The Reborn Duchess's Ruthless Revenge

I stood in the Royal Hall, clutching a glass of warm champagne while watching Senator Levine laugh. To the crowd, he was a pillar of the community; to me, he was the parasite who had already destroyed my life once. In my past life, this gala was the night the monarchy began to bleed. Levine successfully planted his cameras, the Vance empire funded a coup, and the kingdom I loved was sold off to the highest bidder. I lived through the consequences of my silence. I watched my sister, Seraphina, die in childbirth because the medical supplies were intercepted by traitors. I watched the man I loved, Duke Elliot, stripped of his titles and branded a criminal. I spent my final days in a damp, freezing cell, listening to the executioner sharpen his blade while the people cheered for our demise. The injustice burned in my throat like lye. I died wondering how I could have been so naive, how I could have let these monsters walk among us while I played the part of a perfect, quiet wife. Why did the gods let the wicked prosper while my family’s blood watered the palace gardens? What would I have given for just one chance to strike first? Then, the world shifted. I opened my eyes to find myself back at the gala, the scent of sandalwood and rain surrounding me as Elliot rested a possessive hand on my back. I wasn't just a Duchess anymore; I was a ghost from a future that would never happen, and I was ready to erase every name on my list.

Chapters

Chapter 8

The mansion was quiet now. The guests had gone, the doctors had left.

In the master bathroom, General Stone stood in front of the mirror. He had finally taken off his jacket.

He hissed as he peeled his undershirt off. The fabric was stuck to his back.

He hadn't told anyone. When the mortar hit the depot, a piece of shrapnel had grazed his back. It wasn't deep, but it was ugly. A long, jagged tear across his latissimus dorsi.

He grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a towel. He bit down on the towel and poured the alcohol over his shoulder.

The burn was blinding. He groaned, bracing his hands against the sink, his knuckles turning white.

"Marcus?"

Stone froze. He spun around, trying to hide his back.

Seraphina was standing in the doorway. She was wearing a silk nightgown, holding onto the doorframe for support. She looked weak, but alive.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly.

"Nothing," Stone said quickly. "Just... cleaning up."

Seraphina walked into the room. She moved slowly, wincing with each step. She walked around him.

She gasped when she saw his back. The angry red line, the dried blood.

"You're hurt," she whispered. Her fingers hovered over the wound, afraid to touch.

"It's a scratch," Stone lied. "Julian took the real hit."

"You idiot," Seraphina said, but there was no heat in it. Her eyes filled with tears. "You came home like this... you held me... and you didn't say a word?"

"You were busy," Stone tried to joke, but his voice cracked. "You were pushing a human out of your body."

Seraphina took the towel from his hand. "Sit down."

"Sera, you should be in bed..."

"Sit. Down."

Stone sat on the edge of the tub. He was a General who commanded thousands of men, but he didn't dare disobey his wife.

Seraphina gently cleaned the wound. Her touch was light, reverent. She kissed his shoulder, right above the cut.

"I thought you weren't coming," she confessed softly. "When the pain started... I thought I was going to die alone."

Stone turned and pulled her into his lap. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of milk and baby powder.

"Never," he swore. "I will burn the world down before I let you go alone."

They sat there for a long time, holding each other in the silence of the bathroom.

"Have you named him?" Stone asked.

"Victor," Seraphina said. "For victory."

"Victor Stone," Marcus tested the name. "Sounds like a tank commander."

"He will be a poet," Seraphina argued with a smile.

A knock at the door interrupted them. It was Isolde.

"Sorry to interrupt the love fest," Isolde said, leaning against the doorframe, holding a thick envelope. "But a royal courier just dropped this off."

Stone took the envelope. It was heavy cream paper, embossed with the Royal Crest in gold leaf.

He opened it.

INVITATION TO THE VICTORY GALA

In Honor of General Marcus Stone and the Heroes of the Border War.

"It's next week," Stone said, tossing the invitation on the counter. "I hate galas."

"You have to go," Isolde said. Her eyes were sharp. "Julian is getting a commendation. And... I think he's planning something."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "Planning what?"

Isolde smiled, a secretive, knowing smile. "Let's just say Imogen better get a manicure."

Continue to next part

Betrayed and cast aside by her fated mate, Elara is left broken in the wake of a cruel public rejection. However, the humiliation triggers an ancient, dormant strength within her bloodline. No longer a discarded wolf, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery to master her newfound abilities. As she rises to reclaim her lost authority, Elara must navigate pack politics and lethal enemies to prove that her worth is not defined by a mate.

