Beyond The Empty Altar, My Reign
I stood alone at the marble altar, the silence of the temple pressing against my eardrums.
It was my Mating Ceremony, but the groom was missing.
My phone buzzed with a notification: a livestream of my mate, Alpha Cain, skipping our union to welcome my sister, Eris, home.
In the video, he held her like she was fragile glass, captioning it: "True power recognizes true power."
When I returned to the Pack House, humiliated, I wasn't met with an apology.
I was met with a slap from my mother.
Eris, feigning a powerful "Alpha Aura," claimed my mere scent was poisoning her.
To "save" her, my family locked me in my room.
But the true betrayal came when I overheard their hushed whispers through the door.
"Use Vera," my mother said, her voice chillingly practical.
"She recovers fast. We can drain her blood weekly for Eris. She can stay as a servant to raise Cain and Eris's pups."
My blood ran cold.
They didn't just neglect me; they planned to harvest me like livestock.
They thought I was the weak Omega they exiled to the North years ago to peel potatoes.
They had no idea that in the North, I wasn't a servant.
I was Commander V, a warrior forged in ice and blood.
I reached under my bed and pulled out my black tactical duffel.
"Screw the meatloaf," I whispered.
I wasn't just leaving. I was going to war.
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Chapter 2
Dinner Theater
Vera POV:
The dining room was suffocating.
Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow, but the atmosphere was colder than a winter grave.
I hadn't packed yet. I needed to survive this dinner first. If I tried to leave now, amidst the celebration, Dax would physically stop me. He was a Beta, stronger than my human form, and he loved a scene.
So I sat.
I sat at the far end of the table, the spot reserved for children or disgraced relatives.
Eris sat at the head, to my father's right. Cain sat beside her.
"The Elders at the Academy were astounded," Eris was saying, her voice thick like syrup. "They said they hadn't seen an Alpha Aura this potent in a female for three generations."
"Incredible," my father breathed, looking at her like she was a winning lottery ticket. "A female Alpha in the Darkthorne line. This changes everything for our standing in the Council."
"It was hard," Eris sighed, leaning onto Cain's shoulder. "The transformation... the power... it takes a toll on my body. That's why I'm so frail."
"You are a warrior, my love," Cain murmured. He cut a piece of steak and fed it to her.
My stomach rolled.
"My love." He had never called me that.
"Oh, Vera!" Eris suddenly looked at me, eyes widening in mock surprise. "I didn't see you there. You're so... quiet. Like a little mouse."
The table went silent.
"Welcome home, Eris," I said steadily. I sliced into the rare steak on my plate. Blood pooled on the white porcelain.
"How was your little ceremony?" Eris tilted her head. "Cain was so worried about me, he just couldn't tear himself away. You aren't mad, are you?"
She released a scent then. It was supposed to be an Alpha command, a wave of dominance.
But to me, it smelled like burnt rubber and cheap perfume. Chemical. Artificial.
"Of course not," I said, not looking up. "Why would I be mad? Cain made his priorities very clear."
My mother chimed in, voice shrill. "Vera is a sensible girl. She knows family comes first. And Eris is the future of this family."
"Exactly," Dax grunted, stuffing his face with bread. "Vera is happy to serve. Aren't you, V?"
I looked at Dax. Then Cain.
Cain was frowning, watching me. Usually, when Eris exerted dominance, I would flinch. Tonight, I was staring him down.
"I am not angry," I repeated. "I am clarified."
"Clarified?" Cain asked. "What does that mean?"
"It means I understand my position. And yours."
A shiver seemed to pass through Cain. He rubbed his arms.
"Well, good," my mother clapped her hands nervously. She picked up a piece of meatloaf—the dry, overcooked brick the staff made—and dropped it onto my plate.
"Eat up, Vera. You look thin. We can't have people thinking we don't feed you."
A scrap for the dog.
I stared at the meat.
Suddenly, Eris gasped.
Hands flew to her throat. Face turning a violent purple.
"I... I can't..." she choked.
"Eris!" Cain jumped up, chair clattering. "What is it?"
"The air..." Eris wheezed, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Her scent... it's... it's attacking me!"
"What?" Dax roared, slamming his fist on the table.
"It burns!" Eris screamed, throwing herself into Cain's arms. "She's doing something! Her Omega stench... it's reacting with my Alpha Aura!"
Bullshit. Omegas are calming. Neutral. We don't have offensive scents.
But logic didn't matter here. Only Eris mattered.
"Vera!" My father stood up, face red. "Stop it! Whatever you are doing, stop it now!"
"I am doing nothing," I said calmly, putting down my knife.
"She's turning blue!" my mother shrieked. "Call the doctor! Get the suppressants!"
Chaos erupted. Servants ran. Dax shouted orders. Cain swept Eris up, looking at her with terrified devotion.
As he rushed past me toward the medical wing, Cain shot me a look of pure venom.
"If anything happens to her," he snarled, "I will make you regret you were ever born."
They ran out. The dining room was empty again.
I sat alone among the half-eaten food and overturned wine glasses.
That wasn't a reaction to you, Vespa said, her tone dry. That was a side effect. She overdosed.
Overdosed on what?
Steroids, Vespa replied. Synthetic hormones. She isn't an Alpha, Vera. She can't even shift. She's juicing to mimic the pheromones. And right now, her body is rejecting the poison.
I looked at the empty chair where the "Alpha Female" had sat.
It was all a lie. Her power, her aura, her fragility. A performance.
And my mate had fallen for the act, hook, line, and sinker.
I stood up. I didn't clear the table.
