Chapter 1: Woke Up in a Dreamlike Reality

The kind of life she led was devastating.

Can it even be called life?

When the world was torn apart inside out, and zombies ran rampant in every corner of the Earth, it would be a miracle for someone to even live this long.

 

***

 

Crunch

 

A woman trudged along the ground floor of an abandoned parking lot inside a building. Behind her back, a bag, carrying what was left of her supplies, slightly swayed as she moved. Her direction was the old truck that made a lot of noise—one she had been using since she got separated from her team.

 

It wasn't the most ideal form of transportation since it attracted a lot of zombies. But she had no choice, since it was the only one working. Other cars had already been taken or torn apart for their batteries and gases.

 

She shoved the bag into the truck, got inside, inserted the car keys in one fluid motion, and quickly left the parking lot.

 

The outside was even worse to look at.

 

The touch of what could resemble life was stripped away. Bloodstains that had long turned into brown smudges, bodies that hadn't mutated into zombies but rotted away, littered the road. Cars blown and abandoned were everywhere.

 

Of course, zombies, who are now the main citizens of this ruined world, were around as well. They aimlessly wandered, not knowing when a new foolish human prey would end in their midst.

 1

As a human, she should've been afraid. Run and hide from them.

 

But…

 

She looked down at her bandaged arm. Blood was already seeping through. Wrapping a new one around the wound was impossible. Not with what was left of her supplies.

 

Besides, what was the point?

 

Outside the wrapped bandage, ghastly blue marks branched out across her arms, climbing to her shoulders, chest, and neck. She looked in the rearview mirror.

 

Her left eye had long lost its use. The eye no longer resembled a human's eye, lacking a distinct sclera and filled with hollow darkness. The only feature left was her pupil, which had turned bright red. Marks resembling the ones on her arms have also started to show on half of her face.

 

She was mutating.

 

Ah, life was good.

 

At least, before she died and became a zombie, she could read the novel she had been dying to get her hands on. It was her only form of escape from the harsh reality of the apocalypse.

 

As she drove down the street, the sound of the car attracted several zombies. But she didn't stop, accelerating her speed as if nothing else mattered.

 

"Grrr."

 

"GRRR!!!"

 

From inside the car, she could hear them growling. Prolonged hunger made them sensitive and violent.

 

"Come on, you motherfuckers."

 

She smiled as she sped up once more.

 

"Catch me if you can."

 

And then—

 

A small form stood in the middle of the road.

 

It was a zombie child.

 

It shouldn't affect her seeing a zombie appear before her. Especially, a child wasn't a rare sight either. It was the harsh reality of this world. No one was safe from total destruction when the apocalypse arrived. 

 

But pain ripped through her the moment she caught sight of it. The child faced the truck with unfocused red eyes. Jaw dribbling in drool and snarling ahead. What was left of that face barely resembled what she could remember. 

 

Startled by the sudden appearance of this zombie child, her foot involuntarily pressed hard on the brakes—and froze.

 

Her heart dropped.

 

Do it. Her mind screamed inside, telling her to ram the truck into that small form.

 

Even so, she couldn't do it.

 

Instead, tears ran down her face. Her lips curling into an ugly, pained smile. 

 

"Let's go, little brother."

 

CRASH!

 

Yet, she still couldn't bring herself to harm the child.

 

She missed the form before she could hit it, swerving to the other side and ramming against the wall. The impact hit like a bomb. She was thrown forward like a rag doll. Her body collided against the concrete wall like an egg against rock.

 

Agony erupted through every inch of her body. She couldn't tell which part hurt the most—it all just hurt.

 

Is this my… end?

 

The thought scared her.

 

At the same time, it gave her some relief.

 

She tried to look out, just to get one last glimpse of that small form she saw just now. Once more. Let me see you one last time.

 

She fought to stay awake, clinging to the pain to keep her eyes open. But it was no use. Darkness swallowed everything before she could see her little brother one last time.

 

And then—

 

She woke up.

 1

Facing a strange ceiling with bright lights and the smell of sterile chemicals didn't register immediately. Blinking, she moved her eyes around. This was clearly a hospital room. And she was lying in a hospital bed.

 

But she could've sworn she'd died. The crash might have been the reason, but if the mutation moved faster than the death caused by that crash, she would've been roaming around or trapped inside the car as a zombie.

 

Not lying in a clean-looking hospital room.

 

Is this a dream?

 

But something was definitely off.

 

If she pinches her arm, she might wake up. She did just that and jolted with pain.

 

"..."

 

"Maybe it wasn't enough?"

 

Pinching might not be sufficient. Could it be that she had to jump from the window and see if she wakes up from it?

 1

She turned her head to the window; the wind was blowing through the white curtain. It was open and big enough for a person to crouch out into.

 

Testing her theory, she walked to the side of the window. It was slightly higher than she thought. She was already taller than most girls. How high can this window be?

 

Dragging a chair beneath the window, she climbed on top of it and grasped the windowsill.

