a dowry of blood original cover

Ian Brown marries Yvonne Miller out of gratitude to her family, and has spent years quietly making her comfortable, growing Miller Group into something genuinely powerful while asking little in return. Yvonne sees only a spineless live-in husband; her heart has always belonged to Sean Jones, the man she truly wants. When Ian's parents ask to meet her over the New Year holiday, she turns them away without hesitation. Then the call comes. Yvonne's own parents are in a car accident and urgently need a blood transfusion. Ian finds her immediately. Yvonne, convinced he's fabricating a crisis to manipulate her, doesn't just refuse, she actively tries to stop him from helping. By the time the truth surfaces, the damage is already done, and the weight of what she threw away settles over her all at once.

At the graduation ceremony's class change, when the 3S-rank pillar of light—symbolizing the strongest talent—engulfs me, the entire venue falls silent. My awakened profession is actually "Dragontamer," a class that vanished a century ago along with the dragon race! Amid the mocking laughter, I touch the dim dragon crystal in the principal's arms. In an instant, the crystal shatters, ancient dragon roars echo through the heavens, and legendary skills never before recorded materialize in the void. The next day, I enter the forbidden zone and use my blood as a catalyst to awaken dragon spirits that have slumbered for millennia. Nine massive dragons burst through the sky, their wingspans blocking out the sun. In a globally broadcast ultimate showdown, I softly chant in dragon tongue, and the enemy's million-strong army retreats like a tide. It turns out that what dragontamers tame isn't just dragons—it's the wildest power in this world, the immortal war spirit of the dragon race!

At the graduation ceremony's class change, when the 3S-rank pillar of light—symbolizing the strongest talent—engulfs me, the entire venue falls silent. My awakened profession is actually "Dragontamer," a class that vanished a century ago along with the dragon race! Amid the mocking laughter, I touch the dim dragon crystal in the principal's arms. In an instant, the crystal shatters, ancient dragon roars echo through the heavens, and legendary skills never before recorded materialize in the void. The next day, I enter the forbidden zone and use my blood as a catalyst to awaken dragon spirits that have slumbered for millennia. Nine massive dragons burst through the sky, their wingspans blocking out the sun. In a globally broadcast ultimate showdown, I softly chant in dragon tongue, and the enemy's million-strong army retreats like a tide. It turns out that what dragontamers tame isn't just dragons—it's the wildest power in this world, the immortal war spirit of the dragon race!

Since childhood, Melanie Llyod has lived under the shadow of loss, her mother gone and her stepmother intent on securing a vast inheritance. Raised in a world of fragile comfort, Melanie grows weak and dependent. But after a sudden accident, Ashton Llyod reappears in her life, urging her to find strength and independence. The emotions they've suppressed for years begin to surface. Though they share no blood, they've lived as siblings for 18 years. But in the 19th year, everything changes… Kate Llyod, determined to steal Melanie's fiance, relentlessly tries to expose the secret connection between Melanie and Ashton. Amidst the growing misunderstandings, Melanie decides to bury her feelings and honor her engagement. Ashton, too, chooses to distance himself, focusing on his responsibilities. But when a twist of fate leads to a murder attempt, Ashton is left gravely injured and hospitalized. At last, both must confront their true feelings for each other. Yet, the challenges ahead are far from over…

Eight years after a one-night stand, Sophie Archer raises son Jack alone until he's diagnosed with leukemia requiring a rare blood-type donor. Doctors suggest a million-dollar imported medicine to buy time. While struggling financially, Sophie becomes Caleb Johnson's secretary, unaware he's Jack's father. Meanwhile, Caleb and his grandmother Kate meet Jack by chance and confirm paternity through DNA testing. As Sophie and Caleb develop feelings and she becomes pregnant again after another encounter, Sophie saves enough for Jack's treatment, only for rival Chloe Bradford to destroy the medicine. Kate intervenes, recognizes Sophie and Jack as family, and tells Caleb to marry Jack's mother, not realizing he's already falling for Sophie. When Caleb discovers Sophie is Jack's mother, they commit to each other. At their wedding, Sophie reveals she has no blood relation to the Archers, and learns she's actually the biological daughter of the Bradfords couple, whom she refuses to forgive. The story ends with Sophie giving birth to twins and living happily with Caleb, Jack, Kate and their growing family.

