a shot in the dark 1964

On my eighteenth birthday, Alpha called me up in front of the whole pack and told me to choose—one of his sons as my mate. Whichever I chose? He'd be the next Alpha. I didn't flinch. I picked Cayce, his eldest. The room went dead silent. Everyone knew I used to be stupidly in love with Kain, the younger one. I'd confessed at every pack dance. Took a silver dagger for him once. Cayce? Coldest, meanest wolf we had. Total menace. No one got close. But they didn't know the truth. In my last life, I was bonded to Kain. On the day of our Bonding Ceremony, he slept with Lena, my cousin. My mom lost it. Shipped Lena off to Duskwolf Pack to get bonded to their Beta. Kain? He blamed me. Paraded in she-wolves with Lena's same ice-blue eyes. When he found out I was carrying his pup, he made sure I saw him with every one of them. It was torture. When labor hit, he locked me in the dungeon. Blocked everyone out. My pup got crushed. I died hating him. Maybe the Moon Goddess felt sorry for me—she gave me a second shot. I came back. This time? I let Kain keep Lena. Didn't think he would ever regret it.

“I need your help to fake a private jet crash,” I said quietly. “It’s the only way I can ever leave Luca Moretti.” People said he’d given up the Mafia throne for me. They called him the man who traded power for love— the heir who walked away from blood and gold just to marry a waitress from the slums. For years, he made the world believe in us. He built empires under my name. He sent me roses every Monday. He told the press I was his salvation. But love doesn’t always mean loyalty. While I was busy believing in forever, he was building a second home behind my back— one filled with laughter, toys, and twin sons who had his eyes. The night I disappeared, his empire burned. He tore apart cities, bribed governments, and buried men alive just to find me. But by the time he did— I was already gone. And the woman he’d once died for no longer loved him enough to stay alive.

In a frozen apocalyptic wasteland, Elara harbors a deadly secret: her blood runs like liquid fire, making her the world's last living heat source. Kael, the Citadel's most lethal and emotionless cryo-assassin, is sent to eliminate her. But a desperate struggle permanently binds their fates, injecting her burning blood into his icy veins.Now, a lethal curse forces them together—if they step more than ten meters apart, his system will combust and she will freeze to death. To survive, this ruthless killing machine must do the unthinkable: keep his prey dangerously close.As the freezing nights force them into intimate, skin-to-skin embraces, Kael's cold survival instinct morphs into a dark, irresistible fever. He was built to feel nothing, but as he strips away his armor to absorb her heat, he realizes he would burn the entire world down just to keep her safe. She was his target, but now, she is his only cure.

Billionaire Ethan Gibson, determined to break the family's curse of ending without an heir, spent a fortune recruiting ten "candidate mothers" and placed them together on his private island. On the day they arrived, Ethan announced publicly: Whoever delivers his first heir will become the future mistress of the Gibson family. Greed grew faster than desire. Within just a few months, several women announced their pregnancies with great pride. However, they and their unborn children were thrown into the ocean and fed to sharks. The reason was simple: they had been found to be involved with other men. Every night, the screams coming from the harbor kept me awake. I was terrified, because I had also had a single accidental encounter with Ethan, and I was now pregnant. When the day finally came and I saw what I had delivered, everything went dark before my eyes. Those mistresses who were fed to the sharks had at least carried human babies. I had given birth to three tiny puppies.

In my previous life, I gave everything for Kane — only to be locked in a dungeon by him, forced to watch our child be crushed to death, and die filled with endless hatred. Reborn on the day of my adulthood ceremony, with the entire Silver Moon Blood Clan watching, the Blood Prince gives me the right to choose one of his two sons to form an Eternal Blood Pact. Everyone expects me to choose Kane. Instead, I point to the man feared by all — the mad prince who returned from the Dark Ancient Forest. **"I choose Cass Nightshade."** The moment Kane’s face turns deathly pale, I know — this life, it’s finally my turn to take revenge. The bloodthirsty monster everyone calls a madman slowly reveals his obsessive tenderness only to me. "You chose me, Eve… Now you can never escape." Under the Blood Moon, the Eternal Blood Pact is sealed. This time, I marry the monster — just to crush my scumbag ex completely.