 

Half of her body was already halfway out of the window when a sound came from inside the room.

 

'Clattering'.

 

She turned her head, poking out of the window to look inside. A woman in a nurse's uniform stared at her in a horrified manner, jaws pried wide open.

 

"Miss Aisha! What are you doing?!"

 

The nurse's face broke into panic, shocked and horrified by the scene before her.

 

Annoyed by the patient, the nurse said, "Step away from the window and get back inside. This performance should end now!"

 1

But the woman halfway out of the window glanced at her with a disinterested look. She poked a leg out, leaving only one leg to step on the stool.

 

By the time the nurse finally reacted, she was already tilting her body downward.

 

That foolish bravery and indifference shocked the nurse. This was not a joke. She truly wants to jump!

 

Looking out the window, the scene mesmerized her before her. A clear, bright sky. Streets were filled with people, no zombies roaming around, and the miasma that had lingered in the air was not there.

 

It'd be nice if this were real.

 

"Oh, well, time to wake up."

 

Chapter 1

There are three surefire ways to ruin your life when you're twenty-four. The first is to go into debt. The second is to lie. And the third, by far the most lethal, is to fall in love with your billionaire boss, sleep with him on his mahogany desk, and discover you're pregnant right after he makes it clear that he will never, ever acknowledge a child.

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the plastic test, and I stared at the two red lines that had just appeared on the small window.

Pregnant. By Sebastian Volkov. The Iceman.

Sitting on the floor of my apartment's luxurious bathroom, a knot of pure terror tightened in my throat. And suddenly, my mind mercilessly dragged me back to the night this whole mess began.

Exactly one month ago.

One month ago.

The golden rule for surviving at Volkov Industries was simple: when the CEO lost his temper, you ran in the opposite direction. However, that night I broke my own survival protocol.

Sebastian had just lost the acquisition of OmniCorp, a three-billion-dollar deal. Therefore, the fiftieth floor felt like ground zero after a hurricane. When I entered his office with the damage report, expecting to find a leader plotting his next act of revenge, I found a man on the brink of collapse.

He was leaning against the enormous window, staring at the storm-drenched city. His jacket lay on the floor, his shirt unbuttoned, and a glass of whiskey trembled slightly in his hand.

"Get out, Gianna," he said, his voice so full of rage it rattled the glass. "I don't want to see anyone. Least of all you, with your damn notebook and your face of absolute perfection."

Any secretary in her right mind would have turned right around. But I'd been secretly in love with that demon for three years. Three years watching him burn himself out trying to keep his empire afloat. So, instead of running away, I slammed the door behind me.

"I'm not going anywhere," I replied, placing the papers on the table. "And I'll stop looking 'perfect' when you stop acting like a spoiled child who's just had his favorite toy taken away."

The silence that followed my words was so thick it almost suffocated me. Sebastian turned slowly, like a predator who'd just heard a branch snap in the forest. His gray eyes, usually calculating, now burned with a wild fire. He slammed down his glass, spilling the amber liquid, and walked toward me.

"What did you just say to me?" he hissed, cornering me against the edge of his desk.

For the first time in three years, I didn't look away. I lifted my chin, feeling my heart pound wildly against my ribs.

"A bad deal doesn’t define you, Sebastian. You’re destroying your own office because you’re scared of having failed, and I’m not going to stand by silently and watch you sink."

My boldness crossed an invisible line. Using his first name and confronting him like that shattered the glass between us. He stopped inches from my face, breathing heavily. Suddenly, his gaze dropped to my lips, and I saw something dangerous break inside him.

“I’ve spent three years, Gianna…” he whispered, his aggressive tone shifting to a hoarse, desperate growl. “Three damn years watching you swallow my screams, being so submissive, so unattainable behind those gray suits. It drove me crazy trying to figure out what it would take to make you lose control. And it turns out all it took was losing a company to see your true fire.”

Before I could process his confession, his hands flew to my waist and he lifted me up, plopping me down on the cold wood of the desk.

The kiss wasn't a question; it was a head-on collision. His lips devoured mine with a need that left me breathless, mingling the bitter taste of whiskey with the raw electricity of desire. I didn't pull away. On the contrary, my hands tangled in his dark hair, pulling him even closer, responding with all the passion I'd kept locked away since the day I met him. The chemistry exploded, burning away years of stolen glances and pent-up tension in the office. That night there was no boss, no secretary; just a man seeking refuge and a woman willing to give him everything.

But refuges built on ice always end up melting.

As dawn broke, harsh reality hit me with the force of a freight train. I woke up on the leather sofa, barely covered by his jacket. When I looked up, I saw Sebastian across the room. He was already wearing a new suit. He was immaculate, cold, and as distant as a star.

"There’s an envelope with money on your desk so you can take a few days off," he said, turning his back on me as he put away his phone. "What happened last night was stupid. A necessary mistake to burn off pent-up adrenaline, but a mistake nonetheless."

His words pierced my chest.

"A stupid thing to say?" My voice cracked, despite my efforts to sound strong.

