Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom - Chapter 497: Kidnapped

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

Wang Yi was reborn into a world that swallowed the starry sky. After eighteen years of ordinary and extraordinary, he finally met the conditions on the eve of graduation from high school, activated his own golden finger, and signed in for the first time.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully signing in, signing in for the first time, and signing in to the earth, special rewards will be given to reward the first karma of the Nine Tribulations Secret Code! 】

[Your genetic level has increased three times! 】

“…”

It's hard to win when your competition is small, cute, and calls your (future) wife their mommy.Lara spent six years doing odd jobs to sustain her five-year-old kids. She fled from her birth town after noticing some of her children's weird habits.They growl when they fight, and their teeth can cut the skin like it's nothing. They prefer meat when it's cooked raw. They howl at the moon when they don't want to sleep.However, they're her children.She's been on the run ever since to protect them. She knows nothing about the stranger she met that day and whom she spent the night with. Even the details are blurry in her mind, except for that weird, compelling attraction that brought them together.When she scores an interview at the most prestigious company in Norwich City, she thinks her life will turn for the better. Until she meets him again.Nathaniel Woods, Alpha Nate, is the CEO of LY Corp. A fated night of six years ago, he found his true mate. Unfortunately, that woman fled after their passionate night, leaving no traces for him to follow.A twist of fate makes them meet again, and he's settled on not letting her escape.But this time, she's not alone. There are two pups with her, growling and fighting, firmly set on not letting him get to their mommy.WARNINGS:Possessive male lead and even more possessive little buns.Slight misunderstandings, not too annoying (hopefully). The male lead is doting, but life is difficult with two jealous pups preventing him from wooing his (future) wife.The story follows other characters along with the leads.Smut content (signaled at the beginning with a warning).Werewolves are a little different from usual, so please bear with my version of the trope ;)If you can't stand too much cuteness, do not open this book.If you're allergic to dog fur, stay further away. Characters here are wolves, but some of them grow ears and tail when they're excited (or claws when they feel threatened).This book is dedicated to all the parents single-handedly raising their cubs