"Don't move. Your dress isn't on properly." Alpha Leo Stonewell lifted a hand to adjust my ceremonial gown. But the next second, the words that came out of his mouth sent a chill down my spine. "Layla, let Lilith wear this dress instead. Don't show up at our marking ceremony on the night of the full moon. She'll take your place then." I looked up immediately. "Have you lost your mind?" He sighed softly as if to suggest I was being unreasonable. "Lilith is just an Omega in the pack. I can't bear to let her stay with me without a rightful title. Tomorrow, I'll officially mark her during the ceremony." The northern wind sliced across my face. It felt bitterly cold, but it could hardly compare to the freezing ache in my chest. "We're supposed to become mates tomorrow. If you're going to mark her, then what did the past ten years between us even mean?" Leo frowned. Impatience crept into his voice. "Your wolf spirit has been dormant all this time. To the other werewolves in the pack, you're no different from an Omega. Layla, don't worry. Even if I mark her, I'll still take care of you for the rest of your life. Let her have this marking ceremony. Lilith is young and beautiful. She can't handle being wronged." My face slowly drained of color. If this Alpha thought I wasn't as young or beautiful as Lilith Lambert, then I didn't want him as my mate either.

Xandra Quinn has only ever had her grades. So when school heartthrob Robert Miller confesses publicly, she shocks everyone by saying yes. She knows it's a trap set by her jealous rival Amelia Moore, but why refuse? Xandra stops studying, openly wasting time with Robert, while Amelia celebrates her "victory." What she doesn't know—Xandra already has a Harbard offer. On exam day, Amelia mocks her, only to find Xandra revealed as the national top scorer—with a perfect score.

At the party for our first wedding anniversary, I hit the floor—face-first on a red carpet, gasping like a fish out of water. Carlo Pipino, my husband, had his arm draped around Gianna Verde, his childhood flame, sipping champagne and laughing. Gianna knew I was allergic to nuts. So, obviously, she bathed everything in hazelnut dressing. One bite and boom—my throat locked, my lungs lit up, and hives popped like confetti. I reached for my allergy meds—came up with a fistful of melted M&Ms instead. Gianna laughed when she saw my face. "Surprise! Carlo swapped your meds. Seriously, Siena, one nut? Dramatic much?" I slid off my chair, wheezing, while the crowd placed bets on how long my "performance" would last. "Carlo... my meds..." I croaked. "Please. I'm gonna die." He sighed, annoyed. "God, you're so dramatic. Why do women always play dead for attention? You know I love you. Just stop this show already." Right then, my heart shattered faster than my lungs could. I stopped begging. Hit the distress signal. Called my real family.

At an elite ballet company where only the best survive, a twisted story of love and revenge unfolds between two twin ballerinas and the two men entangled with them. Although identical in appearance, the older sister Hajeong has always lived in the shadow of her more talented twin Seojeong. Consumed by jealousy, Hajeong devises a cruel plan that destroys Seojeong’s career and life, forcing her into becoming a stripper. Years later, Seojeong returns with a new face and a new name—determined to reclaim everything that was stolen from her.

Everyone in southern Italy knew that Lorenzo Moretti loved me like a madman. And yet he had been keeping a much younger woman in Naples. They said she looked just like I had years ago. He told people she was only a reminder of the woman he had once loved most. He also gave strict orders that no one was to let me hear about her. Until the day I found out I was pregnant. I went to his office to tell him the news myself, only to stop outside the door when I heard a young woman’s voice from inside. “Lorenzo… am I only here because I remind you of her?” The door was slightly ajar. Through the gap, I saw a young woman who looked too much like me, wrapped in his jacket and holding his glass. I stood there, barely breathing. Then I heard him answer. “Don’t compare yourself to her.” “She could never be what you are.” I turned and walked away without making a sound. That night, I called my mother. “Mother, I’ve made up my mind.” She was silent for a moment. “I want a fire,” I said. “Something no one survives. By the time it’s over, Sophia Moretti needs to be dead to the world.”

Master thief Mia disguises herself as an ugly duckling to rob wealthy men on dating apps. But one stolen watch lands her in an underground brothel, where desperate millionaire Michael offers her a deal: help him secure a dangerous business partnership and he'll set her free. Their target? John Stevenson - the psychotic husband of Mia who she ran away from. Stevenson murdered her parents and thinks she's dead. Now Mia must choose between running forever or finally fighting back against the monster who destroyed her life.

