POV Floris

Some asshole in a trench coat body-checked me at Schiphol without even a "sorry," and honestly? Perfect fucking metaphor for how this whole Amsterdam adventure was shaping up.

"Sure, no worries," I muttered, wrestling my vindictive suitcase out of a tile crack while passengers flowed around me like I was human furniture. "Love getting steamrolled by strangers. Really sets the mood for international career opportunities."

The airport was chaos in corporate form—gleaming surfaces and people pretending their lives weren't falling apart.

Meanwhile, I stood there looking like a refugee from Silicon Valley's unemployment line: coat three seasons expired, boots that survived an actual flood, hair held together by spite and bobby pins.

Five feet of pure sarcasm wrapped in desperation, amber eyes that had seen too much tech industry bullshit, mouth that couldn't stay shut about it.

Yeah, that's me—Floris Middleton, MIT grad turned persona non grata, desperate enough to flee to a city where people bike in business suits like it's normal and everyone speaks better English than half of America.

Also, apparently, the only goddamn place left that would hire a blacklisted cybersecurity analyst with a history of making Very Important People very, very angry.

“Boss, there’s another package for you.” Liam’s voice is laced with amusement, that damn smirk of his already in place as he strides into my office, cradling a sleek black box wrapped in a blood-red ribbon like it’s a birthday gift. He sets it down on my desk with exaggerated care, and I don’t miss the way he lingers, hovering beside me, shifting from foot to foot like a kid waiting for fireworks. He’s been quietly enjoying this twisted little game. Watching it unfold over the past three years with barely contained glee, like it’s the best show on earth. Maybe it is. I lean forward in my chair, letting a small smile crack my usually cold facade. “Another gift?” I murmur, fingers brushing the ribbon. “So soon. I must’ve been good.”

The last package came just four days ago. Before that, it was a week. Whoever they are, they’ve become bolder, and the gifts are more frequent. The silk ribbon slides free with a tug, falling to the desk in a crimson ripple. I lift the lid slowly, savouring the moment, and peer inside. It’s another pair of severed hands. Pale, mutilated, perfectly placed in the box like some grotesque art installation. One still wears three gaudy gold rings, and that’s confirmation enough that these belonged to the arms dealer from Prague. The one who thought he could skim two million off my last weapons shipment and disappear into the wind. Guess he didn’t make it far. How thoughtful. Liam whistles with his hands on his hips as he leans in to get a better look. “Another problem solved without you having to lift a single finger.” I laugh under my breath. “Efficiency is a rare gift these days.” He snorts. “A little too rare, considering your mystery woman seems to be outpacing our entire crew.” I hum, setting the lid gently back onto the box, careful not to smudge the blood still drying along the inner edge. “Take it to the freezer with the others.” Liam raises a brow. “You sure you want to keep collecting them, boss? It’s getting a little… Silence of the Lambs downstairs.” I shrug, leaning back in my chair. “They’re gifts. You don’t throw away gifts.” Liam laughs, shaking his head as he picks up the box and turns toward the door. “One of these days, she’s going to walk in here with a ribbon around herself, and you’ll finally get to thank her in person.”

Chapter 1 New Realities

Alex

The entire world imploded in the blink of an eye. A virus so deadly that it decimated the entire population so quickly there wasn’t a chance to even think of creating a cure. The majority of the scientists and epidemiologists were just as dead as everyone else.

Those who survived were changed irrevocably in many ways. They had to watch most if not all of their families and friends die, and the virus did not leave them untouched.

Absolutely every survivor was affected. They were grouped into two categories, the immune, and the altered. The immune system is self-explanatory, but they experienced no other side effects.

The altered had key elements of their DNA changed by the virus. They became longer lived, healthier, and faster to heal, and a major development was the Alpha Gene.

The alpha gene change only affected males, but their testosterone and other aggressive hormone levels went through the roof. At the beginning, these men were wild and savage, but over time the effects seemed to either lessen or they became more adept at the changes.

This was now so many years ago that the only version we have of all the events is through history books. So, who knows how accurate everything truly is. They termed it an “Ending Event” as in a way the world ended.

