Why Did My Dream Feel So Real

I didn’t marry him for love. I married Ethan Blake because my brother was dying, and he needed a wife to secure his inheritance. It was supposed to be a simple deal—one year. No feelings. No expectations. On our wedding night, he didn’t touch me. Didn’t even pretend to try. “You are not her,” Ethan said quietly, adjusting his cufflinks like I wasn’t even worth looking at. I told myself I could survive that. I told myself I wouldn’t fall for a man who was still holding onto someone else. But living in Ethan Blake’s world was a different kind of loneliness. Because he didn’t love me, yet, he watched me when I wasn’t looking and kept his distance. Yet, no one else was allowed to get close to me. And slowly, against my better judgment… I started hoping. Hoping that one day, he would see me. I was wrong. The day she came back, everything changed. The woman he had been waiting for. The woman I was meant to replace. In front of everyone, Ethan didn’t hesitate. He chose her. And in that moment, something inside me broke so quietly that no one noticed except me. So I left. No goodbye. No explanation. Just gone. I thought that would be the end of it. Until Ethan Blake came back into my life, like losing me was the one thing he couldn’t afford. But I’m not the same woman he married. And this time? He’s the one chasing He’s the one breaking while I decide if he deserves a second chance—or if I should finally choose myself.

Before the wedding, Alpha Kevin’s first love, Sandra Barlow, was betrothed to none other than David Wright—the most infamous rogue Alpha along the Mississippi River. A wolf so ruthless, even the werewolf Council preferred to pretend he didn’t exist. Alpha Kevin, ever the noble hero, couldn't bear to see his precious white moonlight thrown into the fire pit. So, what did he do? With the werewolf army of the Midnight Ridge Pack, he stormed into the rogue den and snatched her away from Alpha David. That very night, they registered their marriage and held a wedding. And me? Oh, the entire Midnight Ridge Pack was practically at the thought of watching Gamma Diana Gilbert—the strongest female warrior in the pack—get humiliated. After all, my years of loyalty, my unmatched skills, my blood spilled for this pack? Worthless. Why? Because their beloved Alpha had chosen another. I braced myself for the whispers, the pitying glances. But then— The very next day, Alpha David, the same rogue who’d been so cruelly robbed of his mate, climbed onto my villa’s security wall like a damn cat burglar. He perched there, arms crossed, watching me with an infuriatingly lazy smirk. “Wife pays for her husband’s debt,” he drawled, his voice carrying the rough edge of a wolf who lived lawless and free. “Alpha Kevin stole my mate. So I figured—you should compensate me by becoming my rogue Luna.” He grinned, canines flashing. “ That’s fair, isn’t it?” I nodded. “Fair.”

At the New Year's Eve dinner, my mom suddenly assigns some rules to me and my siblings. She claims that those who don't fit the criteria aren't allowed to eat at the table. Rule number one: One must have spent at least 50% of their time keeping Mom company at home last year. Rule number two: One must have gone shopping with Mom all the time. Rule number three: One must keep giving Mom allowance. But it appears that I, the oldest sibling, am the only one who doesn't meet the requirements. My little sister, Chelsea Cage, begins acting coquettish immediately. "All Cassidy cares about is her business, unlike me, Mom! I care about you!" Meanwhile, my younger brother, Cameron Cage, lectures me with a frown, "What's the point of you being able to earn more money than average people? No matter how good a breadwinner you are, the fact that you don't care about Mom completely nullifies it!" My mom tells my siblings to sit around her happily. Then, she criticizes me in a sarcastic tone. "As parents, when we become old, what we need is our children's company, not cold hard cash." I'm pissed off, to say the least. I'm the breadwinner of this family, and yet these freeloaders get to put on airs in front of me. The reason why I don't go shopping with my mom is that she's never satisfied with whatever gifts I've picked out for her during the times I did go out with her. That's why I gave her money straight away. I didn't give my mom any allowance at all because all the money is regularly deposited into the supplementary card, which she has. Since my long-term efforts are worth nothing compared to my siblings' sweet talk, I suppose I can quit being the ATM of this family.

At the farewell banquet hosted for my wife, Lorraine Ford, who will be getting assigned into a military unit soon, Lieutenant Chester Johnson speaks up in a sarcastic manner. "You really are generous, Hunter. Commander Ford has already given away your transfer slot in the military to her stepbrother, and yet you're still throwing this banquet for her." I find his words ridiculous, to say the least. "That's impossible! My wife hates pulling strings to make things easier! In the past, she didn't even give me the youth transfer slot even though she had one!" Chester sounds more enthusiastic now. "I've personally read the approval report. Commander Ford has already listed Rowan Langley under the family column! Don't you know that she has already taken him in as her younger stepbrother?" I feel as though lightning has struck me on the spot. Then, I turn to look at my parents and Lorraine, who look quite guilty. My parents quickly grab me by the hand. "Rowan comes from a poor background, not to mention he's a widower, too. If he continues staying in this village, he'll be the subject of everyone's gossip for the rest of his life. "Hunter, you're Lorraine's actual husband, so you must be more gracious toward him." At that moment, I feel sharp pain coming from my heart. Fine. I'll be gracious, as per their request. This time, I'll personally give Lorraine away to her beloved Rowan.

