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Category: Fantasy Books

  • Dump One Loser, Gain Six Husbands. by Zhao Da

    Dump One Loser, Gain Six Husbands. by Zhao Da
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    Anja woke up in an interstellar empire where females were precious assets-and promptly got dumped by her arrogant fiancé.

    He waited for her to cry. She laughed in his face.

    With a single thumbprint, she dissolved the marriage, kicked him out with security drones, and walked straight to the government assessment center. The test revealed something impossible: an S-Class psionic rating, the highest in a century.

    Now five elite, beast-eared warriors are being dispatched to her estate. They’re dangerous. Possessive. And genetically engineered to worship her.

    But Anja doesn’t just want protection. She wants power. Every corrupted warrior she purifies makes her stronger. Every Hive Core she absorbs pushes her abilities further. And every Consort she claims adds a new weapon to her arsenal.

    Her ex wanted her to be nothing. Too bad for him-she’s about to become everything.

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    Dump One Loser, Gain Six Husbands. Chapter 1

    Anja’s eyes snapped open.
    A spike of pain, sharp and blinding, shot through her skull. It felt like her brain being split in two. She gasped, a ragged sound in the dead quiet of the room, her hand flying to her forehead as if she could physically hold the pieces of her mind together.
    The bed was wrong.
    It was too soft, the sheets like cool silk against her skin. A low hum vibrated through the mattress, a subtle, calming frequency. Her bedroom in her tiny off-campus apartment had a lumpy mattress and scratchy polyester sheets.
    Memories, not her own, crashed into her consciousness. The Commonwealth. A sprawling interstellar empire. Genetic corruption. Psionic abilities. The ratio of females to males was one to one hundred thousand. Females were rare, precious assets, revered wherever they went. A society where matrimonial contracts were brokered by a central authority dedicated to finding males worthy of their scarce females.
    And a name. Kenny Mcdaniel. Her fiancé.
    Before she could fully process any of it, a voice rang out from the doorway. “Even if I die, even if I get exiled to a barren mining planet, I will never form a bond with you!”
    The door to the bedroom slammed open, the sound cracking through the silence like a gunshot.
    A man strode in. He was tall, with sandy blond hair and a suit that was trying too hard to look expensive. It was tailored just a little too tight across the shoulders, the fabric a synthetic blend that caught the light with a cheap sheen. He carried himself with an unearned arrogance, his chin tilted up as he looked down his nose at her.
    Kenny Mcdaniel.
    The name clicked into place with a fresh wave of nausea.
    He sneered, a curl of his lip that was meant to be disdainful but only made him look petulant. “Finally awake, are we? Don’t bother putting on a show. I’m not here to play games.”
    Anja just stared at him, her mind a whirlwind of two lives colliding. One was a college student from Earth, drowning in student loans and surviving on instant noodles. The other was Anja Compton, heiress to a minor noble house, betrothed to this… this peacock. And from the memories of the original Anja, she could see the woman had been utterly blind. She had cried over him, pleaded for his attention, and rearranged her entire life to please him. For what? For a male of thoroughly average looks—decent, but nothing special—whose only remarkable feature was his physique, which was standard issue for any male who had completed the mandatory academy training. He had been handed a priceless gem on a silver platter and somehow convinced himself he deserved better. What a joke.
    “I’m here to make things perfectly clear,” Kenny continued, pacing in front of her bed like a lawyer in a courtroom drama. “This political arrangement our families cooked up? It’s over. I’ve found someone I actually love. Someone who understands me. I will not sacrifice my happiness for some dusty old family alliance.”
    He punctuated his speech by slapping a thin, transparent data slate onto the polished wood of the nightstand. The clack was sharp and final. An electronic contract glowed on its surface: Agreement for Matrimonial Annulment.
    “So you can take your pathetic, clingy affections and find someone else to bother,” he spat, his voice rising with theatrical fervor. “I’m telling you now, Anja. Even if I die, even if I get exiled to a barren mining planet, I will never form a bond with you!”
    Anja slowly pushed herself up, the silk sheets pooling around her waist. The headache was receding, replaced by a strange, icy calm. The Anja from Earth thought he was a joke. A weak, insecure man puffing up his chest to feel powerful in front of a woman he perceived as weaker. It was pathetic. And frankly, hilarious.
    She let a slow, deliberate gaze travel from his cheap shoes up to his self-satisfied face. Then she met his eyes.
    “Are you done?” she asked. Her voice was quiet, devoid of the hysteria he was clearly expecting.
    Kenny froze mid-stride. The triumphant look on his face faltered, replaced by a flicker of confusion. “What?”