He turned and fixed me with that steely gaze that had so often terrified me in board meetings.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Gianna. You're a brilliant secretary, but I don't get involved with my employees. Besides," he added, walking toward the door, "make sure you stop by a pharmacy. Children are emotional parasites, anchors that drag successful men down. I'll never have heirs, least of all from an office fling. Don't forget the pill."

He left without looking back, shattering my heart into a thousand pieces.

Present.

The sound of my phone vibrating on the bathroom tiles pulled me from my reverie. I blinked, wiping away the stray tears that threatened to spill, and looked at the screen. It was him. Sebastian Volkov. Demanding to know why I was twenty minutes late to the office.

I looked again at the pregnancy test, its two damned red lines glowing like a death warrant.

He had made his feelings about children abundantly clear. If he found out, he would force me to get rid of my baby or snatch it away and hide it from the world, because a Volkov couldn't have any weaknesses.

I ran my hands over my face, making the most terrifying and desperate decision of my life. I couldn't go back to Volkov Industries. I couldn't see Sebastian again.

I had to disappear today, and I had to do it pretending to hate him, so he would never come looking for me.

1 Prologue

Rosalyn POV

My name is Rosalyn Myers and I'll be turning seventeen tomorrow. Even though celebrating my birthday will be amazing, that's not what I'm excited about. My excitement is purely because I'm a year closer to meeting my wolf. It's crazy but true. I'm a werewolf and my pack is one of the biggest in the Northern Kingdom.

My father is the Beta of the Black Rose Pack. My dad is an amazing man who has taught me what a mate should be. I can only hope my mate treats me as well as he treats my mother. I've never even heard my father raise his voice at her. He is my hero and, besides the Alpha, he is the strongest wolf in our pack.

My mom is beautiful and kind. Unlike me, my mother has long blonde hair and blue eyes. My hair is black as night, just like my father's. My eyes are green like emeralds. I'm not sure where my eye color comes from because my father's eyes are chocolate brown. Regardless, I love my eye color. It makes me unique.

I have two older brothers who are my protectors. Bryce, who will be the next Beta when dad retires, and Emmett, who is a warrior. Bryce is nineteen and Emmett is eighteen. Neither have found their mates yet, but when they do, both girls will be very lucky. My brothers have saved themselves for their mates, which is unheard of in werewolf culture. Men usually expect their mates to be as pure as the driven snow but don't hold themselves to the same standard.

I can't wait to find my mate. Part of me was hoping that it would be Reese. Reese is my brother Bryce's best friend and the next Alpha of our pack. He is hot and sweet. Even though he is Bryce's friend he has always makes a point to talk to me. He has been away for Alpha training for the last six months. I've had a crush on him for the longest time, but I would never go out with someone that wasn't my mate. So, unfortunately, I have to wait a year for that to even be possible.

Addison is my best friend and Reese's little sister. She has a crush on my brother Bryce, which breaks my heart for her. I know when she finds her mate, whatever feelings she has for Bryce will be just a memory, but until then she will be in love with my brother, who only wants his mate.

"Hey bestie, are you ready to go get our dresses for the party" Addison says as she walks into my room. "Addie, didn't your mom tell you she wasn't buying you a new dress for my party since your closet is full of dresses." She smiles pulling a shiny black card from her pocket. "She did, but my dad doesn't know that" she says.

"You're going to be in so much trouble, but I'm in." When we reach the kitchen, my mother is prepping for my favorite dinner and I smile. "There is my beautiful daughter. I can't believe that my youngest pup is going to be seventeen tomorrow." "Mom, do not cry again. You act like I've met my mate, and I'm moving out tomorrow."

"No, I don't. I just can't believe that your so grown up" she says, pulling me into a hug. I hug her back because I love my mother even when she makes me crazy. "What are you girls up to" she asks as she pulls away. "Addie and I are going to get new dresses for my party." My mother raises her eyebrow at Addie because she was there when her mother said no dress.

"My dad gave me his card" she says with a shrug. My mother chuckles before she hands me her credit card. We make our way outside toward my car. "Hey Rosie, where are you two off to," Bryce asks as he jogs toward us. He is only wearing basketball shorts and is covered in sweat from training. I look over at Addie, and she is practically drooling.

"We are going to get new dresses for tomorrow." "Alright, be safe. Text me when you get there and when you leave." I roll my eyes at my brother's over-protectiveness. "Did you just roll your eyes at me because I care about my little sister?" He starts to move toward me and I step back. I know my brother, and he will have no problem wiping sweat all over me. "Do not even think about touching me. You are a sweaty mess."

He throws his head back and laughs as Addie and I run to my car. After an hour at the mall, we head back to the pack. I found the perfect thigh-length purple dress. It shows off my curves, but it isn't sl**ty. Addie's turquoise blue dress looks amazing on her. We made it back to have dinner with my family. I'm very lucky to have such an amazing friend and family.