I grew up abroad. My mother feared I might marry a foreign man, so she arranged an engagement for me with a talented and handsome man in Flodon. She insisted that I return home to get engaged. I came back and started shopping for an engagement dress at a luxury boutique. I selected an off-white strapless gown and decided to try it on. Suddenly, a woman nearby glanced at the dress in my hand and told the saleswoman, “That’s a unique design. Let me try it.” The saleswoman immediately yanked it out of my hands. I protested indignantly, “Excuse me, I was here first. Don’t you understand the principle of ‘first come, first served’? Or do you just not care about common decency?” The woman scoffed and retorted, “This dress costs $188,000. Do you really think a broke nobody like you can even afford it? “I’m Lucas Goodwin’s sister in all but blood. He’s the chairman of Goodwin’s Group. In Flodon, the Goodwin family sets the rules.” What a coincidence! Lucas Goodwin was my fiance! I immediately called him and said, “Hey, your ‘sister in all but blood’ just stole my engagement dress. Do something about it.”

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian, kissing him deeply. My fingers fumbled in the pocket of my expensive silk dress, searching for the pregnancy test I'd hidden there. I wanted to save the news of my unexpected pregnancy for the end of the evening. Lucian's right-hand man, Marco, asked with a suggestive smile in Italian: "Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?" Lucian's mocking laughter vibrated through my chest, sending a chill down my spine. He replied, also in Italian: "Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender." His hand was still caressing my waist, but his gaze was distant. "Just keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man." His men chuckled knowingly, raising their glasses and swearing their silence. The warmth in my blood turned to ice, inch by inch. The one thing they didn’t know was that my grandmother was from Sicily, so I understood every word. I forced myself to remain calm, keeping the perfect smile of a Donna fixed in place, but the hand holding my champagne flute trembled. Instead of making a scene, I opened my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days ago for a private international medical research project, and tapped "Accept." In three days, I would disappear from Lucian's world completely.

I was eight months pregnant and had just gone into labor, but my Alpha mate, Damien, locked me in a silver cage in the basement to delay my labor. When I cried out for help, he just told me to wait. Because his late brother's mate, Victoria, was also giving birth that day. The Pack Seer had foretold that only the firstborn pup would be blessed by the Moon Goddess and become the future Alpha. "The title belongs to Victoria's child," he said. "She lost Marcus. She has nothing. You already have all my love, Elena. The silver cage will make sure you deliver after her." The contractions were torture. I begged him to take me to the clinic. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "Stop pretending. I should've known you never loved me. All you've ever cared about is wealth and status!" "To force your labor early, just to steal what belongs to my nephew… You're truly wicked." Pale and trembling, I whispered: "The pup is coming, I can't stop it. Please, I'll make a blood oath. I don't care about the inheritance. I only love you!" He scoffed."If you loved me, you wouldn’t have forced Victoria into that contract to give up her pup’s birthright. I'll come back for you after she delivers. After all, that's my pup in there, too." He stood guard outside Victoria's delivery room. Only after he saw the newborn pup in her arms did he remember me. He ordered his Beta to release me. But the Beta's voice trembled. "Luna… and the pup… they're dead." And in that moment, Damien went feral.

The Northern Pack had one unbreakable rule: the Alpha heir could never bond with a human girl. Despite that, Alpha Kieran Wolfe still formed a mate bond with me. To be with me, he openly defied the Elders' Council. He endured 99 lashes and was forced to kneel at the altar for three days and nights. Even as blood soaked through his shirt, he smiled at me and said, "Elise, don't be afraid. I only want you." Eventually, the Elders' Council finally relented and agreed to let Kieran leave with me. However, there was one condition: he had to leave a pure-blood heir behind for the Pack. From that moment on, the phrase I heard most from Kieran was "wait". The first time, Kieran asked me to wait while he got another she-wolf to carry his pup. He slept with Cecelia Donati 33 times until she was carrying his pup. The second time, he told me to wait again because the first pup was a female, and the Elders wanted a male. So, Kieran slept with Cecelia 99 more times until she was carrying his pup again. Just when I thought our ordeal was finally over, their daughter, Tyra Wolfe, accidentally ate wolfsbane at her Meet the Pup Party. Everyone was convinced I had poisoned her. When they threw me into the freezing cold storage room, Kieran stood at the doorway with bloodshot eyes. "I told you to wait..." His gaze was ice-cold and cutting. "You know what wolfsbane means to our kind. Why would you hurt my pup?" The words "my pup" hit me like a knife to the heart. My fingernails dug deep into my palms as the pain tore through me. When the storage room door opened again, I loosened my bloodied hands. This time, I was not going to wait anymore.