    “Your performance,” Anja clarified, leaning back against the plush headboard. She crossed her arms. “The big, dramatic speech. Was that the grand finale, or is there an encore?”
    He stared at her, his mouth opening and closing silently. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to cry. To beg. To make a scene that would validate his decision and allow him to storm out as the wronged, romantic hero.
    “You think this is a joke?” he stammered, his voice losing its confident edge. He puffed his chest out again, a desperate attempt to regain control. “I’m serious, Anja! I’m leaving you!”
    “I heard you the first time,” she said, her tone bored. “You want to end the engagement. Great. Let’s do it.”
    She didn’t even glance at the data slate he had thrown down. She simply looked towards the empty air near the door.
    “Unit 01,” she commanded.
    A soft, synthesized voice replied instantly from an unseen speaker. “Yes, Mistress Anja.”
    “Access the Federal Marriage Center,” she ordered. “Project the annulment agreement and initiate the signing protocol.”
    “At once.”
    A holographic panel of brilliant blue light materialized in the air beside the bed, displaying the contract in crisp, clear text. At the bottom, a glowing box waited for a biometric signature.
    Kenny’s face went slack with shock. “What are you doing? That’s not—you can’t just—”
    Anja ignored him. She reached out, her fingers steady, and pressed her thumb against the glowing box. The system chimed, a clear, pleasant tone that echoed in the tense silence.
    BIOMETRIC SIGNATURE VERIFIED. ANJA COMPTON HAS UNILATERALLY DISSOLVED THE MATRIMONIAL CONTRACT. STATUS: FINALIZED.
    The words burned in the air for a moment before the holographic panel dissolved.
    Almost immediately, a series of chimes sounded from the room’s speaker system. A new, distinctly official synthesized voice read out three consecutive messages:
    “Message from the Federal Marriage Center: Esteemed Lady Anja, your matrimonial contract has been successfully dissolved. You are now returned to single status.”
    “Message from the Federal Marriage Center: Esteemed Lady Anja, there are hundreds of millions of males in the Commonwealth. If one lacks vision, there will always be another. Please do not let a male with poor taste affect your mood.”
    “Message from the Federal Marriage Center: Esteemed Lady Anja, should you desire, the Federal Marriage Center is ready at any moment to match you with new husbands. No upper limit.”
    Kenny stared at the empty space where the contract had been, then back at her. His expression was a comical mix of disbelief and panic. He had come here for a fight, for drama, for a validation of his own importance. He had not, under any circumstances, expected this easy, dismissive acceptance.
    “You… you just signed it?” he said, his voice a weak squeak. “Just like that? This is a trick. Some kind of game to make me feel guilty.”
    Anja gave him a small, pitying smile. “There’s no game, Kenny. You wanted out. You’re out. Congratulations. The door is over there. Get out of my house.”
    The shift was instantaneous. The moment she finished speaking, the AI’s synthesized voice spoke again, its tone now stripped of all warmth.
    “Warning,” Unit 01 announced. “Kenny Mcdaniel, your security clearance for this property has been revoked. You are now classified as an unauthorized intruder. You have ten seconds to vacate the premises before defensive measures are deployed.”
    A cold, red light began to sweep across the room, originating from a sensor near the ceiling.
    Kenny paled. “Your… your security? You can’t-“
    He was cut off by a heavy, mechanical whirring sound. Two panels in the ceiling slid open, and a pair of sleek, gunmetal-gray security drones descended. Their optical sensors glowed with the same menacing red light, and the barrels of their plasma weapons swiveled to lock directly onto his chest.
    Fear, primal and undignified, washed over Kenny’s face. All his practiced arrogance vanished. He threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
    “Okay! Okay! I’m going!” he yelped, stumbling backward.
    The drones advanced on him silently, their movements perfectly synchronized, herding him towards the door. He tripped over the edge of an expensive rug, catching himself on the doorframe. He looked back at her, his eyes wide with a mixture of terror and wounded pride, as if he wanted to say one last thing to salvage his dignity.
    Anja didn’t give him the chance.
    “Unit 01,” she said, her voice dripping with finality. “Close the door.”
    The heavy, soundproofed metal door slid shut with a deafening thud, cutting off his last pathetic look.
    Silence returned to the room.
    Anja fell back against the pillows, the silk cool against her neck. A long, slow breath escaped her lips. She felt a profound sense of release, of lightness. The headache was gone. The confusion was gone. She thought about the Federal Marriage Center’s final message—match her with new husbands. And the words “no upper limit” echoed in her memory from the original Anja’s knowledge of the law. A villa this large, five stories and hundreds of square meters per floor… it would be a shame to live in it alone, wouldn’t it? She wasn’t admitting anything. She was just curious.
    For the first time in this new world, she felt free.