The Party

"Holy sh*t Rosie, you look smoking hot in that dress. Come on, and I'll do your make-up and hair." When she is done my hair is styled in loose waves that fall down my back. She keeps my makeup simple, which I appreciate. I usually only use lip gloss and eyeliner. Twenty minutes later, we're walking into the ballroom. The room is packed with members of our pack and a few allied packs.

"There she is, my princess" my dad says as he makes his way toward me. Without warning, he lifts me off the ground in a bear hug. "Dad, you're embarrassing me" I say with a smile. "That's my job princess to keep all the pesky boys away," he says, setting me on my feet. He presses a kiss on my forehead. As soon as he steps back, my mother pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Happy Birthday, Rosalyn" Alpha Robert says. I turn to see the Alpha and Luna smiling at me. "You look beautiful, Rosalyn," Luna Maureen says. "Thank you both, and thank you for this amazing party." "Addison is that a new dress," Luna Maureen asks. Addie nods and her father looks confused. "You look beautiful, Addison, but you and I will be having a talk about you using your father's inability to say no to get what you want when I say otherwise," Luna says.

Addie nods and grabs my arm, pulling me to the dance floor. "I told you that you were going to be in trouble." "I can handle the lecture and grounding. It was worth it for this dress" she says, and we both laugh. "What's so funny little miss?" I turn to answer Bryce and come face to face with Reese. I swear his eyes darken, but I must be imagining things.

"Addie is in trouble with the Luna." "I guess nothing has changed since I've been gone, huh, Addie," Reese says. "Shut up Reese. Now we would like to dance, and no boys are going to ask us when our brothers are hanging around," she says. Reese growls low and Bryce's head snaps toward him. "She's right Reese. Let's go, so the girls can have fun, but not too much fun," he says with a chuckle. He pulls me in for a hug before they head toward our parents.

After a few minutes of dancing, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn and find Logan smiling at me. He is our age and in most of my classes. "Happy Birthday, Rosalyn." "Thank you, Logan." "I was wondering if you would like to dance" he asks. I realize that the music has changed to a slow song. "Sure, she would love to dance with you Logan," Addie says before I can politely say no.

Chapter 1

My online boyfriend asked for my photo again.

Before I could answer, Seren—the school's reigning beauty—

snatched my phone.

"You're a walking blimp—200 pounds of it."

"If he sees what you really look like, he'll dump you on the spot."

She held up her own photo. "Send this instead."

"That way you won't scare him off."

The others joined in.

"You're carrying that much weight and still dare to have an online boyfriend?"

"Isn't that basically fraud?"

I pinched the rolls on my stomach, hesitating.

Then the comments appeared.

[This fat girl's online boyfriend? A generous billionaire heir.]

[Seren knows. She set this up so she could send her own photo and later take her place.]

[Dorian will spoil her rotten. Ten thousand dollar transfers like it's nothing.]

I snapped the phone back and pulled up a photo from three years ago.

"No thanks. When I'm thin again, I'll look better than you."

---

The laughter hit from all sides.

"Elara, take a look at yourself in the mirror—you look like a pig."

"You'd blend right in with the pigs in a pen."

Seren leaned in, laughing harder.

"Are you so fat that your brain's gone soft? You can't even tell reality from a filter?"

"Send a filtered photo and he'll only be more disappointed when he meets the real you."

Everyone crowded around my phone and decided instantly it was photoshopped.

"The face doesn't even look like you. Have some self-awareness."

"If you send that and he sees the real you, he might actually want to kill you."

What they didn't know:

Three years ago, I'd been the girl everyone stared at.

Then my parents died.

Back-to-back accidents. I fell apart.

Eating became the only thing that made me feel better.

Add exam pressure on top of that—I let myself go.

And I let myself enjoy it.

Now, I was out of that dark place.

I'd made it into university.

Maybe it was time to find the girl I used to be.

Not for them—for myself.

I ignored the noise and scrolled through my gallery, looking for the right photo.

Before I could pick one, Seren grabbed my phone again—and sent one of her own.

"You're fat and ugly. I'm helping you."

"If you keep stalling, your boyfriend's going to get annoyed."

[Dorian will fall for Seren at first sight.]

[He's rich, obsessed, and six feet of pure good looks.]

[Pairing him with a pig like her is a waste.]

[Yes, Seren—go after him. A top-tier guy deserves a top-tier girl.]

My stomach dropped.

I grabbed the phone back, ready to unsend.

But Dorian had already replied.

"Baby, you're gorgeous... I can't take my eyes off you."

"I can't believe I got this lucky."

Seren's eyes sparkled with triumph.

"He's already seen the photo."

"Might as well roll with it. If you're worried about the meet-up—"

"I'll go instead of you."

Chapter 2

Everyone was praising Seren.

"Seren's being so kind. Elara, don't be ungrateful."

My hands were shaking.

Through her relentless taunting, I forced myself to stay calm and typed carefully:

That's actually our school beauty, Seren.

Sorry, I sent the wrong photo — but it works out, because I wanted you to know I'm even prettier than her.