Of course with so much of the population gone, all of the normal everyday luxuries of life, like electricity, running water, and sanitation, all crumbled. It took the survivors decades to build back any semblance of the world they had known before.

Birth rates plummeted in the harsh new reality that was the world, and even as society tried to repair itself, they continued to fall. Now altered females hardly ever have children, or if they are blessed they may be able to have 1, and on extremely rare occurrences 2 children in their very long life.

Immune females have a greater chance of having children, but male babies are the norm, and female babies are only 1 in 50 births. This has caused a lot of problems as you might guess.

To try and help boost back numbers the society has become polyamorous, or one female with several male partners or “mates” as the terminology developed. If a woman tries to get away with only one partner, she can expect serious shunning from society at large.

On the opposite spectrum, women who end up with more partners are praised for their efforts to boost the population.

Chapter 1

Eileen

The roar of the crowd hit me like a physical wave as I pressed myself further into the corner of the weathered stone bleachers. My fingers twisted the fabric of my skirt until my knuckles went white. Down in the training arena, two wolves circled each other under the climbing sun, their forms blurred by the dust their paws kicked up with each calculated step.

I shouldn't be here. Treatment track students rarely attended the Warrior division exhibitions, and when they did, they certainly didn't sit alone in the nosebleed section like some pathetic stalker. But I couldn't help it. I never could, not when it came to Derek Ashford.

The deep brown wolf—some third-year whose name I'd never bothered to learn—lunged with a vicious snarl that made the crowd gasp. Derek's gray-brown form twisted mid-air, but not fast enough. The impact sent him crashing into the packed earth with a bone-rattling thud that I felt in my chest.

No. My nails dug crescents into my palms. Get up. Please get up.

"He's done for!" someone shouted from the rows below. "Two matches back-to-back, he's got nothing left!"

"Just yield, Derek!" another voice called. "Don't be stupid!"

But Derek had never yielded. Not in the year I'd watched him from the shadows, memorizing every victory like they were scripture. Twenty wins, with matches only twice a month. Top five in his cohort now. I knew his record better than my own grades, could recite his tournament brackets like the healing herbs I studied until my eyes burned.

The brown wolf pressed his advantage, massive paw slamming down toward Derek's exposed throat. The stands erupted in screams. My heart stopped.

Then Derek moved.

Camille's POV

A rush of excitement rises within me as I head down the stairs. I try to keep it in check, unwilling to spoil the surprise I've arranged for later. A smile spreads across my face the moment I walk into the kitchen and spot my attractive husband at the stove preparing breakfast. The scent of bacon, which would usually make my mouth water, instead sends a wave of nausea through me. I quickly reach for my glass of orange juice on the table and nearly finish it in a single gulp.

"Thirsty, babe?" Abbott asks.

"I am. What are your plans today?" A flicker passes through his eyes, but it disappears just as fast. He steps closer until he stands directly in front of me, slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him. "I've got a meeting with a new client, but I promise I'll be home on time," he says. He's been putting in long hours these past few months, but I understand how much his career matters to him. His dedication has given me the freedom to chase my writing dream, so complaining has never crossed my mind.

"I'm glad you'll be home because I've got a surprise for you tonight."

Chapter 1 Somebody Please Save Me

"Dig it! Dig it out! Come on, give me that beast core!"

F-268, Astralis Forest.

The pond shimmered like glass under the afternoon sun. A female dressed in a combat suit stood atop a beast as large as a semi-truck, her 6.5-foot-long blade crackling with blue lightning. With one hard swing, the steel sliced straight into its skull, sending sparks flying.

"Ha! Rank 4 beast core!" she shouted, voice echoing across the trees.

Her grin was wild. "I'm rich. I'm freaking rich! Just one more of these babies and I can walk away with nine smoking hot mates."

She hopped down from the beast's head, her sword still buzzing with static. One of the creature's massive fangs hit the dirt with a heavy thud.

Emma Tibarn still recalled her first day in this world. Five years had passed, but it stuck with her like a bad dream.