    Dump One Loser, Gain Six Husbands. Chapter 2

    A new light bloomed in the room, soft and golden. It wasn’t sunlight.
    Anja turned her head. A holographic panel, the color of warm honey, floated in the air where the blue contract had been. It bore the official crest of The Commonwealth Eugenics & Pairing Directorate.
    A gentle, synthesized female voice, far more sophisticated than Unit 01’s, filled the room.
    “Congratulations, Citizen Anja Compton,” it purred. “Our records indicate you have successfully terminated your betrothal contract. Your status has been updated to ‘Unbonded.’ Welcome to a new chapter of your life.”
    The panel shimmered, and text began to scroll, listing the benefits that were now active for her.
    Federal Income Tax: Exempt.
    Property Tax, Core Worlds Sector: Exempt.
    Priority Purchase Rights, All A-Class Residential Zones: Activated.
    Tier-One Medical and Nutritional Subsidies: Activated.
    Personal Security Detail Allotment: Pending Review.
    Anja felt a breath catch in her throat. This wasn’t just a breakup; it was like winning the lottery. She had been vaguely aware of the laws from the memories she’d inherited, but seeing them laid out like this was staggering.
    “Unit 01,” she said, her voice a little hoarse. “Pull up the Commonwealth’s legal statutes on marriage and asset sharing.”
    “Of course, Mistress,” the house AI replied.
    The golden panel was replaced by a dense wall of legal text.
    “Summarize,” Anja commanded, not in the mood to read hundreds of pages of legalese.
    Unit 01’s voice began a concise audio summary. It explained that due to the scarcity of females, the law was designed for their absolute protection and prosperity. A bonded male’s assets, income, and even inheritances were automatically and irrevocably linked to his Matron’s primary account. He was, in financial terms, an extension of her.
    And then came the part that made Anja’s jaw drop.
    “There is no legal upper limit to the number of Consorts a female may bond with,” Unit 01 stated calmly. “The formation of a Consortium is considered a private matter, encouraged by the Directorate as a means of ensuring genetic diversity and providing comprehensive support for the Matron.”
    No limit.
    Polygamy. No, polyandry. And it was legal. Encouraged, even.
    Anja thought back to Earth. The endless, bitter divorces. The fights over money. The prenuptial agreements that were more like business contracts than declarations of love. Here, the system was brutally simple: everything belonged to the woman.
    A laugh escaped her lips. It started as a small chuckle, then grew into a full-throated, joyous peel of laughter that echoed in the luxurious bedroom. This wasn’t a dystopia. It was a custom-built paradise.
    The system seemed to anticipate her thoughts. A new, shimmering button appeared on the golden panel: Initiate New Matching Cycle?
    Her laughter subsided into a wide, mischievous grin. She was tired of being sad and pathetic for a man like Kenny. It was time to see what this new world really had to offer.
    She tapped the button.
    The panel transformed into something that looked like a high-end, exclusive dating app. Profiles began to slide across the screen, each one featuring a stunningly handsome man. There were soldiers with chiseled jaws and intense eyes, businessmen in sharp suits with predatory smiles, artists with soulful gazes and long, clever fingers. Their stats were listed beside their photos: psionic grade, genetic lineage, net worth, military honors. It was a catalog of the most elite men in the Commonwealth.
    Anja scrolled, her interest piqued. She noticed a small tag on some of the profiles: Latent Bestial Morphology.
    Curious, she tapped on one. The profile expanded. In addition to the man’s primary photo, there were smaller, secondary images showing him with a pair of sharp, tufted wolf ears and a thick, bushy tail. The description noted these features were highly sensitive and could manifest during moments of heightened emotion.
    Fluffy ears. A tail.
    Anja felt an unexpected jolt of interest, a deep, primal pull that all the polished, perfectly suited men had never once managed to inspire.
    She quickly filled out the matching preference form that appeared at the bottom of the screen. Age range, psionic compatibility, asset level… and under ‘Physical Preferences,’ she decisively checked the box for Bestial Traits.
    Her finger hovered over the ‘Submit’ button. For a fleeting second, a flicker of the old Anja’s insecurity surfaced. The girl who thought she wasn’t good enough, the girl who had been convinced by Kenny that she was plain and worthless.
    Then the image of Kenny’s arrogant, sneering face flashed in her mind.
    She pressed the button. Hard.
    A confirmation message appeared: Application successfully uploaded to the Federal Central Database. Deep-level compatibility analysis is now underway.
    “Mistress,” Unit 01’s voice cut in, its tone impeccably polite, “Since you are celebrating your newfound freedom, shall I prepare a celebratory breakfast?”
    “Yes, absolutely,” Anja said, feeling lighter than she had in years. “Eggs Benedict. And real coffee. Black.”
    “An excellent choice.”
    She threw back the silk covers and stepped out of bed. Her bare feet sank into a thick wool carpet that was warm to the touch. The room was vast, with a walk-in closet the size of her old apartment and an adjoining bathroom that looked like a marble sanctuary.
    She walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window that made up one entire wall of the room. It overlooked a sprawling garden, with manicured lawns, a sparkling blue pool, and a forest of strange, beautiful alien trees in the distance.
    This was her life now. Safety. Luxury. Control.
    A soft, insistent chime broke her reverie. She turned back to the golden panel still hovering by her bed. A red warning icon was flashing.
    CRITICAL DATA MISSING. PSIONIC POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT: PENDING.
    The system’s gentle voice returned, now with a note of official firmness. “Citizen Compton, our records indicate you have not completed the mandatory Psionic Potential Assessment. This is a prerequisite for matching with Alpha-Plus class Consorts. Your matching cycle has been temporarily suspended.”
    Before she could even process that, the panel changed again, displaying a new document. It was an official, non-negotiable appointment.
    EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT: PSIONIC POTENTIAL TESTING CENTER. CAPITAL PRIME. TODAY.
    Anja stared at the screen. The original Anja had never gone. Kenny had told her it was a waste of time, that she was probably a worthless F-grade, and the embarrassment wouldn’t be worth it. He had systematically chipped away at her confidence until she believed him.
    Now, that little omission was standing between her and a lineup of handsome men with fluffy tails.
    Well, she thought with a grim smile. They were about to find out just how “worthless” she was.