I stopped hesitating and sent my best old photos.

This time, Dorian didn't reply right away.

I waited, nerves twisting in my stomach.

Then he called.

"Baby, you're so slim — so beautiful — so elegant..."

"you're exactly my type. I can barely breathe."

"You're even prettier than that school beauty. I wish I could see you right now."

His voice was full of excitement.

My face went warm.

I took a breath and said carefully:

"After Summer Break. The first day of school."

"That's when we'll meet."

That gave me three months.

Enough time to push myself.

Dorian was thrilled. "You finally agreed to see me."

"Don't worry — I'll have so many gifts ready for you."

The moment the call ended, he transferred fifty thousand dollars.

My pretty baby deserves pretty clothes and pretty bags.

Buy whatever you want. Tell me when you run out.

I stared at the screen, a smile sneaking onto my face.

The comments were right.

Dorian really was a walking ATM.

Seren saw the transfer, jealousy burning in her eyes.

"You don't actually think a filtered photo will fool him, do you?" she sneered.

"When he sees what you really look like, you're going to regret this."

[Doesn't matter. When Dorian is disappointed in Elara, Seren will step in.]

[This fat pig will make Seren look like an angel.]

[Dorian will fall for her in seconds, unless he's blind.]

[Let this pig enjoy it while she can. The harder she falls, the better it'll be.]

Their contempt lit a fire under me.

I used Dorian's money to join the best gym and hired the best trainer.

One goal:

In three months, I'd get back to my prime — strong, healthy, unstoppable.

The coach laid it out:

"From today, every bite you eat, every sip you drink — I decide it."

"Three hours a day. Can you do it?"

I nodded hard.

Dorian had shown me real sincerity.

I couldn't let him down.

And I couldn't let down the girl who'd spent years being mocked and excluded.

Day one, the coach pushed me until I cried.

Dragging my aching body home, I opened WhatsApp.

New messages.

It was Seren.

She'd taken a photo of me crying at the gym.

Breaking news — Elara's started dieting for her meet-up!

How long do you think she'll last?

Chapter 3

The comments kept coming.

Elara's jumping around like that—won't she crack the gym floor?

Thought I felt an earthquake today.

Turns out it was just the pig jumping rope.

Someone turned my worst photos into stickers and flooded the group chat.

Seren tagged me.

"Elara, you look ridiculous flapping around at the gym."

I swallowed the humiliation and looked at myself in the mirror for the first time in a while.

My face was covered in acne from hormone imbalance.

Stretch marks lined my body.

But my trainer had promised things would turn around quickly if I stuck to it.

From that day on, my life changed completely.

Morning routine:

No more three donuts.

Instead, I ran for forty minutes on an empty stomach.

After meals: no more collapsing on the couch.

I helped with chores, then took walks with my grandparents.

Dorian felt neglected and sent me a lot of money.

"Baby, you've been ignoring me lately. Did I do something wrong?"

I told him I wasn't ignoring him—I was preparing a surprise.

"So when we meet, you'll see the best version of me."

He sent a Cartier bracelet—engraved with our initials.

"Wear this when we meet."

I tried it on.

It didn't fit.

I told myself it would look perfect once I was back to my old weight.

---

After finals, I went all in with my trainer.

The comments got nervous.

[She's this determined? She might actually pull it off.]

[No way. Even if she loses weight, she'll still be plain.]

[She's a side character. She'll never get a glow-up.]

My grandparents worried.

"We love you however you look. Don't push yourself too hard."

But I showed them my old photos.

"I want Mom and Dad in heaven to see me at my best."

"I want to be healthy. I want to stand up for myself."

They finally supported me—and started making healthy, home-cooked meals to help.

Once my hormones stabilized and the water weight dropped, I'd already lost thirty pounds by the end of finals.

I saw a doctor to make sure I was doing it safely, then planned the next phase.

Still wearing baggy clothes, no one noticed.

Before break, Seren mocked me again.

"All that gym time and you still haven't lost an inch."

"Are you really going to meet him looking like that?"

The group jumped in.

"I bet five hundred she won't show at all."

"A thousand says she chickens out."

I looked Seren straight in the eye.

"Hope you're all ready to pay up."

Chapter 4

As the break began, my weight loss hit a plateau.

My body was fighting back.

The numbers on the scale barely moved.

But I had my trainer adjusting my plan, and my grandparents cheering me on.

No time to panic—just kept pushing.

When I dropped another ten pounds, everything shifted.

The bracelet slid on easily.

My skin cleared. My jawline sharpened.

I started taking photos again—even sent Dorian a few shadowy, artsy side shots.

My trainer said at my height—5'6"—143 pounds was the sweet spot.

Healthy. Toned. Stunning.

In the final month, I fell in love with clean eating.

No cravings. No temptation.

I mastered every workout, added yoga and Pilates for tone.

The weight came off slowly, steadily.

My curves emerged. My confidence grew.

Neighbors did double takes. "Elara, you look like a completely different person."

"You could pass for a celebrity."

