But Adrian isn't ready to let go. The obedient woman who worshipped him is gone, replaced by someone he can't control or predict. For the first time in his arrogant life, he wants what he can't have—me. Too bad I'm done being anyone's second choice. With a sweet billionaire offering genuine devotion and a dangerous mafia boss promising absolute protection, I finally have options. Meanwhile, Adrian watches helplessly as I become everything he never let me be. In my first life, I died for love. In my second life, everyone who hurt me will pay.

Werewolves and vampires have been at odds for generations, fate brings together two forbidden creatures who seem destined to be together. When the Moonlight pack Alpha king, Davien, comes upon a vampire princess named Hera who is about to die from exposure to the sun, he performs an act of selflessness and saves her life. A strange and powerful bond emerges between them, refusing the hatred that has always existed between their families. Davien's feelings for Hera become noticeable but their growing affection comes along with doubt and opposition from fellow werewolves and vampires.Hera, weighed down by the misery endured by those she loved, fights with her affections for Davien. "I can't seem to forget about the vampire princess that I saved." She has mixed feelings towards the Alpha King because of her boosting affection for him and her undying devotion to her vampire family. Some of the werewolves mistrust Davien's judgment and loyalty, and this causes friction among the pack. At the same time, Hera faces opposition inside her own clan, where an ambitious vampire challenges her right to reign. Hera finds herself in the heart of a violent power battle, and she must decide whether to reclaim control of her vampire clan, or to establish a new path alongside Davien. Meanwhile, Davien has to consider the threats he's ready to accept for the cause of love and peace, in light of the obligations of his leadership.Davien and Hera's love becomes stronger, and they decide to travel together in an effort to end the centuries-long war between the werewolf and vampire communities. Will their love be one of the many casualties of the ongoing conflict, or will they be able to face the challenges ahead and prove that love conquers all?

She was always the shadow. He was always chasing the light. Lavinia Hartwell had learned early that love was rarely for girls like her. She was the quiet one, the overlooked one—always second to her luminous best friend, Verity Langford. Even Henry Wynthorne, the boy whose compassion had unexpectedly caught her heart in high school, only had eyes for Verity. But years change people. Henry’s dreams of studying abroad collapsed with his father’s death. Verity left. Success became his only compass, and alcohol his only escape. And somehow, in the wreckage, there was Lavinia—never demanding, never judging, quietly holding him together in ways he never noticed… until she was gone. When an arranged engagement threatened to give her to him, Henry assumed she was being forced into it and set her free. Lavinia smiled, thanked him—and walked away, taking with her the steady presence he had taken for granted. Only then did Henry begin to notice the ache. The way her absence unsettled him. The way another man’s hand on her waist ignited a heat that was not anger, but something darker, sharper, and dangerously possessive. A single night blurred the lines forever—her lips on his, soft at first, then desperate, as though she’d loved him all her life. Desire flared, undeniable. But in the morning, she was gone again. Now, with Verity back and the past colliding with the present, Henry must face the truth: he no longer loves the woman he once chased. But has he realized too late who truly held his heart all along? Slow-burn, sensual, and laced with aching restraint, this is a story of unspoken devotion, of a man’s reluctant fall, and of the quiet girl who was never anyone’s first choice—until she became the only choice.

Chased by Sorin through neon-lit Vegas, Dawn’s uncontrolled light magic crackles in desperation. She slips past the ward that hides a magical realm and crashes into the Black Pistons motorcycle club’s territory. The club is led by twin alpha dragons, Riku and Rain, who have vowed against mating. Dawn’s arrival ignites an unexpected bond: Riku flirts, teasing her with warmth and guidance, while Rain, the colder brother, distances himself despite an undeniable draw. Offered shelter and protection, Dawn steps into a world of dragonfire and the shadow of a dark wizard who promises safety if she stops running. Rain’s distrust of Dawn’s magic leads him to impose strict rules while Riku encourages her to explore her power. Sorin infiltrates the ward, probing defenses and leaving Dawn shaken. A midnight ride under desert stars ends with an almost-kiss as Riku’s warmth contrasts Rain’s questions that reveal his inner conflict. During a training session Riku teaches her to channel light magic through touch, sparking an intimate moment abruptly interrupted by Sorin’s attack. As dreams twist under Malachar’s promises, Dawn finds herself torn between the twins’ opposing teachings when Rain, rescues her from danger. Jealousy and desire fracture their trio when Dawn admits to a bond with both brothers. Riku’s teasing hides tender devotion, while Rain’s hesitation dissolves as he tends to her wounds with touches. In a moonlit orchard their passion ignites until Rain’s sudden arrival sparks tension. Malachar’s emissary breaches the ward bearing a sigil, forcing the twins and Dawn into battle. Dragonfire and light magic merge in a display of unity that scatters their foe. In the aftermath adrenaline fuels an moment where neither brother claims her outright, their unclaimed bond shimmering with danger and undeniable promise.

Claudia Hepburn had seduced his fiancé, Arthur Maxwell, ninety-nine times. However, he was still into her sister, Fione Hepburn. Not only was he nowhere to be seen on the day of the wedding, but he even went ahead and registered his wedding with Fione instead. Claudia was turned into a laughingstock after that. While she was drowning in despair, Arthur’s brother, Brett Maxwell, showed up and took her into his arms. He confessed that he had been secretly in love with her for ages and beckoned her to turn to him. Enchanted by his devotion, she decided to marry him instead. Even after five years of marriage, Brett still doted on her endlessly. That was until a shipwreck took him away. On the day of the funeral, she was so heartbroken that she felt the urge to smash her head against his coffin to end it all right there. It was only when she found she was pregnant that she gave up on the idea of ending it all. She decided she would live on and grieve her late husband for the rest of her life. Just when she was expecting the rest of her life to play out that way, she happened to eavesdrop on a conversation between her ex-fiancé and his friends. “Brett, your brother was the one who died in that shipwreck, but here you are pretending to be him. Did you do it so you could be together with his wife? Aren’t you worried about someone finding out about this?” “I can't be bothered to worry about all that now, I’ve loved Fione from the beginning. I had to endure so much humiliation and marry Claudia just so I could prevent her from ruining Fione’s happiness. Now that God has given me such a perfect chance, I will not sell myself short anymore!”