    Dump One Loser, Gain Six Husbands. Chapter 3

    Anja read the appointment details again. The words mandatory and compulsory were highlighted in a severe, official red. Failure to attend would result in an indefinite freeze on her matching rights and a suspension of some of her newly acquired federal benefits.
    They weren’t asking. They were telling.
    “Mistress,” Unit 01’s voice chimed in, a flicker of something that might have been urgency in its synthesized tone, “You may wish to view the GalacticNet. Your status change has been… noted.”
    “Show me,” Anja said.
    The large window overlooking the garden dimmed, turning into a massive screen. It displayed the landing page of the most popular news network in the Commonwealth. Her own face stared back at her from the headline banner.
    ANJA COMPTON, HEIRESS OF HOUSE COMPTON, TERMINATES BETROTHAL. RETURNS TO UNBONDED STATUS.
    Below the headline, a ‘Trending Topics’ sidebar was dominated by her name. AnjaIsFree. ComptonConsortium. NewHopeForAlphaPlus.
    The screen began to populate with comments from a live public forum. Thousands of them, scrolling by in a dizzying cascade.
    “Finally! I knew Mcdaniel wasn’t good enough for her!”
    “An untested female from a noble line! This is the biggest news of the year!”
    “The matching pool is about to get a lot more interesting…”
    “Please, Mistress Compton, if you ever consider new consorts, review my profile. Class A psionic ability, five million credits, and I cook.”
    Anja stared, dumbfounded. It was one thing to read about the value of females in the abstract. It was another to see this raw, desperate, public thirst for her attention. The old Anja had wasted years crying over one mediocre male who didn’t want her, while thousands across the Commonwealth were practically begging for her attention. What a joke.
    She accessed the original Anja’s memories, searching for context. The Commonwealth was plagued by a low-level genetic corruption that affected all males. It was a slow-acting poison, a consequence of their psionic abilities, that caused irritability, aggression, and eventually, a descent into feral madness. The only cure, the only way to soothe the corruption, was the purifying psionic energy of a female. Males who lacked a female to purify them were forced to rely on suppressants—agonizing injections with devastating side effects.
    The demand was infinite. The supply was critically low.
    And an untested female, especially one from a good family, was the ultimate wild card. She could be a useless F-Grade, or she could be a world-changing A-Grade. The uncertainty, the sheer potential, was intoxicating. It was like a lottery where the jackpot was salvation.
    “Unit 01,” she said, her voice hard. “What’s the fastest way to get to the testing center in Capital Prime?”
    “The journey by private shuttle would take approximately forty-five minutes, Mistress. However, it appears alternative arrangements have been made.”
    Before Anja could ask what that meant, a low, powerful thrumming sound vibrated through the floor. It grew rapidly into a deafening roar, the sound of massive engines displacing a huge volume of air. The delicate curtains on her window whipped inward as a powerful downdraft hit the side of the house.
    Anja rushed to the window, peering up into the sky.
    A ship was descending. It wasn’t a sleek, civilian shuttle. It was a beast of a machine, matte black and brutally angular, a military transport vessel designed for assault landings. The official, silver crest of the Eugenics Directorate was emblazoned on its side.
    It settled onto the main lawn with a final, ground-shaking whump, its landing struts sinking inches into the perfectly manicured grass. A ramp hissed open at its rear. Twelve soldiers marched out in perfect synchronization. They were clad in black tactical armor, their faces hidden behind reflective visors, and they carried heavy-looking plasma rifles. They moved with terrifying efficiency, forming two perfect lines of six leading from the ramp towards the front door of the estate.
    A voice, amplified and resonant, boomed from the ship’s external speakers. It was deep, respectful, and utterly commanding.
    “Mistress Anja Compton. On behalf of the Commonwealth Eugenics Directorate, we are your designated escort to the Capital Prime Testing Center. Please prepare for immediate departure.”
    Anja stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs. This wasn’t a taxi. This was a military operation. For her. Was she being escorted to a testing center or to a war zone?
    “Mistress, I have taken the liberty of selecting an appropriate outfit for the occasion,” Unit 01 said, its voice cutting through her shock. A panel on the wall of her closet slid open, revealing a simple but elegant outfit: dark, well-fitted trousers, a cream-colored silk blouse, and soft leather boots. It was understated, comfortable, but undeniably expensive. “I would advise you to change quickly.”
    Numbly, Anja did as she was told. She dressed with fumbling fingers, her mind still reeling from the sight of the armored ship on her lawn. This was real. This was happening.
    Guided by Unit 01’s soft light prompts, she walked through the silent, cavernous halls of the estate to the grand front entrance. She took a deep breath, her hand resting on the cool metal of the door handle. She thought about the comments she had just read—males begging for her attention, showing off their credits and their abilities. And then she thought about Kenny’s parting words: “Even if I die, even if I get exiled to a barren mining planet, I will never form a bond with you.” A small, bitter smile crossed her lips. He had spent years convincing her she was nothing. In a few minutes, the entire Commonwealth would know the truth.
    Then she pulled it open.
    The force of the soldiers’ collective gaze was a physical thing. They stood perfectly still, rifles held at a parade rest, but she could feel the intensity of their focus. It wasn’t threatening. It was… worshipful.
    The man at the front of the line, clearly the captain, took a step forward. He was taller than the others, his armor bearing subtle markings of rank. He removed his helmet, revealing a stern, handsome face with a sharp jaw and piercing gray eyes. He held the helmet under his arm and then, to Anja’s utter astonishment, he dropped to one knee before her on the stone steps.
    “Mistress Compton,” he said, his head bowed, “It is an honor. We have prepared a sterilized walkway for your convenience.”
    As he spoke, a thin, metallic carpet unrolled from the base of the ship’s ramp, gliding silently across the lawn to stop at her feet. It was a simple, practical measure to keep her boots from getting damp from the morning dew. It was also the most ridiculously reverent gesture she had ever witnessed.
    “Th-thank you, Captain,” she managed, her voice barely a whisper.
    The captain’s head dipped lower. “The honor is all ours, Ma’am.”
    Feeling as though she were in a dream, Anja stepped onto the walkway. She walked between the two lines of silent, armored sentinels, and she could feel that beneath their visors, their gazes devoutly tracked her every move. The air buzzed with their restrained energy.
    She stepped up the ramp and into the ship’s interior. It wasn’t the spartan, utilitarian hold she expected. It was a VIP cabin, furnished with plush, cream-colored leather chairs, polished chrome accents, and soft, indirect lighting. It looked more like the inside of a private jet than a military transport.
    The ramp hissed shut behind her, sealing her inside and cutting off the outside world. A small, silent service droid glided up to her, offering a chilled glass of champagne on a silver tray.
    Anja sank into one of the chairs, the leather sighing under her weight. She took the glass, the crystal cool against her trembling fingers. Through the cabin’s reinforced viewport, she watched her new home, her new life, shrink below as the ship ascended with breathtaking speed.
    A timer appeared on a small screen embedded in the armrest of her chair.
    Estimated Time to Arrival: 12 minutes.
    She stared at the descending numbers, her heart beating a frantic rhythm against her ribs. There was no going back now.