Chapter 1 The Countdown Ends

By pure accident, I traveled back to three days before the apocalypse countdown ended.

I traded away all my survival supplies for unwanted shovels and chainsaws.

Everyone thought I was preparing to die.

Only I knew the truth.

Three days later, all humanity would be forcibly transported into a doomsday survival game where every stored resource would vanish instantly.

Only tools could save your life.

……

2027

The moment the apocalypse countdown hit zero, a chime rang directly in Riley Carter's skull.

"Welcome to the Extreme Cold Survival Game.

"Earth no longer exists. This is your new home. This is your grave.

"Survival rules are as follows.

"1. Each player begins with one campfire. It is your only defense against the cold. If the campfire dies, you will be judged deceased by the system. Not that it matters—without the fire, you won't last anyway.

"2. This is a real world. You can die from hunger. From exposure. From animal attack.

"3. Supplies stockpiled in your previous world do not carry over. Only items on your person, or in direct physical contact at the moment of transfer, are retained.

"4. Struggle to survive. It is your only hope."

Riley's heart slammed against her ribs.

Supplies didn't carry over?

She looked down at herself.

Workwear. Intact.

And—

She was still sitting on the three giant toolboxes.

They sat solidly in the snow, dusted with powder, unmistakably here.

"Whew." Riley let out a long breath. A white cloud dispersed in front of her face.

Pity, though. During her renovations, she'd stocked those boxes with a lot of power tools. The expensive impact driver. The reciprocating saw. In a world with no electrical outlets, once those batteries died, they were just dead weight.

But even so. The hand tools. The consumables. The sheer volume of stuff in those boxes—it was a treasure beyond measure in a place like this.

Riley forced herself to calm down. She was here. She'd deal with it.

Chapter 1 A Different Kind Of Rebirth

Splash—

A bucket of ice-cold water crashed over Wynne Sinclair's head.

The shock ripped her awake.

She sucked in a sharp breath, vision swimming, a dull ache pounding behind her eyes. Blinking hard, she lifted her head—and froze.

"Boss, she's awake."

The voice came from somewhere ahead.

An abandoned warehouse. Dim light. Dust in the air.

And a handful of thick-built men who looked like trouble even on a good day—now staring at her with cold, predatory eyes.

"If you've got someone to blame, blame your bad luck. Once we get paid, we'll take care of both of you," one of them sneered.

Then the guy waved his hand lazily and led the others outside to smoke and play cards.

Both?

Wynne turned her head.

That's when she saw him.

A little boy—four, maybe five—tied up beside her. Soft cheeks, tear-streaked face, mouth sealed with tape. His eyes were huge, glistening with fear, tears slipping down one after another like broken beads.

He looked at her like she was his last chance.

Wynne exhaled slowly.

Great.

Out of everything that could've gone wrong, she'd woken up to this.

Kidnapped.

And—

Her mind went blank.

Nothing. Not a single memory.

She knew her name—Wynne Sinclair. She knew, instinctively, that she was sharp, dangerous, not someone to mess with.

Everything else?

Chapter 1

On our fifth wedding anniversary, the first thing I got wasn’t a gift. It was a video.

My husband, Hudson Hayes, was in some expensive hotel room, laughing and sleeping with another woman like I didn’t even exist. And it wasn’t just any woman. It was Amber Fenwick, his first love.

I watched the whole thing without blinking while waiting for him at the restaurant. I just sat there, ate my food, and smiled.

When I got home, I didn’t cry either. I picked up my phone and called my lawyer.

“Attorney, I sent you the divorce papers. The one Hudson and I signed on our wedding day five years ago. Did you see anything wrong with it?”

I stood by the window when I said it, staring at my own reflection instead of the city outside. My fingers kept rubbing the edge of my phone like I was trying to peel something off it. Maybe I was just trying to feel something.

“Ms. Hereford, I’ve reviewed everything,” the lawyer said, calm and distant. “There’s no issue. You’ve got one month left before the five year term ends. Once it’s up, the agreement takes effect automatically. You can go down to the county clerk’s office and file for the divorce.”

