Sam needed a wife. I needed a stable for my horses. We agreed to a marriage of convenience, but it seemed to be more. For a while. Until my distant cousin, who was Sam's ex, showed up on our doorstep. And I was no longer convenient.

𝗛𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵-𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀. DELANEY WHITMORE has spent her entire life coming in second. Second to a mother who chose addiction. Second to a father who moved on without her. And always, always second to her perfect half-sister, Siena. So she walked away from it all. And for the first time, someone chose her first. LACHLAN ROWE was everything Delaney had never dared dream of-intense, passionate, hers. Together, they built a world where they were the only ones that mattered. Until the real world bled in. When Lachlan lost his job, desperation led him to a new identity: Rafe Wilde, a masked cam boy with a body the internet couldn't get enough of. The money rolled in. The secrets piled up. And the man Delaney loved began to disappear behind a screen. She believed in him. She chose him. But now, he chooses them. And Delaney is back where she started-second best. 𝐀 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. For fans of morally gray men, soft-hearted girls turned steel, and second chances tangled in secrets.

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. LILLIE SOMMERS thought love would protect her. That Grayson Sterling-the man who made her feel seen-would stand by her side when it mattered most. But when the laughter in the boardroom got too loud, he said nothing. When they humiliated her, he looked away. And when she broke... she broke alone. Now she's done playing the girl who waits. She's taking her power back-piece by painful piece. And if Grayson wants her forgiveness, he'll have to crawl for it. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬. GRAYSON STERLING had everything-status, control, and the quiet belief that Lillie would always be his. But it took losing her to realize he never really had her at all. Now he's haunted by the echo of her silence, obsessed with the fire in her eyes, and desperate to prove he's still the man she once loved... or at least the man he should have been. 𝐀 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. For fans of broken boys, unbreakable girls, and second chances that burn before they heal.

Rory Hayes was born a gang princess - raised to be protected, promised to a future that was never really hers. After her best friend's death, danger begins circling closer, and the last thing she wants is protection. Especially not from Alexander Cross, the man who appears out of nowhere with a dangerous smile and an interest in her she can't quite resist. He makes her feel safe. Seen. Wanted. Until she discovers everything between them was built on a lie. Now someone is hunting her, the truth about the past refuses to stay buried, and the only man she can't trust might be the only one who can keep her alive. But in a world built on loyalty and blood, betrayal always comes at a price. And this time, it might cost her everything. __________________________ My submission for ONC 2026 using the Prompt #78 - You begin to realise everything is not what it seems. This will be uploaded irregularly but as its a submission for ONC it will be completed by the end of April for judging.

Sasha Michael thought she had everything, a loving husband, a comfortable life, and a family who adored her. But when the truth about her marriage shatters the world she built, she's forced to make an impossible choice: protect the people who turned their backs on her... or protect herself. In a battle between love, loyalty, and survival, Sasha must decide how much she's willing to lose before she finally walks away.

Orphaned, bullied, and broken-can this rogue werewolf claim her fate as a powerful Luna? Lila Silverstone has spent her entire life being ridiculed. As an orphaned werewolf raised by Rogues, she works herself to the bone just to survive. But then the smoldering and mysterious Caden Wilder shows up on her doorstep and whisks her off to Wildwood College of Transformation, a prestigious werewolf university. Lila hopes that she can find out some information about her family-especially when it's revealed that she, a forgotten nobody, is fated to be the Luna mate of a strong Alpha...maybe someone like Caden. But Lila doesn't fit in with her beautiful, cruel roommates or the rest of their rich classmates, and they'll go out of their way to drive her out of the school. Can Lila rise above the bullying and uncover the truth about her past? Will she find her fated mate and claim her rightful place as his Luna? Or will the crushing weight of her past and her own insecurities shatter her heart forever...? WARNING: This story contains strong language, depictions of bullying, depictions of domestic abuse and childhood trauma, and explicit sexual content that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised. *** This story is part of a special collection of YONDER Originals now available on Wattpad! Unlock part-by-part or the full story with Wattpad Coins.

I save the Alpha. He crowns my sister. "Miles... I'm your mate," I blurt, hoping that will break through his confusion and make him see me for who I truly am. He only stares quietly at me, but I can see the conflict and confusion in his expression. "I'm sorry, Rhea. You're beautiful, and your scent..." his words trail as he buries his nose on my neck and inhales deeply. "It's the sweetest I've ever known. But I love your sister, and I made a promise I don't intend to break. We will have to reject the mate bond." "Why won't you believe me?" I plead, my voice raw. "I'm the girl you met that night. I am your mate!" Miles' gaze hardens as he points toward the exit. "You need to leave, Rhea. Or I'll have security escort you out." "You liar!" I scream as I yank Roxy's hair. "You've stolen everything from me!" I feel Miles' hands gripping my shoulders as he yanks me off her, shoving me backward. I land hard on my butt. "Listen to me, Rhea," he hisses, his voice filled with venom, his eyes cold. "I don't want to see you near me or Roxy again. If you do, I'll have you banished." He takes a step closer, towering above me. "I, Alpha Miles Mondragon, reject you, Rhea Chapman, as my mate. Accept it or reject it; I don't fucking care." Have you ever watched your Knight in shining armor stolen from your very own fantasy? It could be the most heartbreaking thing. What do you do when the man fated to love you calls you a liar? When the boy you save becomes the Alpha who destroys you? This is my story, and how my fate was stolen.

Charlie has loved her husband for the past five years. She thought they had a happy marriage, one built on trust and with love. Until she finds a suspicious item in her husband's luggage from a most recent business trip. The doubt causes her to hire a private investigator. Her world is completely shattered when she receives her first email from him. The life she thought she was living was a lie. That she was never enough.

I was supposed to be protecting her. Instead, I left her to help my former girlfriend. And she was badly hurt on my watch. Now, she won't talk to me and I can't get to her for a year. I'll work the rest of my life to regain her trust, earn her forgiveness and prove to her she's the woman I love.