MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA - Chapter 14: Playing With Fire

The Fake Life of a Villainess: Reincarnated as a villainous noblewoman, you become an experience bag for the protagonist on their journey. You are the target of the maid’s revenge, your half-sister takes away everything that belongs to you, and the grand princess who cared for you for many years finally loses hope and abandons you. The Real Life of a Villainess: You clean up the mess left behind by the protagonist when they disappear. And in their place, you teach her that as a maid, she shouldn’t always be thinking about…

As a human, I should be miles away from any large shifter event. Especially the annual Mate Hunt.A hunt for mates. Doesn't that sound barbaric? Yeah, it's as bad as it sounds.Several packs in the area gather as their newly minted adult wolves shift. Females are let into the woods first and are given an hour's head start, just before sundown. Then it's time for the males, ostensibly thrown out to hunt down the scent of their fated (or chosen) mates.It isn't an event for the faint of heart, and it's definitely no place for someone who can't shift. So why the fuck am I here, running my little human heart out, chased by what sounds like an entire pack of wolves? Great question. I don't know, either.But I'm here.Surrounded by howls fueled by the thrill of the hunt.Feet bleeding. Lungs freezing.I am so fucked.----R18. Dark themes, including but not limited to: Murder, attempted murder, a stack of dead bodies, betrayal, mild sociopathy, an ML who appears to bathe in red flags despite his favorite color being green, an unwarranted hatred of blueberry muffins, and pillow thievery.

They call him Ghost.A name whispered in fear across warzones, black markets, and underworld circles.To the world, he's a phantom—a faceless mercenary who leaves no trace but bodies in his wake.To his enemies, he’s a death sentence.To his brothers-in-arms in Graveyard, he’s family.But to himself... he's a haunted man searching for a past stolen in gunfire and smoke.After a flawless mission deep in the Eastern Province, Ghost returns to the hidden forest base he's called home for sixteen years. Yet the victory is short-lived. His foster father, the commander delivers an unexpected order:“That was your last mission.”Now, Ghost—real name Miles Sterling—must step out of the shadows of war and into a world he’s never known. Guided only by a scarred letter, a fading memory, and the voice of a woman he hasn’t seen since the day everything was taken from him.But war forged more than his body and name.Behind the mask, behind the scars, Miles has another secret.One he’s kept hidden even from his brothers in arms.He’s not just a weapon.He’s a ghost with a fortune—a hidden empire he built in silence, across borders and black markets, forged in strategy and blood.A man of many names, and many shadows.Beneath the bullets, tattoos, and silence lies a truth buried in ashes.And Ghost is about to dig it up—one letter, one enemy, one memory at a time.

The universe is big, and Hayden’s about to invade it. Being drafted into a demon army wasn’t on Hayden’s bucket list. But when his soul is shoved into a human soldier on the eve of a new invasion, it’s not exactly like he can appeal the decision. Surrounding Hayden are demons, excited and ready. For them, the invasion promises a feast of souls and new growth. Their target? Berlis — a sword and sorcery realm straight out of classic fantasy. Hayden’s human status puts him at the bottom of the totem pole, meant to be cannon fodder that soaks up damage and dies first. But as he plunges into the carnage, he’s learning that he was born for the madness. Readers can expect: + Grimdark action and violence + Fighting, lots of it + Multiple worlds and magic systems + Slow burn