I started wearing the clothes Dorian had sent me—sneaking him photos of my progress.

He responded by sending more money.

"Baby, I already visited your campus."

"On the first day, I'm going to give you a huge surprise."

I stepped on the scale.

149 pounds. Final stretch.

The day before we met, it hit 143.

Not just thin—toned.

Sun-kissed skin. No acne. Strong.

My grandparents cried. My trainer cried.

"Elara, with this kind of willpower, you can do anything."

For our first meeting, I bought a dress that made me feel like the best version of myself.

Curled my hair.

I was late—traffic.

Stepping out of the car, I spotted a flashy Porsche in the distance.

Dorian was already there.

I started toward him—

Then I saw Seren walk up to him first.

"Dorian, hi. I'm Seren. You've seen my photo."

She was dressed to kill, every move calculated.

Dorian stared at her, something flickering in his eyes.

I froze.

The comments lit up.

[Seren's going for it. Dorian's speechless—I knew he'd fall for her.]

[Did the fat girl even lose weight?]

[Who cares. The side character's done. Even if she shows up, she'll just be background noise.]

Seren pulled out a photo—the one from when I was 200 pounds.

"This is the real Elara. Fat. Ugly. A slob."

"The photos she sent you were all filtered."

"I felt sorry for you, so I came to tell you the truth."

Dorian took the photo, hesitant.

I almost turned around.

Then I caught myself.

I wasn't that person anymore.

People were already staring at me—some even looked like they wanted my number.

I could do this.

I took a breath, circled behind Dorian, and stepped closer.

Would he still fall for Seren's act?

Or would he see me?

And when Seren finally recognized me—what would her face look like?

Dorian was staring at the photo, confused.

"Elara really lied to me? I don't want to believe that."

Seren's eyes gleamed with triumph.

"She's ashamed. That's why she didn't show."

"Block her—she's not worth your time."

[One last step. Add Seren. Their story starts now.]

Seren was about to ask for his contact—

When she looked up and saw me standing behind him.

She didn't recognize me.

Annoyed by my presence, she forced a polite smile.

"Who are you looking for?"

I didn't answer.

I just reached out and tapped Dorian on the back.

He turned—confused.

I held up the bracelet he'd given me and smiled.

📖 After I Became Pretty

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Chapter 1

On the day my mate, Damian, let another woman give birth to his heir, his parents posted ten pack guards outside the treatment center to stop me—the future Luna—from storming the place and causing a scene.

But I never showed.

His mother held Lydia’s hand and promised her, “With us here, no one will lay a finger on you or the pup.”

Damian stayed by her bedside, wiping the sweat from her forehead himself.

“Don’t worry. If she dares show her face, I’ll have the guards throw her from our territory.”

Only when my scent never materialized did he finally relax.

He believed Lydia had taken a silver blade for him during a rogue attack, and that she was now dying because of it. He was just helping his savior fulfill her dying wish to become a mother, while conveniently securing an heir for the pack.

He had even decided that if I apologized to Lydia at the pup’s naming ceremony, he would *allow* me to remain the future Luna and raise the child as my own.

What he didn’t know was that long before the ceremony, I had already annulled our mating bond and severed all ties with the pack, with the council of elders as my witness.

A month later, I would be leaving for the border with a neutral medical team.

From that moment on, he, his pup, and his future as Alpha were no longer my problem.

...

The day Lydia returned to the Pack House from her postpartum stay, I was finishing my handover at the Ironwood Treatment Center.

The center was built on Ironwood territory, its security and access controlled by the current Alpha. When Victor sealed off the delivery room under the pretext of protecting an unborn heir, the healers had no authority to let me past the guards, even knowing I was Damian’s registered mate.

But I never tried to force my way in.

What I had spent the last year studying in the northern territories was silver wounds, lupine deterioration, and battlefield medicine. That was exactly the experience the neutral medical team was looking for. Instead of staying in a pack that no longer valued me, I would rather use my skills where they were actually needed.

As I approached the second-floor sitting room, I heard laughter from within.

“The pup has Damian’s eyes.”

Margaret cradled the swaddled infant, her voice brimming with pride.

“When Damian takes over as Alpha, he’ll be Ironwood’s next heir. Lydia, you’ve secured the pack’s bloodline.”

Damian came out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup and sat beside Lydia, feeding her spoonful by spoonful.

“The silver in your system is still unstable. The senior healer said giving birth would weaken your wolf even more. You need to eat.”

The current Alpha, Victor, stood nearby, shaking a wooden rattle at the baby, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Thank goodness the pup didn’t take after Amelia. She spends all her time at the treatment center. When would she ever have time for the duties of a Luna, let alone a mother?”

My hand froze on the doorknob.

The first time I met Victor, he had praised my gift for healing in front of the entire pack, declaring that having a skilled Healer as the future Luna was an honor for the Whitmore family.

Now, that very same skill was being used as proof I was unfit for a family.

Damian and I had lived together for three years.

