HALF: Dead nor Alive - Chapter 46

Three rejections. Three shattered dreams. That was Layla’s reality, all because she was different—a half-shifter in a world obsessed with purity. Ostracized, shunned, and finally sold off like a pawn to the most feared ruler alive—the Lycan King. He was ruthless, a king with a graveyard of brides, each one a ghostly reminder of a fate worse than death.Layla loathed him. Hated the way his gaze cold and fathomless, held no warmth for her. Hated how his touch, both thrilling and terrifying, sent an uninvited chill down her spine.---“I hate you!” I screamed, hands clenched so tight my knuckles ached.He sighed, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips, his tone mocking as he closed his book with a deliberate snap. “Stressed, are we?” he asked, strolling toward me, each step reminding me exactly who held the power here.“Lucky for you,” he drawled, rolling up his sleeves as he stopped just inches away, “I know exactly 70 ways to ease those nerves.” His fingers brushed my cheek, a touch that seemed to burn into my skin. “The first… a hug.” His voice dropped to a rough whisper as he leaned in, breath hot against my ear. “And the rest... well, that's 69? what do you say about that?”I swallowed hard, my heart thudding wildly as he tilted his head, waiting for me to react, that insufferable smirk still in place.“What’s the matter, darling?” he murmured, a taunt lingering in his gaze.---A Dangerous ObsessionCan she resist the pull, or will she dance into the flames of her own destruction?A dark dive into obsession, raw need, and the razor’s edge between desire and devastation.---LYCAN KING CASSIANI will tear her apart piece by piece, feeding the wildfire that grips her with each shuddered breath. Like air to flame, I’ll claim every inch, drawing heat from her skin until it sinks into her bones.Her pulse will race under my hands, her breaths shallow, pleading. Her eyes may scream, but her lips will still murmur my name. That first taste of fear will only feed something deeper—a need that burns through her veins, molten and fierce.And just when she’s too far gone to turn back, I’ll twist the knife, giving her the pain she’s learned to crave.She’ll be the moth to my flame, helpless against the very thing that will consume her.

[Simulation shall commence.]On this fateful day, the world was stunned by the appearance of ancient animals that were supposed to have gone extinct for millions of years. Huge sinkholes appeared in every corner of the world, becoming a tunnel for the ancient animals to emerge to the surface.Humans have found an answer to one of the biggest mysteries in human history. Hollow Earth is real. Here, humans will wrest their lives to explore this new world that has existed for thousands, if not millions, of years underneath them.Before the start of his exploration, Clovis came across a place called ‘Another World Mall.’Dwarven Sword, Magical Elven Clothes, or Giant Race Toy? Everything can be found in this ‘Another World Mall.’As an aspiring Subterranean Explorer, how would he utilize this ‘Another World Mall’ to become the greatest explorer of all time and find the truth about the simulation?

What are the odds that Zavian, the son of the devil, would fall for the only woman whose destiny is to destroy him?

In the beginning of time, war broke out between the fallen angels and the devil, and the devil was defeated and cast into the underworld. During the war, Zavian, the devil’s son, turned against his father and joined hands with the other demons to defeat him, which made the devil kill his son’s wife as a punishment for betraying him.

But 500 years later, there appeared a woman slave who looked exactly like his wife, and Zavian, who had longed for his dead wife, couldn’t help but get drawn to her.

But the devil had other plans for his son. To return to earth his son has to die. Is the queen’s doppelganger part of the devil’s plans?

Would Zavian fall right into his father’s trap or has fate got other plans for him?

…

Everyone stood before the king, the high and the low, with their heads bowed. This was the day they had waited for, for centuries.

King Zavian was finally getting remarried.

To strengthen the bond between the seven kingdoms of the earth, Zavian was to get married to one of the beautiful princesses standing in front of him.

But his eyes were drawn to the lowly maid standing afar off. The witches had warned him about her, and he knew he shouldn’t be with her, but she was something he couldn’t resist. The more he tried to run away from her, the more drawn he was to her.

Even though everything in him screamed not to, Zavian stood up and walked past the princesses in front of him and to the maid;

She was tiny in her dress, and her whole body trembled as he approached her, her eyes pinned to her feet, afraid to behold his face. He smiled as he held her face, tilting her head to look at him;

“Neera, will you be my queen?”

And that was when all of hell broke loose…

.....

Jeong Jiheon was once a promising swimmer, but retired early due to an injury and is now working diligently at a sports agency. Currently, the greatest interest in the sports market is none other than Kwon Jaekyoung, and numerous agencies are fighting fiercely behind the scenes to scout him.In the meantime, Jiheon is ordered by his boss to somehow arrange a meeting with Jaekyoung, and he miraculously succeeds thanks to their insignificant and brief relationship of going to the same swimming center 10 years ago.However, when they agree to meet for the first time in a long while, Kwon Jaekyoung is not interested in the terms of the contract. He just suddenly asks about Jiheon’s traits….