Summer had settled heavily over Veridia. Even after midnight, the heat lingered in the air, and mosquitoes buzzed relentlessly outside the cracked window.

Cecelia Archer was asleep in the small storage room she shared with her daughter. She had only just drifted off when a frightened voice shattered the silence.

"My ears hurt..."

"Mommy... she's pinching my ears..."

"No... I'm not a burden..."

Cecelia's eyes flew open. For a moment, she lay frozen in the darkness. Then she turned toward the tiny figure curled up beside her.

Candy was still asleep.

The little girl tossed restlessly beneath the thin blanket, her brows knitted together as tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

Cecelia's chest tightened painfully.

Ever since her promotion, work had become overwhelming. Most days, she left Candy in her sister-in-law's care while she worked overtime.

She had trusted her family.

Never—not once—had she imagined her daughter was being treated this way behind her back.

The child was having nightmares about it.

How much had Candy endured without telling her?

Trapped in a fire, Talia watches her Alpha husband run past her to save his first love—never noticing his own mate is dying three feet away. After five years of being invisible, she finally severs their bond and walks away. What he never knew: she was the once-in-a-century pianist who gave up everything for him—and the one who saved his life years ago. Now she's reclaiming her name, her music, and her freedom. And the Alpha who looked right through his Luna is about to spend forever regretting it.

Raven’s POV

You never really know what life has in store for you. One minute you can be with your family celebrating a remarkable moment in your life, and the next minute poof, everything you ever knew can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. The next minute, you find yourself in a juvenile metal institution, as flashbacks of the day you lost everything are triggered by the smallest of things.

Honestly, I don’t remember exactly how it happened. I just remember the aftermath of being pulled from the car, as my eyes opened just in time to see my parents both deceased in the front seat. My own screams are what haunt me to this day, as I remember watching the firefighters quickly moving to cover the wreckage with a tarp after pulling me out, as if they were trying to protect me, but they were too late, and the damage was already done.

Now I found myself at a crossroads, and if I wanted out of this place, I knew I was going to have to outsmart the prestigious shrink that was assigned to me. Even though I was far from overcoming the trauma that I had borne that day, I knew if I stayed in this place any longer, I was going to truly lose my mind.

“So, your nightmares have stopped, and I have reports that there haven’t been any incidents in the past week since I last saw you. I think that between your weekly sessions with me and the medication, we have finally gotten a hold of this, and the good news is, we were finally able to find a living relative to release you to.” The wonderful shrink said to me, and I knew that they must have finally tracked down my grandmother.

She was the only living relative that I had, but I had only met her once, when I was a child. My mother would, from time to time, call her, and I would speak to her over the phone, but other than that, she was a total stranger to me. But right now, anything was better than being in here, at least that was what I thought.

As the uber driver enters the town of Beaumont, I begin to realize why my mother had left here so many years ago, and had never looked back, as I couldn’t imagine living in this god forsaken town my whole life. It was a far cry from California, and it was going to take some major getting used to, but I kept telling myself it was only going to be for the next eight months. After that, I was out of here, and back to California, where I belonged.

“Miss, are you sure you have the right address?” The uber driver now asks me, as he brings the car to a halt, along a back road surrounded by complete wilderness.

Pulling my phone out, I looked at the address I had saved in my notes, and it was the same address I had given him. I was just about to tell him that I would call my grandmother for the right address, when I realized that I had no service.

Chapter 1

ROMANY

The red and pink lights of the club pulsed vibrantly from every surface of the nightclub. Flashing and dancing in time with the base of the hard hitting rock ballad remix that blasted through the giant speakers. I was seated in the very back. In the lonesome of a forgotten table watching the sea of sweating ravers as they gyrated across the floor.

My mind was a mess. Had been since that afternoon when my entire fucked up life took a detour out of hell and straight into oblivion. Now I was sitting there, waiting for my cousin Ruby. Hoping that somehow she might be able to shed a little sunshine on the black pit of my existence.

