Discordant Note | The Beginning After the End SI - Chapter 122: Pieces

Melanie Collins was the perfect wife—caring, strong, and dependable. For the last few years, she had managed her husband’s messy family, and business alone while waiting for her husband to return from studying abroad. But when he finally came back, Melanie’s world fell apart—he wasn’t alone. Along with him was his 'best' friend.Broken and confused about the change in her husband, Melanie didn’t know where to turn. And then she stumbled into another cold reality. Everything she had believed was a lie.Seething with anger and humiliation, as she tried to come to terms with the betrayal, an unexpected person steps into the picture, intent on seducing her and conquering her.The only problem? The man was her ex brother in law...And against her better judgment, she is attracted to this bad boy...But as Melanie tried to make sense of the changes, she discovered there was more going on than she ever imagined. Had both brothers loved really fallen in love with her? Or was she just a pawn in a bigger game?excerptSince he had already been leaning against the table, he simply slid onto it, and with one swift motion, he hooked his boot around the leg of her chair and pulled it—pulled her—closer.The sudden movement made her jolt slightly, and when she looked up or rather when she looked ahead, she found herself staring directly at the zipper of his jeans... She looked up then and met his gaze.He caught her chin,“ Would you like to check if I am only pretending, sweet melon?”Melanie stiffened. And then pushed back her chair suddenly, so that Adam almost lost his balance, as she stood up.Before he could balance himself, she placed her hand on his shoulder, her fingers brushing against his neck. Adam stiffened, his eyes glittering as he waited to see what she would do next. And she, of course surprised him as her other hand, slowly settled on the inside of his thigh. And then, the hand on his shoulder started to move. Her fingers tracing the side of his neck before lifting as she shot a glance to the corner of his mouth. The little piece of metal glinting there. She flicked at it lightly, barely a touch, but Adam could feel the heat all over his body, as she leaned in close, her lips barely a few centimetres away...so that they could both feel each other's breaths…She smiled slowly then. “Careful, Adam,” she murmured, her voice playful, but carrying the unmistakable edge of a challenge. “Keep pushing, and I just might call your bluff.”

What life is left for a warrior when there is no more enemy to fight?

…He knelt before her in the posture of a soldier giving honor to their Queen. And she didn’t even know it.

“Harth,” he rasped, “I come empty-handed. I bring no weapon. Because I swear to you, I will never choose to harm you. Never draw your blood—in anger, or in fear. I bring no shield. Because I vow I will never defend myself from your eyes, your hands, your mind. I am yours.”

*****

After a year of peace in Anima, Tarkyn finds himself… lonely. As the Captain of the Queen’s Guard and a lion-shifter, he has met every female in the tribes, but never found his mate. Certain he must have overlooked someone, Tarkyn undertakes a grueling ritual, pleading with the Creator to reveal her. But the ritual presses him to the end of even his formidable strength.

Yet, the Creator heard his cry…

Discovered on the brink of death by his mate, Harth, and nursed back to health, Tarkyn now faces the most difficult battle of his life. Because Harth isn’t just a stranger to the Anima, she is a weapon of the humans who tried to destroy them.

Can the love of a warrior and his enemy bring peace to Anima? Or will they be torn apart forever by war between their peoples?

*****

.....

STANDALONE STORY: While Tarkyn’s story is a part of the Anima world and fans will be reunited with some of their favorites as side-characters, Tarkyn and Harth are new POV characters and their story is a new plot arc, so their story can be enjoyed without reading the previous books! But please add Falling in Love with the King of Beasts, and Taming the Queen of Beasts to your library to enjoy later!

Ade has lived in an incense burner for over a thousand years, her days spent sleeping. Longing for the outside world she hears about from her fairy friends, her wish is finally granted when a man brings her home, releasing her from the seal. Ade, tears streaming, vows to repay her savior to the fullest extent.Qin Yu, known as the cold and ruthless Third Master Qin of Kyoto, finds his life upended when strange occurrences plague his bedroom after he places an antique incense burner given to him as a New Year's gift there. Chaos ensues, with items displaced and unexplained puddles of water; he even senses something in his bed while half-asleep.One afternoon, Qin Yu comes home early to find a young girl cleaning up spilled milk. The girl, her black hair cascading, her skin porcelain, is startled by his return and tries to flee. Upon being caught and questioned by Qin Yu, she timidly speaks of repaying her debt.To Qin Yu's amusement, she lists her belongings: pearls, antiques, even her savings. None of these interest Qin Yu, who instead sweeps her into his arms and suggests a more personal way of repaying the debt. Terrified, the girl's beautiful fish tail is revealed.

“The True Form Of Order is chaos, It is a tale as old as time itself!”Since Dungeons began appearing around the world, things have changed. The world has evolved, letting dungeons alter the genetics of humans, giving some of them abilities and powers that no ordinary person would have.These abilities were called magic, and the ability to use them or even control them was called having mana. Almost 80% of the world’s population has gotten this ability. When a person who awakens their magic is seen, he or she will be taken for evaluation. To see their strength, there were strong and dangerous warriors who had to be used to keep the dungeon at bay and make sure that nothing happened to the world.Amid all this chaos, Darius Winters, a typical loser trying to make sure he would make enough money to pay for his sister's treatment, joins a guild on a raid. When his life is changed, Darius gains a powerful system, and he can get stronger than he was; the system makes him potentially the strongest warrior in the city.But he chooses to hide from the spotlight and take care of his sister. But how long can he keep up with that? when he is thrown in the middle of a brewing war between divine beings