I headed for the stairs. I had packing to do. And this time, no one was stopping me.
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8.2
For three years, nineteen-year-old Ella Campbell rotted in a freezing psychiatric isolation room.
Her billionaire family didn't visit her once, only pulling her out today to force her to publicly apologize to Ashlyn, the perfect sister who had framed her.
At Ashlyn's glamorous engagement gala, Ella was treated worse than a stray dog and forced to watch her childhood sweetheart propose to her sister.
When Ella showed no jealousy, her brother Ivan dragged her onto a dark balcony and nearly choked her to death.
Her mother didn't even check if Ella was breathing, merely ordering a makeup artist to paint thick concealer over the dark purple handprints on Ella's neck so the family's stock price wouldn't drop.
Standing under the blinding stage lights in a shapeless gray dress, facing three hundred mocking Wall Street executives, Ella was supposed to be the broken, obedient psycho the Campbells needed.
"I am deeply sorry for the pain I caused."
She was supposed to end the apology there and bow to her abusers, but Ella didn't shed a single tear.
"My only regret is that I didn't insist on waiting for the police to arrive that night. I deeply regret that I didn't demand a full, legal toxicology report to prove to everyone exactly what happened."
As the ballroom erupted into suspicious whispers and her paralyzed twin brother finally saw the violent bruises hidden beneath her makeup, Ella's counterattack against the Campbell family officially began.
8.9
Seventeen-year-old Nina Storm has spent her life running from her tragic past, her dormant wolf, and the dreams of a mysterious man she can't escape.
Raised by her protective father after her mother's death, she has never stayed in one place long enough to call it home. But everything changed when they return to their home, the Moonlight Pack.
Nina discovers that her mate is Zane, the pack's Alpha... a bond that defies werewolf laws and the pack's expectations. Their undeniable attraction is dangerous, and their bond threatens to disrupt the fragile balance of power within the pack.
When an attack on the pack shatters her world, Nina loses everything, including her life. But death isn't the end.
Reborn, her dormant wolf awakens giving her a newfound strength and powers, Nina must navigate a world of betrayal, love, and vengeance as she unravels the truth about her family, her mate bond, and the danger threatening to destroy everything she holds dear.
7.9
Hannah came home under a false identity, ready to keep her head down and avoid trouble. Then a near-drowning opened her eyes, and the family she had wanted gave her nothing but disappointment.
She severed every tie, shed the disguise, and rose in revenge as a miracle doctor, brilliant hacker, and feared underworld ruler. Shock followed her family at every turn.
Her parents regretted everything. Her eldest brother clung desperately to the bond of their shared blood, while her second brother gave up his entire fortune just to earn her forgiveness. Her third brother offered up his own body for a surgery-all to save her.
But Hannah stayed cold and built her empire alone. Only one deadly rival refused to be ignored.
"I was hired to kill you, mister."
"Then take my heart, too."
8.6
Lilac Stone once wanted nothing more than being unnoticed. But everything changed the moment she met Adrian Cole, the new lecturer.
He's distant and completely off-limits. She's quiet, guarded, and unprepared for the way he sees right through her.
What begins as harmless conversations after class quickly turns into something far more dangerous-something neither of them can stop no matter how hard they try.
But then they're living in a world where rules are meant to be followed, and their connection is one line they were never supposed to cross.
Whispers turn to accusations. Secrets are exposed. Their futures are at risk.
They are merely two opposites-a lecturer and a student, a male and a female-but they are bound to destroy each other as long as they are huddled in one space at the same time.
What then can they choose: forfeit their futures and embrace their happiness, or let the latter slip while keeping their careers intact?
7.1
To save my family from ruin, I remarried my billionaire ex-husband, Jaxon Lowe. He held my late mother' s locket hostage, forcing me back into a gilded cage where I endured his cold contempt and his very public affair. I played the part of the silent, obedient wife he demanded, building a wall of ice around my heart just to survive.
But my obedience didn't protect me. He abandoned me in a torrential downpour to rescue his mistress, Ivory.
Then, he broke his one promise. He let Ivory have my mother's locket pulled from auction, the very reason for my sacrifice, simply because she found it "unlucky."
That final betrayal led me straight into the hands of his business rival, where I was tortured and left for dead.
But I survived.
Four months later, Jaxon found me. He stood before me, tears streaming down his face, holding the now-repaired locket and begging for forgiveness.
I took back what was mine.
"I want a divorce," I said, my voice calm and final. "And I never want to see you again."
7.6
I was the Chicago Outfit's princess, and Luca and Matteo were my sworn protectors. We had mixed our blood at ten years old, promising that nothing would ever touch me.
But that oath turned to ash the night Sofia Ricci aimed a Roman candle at my chest.
The firework slammed into my shoulder, igniting my silk dress instantly. As I rolled on the concrete, screaming while the flames ate into my skin, I waited for my boys to save me.
They didn't.
Instead, I watched through the smoke as they rushed to Sofia. They wrapped their jackets—the ones meant to shield me—around the girl who had just set me on fire, comforting her because the "kickback" had scared her.
They let me burn to keep her warm.
When I woke up in the hospital with permanent scars, they brought me a letter of apology from her and defended her "accident." They even cut their palms to pay her debt, ignoring the fact that I was the one in bandages.
That was the moment Elena Vitiello died.
I didn't scream. I didn't beg. I simply packed my bags and defected to the one place they couldn't follow: the arms of Dante Moretti, the lethal Capo of New York.
By the time they realized their mistake and came crawling back to beg in the rain, I was already wearing another man's ring.
"You want forgiveness?" I asked, looking down at them.
"Burn for it."