    👉 CONTINUE READING

  • One Girl, A Pack Of Beasts by Brass Wren

    One Girl, A Pack Of Beasts by Brass Wren
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    Lillian woke in a werecreature universe as a total loser.

    Good news was that women ruled here and could take multiple mates, yet she still ended up as the one everyone looked down on. Compared to her talented sister at every turn, she watched her first match get stolen and her next four mates reject her without mercy.

    The first mate was the King of Succubine himself. On their very first meeting, he warned Lillian that he was only staying long enough to recover from his injuries-and that there could never be anything between them.

    The second mate was a merman. He took one look at her and said he had no interest in a loser like her, tossing her some cash so she could break off their bond herself.

    The third mate was the progenitor vampire-over a thousand years old. He admitted to admiring her sister instead and made it clear he had no interest in a layabout like Lillian.

    Lillian cut every bond and chose her own path instead. But as she rose higher and higher, those same men returned, full of regret and begging her to look at them again.

    The fourth mate was a werewolf Lillian had rescued from an underground fighting ring. She thought he might actually stay-until he revealed himself as royalty. And of course, he wanted to break their bond for more power.

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    One Girl, A Pack Of Beasts Chapter 1 Breaking The Bonds

    “Lillian Clark, I’ll ask you one last time,” Waylon Edwards said, his voice sharp with impatience. “Are you going to break the bonds or not?”

    Without rushing, Lillian set the knife in her hand aside and placed a bag of beast cores on the table. Blood continued to drip from her palm. “After everything I’ve done for the two of you… has it never been enough?”

    Disgust showed plainly on Waylon’s face as he looked her over. Her appearance was unkempt, far from what he believed a female should be.

    “With that F-level spiritual power of yours, you’ve never been able to soothe either Jaycob or me,” he said coldly. “All these years, it’s been your younger sister helping us behind your back. To us, she’s the one we truly recognize as our domina. If you actually care about us, then end the bonds.”

    Lillian’s answer came without hesitation. “If that’s how you feel, then I’ll give you what you want.”

    She paused, her eyes settling on him. “But there’s something you need to settle first. We’ve been married for years, and to make up for my lack of spiritual power, I handed over every beast core I earned hunting aberrant beasts. Altogether, that’s worth five million stellar coins. Pay me back, and you’re free to go.”

    Surprise flickered in Waylon’s eyes, quickly replaced by excitement. He had been pushing for this separation for a year and never thought she would finally agree.

    He didn’t have many stellar coins, but if he joined forces with Jaycob Warren and borrowed the rest, they could still pay her back. He didn’t hesitate to agree.

    Lillian moved just as quickly. She pulled up the agreement on her communicator, signed it, and sent it over. “Get the money transferred by tonight. We’ll finalize everything at the Notary Hall tomorrow afternoon.”

    It had only been a month since Lillian took over this body, and along with it came every memory that belonged to its original owner.

    The world she now lived in was shaped by something known as Yggdrasil, something that governed countless planets. Once males on these planets reached adulthood, they awakened esper abilities that matched their nature. To strengthen those abilities, they hunted aberrant beasts and collected beast cores. The esper ability progressed from the lowest rank, F, all the way to S Plus. The esper abilities of females were the same.

    There was, however, one critical difference. As males’ abilities advanced, they entered periods of rut. Without suppressants or a female’s spiritual power to soothe them, they risked losing control, turning into mindless creatures or even destroying themselves.

    Females were rare and highly valued, their status high. Through Yggdrasil’s system, a female could be assigned multiple males, and those males were expected to remain completely loyal to her. Only a female held the power to sever the bonds with them.

    The body Lillian now occupied belonged to someone who shared her name, yet their lives couldn’t have been more different. This Lillian had been considered the least capable female in her family, stuck with an F-level spiritual power.

    Her younger sister, Justine Clark, stood in complete contrast. From birth, she possessed an S-level spiritual power, something extremely rare. Many females never advanced even a single level in spiritual power, so someone like Justine held immense value. Their family treated her as their pride, giving her the best of everything. Lillian, meanwhile, had to struggle for whatever she wanted. Even then, anything she managed to claim would often be taken by Justine.

    The previous Lillian had always known her limits. She lacked the spiritual power needed to soothe the two A-level males bonded to her when she came of age, Waylon and Jaycob. To make up for it, she spent her days fighting in the Aberrant Thicket, pushing herself to gather more beast cores for them.

    At home, she lowered herself to doing everything. She handled the cooking, washed their clothes, and kept the place clean, yet neither of those men ever warmed to her.

    Later that evening, Lillian sat down to eat with her neighbor, Rosalyn Scott, and told her about her decision to end her bonds to Waylon and Jacob the next day.

    Rosalyn’s reaction came instantly. “That’s unbelievable! They actually asked for that? How dare them? You’ve been nothing but good to them!”