Taking a deep breath, I reached for my Long Island Iced Tea and lifted the straw to my lips, the quick pants of my breath steaming the chilled glass as I drew in a mouthful of barely flavored alcohol. “Shit,” I choked out. The bartender at this place obviously knows the value of a drunken dollar. He didn’t skip on the sauce at all.

Lifting my eyes toward the dance floor again, I scanned the throng of half naked patrons for my cousin. She said eight o’clock. It’s nine. Where in the fuck is she?

Pulling out my phone, I text her again.

POV Jocelyn

“Shit, shit, SHIT—”

The words tear from my throat like a battle cry. My heel catches the elevator threshold like it’s personally offended by my existence.

I’m airborne for exactly two seconds. Papers explode from my death grip like the world’s saddest confetti. My coffee launches across pristine marble flooring that probably costs more per square foot than I make in a month.

My dignity? Already dead and buried six feet under.

I hit that floor like a meteor strike, and somewhere in the distance, I swear I hear the universe laughing.

“Smooth, Jocelyn. Real fucking smooth.”

I’m scrambling on hands and knees, chasing scattered documents across marble that’s so polished I can see my own mortified expression reflected back at me.

This is it. This is how I lose the only job that could save Mia’s life—face-first on the 43rd floor of some corporate palace that screams money and intimidation from every surface.

ISADORA

I didn't plan on attending the first hockey game of the season, mostly because of how chaotic they usually were, but my roommate got us front-row tickets, and on top of that, I heard that my half-brother, Justin, was giving the team a hard time during practice, so I had to show up to witness his humiliation firsthand. 

And boy, is he messing things up. 

I shake my head right when everyone in the crowd boos. He's just missed another goal and the other team is way ahead. He's costing everyone the game, and honestly? I'm not mad at all. Screw him. He deserves to lose and be humiliated in front of the entire student body. Hell, I won't even mention the guests and the reporters. 

He puts me through hell for much less.

Rodonia, my roommate, hits my arms softly with her elbow and says, "Your brother kinda sucks. The other guys definitely weren't lying about that."

I laugh. Why's he still on the team if he's this bad?  "Yeah, I guess so."

Rodonia gives me a weird look that makes me wonder what I did wrong, and asks me, "Shouldn't you feel bad for him or something?"

I press my lips together and look away. Rodonia doesn't know anything about our relationship, so of course she finds it strange that I laughed when I should be feeling awful. And the truth? 

Justin and I can't stand each other. 

I get it—he doesn't have to like me. We're the same age because our jerk of a father went ahead and had an affair with the family's babysitter, my mom, and got her pregnant with me. 

WILLOW

Violet and I are returning from cheerleading practice when I decide to stop at the frat house.

“Just for a minute,” I hooked my arm around my best friend’s, tugging her into the Omega house. “I left my economics notebook at Theo’s last night and want to get it back.”

“Right.” Violet rolls her eyes, not believing me for one second. “You and I both know you’re dying to make out with your boyfriend. Just, hurry up. Try not to leave me hanging for too long.”

Violet waits in the foyer. The hockey frat house usually comes alive at night. In the mornings, it mainly comprises of girls doing the walk of shame and guys dragging their feet towards the kitchen for coffee.

I bound up the stairs, excitement blossoming in my chest at the thought of seeing my boyfriend. I’d been unable to attend last night’s party because I had to study for a test. After the test; there was cheerleading practice. The entire time, I’d been missing my boyfriend.

Now, I’m here.

I push the door open, expecting to see him playing call of duty. But he isn’t playing call of duty.

Right there, on the mattress, is Theo, ramming his cock into some blonde chick’s pussy. Her back view looks familiar. The sound of the door opening causes Theo to pause. When he sees who’s standing there, he yelps and pushes the blonde off his dick. She squirms, hitting the mattress quite roughly.

