From A Stronghold NPC To The Final BOSS - Chapter 417 - retreat?

[TRIGGER WARNING: DARK THEMES, MATURE CONTENT.]In a world where humans, werewolves, vampires, fey, and other supernatural beings coexist, Isleen; an Omega who has been subject to multiple bullying and ridicule in the pack because of her parent's past, faces a challenging dilemma. She's dating Kylo but unexpectedly discovers that his strict father, Rhett, who is the pack’s Gamma, is her destined mate.Conflict arises as a war breaks out among the supernatural creatures and the death toll rises. Isleen struggles with her loyalty to her boyfriend, and the powerful pull she feels towards his father, due to the mate bond.——Imagine getting married at Eighteen to a woman old enough to be your mother– all because of your loyalty to the Moon Goddess?Welcome to Rhett’s reality. Rhett DarkWater is a man of principles but not without his share of secrets and hidden missions. After finding out who his second fated mate is, he battles with his devotion to the Moon Goddess, his loyalty to his son, and his duty as the Gamma who is supposed to protect the pack—not have his son’s girlfriend pinned beneath him in a corner with her clothes off.Unfortunately for Rhett and Isleen, the mate bond knows no morality – it attacks, and when it does, two hearts must become one.——I and Gamma Rhett just kissed again.He knelt before me, his hand reaching out to touch me, but I flinched away. “Isleen,” he muttered.“This is wrong,” I cried. “We can't do this. It's forbidden. W-what about Kylo?”He stared at me, his eyes burning with a passion that frightened me to the core. Yet, it left tingling sensational effects all over my body. “Don't fight it, Isleen. We are mates. This is what we're meant for.”

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.”

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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?

*****

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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!

Eighteen. The age of Awakening. An important moment where every human in the desolate maga-cities unlocks their Talent, a unique ability to carve a path in this monster-plagued apocalyptic world. Alister Hazenworth, a graduating student, and a rising star at the prestigious Aegis Academy, was destined for greatness. His exceptional athleticism and magical aptitude promise a powerful Talent – a guarantee for a secure life and social status.But fate had different plans. During Alister's Awakening ceremony, it's revealed that he's a Summoner. Instead of admiration, he faces mockery. His once bright future turns bleak as his “friends” desert him for Talents they see as more “useful.”left alone, Alister awakens a system.[Host found, system binding...][System binded successfully.][Congrats, you have gain the status of 'player'.][Ding!! Congrats to the player for awakening The Dragonforge - an overlord system.][Ding!! it has been detected that the player possesses a latent draconic aspect, and as such will only be able to summon dragons!!][Will the player like to proceed with their first summoning?]Cast aside and underestimated, Alister becomes a force to be reckoned with. He embarks on a journey, building his own dragon army – a crew of majestic wyverns, fearsome drakes, and ancient wyrms. He raids the wastelands, reclaims lost resources, and dismantles the prejudice against summoners. Every day, his power grows, his bond with his dragons deepens, and his legend spreads like wildfire.

He was weak, he was depressed, he was a loser.
He wasn't even Lvl 10 in the game when Earth was destroyed in the Quake and the players of Redlands were transmigrated to the fantastic world of Zushkenar.
But he lived, learned, and died again.
Now, he was back on Earth, one year and three months before the Quake.
Deciding to rejoin the game earlier and with greater focus, what changes would he bring with his actions?
What life would he live?

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paypal.me/JInDaoran

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There's a map for the lands of Zushkenar posted on the DeviantArt website:
https://www.deviantart.com/kilrain/art/Hunters-Guide-map-cities-grid-b-877682076

It's not complete, but it'll give an idea of the general geography.

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The background image for the cover is part of a landscape by moinzon taken from pixabay.com