    Lillian didn’t seem bothered. “Justine enticed them away from me during the first year after the bonds were formed. I have never shared a bed with them. And all I could do to soothe them is pat them on the head. There’s no point in forcing them to stay with me.”

    Rosalyn fell silent for a while, clearly shocked. Then, her expression softened as she remembered Lillian’s weak spiritual power.

    She said, “You don’t need to worry too much. The Federal Directorate won’t leave a female without mates. Once you break the bonds, Yggdrasil will assign new males to you.”

    Lillian let out a frustrated sigh and replied, “That’s the problem. I don’t want to be bonded again. It always ends the same way. The males won’t like me.”

    She could already see how things would play out. If she ended up bonded to capable males, Justine would step in again and take them away, just like before.

    Rosalyn looked Lillian over from head to toe before speaking again. “You don’t really have a choice. Bonding is required, and new males will come looking for you whether you want it or not. At least try to change how you present yourself. You always look like you just came out of the wild. Even if males don’t hold the same status as females, you should still try to leave a good first impression.”

    For years, Lillian had dressed only for survival. Hunting aberrant beasts and gathering herbs in the Aberrant Thicket had shaped her habits, leaving no room for concern about how she looked.

    Now, a thought crossed her mind. Maybe Waylon and Jaycob had kept their distance because of how disheveled she looked? If that was the reason, then in her eyes, they were nothing more than shallow males.

    A quiet sigh escaped her. “Alright, I get it.”

    Rosalyn handed her a ticket. “Here. It’s for an underground fighting match. Go watch something fun and take your mind off things. The bar owner gave the tickets to me. We can go together.”

    Lillian accepted the ticket. “Thanks.”

    The following day, after giving it some thought, Lillian decided to take a short break. The money from Waylon and Jaycob had already been transferred, so there was nothing holding her back.

    She started by taking a long shower. After that, she used her communicator to order several elegant dresses and followed tutorials to style her hair into soft curls.

    Her natural beauty was actually remarkable. Her skin was smooth, and her features could easily rival Justine’s. Years spent outdoors had shaped her body into something balanced and strong. There was firmness in her muscles, yet her movements carried a light, controlled ease.

    When Rosalyn saw Lillian, she froze in place, her reaction almost comical. It took a moment before she found her voice again. “Why would you hide a face like that before? Even without strong spiritual power, males would still be drawn to you. Waylon and Jaycob would definitely regret leaving you!”

    One Girl, A Pack Of Beasts Chapter 2 She Bought The Dying Werewolf In The Arena

    Lillian gave a small smile, thinking that Rosalyn was only saying that to comfort her.

    However, when they showed up at the underground fighting arena, she indeed caught the attention of many males around her.

    Rosalyn located their seats, guided Lillian over, and sat down with her. The fight was already underway, a brutal scene with fists flying and legs kicking, the audience watching with excitement.

    At first, Lillian felt no real interest in what was happening. That changed when a werewolf was hauled onto the platform in chains. His gray ears were alert, and his eyes glowed with a dull, reddish hue. Lillian’s focus locked onto him immediately.

    The werewolf was in rut.

    The emcee’s voice rang out with excitement. “Here we have a slave who has been stuck in rut for a long time, rejected by every female, deprived of food for an entire week, and left without even a drop of water. Whoever manages to take him down will earn a hundred high-grade beast cores!”

    One after another, fighters stepped up to the fight, but every single one was violently overpowered and thrown off the stage by the uncontrollable werewolf.

    As the rounds went on, his wounds increased. One of his claws was broken. He remained crouched on the stage, blood spilling from his mouth as he coughed, yet he refused to make a sound, enduring the pain in silence.

    When the final horn echoed through the arena, he raised his head. By chance, his bloodshot eyes met Lillian’s gaze. The mix of fury and despair in his look made her press her lips together.

    Rosalyn inhaled deeply and said with a trace of pity, “He’s said to be from the Rogue Planet. He has been kept here for quite some time. I remember seeing him here last time; he’s got a criminal past and no family, just scraping by on his own. Honestly, this could be the last time he steps into the ring alive.”

    It was common knowledge that a male left too long without a female soothing him would eventually lose control and destroy himself.

    Lillian’s expression grew somber. Something about his loneliness struck a familiar chord in her.

    In the end, the werewolf gathered what little strength he had left, defeated his final opponent, and then collapsed, looking as though he might die at any moment.

    Seeing that, Lillian suddenly asked, “How do I buy him?”

    Rosalyn stared at her in shock. “What? You want to buy him?”

    Lillian tilted her head slightly. “Just for fun. That’s allowed, isn’t it?”

    Rosalyn tried to talk Lillian out of it but eventually failed. She knew the arena’s owner and brought Lillian to meet him and explained her intention to buy the werewolf.

    The owner looked taken aback. “You mean you want to buy Samuel? I was already planning to get rid of him. My lady, if you take him, you’ll spend an enormous amount trying to treat him; it’s simply not worth it.”

    Ignoring that, Lillian crouched down in front of Samuel Burton, who had reverted to his human form due to extreme exhaustion. Even in that state, he was strikingly handsome, with an intimidating presence. A pair of soft, furry ears still remained visible. Lillian reached out and gently stroked them.

    Samuel flinched. Startled, he abruptly sat up and was about to attack the person before him.

    But the moment he recognized Lillian as the striking, gentle-looking female he had noticed earlier in the crowd, his raised claw stopped mid-swing. The hostility and lethal intent in his eyes faded. He couldn’t bring himself to hurt an innocent female. So, he lowered his head and curled into himself, silently refusing her touch.