We weren’t fated mates, chosen by the Moon Goddess, and we had never completed a mating mark. Three years ago, following an agreement between our families, we were officially mated through the pack registry, with the plan to hold our Luna Ceremony once he inherited the Alpha title.

Back then, we had looked forward to having a pup of our own.

But a healing accident took our pup’s life before it had a chance to form, leaving me with damage that would never fully heal. The chief healer told me my body would struggle to carry a werewolf pup to term.

I’d cried until I couldn’t breathe.

Damian had held me and sworn he would never betray me for the sake of an heir.

To prove it, he even had his parents put all succession plans on hold.

But now, he’d shattered that promise with his own two hands.

A year ago, I earned a place to study at a neutral healing academy in the northern territories. The day I left, Damian clung to me at the airport, his cedar scent thick with reluctance.

We were in touch every day for that entire year. I never doubted him.

Until a month ago, when I cut my studies short and came home to Greyhaven early.

The moment I stepped outside the Pack House, I smelled it: an unfamiliar pregnancy, and Lydia’s scent clinging to Damian’s collar.

They came walking up the pine path hand in hand, the swell of her belly unmistakable.

A voice from inside the sitting room shattered the memory.

“Amelia? When did you get back?”

When Lydia saw me in the doorway, a flicker of panic crossed her face, but her expression quickly softened into one of frail weakness.

The others turned toward me in unison.

Margaret’s eyes landed on the resignation papers in my hand, and her face instantly darkened.

“You resigned from the Ironwood Treatment Center?”

“You already can’t give Damian an heir, and now you’re abandoning your duties as a Healer? Do you expect the Whitmore family to support you forever?”

Victor’s voice was just as cold.

“Lydia and the pup need the best care available. Not only are you unwilling to help, you pick this moment to resign. Is that how a future Luna behaves?”

I looked at Damian.

“And him?”

“While I was away studying, he got another woman pregnant with his pup. Is that how a future Alpha is supposed to behave?”

Damian’s jaw tightened, and the oppressive weight of an Alpha’s power filled the room.

“I did this for you, too.”

“You can’t have pups. Lydia gave us an heir. Once she’s gone, you’ll raise the pup, and you’ll still be Ironwood’s Luna.”

“This is the best solution for everyone. Lydia gets to fulfill her wish to be a mother, and you get to have a pup. I don’t understand why you’re twisting my kindness into a betrayal.”

He pointed at Lydia’s pale face.

“During the rogue attack two years ago, she took a silver blade for me. The silver toxin lodged near her heart has been slowly killing her wolf. The senior healer says she might only have six months left.”

“Her parents are dead, and she saved my life. All she wants is to leave a child behind before she dies.”

“You’re a woman. How can you not have any compassion?”

Lydia gently took Damian’s hand.

“Amelia, this is all my fault. Once the pup doesn’t need me anymore, I’ll leave Greyhaven. I won’t come between you two.”

Looking at the four of them, a united front, it finally hit me.

I was the outsider here.

When I said nothing, Damian’s tone grew sharper.

“My patience is wearing thin, Amelia. Stop going after Lydia.”

“At the pup’s naming ceremony a month from now, as long as you publicly acknowledge her sacrifice, I’ll have the elders recognize you as the pup’s mother.”

A month from now?

I glanced at the sleeping infant.

By then, I’d be long gone from Ironwood.

Still, before I left, I owed them a parting gift. One they’d never forget.

The head steward's slap came hard enough to turn my face, sending me to my knees on the cold marble, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

For a second, the side hall went quiet-until Hailey's sharp laughter broke the silence.

"Look at you, trash," she taunted, stepping close enough for her heavy perfume to make me choke. "Kneeling on the floor, right where you belong."

I slowly turned my face back toward her.

Hailey stood in the center of the servants' corridor wearing a silver ceremonial gown that probably cost more than everything I had owned in my entire life. Diamonds glittered at her throat. Her dark hair had been arranged in polished curls, and not one person in the hall dared tell her how ridiculous she looked.

Behind her, servants carried flowers, wine, and polished silver toward the grand hall. Everyone was preparing for her brother's ascension ceremony

Anybody with this book?…very nice plot.kindly assist .

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I am a firm AI hater and I will not be using apps that produce ai slop so dont suggest anything in that category. However I desperately miss the days I could go read a trashy werewolf romance on wattpad. I tried to use the app for the first time in years and not only do you have to pay for coins to reach certain chapters, but there are almost no werewolf stories. The ones that were free and relevant to my search were very low quality. Im not looking for much here, just basic sentence structure knowledge. It used to be that there were so many options to pick from that if one was bad you just moved on to the next.