On the night of our wedding, my husband told me he wanted to have a child with his teacher’s daughter. When I confronted him, he turned it back on me. “Teacher is seriously ill, and her only wish is to see three generations under one roof. My junior and I are just doing IVF. It’s not like anything is actually happening between us!” “Besides, you were also her student. How could you refuse to help fulfill her last wish?” However, the next day, when I went to visit our teacher with a fruit basket, I saw my husband and his junior locked in an embrace at the corner of the hallway. The moment was like a bolt of lightning. I turned and walked away. The following day, my husband sent me a text: [I’m going with her for the IVF. Let’s postpone the family gathering for a few days.] I did not reply. Instead, I went back to my hometown alone, visiting each of my relatives to personally apologize. Then, I went to a lawyer. “I’d like to sue my husband for bigamy.”

I push through my Gamma warrior training ahead of schedule just to get back to the pack sooner. All I want is to stand beside my Alpha, Kyle Faucher, and finally complete our mate-bonding ceremony. But when I step into our house, scarred and feeling hopeful, I see 100 old boarding passes to the Darkmoon pack littering the floor. That pack is only a mile from my training grounds. Kyle's been that close for two years, and still, he never came. I sprint to the place where we were supposed to have our mate-bonding ceremony, clinging to the desperate hope that there's an explanation. But the moment I burst through the doors, I stopped cold. Kyle is down on one knee, dressed in a tailored suit, his eyes locked on someone with a softness I've never seen in him before. Standing across from him, smiling through her tears, is my stepsister, Vivian Blackwell. "Vivian, I haven't completed the mate-bonding ceremony with Serene. Say the word, and I'll reject her and mark you right now." At that moment, the world goes still, and I even forgot how to breathe. So this is what he's been doing while I was gone, chasing the woman he never let go of. Meanwhile, I spent those two years giving everything I had, trying to become someone worthy of standing by his side. I don't ask why or shed a tear. I just turn around and walk away. If she's what he wants, then so be it. The mate-bonding ceremony I dreamed of will be theirs instead. But the second I'm gone, he loses it and sends every warrior looking for me.

On the eve of the SATs, Sasha Lane’s diary got leaked. Every private thought she had ever hidden about her uncle, Gabriel Quinn, was dragged into the open. Humiliated. Picked apart in public. She was forced to give up the exam. Sent overseas like an exile. After that, she was branded shameless, trashy, and completely out of line. Those accusations followed her everywhere. Years passed. No matter how hard she worked, she could never shake the weight of that judgment. Even after getting into a top global university. Even after becoming a rising star in pharmaceutical research. In the end, they still pushed her toward a stable civil service job, like none of her accomplishments meant a thing. Then came the scandal. A rumor about an illegitimate child exploded overnight. For the sake of his reputation and future, Gabriel forced her into a marriage with the most powerful heir in the city, Sebastian York. Gabriel told her, “Sebastian isn’t interested in you. He only agreed to a fake marriage to deal with his family. Once things calm down, you’ll divorce.” That was the moment her heart finally went cold. She didn’t owe him anything anymore. At City Hall, Sebastian York, a man infamous for his ruthless reputation, handed Sasha his medical report. “Everything checks out. No problem consummating the marriage.” Sasha looked him over, then shrugged. “Fine. You’re this good-looking. I’m not exactly losing out.” Sasha thought Sebastian wasn’t interested in her. She was wrong. After they got married, all it took was one extra look, and something in him snapped. He treated her like his wife in public. In private, he was anything but restrained. Every touch was slow, deliberate, and dangerously tempting. He knew exactly how to get under her skin. Knew exactly how to pull her in. Before she realized what was happening, she was already in too deep. Later, Sasha posted her pregnancy update on social media. Gabriel dropped his speech mid-event and walked out without a word. He drove through a storm just to find her. Soaked to the bone, he blurted out, his voice shaking. “Sasha… divorce him. Come home with me.” Back when she loved him, he didn’t care. Now that he finally wanted her, she had nothing left to give. On the other side of a closed door, Sebastian had her pinned against him, his hand locked around her waist as he kissed her until she could barely breathe. His palm slid over her stomach, his voice low and rough, coaxing. “Be good. Let him hear you.” She was the woman he had fought to claim. And anyone who thought they could take her away? Dream on!

Sold to Alpha Kane as his bride in exchange for war supplies, Violet has no family to run to after he rejects her on the eve of their Wedding. He called her a whore and incompetent because she was no longer a virgin. But she had an encounter with a wolf under the auspicious red moon in the night sky. Now that she's claimed this alpha wolf at the border, they both do not know that this action would bring them closest to each other than they could ever imagine. And the mind-blowing sex in wolf form is about to change Violet's fate from being bullied to accepted and recognized by her unique Alpha blood.

Jessica has just landed her dream job and sold the film rights to her novels. Then she stumbles across an online post from her closest friend, Linda, asking strangers how to ruin her life. When Linda tries to sabotage Jessica's career, expose her pen name, steal her boyfriend, and destroy her author account, Jessica quietly gathers every piece of evidence and turns Linda's own schemes against her. By the time Linda realizes she has been caught, Jessica is ready to send her former best friend to prison and take back everything she earned.

Silas Grant and I are renowned in our social circle for being a loving couple. However, a month before our wedding, he calls everything off. He wants to marry the poor student that my parents have been sponsoring. I demand an explanation. He says to me, "Vivian will have to marry that cripple if I don't marry her. You're the kindest person I know, Serena. I'm sure you can understand why I'm doing this." "Fine, then," I say. Silas leans down to kiss my cheek. He holds me happily and says, "I knew you'd agree to this. Don't worry, okay? I'll divorce her once this matter is settled." I push him away lightly and wipe his saliva from my cheek. Then, I pull out an invitation from my pocket. He takes it. His smile freezes when he sees the names on the invitation.