    Lillian chose not to bother him anymore. She had always moved on her own or occasionally teamed up with low-tier hunting groups, traveling to the outer edges of the Aberrant Thicket to hunt small aberrant beasts and collect herbs just to get by. Still, the earnings were barely enough, and the low-grade beast cores she absorbed had no real effect on improving her spiritual power.

    She began to consider that this werewolf could help her venture deeper into the Aberrant Thicket, where she might find quality herbs and stronger beast cores to elevate her spiritual power.

    At the very least, it seemed like a feasible plan.

    Lillian spoke calmly. “I’ll pay one million.”

    She turned her attention to the owner and said firmly, “That’s a fair deal for you, isn’t it? Even if he recovers, the cost of suppressants alone is extremely high. And without a female to soothe him, he won’t be able to return to the arena anyway.”

    She wasn’t wrong. At this point, Samuel was a rogue werewolf with no real value. After a moment of consideration, the owner accepted her offer.

    After taking Samuel out of the underground arena, Lillian noticed her communicator buzzing nonstop with missed calls and messages. She opened one of the video messages.

    Jaycob appeared on the screen, his face flushed with anger as he shouted, “Lillian, we’ve been waiting for you at the Notary Hall forever! Don’t test our patience! You already took the money and signed the separation agreement. Are you trying to go back on your word now?”

    Without the domina’s approval, it was impossible for the males to end the bonds on their own.

    In her rush to buy Samuel, Lillian had completely forgotten about the matter with Jaycob and Waylon.

    She quickly turned to Rosalyn. “Please take Samuel back to my place. There are medical supplies stored there. Use whatever you need and make sure he pulls through.”

    “Sure, leave it to me,” Rosalyn replied with confidence.

    By the time Lillian arrived at the Notary Hall, Waylon and Jaycob were already standing beside Justine.

    Walking up to them, Lillian said, “Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

    Waylon and Jaycob stared at her, startled, as though they didn’t recognize her right away.

    “Li-Lillian?” Jaycob’s eyes scanned her from head to toe. She did look more attractive than before, but when he noticed she was wearing a white dress just like Justine, he let out a mocking laugh, assuming she was trying to imitate Justine to win sympathy and avoid the separation.

    Waylon seemed to reach the same conclusion. Disdainfully, he said, “There’s no need for you to copy Justine. What we care about isn’t just her looks; it’s her kindness. Don’t waste your time doing something useless.”

    Justine offered a soft smile, putting on a fragile and apologetic front as she spoke to Lillian. “Lillian, I truly didn’t mean to ruin your bonds or take your mates away from you. Please don’t hold it against me, okay?”

    In her mind, Lillian was deeply attached to these two males. Seeing Lillian dressed like her today only reinforced her belief that she had come here to plead for reconciliation.

    However…

    One Girl, A Pack Of Beasts Chapter 3 She Finally Found A Way To Enhance Her Spiritual Power

    “Sure.”

    Lillian gave a short nod. She barely spared Justine a glance before heading straight for the registration desk. Instead of wasting time on pleasantries, she went straight to the point and asked the staff to stamp the documents.

    Without delay, a staff member processed everything and placed three separation certificates in her hands. A polite smile stayed on his face as he spoke. “Now that you’re registered as a single female, Yggdrasil will match you with new males. You can check your email tomorrow for the results.”

    After acknowledging him with a nod, she turned back and flicked her wrist, throwing two certificates toward Waylon and Jaycob. “It’s done. From this point on, the two of you are Justine’s fated mates.”

    Shock spread across Justine’s face as she went stiff for a moment. “Lillian, you actually broke the bonds with them? So that’s it? You don’t love them anymore?”

    A cold laugh slipped from Lillian as she shook her head. “Love? There was never anything like that between us. It was nothing more than an obligation that tied me to them. Since you’re willing to pick up what I threw away, go ahead.”

    Waylon’s anger flared at that. “Lillian, watch your mouth! You think you can talk about us like that? We refused to serve you because of Justine. She’s the one we truly love.”

    Lillian didn’t even bother responding. Arguing with them wasn’t worth her time.

    So, she left and made her way home before the sky turned dark.

    Earlier, Rosalyn had sent a message to her. She said she had given Samuel an injection that kept him alive, but his condition hadn’t improved. His mind was unstable, and he needed a suppressant or a female to soothe him as soon as possible.

    The moment Lillian arrived home, she found Samuel in the guest room. His body was hunched over on the carpet as he knelt there, and he was struggling through waves of pain. A strained sound escaped him while one of his hands had already shifted into a claw, about to hurt himself.

    Lillian’s expression hardened at the sight. She rushed forward without hesitation and caught his wrist to stop him.

    At the sight of her, Samuel went still for a second. His chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as his voice came out rough. “You shouldn’t get close to me. I might lose control and hurt you.”

    “I’m not leaving you like this.” Carefully, Lillian reached up and held his head between her hands. She tried to soothe him, letting her spiritual power flow through him in an effort to calm the storm inside him.

    Even so, the strain on Samuel’s face didn’t ease. Pain tore through him without pause. It felt like his bones were being forced apart, then crushed back together again. Something unseen seemed to press along his spine, breaking it piece by piece. The agony dragged him closer to the edge with every passing second.

    “Thank you for helping me.” Samuel realized Lillian’s ability wasn’t enough to soothe him, gritting his teeth and reaching out to push her away gently. “I’ll just face my destruction.”

    A flicker of anxiety crossed Lillian’s face. Regulations made it impossible to use suppressants on someone with a criminal record. Without a female willing to soothe him, there was no way to pull him back from this.