Seriously just craving a silly little fated mate romance. I'm 2 seconds away from writing my own just to scratch the itch. Any suggestions?

chapter 1
I wear a plastic ring on my left ring finger.
It isn’t made of alloy or inlaid with resin. It’s the cheapest kind imaginable—the sort of five-credit trinket you find in the toy section of an interstellar department store, a simple plastic band printed with a pale blue "Forever." I’ve worn it for three years. The lettering has long since faded from the warmth of my skin, leaving behind nothing but a blurred, cloudy-white smudge against my finger.
This is my wedding ring.
Three years ago, on a sidewalk cafe on Arcadis Prime’s twelfth Sky Island, Corvin Hale dropped to one knee and slid this plastic circle onto my finger.
"Gila, I don't have the money yet," he told me then. "But I promise you... The day Hale Tech can afford its own headquarters, I’ll replace this with the real thing. A ring worthy of you."
I nodded.
Only three days prior, I had collected my parents' death notices from the Federal Military. I was holding a valor pension large enough to make anyone’s eyes turn green—a fortune that could have bought an entire floor of an apartment complex on Capitol Prime’s first Sky Island.
I didn't keep a credit of it for myself.
Instead, I pushed the pension certificate and the account keys across the table to him. "Use this to start the business," I said. "The ring can wait."
Three years have passed.
Hale Tech moved from a cramped, rented garage in the Arcadis Prime suburbs to the thirty-seventh floor of the Mechspire Tower on the ninth Sky Island. Corvin traded his second-hand Jump glider for a custom Albert-IV Stellar-Class Luxury Cruiser. His name now sits at the top of the Federal Finance "Under 35" list for the synthetic intelligence industry.
Yet, on my left ring finger, there is still only that five-credit plastic band.
Every time I pass the display windows in the Arcadis Prime jewelry district, every time I see other couples exchanging bands on their anniversaries, and every time someone at a Hale Tech press conference asks with a smile, "Mrs. Hale, which master craftsman designed your wedding ring?"... I quietly tuck my left hand into the sleeve of my uniform.
I only ever asked him for a ring once.
But that ring ended up on someone else’s hand.
I walked into Corvin’s office carrying the latest project data for the "Ghost Swarm" drone initiative—a fourth-generation algorithm I’d spent seventy-two standard hours perfecting.
The door was slightly ajar.
A scent hit me immediately: synthetic rose pheromones... Lumen No. 7. It was the most cliché fragrance among the socialites of Arcadis Prime. Corvin had told me himself how much he loathed it.
But the moment I pushed the door open, I saw my husband holding a woman’s hand, sliding a ring onto her finger.
That ring.
It wasn't some mass-produced piece from a Federal mall. It was the ring my mother had left behind—the only thing I had ever asked Corvin for. My mother had worn it for twenty-seven years. Then, eight years ago, on the night the power failed in the Zeta Sector underground shelters, she slipped it off her finger and traded it to a black-market medical trader for a shipment of anti-radiation injections. Because of that trade, fifty orphans survived.
Two weeks ago, it resurfaced in the Federal Antiquities spring auction catalog, listed as a "Civilian Memento from the Zeta Sector War."
The starting bid was eight million credits.
I had shown Corvin the catalog and, for the first time, asked him for something: "Buy it."
He said he would.
And now, here he was, sliding it onto Serena Frost’s left hand.
Lyle Vance was standing by the desk. When he saw me come in, he let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Staring that hard at a ring? I always said orphans have no class. So easily dazzled."
I ignored him. I lunged forward, reaching out to tear the ring off Serena's finger.
Corvin caught my wrist, pinning it back.
"Gila." His voice dropped an octave. "I’ve already given the ring to Serena."
"You promised you were buying it for me."
"Don’t make a scene," he said, frowning. "It’s a gift to celebrate her promotion to Vice-Captain of the Cloudliner."
A scene.
I looked at him. "Corvin," I said, my voice unnervingly calm. "You know exactly what that ring means to me."
"It’s just a ring," he replied.
...Just a ring.
I let out a short laugh. Looking down at my own left hand, I caught the dull, cheap reflection of the five-credit plastic band under the office lights.
Apparently, he’d known the phrase "it’s just a ring" for three years; he just hadn't found the heart to say it back then.
Three years ago, he told me he'd replace the plastic with something real.
Three years later, he took the real ring he'd promised me—my mother's ring—and put it on another woman's hand.

Blair, a mute woman thought she found happiness when she married the handsome and wealthy Rhys, but this was just a beginning of her misery.

Her husband despised her for being unable to speak. When she accidentally got pregnant, he forced her to get abortion, terrified their child might also be mute.

Hi Everyone

I'm in need of help finding a book I started reading but never finished. I'm not sure what platform I was reading it on but here is some things I remember. It's a MC book. FL catches her boyfriend I believe he is the prez with a club girl. She came to tell him she was pregnant. She is under cover mafia but he doesn't know that. She leaves him and goes back home. Anyway I believe it's 17 years later and she has to go back to the club and in church he realized that two of her twin sons are his. He gets pissed because he never knew. Actually I think she has 2 twin girls as well. Her children are all part of the mafia in some degree. The boys dislikes their father due to what he did to her. At one point in a hospital scene one of her boys pulls a gun on his father and threatens him. I'm not sure of the names of the FL or ML.

Can anyone help