Steven Fisher had spent decades desperately clinging to life, dragging himself through one miserable day after another, but in that final moment, death felt like freedom. An honor.
During the Battle of the Fallen Eternals, the breathtakingly brilliant Ember Eternal, Bianca White, bloomed like a flower at the end of the world.
She shattered all ten Divine Sigils within herself and perished alongside the apocalypse beast.
Steven was caught in the blast and annihilated with everything else, but he died without regret.
That was the final scene Steven saw before calmly accepting death.
...
Aethercrest Awakened High.
The sun was sinking toward the horizon as school let out, cicadas screaming nonstop in the summer heat.
On the athletic field, the campus belle, Lilliana Crowe, stood gracefully in a floral dress, delicate as a blooming white flower. Her curves were impossible to ignore, and those long pale legs drew endless stares from the boys around her.
She looked at Steven holding a bouquet of flowers with complete indifference, still maintaining her untouchable goddess persona.
Students had already crowded around to watch the drama unfold.
"Lilliana is insanely hot!"
"Man, this guy really won't give up till he hits rock bottom. I'm honestly impressed by the courage."
"Seriously, has he looked in a mirror? You think Lilliana would ever date him? How many confessions has this been already?"
"Honestly, Steven is pretty handsome, and they're classmates. They hang out a lot too. Maybe he actually has a chance?"
"No way. Lilliana's definitely not dating anyone before Divine Awakening."
"Exactly. A girl like her is obviously going to choose someone who awakens at least an A-rank Divine Sigil."
...
Chaotic chatter echoed all around him.
Steven suddenly opened his eyes and sucked in several sharp breaths.
He stared blankly at his surroundings.
I'm at... a school?
Wasn't I supposed to have died in the explosion when Ember Eternal blew up her Divine Sigils?
I actually survived?
The scene in front of him felt painfully familiar.
This was when he confessed to Lilliana back in high school at 18.
I've been reborn?
Time has reversed?

[Welcome to the Aethelgard Survival Realm!

[Novice Zone population: 100,000 Players. Deployment complete.

[Stockpile! Level up! Create! Stand against natural disasters and fight for every chance at survival. Gather resources and forge your path to godhood!

[Player deployment confirmed. Loading Novice Protection... Starter Tools delivered. Please collect!

[Novice Protection duration: 15 days.]

*****

Chloe Bennett opened her eyes to a wall of floating text and a translucent screen that looked straight out of a video game. The chat feed was already scrolling faster than she could read.

Amelia’s POV

I never thought I’d run away from my own Pack, but here I was—alone on a train, heading somewhere I hoped they’d never find me.

The train jolted forward, and the world outside started to blur. Trees, roads, and buildings flashed past the windows, but I didn’t care. All I wanted was to get as far away from that place as possible—and never go back.

I sat alone in a corner compartment, curled into the faded red velvet of the seat, trying not to think about everything that had happened.

I used to believe that if I tried hard enough, my father might see me as more than just a useless Omega. But that hope shattered the moment I overheard him planning to sell me off like I was nothing.

I found out by accident. A week ago, I'd been heading down to the kitchen for water in the middle of the night and heard them talking.

NEVEAH

“It’s just another year, you can do this.” I whispered to myself as I walked past the large gates that led into Frostmoor High, the most prestigious academy for wolves of high status.

I tried to keep my head down and go unnoticed as I walked up the stairs leading into the building, struggling to blend it so badly so the students scattered around wouldn’t notice me.

I could only imagine the kind of horrible pranks my school mates had planned to make my life miserable because as long as I could remember, everyone in Frostmoor High picked on the weak omega girl the school had admitted as a charity outreach to other packs.

“Four eyed weakling”, “Ugly duckling”, “School’s charity case”, those were the names most people called me here in Frostmoor High and today was the first day of another school year.

“Oh My Goodness! Kael’s here!” I heard one of the girls shriek as a black sleek limo pulled up in front of the school building and the girls, giggling wildly, rushed to surround it.

My entire body tensed up as my grip on my bag tightened, on impulse, I rushed inside as fast as my legs could handle and didn’t stop running until I was in front of my locker.

I knew exactly who Kael was and he was someone I was determined to do everything to avoid.

“Get to class, keep your head down and run back as soon as school is over.” I rehearsed my plan out loud over and over again.