    She had already tried soothing him through touch, yet it hadn’t been enough. That left only one option—mating.

    It was typically reserved for a female’s fated mates.

    She had never done something like that before. Neither in her previous life nor in this one had she ever given herself to anyone.

    Still, watching Samuel struggle right in front of her, Lillian hesitated only for a brief second before making up her mind. She leaned in, steadied his head in her hands, and pressed her lips against his in a firm gesture.

    A flicker of shock crossed Samuel’s eyes the moment her lips met his. Something within him shifted in a way he couldn’t explain. He had never felt anything like this before.

    For the first time, he experienced what it felt like to be soothed by a female.

    Tension drained from his body without warning. The violent strain in his muscles eased, and the sharp pain tearing through his bones faded as if it had been pulled away by an unseen force. A tremor ran through him as relief settled in. Driven by instinct, his arms moved on their own. He circled Lillian’s waist and pulled her closer, holding her tightly against him. The need for comfort from her took over as he deepened the kiss instinctively.

    Caught off guard, Lillian lost her balance and ended up seated on his lap. Her tongue was entwined with Samuel’s, continuously licked and sucked, occasionally grazed by his sharp teeth, causing her to shiver.

    A strange sensation spread through her, leaving her mind unsteady. Not only was there a physical change in her, but spiritually, she also felt something unusual.

    Her previously depleted spiritual power suddenly swelled like a sponge absorbing water, pulling in everything that poured from him. The wild energy surrounding him flowed into her, and she turned it into her spiritual power, using it to soothe him.

    Time slipped by without her noticing. By the time the kiss finally broke, her spiritual power had been completely drained. Her body gave in, and she slumped against Samuel, her consciousness fading as exhaustion took over.

    For Samuel, the torment hadn’t fully disappeared, but the storm inside him had calmed enough for him to think clearly again.

    Carefully, he carried Lillian and laid her down on the bed. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he chose not to lie beside her. Instead, he lowered himself to the floor and stayed there, watching her quietly. Complex emotions lingered in his eyes.

    He couldn’t understand why someone like her would go so far just to save him.

    Nor could he figure out what he had ever done to deserve her help.

    In his eyes, she was perfect.

    When Lillian finally woke, a full day and night had already passed. Warmth surrounded her, and she noticed her hand was still being held firmly.

    A slight turn of her head revealed Samuel lying on the cold floor beside the bed, fast asleep.

    The small movement didn’t go unnoticed. He stirred almost at once, pushing himself upright as his blue eyes locked onto her.

    There was something intense in the way he looked at her. His gaze didn’t pull back, and combined with his rugged yet striking features, it made her heart skip a beat.

    Lillian paused for a moment before reaching out. Her fingers brushed through his messy hair, then touched his ear. “Samuel, why did you sleep on the floor?” she asked in a soft voice.

    A low sound slipped from Samuel at the touch. Since he was a werewolf, his ears and tail were highly sensitive. “I’m used to it. And… thank you for saving me and letting me stay here.”

    That answer wasn’t the truth. He hadn’t grown used to sleeping on the floor. But he had watched too many others like him get taken away by females who treated them like passing interests. They would leave with females smiling, only to return later with wounds covering their bodies.

    Some of those females, backed by their status, didn’t hesitate to cross the line and treat their slaves as nothing more than tools for their own desires.

    After seeing enough of that, Samuel had come to understand one thing. If he wanted to survive, he had to endure whatever came his way and be compliant.

    But…

    “Don’t say things like that. You should be sleeping on the bed.”

    Lillian pushed the covers aside and got out of bed, reaching for him as she pulled him to his feet. Only then did she realize just how tall he was. Standing close to him, she barely reached his chest, which forced her to tilt her head up to meet his eyes.

    A trace of shyness slipped into her expression before she spoke again. “After what happened last night… are you feeling better now?”

    Samuel was stunned for a moment before answering, “I am. You got me through the rut safely.”

    The memory of that kiss lingered in his mind, and his gaze drifted to her lips without him realizing it. He swallowed instinctively.

    He realized that the rumors on Rogue Planet were true. Once a male experienced a deep level of soothing from a female, the feeling would stay with him, pulling him back toward it again and again. He could already feel that pull.

    “Wait… you really made it through because of me?” Excitement lit up Lillian’s face. “So what I did actually worked?”

    When Samuel confirmed it, everything clicked for her. The way her spiritual power worked wasn’t the same as that of other females.

    Beast cores had never improved her spiritual power, no matter how many she had used. All those years of fighting aberrant beasts hadn’t changed anything. Now, she finally understood why. Her spiritual power didn’t grow that way at all.

    And what had happened last night went beyond simple contact. It was a deeper connection that had allowed her to draw in far more energy than before, upgrading her spiritual power.

    Without thinking, Lillian wrapped her arms around Samuel, unable to hide her joy. “Thank you, Samuel!”

    The sudden embrace caught Samuel off guard. A faint heat crept across his face, and he didn’t know how to react. Every instinct told him to stay wary of her, yet he was unable to do that.

    He forced himself to pull away, steadying his thoughts before speaking. “You shouldn’t treat me this well. I’m not someone worth your kindness. I’ve got a criminal record, and I’m marked as a slave from Rogue Planet. If people find out what you did for me, they’ll laugh at you.”

    “No,” Lillian responded as she held his hand, her smile unwavering. “Bringing you home was the best choice I’ve ever made. You’re my lucky charm!”

    She looked at him. “Stay with me, Samuel. Maybe you’re the only one who will.”

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