Edge of the Dark - Chapter 45 - 44: Intersecting Clues

“Serena, you are hereby exiled from the Silverstone Pack. You will remain exiled until the day you draw your last breath.”Serena, a Healer exiled from her pack for a crime she did not commit, accused of murdering her mate, the Pack Beta. The evidence against her was damning, warranting the harshest punishment: death.However, an oath between her father and the Alpha of her pack spared her life. Instead, she was cast into the wilderness, cursed to live as a rogue until the day she dies.Life as a rogue was treacherous, seeing the next sunrise was never promised. One fateful day, Serena stumbled upon injured strangers and saved their lives. In return for her kindness, she was granted asylum in Ironshade, the strongest Western Pack.Haunted by the loss of her first mate, Serena is determined to live in secrecy, until she discovers she has yet another fated mate. Her new mate is none other than Darius, the stoic Alpha of Ironshade burdened by the dark legacy of his father.The Ironshade Pack is on the brink of collapse, plagued by a mysterious curse. Serena’s arrival may hold the key to its salvation...or its ruin.As tensions rise, Serena and Darius find themselves drawn together with an undeniable bond. Together, they must confront buried secrets, face their deepest fears, and decide if their second chance at love is worth risking everything.“When the shadow of the Thorn bleeds into the light, And the wolf who carries death finds her second life, The moon will bless the broken bond, And the cursed will find peace at dawn.”

[TRIGGER WARNING: Mature Content + Dark Themes]EXCERPT:“Axel, no. We… can’t do this!” I jolted back when he pulled up my skirt.As if to retaliate, he grabbed my wrist and yanked my body to his. “We can do whatever I say we can do, María José.”“I’m your brother’s reject. Do you even hear yourself right now? He didn’t want me, Axel. What does that make me to you?”“I don’t care about Álvaro’s foolishness. It's his loss for losing a woman like you.”“Okay, I must confess. I'm not worried about him either. It's Rosa… you're getting engaged to my sister in a month!”“Let me remind you, María José—I don’t give a fuck about that, either.”No matter how hard I jerked, he wasn’t letting me go. And part of me—so, so foolishly—didn’t want him to.______Having spent her life avoiding the spotlight, María Jośe never imagined she’d be the one to bring shame to her esteemed De la Vega family. With beauty as captivating as a field of lilies, she is the prized daughter of an ambitious father who cares more for his reputation than his children’s happiness.When Álvaro Montenegro, the arrogant heir to the Alpha title, sets his sights on her as his chosen Luna, María Jośe is desperate for a way out.But everything changes when the Moon Goddess answers her prayer in the most unexpected way: María Jośe discovers she is an Omega—wolfless and the lowest rank in the pack. Once held in awe, she is now shunned; a source of shame to her father and a target for ridicule in the pack.As her life turns upside down , María Jośe's hatred for the pack grows. The only solace she finds is in her growing, forbidden bond with Axel Montenegro—Álvaro’s older brother, who has turned his back on the pack to live as Beta.These two developed a love-hate friendship born from their shared disdain for the pack’s cruelty, which slowly evolves into a passionate, secret romance.But when Álvaro discovers Axel’s interest in María Jośe, jealousy ignites within him and he suddenly wants María Jośe as his own.Love, vengeance, and betrayal all brewed into a whirlwind of drama, desires, and deadly comebacks. Will María Jośe rise from the ashes of her former life, or will she be consumed by the power struggles of the pack she despises? Will she give in to the oldest brother who is scared of commitment or the younger one who fiercely seeks redemption?

Qiaosheng, you are the one who saves me, yet you are also the one who gives me hell. If we cannot grow old together, I’d rather we’ve never met before.

- Description from Novelupdates

I couldn’t even clear the 2D version, now to clear the game in reality?Maybe I’ll have to live here for the rest of my life.Well, even that won’t be easy.– A player found himself in the game, Dungeon and Stone, as a savage barbarian.To keep his secret, he must become the mask – must make himself be seen as more savage, more fearless than any others – a paragon of his race in the eyes of the whole world.Back on earth, in the empty darkened room, the quiet computer again began to whir. Text began to appear on the black screen.「Synchronization complete. 」