Action Fantasy Werewolf

7.4

Bound by Fate to the Billionaire

7.4

Forced into an unwanted marriage, quiet schoolteacher Delina Brooks is bound to Andrew Kingsley.He is a ruthless billionaire musician, cold and arrogant, and he hates Delina from the moment they wed. But Andrew's world is not just his own. His glamorous ex-girlfriend, Camilla Laurent, and his manipulative sister, Veronica, are determined to destroy Delina-and reclaim Andrew for themselves. Surrounded by lies, secrets, and relentless enemies, Delina must fight for her dignity, her family, and her future. As fate twists and turns, one question remains: Will the woman he despised become the only one he can't live without?

Action Billionaire Modern

7.1

Enslaved By The Lycan King

7.1

His grin spread and he leaned closer to me, his scent overshadowing my senses. "I own you and this entire place, Scarlett. Whatever I decide to do to them is none of your business, is that clear?" "I hate you, Asher. I hate you with every cell in my body!" I seethed through my teeth, but his grin only grew wider. "We both know that you are lying..." His fingers moved to my chest, slowly making their way over my breasts, searching for my nipple. "Your whole body can't survive without me." *** Scarlett's holy union to Asher, the feared king of the Forgotten Lands, was meant to unite kingdoms but behind closed doors, her marriage becomes a prison. Asher wants an heir, a throne, and revenge against the family that once ruled over him. Scarlett is only the means to an end. Caught between a husband who breaks her body yet craves her soul, and a trusted friend whose loyalty hides a thirst for power, Scarlett learns that love in the Crystal Peaks is never gentle. It is claimed, twisted, and betrayed. As war brews, dark magic awakens, and an enemy long thought dead returns, Scarlett must decide who she truly belongs to... and how much of herself she's willing to lose to survive. Because in a world ruled by monsters, the most dangerous thing a woman can be is loved. Book 3 of The Lycan King Series.

Action Romance Werewolf

9.8

He Chose Her, I Chose Freedom

9.8

My husband, Keaton, and my adopted sister, Kaylene, betrayed me. I discovered Kaylene was pregnant with his child, a calculated move to secure an heir for the shipping empire my family built and he now controlled. He painted me as a cold, career-obsessed wife who couldn't give him a child, turning our mutual decision to wait into a weapon against me. When I confronted them, Keaton promised to handle it, but it was just another lie. His deception ran deeper than I ever imagined. When a violent figure from Keaton' s past emerged, revealing he had used stolen money to marry into my family, Keaton chose to protect his pregnant mistress over me, leaving me to be attacked and seriously injured. He left me bleeding on the floor of an art gallery, choosing to shield the woman carrying his child-a child that, I would later discover, wasn't even his. I faked my own death, escaping to Ireland to start a new life, free from his web of lies. But Keaton, consumed by a twisted obsession after learning the truth, hunted me down. He found me, desperate to reclaim what he had destroyed. "You're mine, Blair," he growled, his eyes filled with a possessive fire. "Always have been, always will be."

Action Modern Romance

9.8

His Illness Was A Weapon

9.8

For six years, my marriage was a clinical trial. I was the doctor for my husband Jackson' s severe contamination OCD, enduring endless cleaning rituals just for a touch. Then I found a used condom wrapper in his car. I soon learned he was breaking every single one of his pathological rules for his mistress-kissing her feet, sharing greasy pizza. His "illness" was a lie, a weapon used only against me. When I confronted him, he chose her. To protect his reputation, he threatened to cut off my mother's life-saving cancer treatment. The price for her life? I had to publicly announce I was barren and welcome his mistress and their child into our home. My six years of sacrifice, my entire life, had been a lie designed to control and humiliate me. I was nothing more than a disposable tool. The next day, in front of a room full of reporters, he handed me the script for my public humiliation. I tore it to pieces. Then I stepped up to the microphone and said, "I am here today to announce that my marriage to Jackson York is over."

Action Modern Romance

7.5

My Husband's Secret, My Silent War

7.5

On our third wedding anniversary, my husband's "best friend," Jade, told a room full of people about the night she spent kissing a scar on his hip. My husband, Julian, just laughed. He chose her, not me. That night, I found their secret group chat. They called me "the ball and chain." But the worst message was from Julian. He confessed he'd been swapping my birth control pills with placebos for a year, all while promising to be a sperm donor for her. He had held me while I cried over my "unexplained infertility," telling me I was all he needed. It was all a sick, calculated lie. The next morning, he left for her birthday trip, forgetting it was my birthday too. He told me to stay home. Instead, I got in my car and followed them. I was done watching my marriage die. It was time to burn his world to the ground.

Action Mystery Romance

The Reborn Duchess's Ruthless Revenge

Chapter 8

You may also like