Sixteen years ago, King Phoenix Elara saved her husband Adrian, but he betrayed Elara along with her half-sister Lilith. Together, they secretly switched the King's real daughter with Lilith's illegitimate daughter. The true daughter,Princess Elysia, grew up surrounded by love and kindness, eventually becoming the rightful heir to the Phoenix Clan. The fake daughter, Morrigan,lived under the cruelty and manipulation of her birth mother, became fierce and learned dark powers. Sixteen years later, the truth came out. Adrian and Lilith's plot was exposed as treason, and they were executed. Morrigan's identity was revealed, but she refused to be bound by fate. She mastered a forbidden technique of the Mistwing Clan, devoured its power and turned the tide of fate during the war against the Nightwolf Clan. With that, she rose to command a mighty army. Seeing the shifting tides, Elara seized the opportunity, placing Elysia in charge of the realm and sending Morrigan to lead the armies. On the surface, the two daughters held the kingdom together, but under the calm, hidden currents of danger were already moving.

Sixteen years ago, King Phoenix Elara saved her husband Adrian, but he betrayed Elara along with her half-sister Lilith. Together, they secretly switched the King's real daughter with Lilith's illegitimate daughter. The true daughter,Princess Elysia, grew up surrounded by love and kindness, eventually becoming the rightful heir to the Phoenix Clan. The fake daughter, Morrigan,lived under the cruelty and manipulation of her birth mother, became fierce and learned dark powers. Sixteen years later, the truth came out. Adrian and Lilith's plot was exposed as treason, and they were executed. Morrigan's identity was revealed, but she refused to be bound by fate. She mastered a forbidden technique of the Mistwing Clan, devoured its power and turned the tide of fate during the war against the Nightwolf Clan. With that, she rose to command a mighty army. Seeing the shifting tides, Elara seized the opportunity, placing Elysia in charge of the realm and sending Morrigan to lead the armies. On the surface, the two daughters held the kingdom together, but under the calm, hidden currents of danger were already moving.

Yunus's five-year old daughter was critically injured in a car accident, but his wife was next door, threatening all the doctors, demanding they check her white whale and his dog for injuries. Yunus buried his daughter with tears in his eyes, but his wife insisted on digging up the grave to bury the dog of her white whale! Yunus felt an intense hatred for his wife. And after returning to the wealthy elite, he went on a rampage and took revenge on his wife!

After the great war between humans and beasts, both sides agreed to let the half-beasts govern the world. Every hundred years, a union between humans and beasts would be arranged. The first half-beast child of the generation would be the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance. In my past life, I chose to marry the eldest son of the wolf clan, renowned for his unwavering devotion. I was the first to bear him a child—a rare half-beast white wolf. Our son was named the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance, and my husband, by extension, rose to immense power. My younger sister, who had chosen to marry into the fox clan out of vain admiration for their beauty, was not so fortunate. The fox clan's heir, a notorious philanderer, eventually contracted a disease and lost his ability to father children. Jealous and resentful, my sister set a fire that burned both me and my young white wolf son alive. When I opened my eyes again, it was the very day of the human-beast mating ceremony. This time, my sister was quicker—she climbed into the wolf clan heir Jacob's bed before I had the chance. I knew then: she had been reborn too. But what she didn't know… was that Jacob's nature was cruel and violent. He worshiped bloodshed, not love. And he was anything but a worthy mate.

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

"If she can't reclaim love within a week… what will become of her?” In a world obsessed with appearances, a fantasy romance thriller unfolds—one that shakes love to its core. After seven years together, she is abandoned by her boyfriend for one cruel reason: she isn’t pretty enough. Consumed by betrayal and rage, she reaches the depths of despair—only to find herself standing in a plastic surgery clinic. That’s when Lucifer appears before her, whispering a tempting offer. “Would you like to be reborn with a new face?” But there’s a catch. If she fails to win back love within seven days, she will be condemned to live forever with a grotesque face. Bound by a devil’s contract, Jung-yun is granted breathtaking beauty. Yet what begins as a simple desire for revenge soon forces her to confront the deepest parts of herself. Between what is seen and unseen, love begins to bloom. What is love? Who am I, really? A chain of endless questions leads into a complex and delicate psychological thriller—where love and revenge collide, both inside and out.