Herald of Steel - Chapter 2 The Battle

“Duty before heart,” Ashleigh replied firmly.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I will do my job. But Caleb is just my duty, you are my heart.”

***

Two men, two distinct feelings of attraction and trust.

Ashleigh struggles to understand the feelings in her heart. Torn between the man she has loved for the past two years and the cold Alpha of an enemy pack, can Ashleigh figure out which of these men she truly wants to be mated to?

Does she really have a choice?

She is the daughter of Alpha Wyatt of Winter, the largest of the four Werewolf Packs. For two years she has eagerly awaited her eighteenth birthday so she can finally be married and mated to her love, Granger. But just before that magical day she runs into a significant problem: she finds herself bonded to another wolf.

Her fated bond happens to be Alpha Caleb of Summer, the man whose father was supposedly murdered by one of her own.

As if that wasn’t enough, every pack is suddenly reporting attacks from rogue wolves. Now Ashleigh is faced not only with a war in her heart, but one in real life.

Will they be able to work together, putting aside all their heart ache and pain to keep their packs safe from the enemy that threatens them all? Or will this love eventually become their downfall?

Cha Myung-jun, a sergeant who neared the end of his military service, found himself confined in the Ministry of National Defense’s bas**ent for over three decades due to his newly awakened abilities, just before the outbreak of war. Spending thirty years as the world’s most formidable blacksmith, wielding nothing but hammers, he skillfully outwits the watchful eyes of the Ministry of Defense to serve the war effort and reset the course of time. Now given a second chance at life, can he lead a successful campaign to avert humanity’s downfall and secure its salvation?

[ Invincible + Pure Body Refiner + Cruel and Bloodthirsty + Smashing Through Everything + Tall and Jacked MC + Monke Pet + Villain MC ]Wuji, a young man obsessed with becoming the strongest, was doomed by his own pathetic genetics. No matter how hard he trained, no matter how much willpower he had, he remained weak—a failure in both his own eyes and the world's.When he died, he thought his journey was over.But fate had other plans.Reincarnated into the frail body of a poverty-stricken village boy, he felt true despair. To live twice and fail twice? That was worse than any nightmare.Until Little Red, his strange monkey pet, handed him a tattered book.[ Ding! Body Refining Technique Detected! ][ Ding! Infinite Body Refining System Activated! ]In a world ruled by almighty Devas blessed by the Order Gods, Devils who command legions in the depths of the Abyss, and Chaotic Evil Gods that seek to consume existence itself—martial artists were nothing but insects.But Wuji?He would refine his body beyond mortal limits. His flesh would become divine steel, his fists would tear through the heavens, and his ever-growing body would shake the cosmos.Annoy him? Die.Stand in his way? Be obliterated.Defy him? Your existence will be erased.Witness the rise of a being who will crush all in his path.______________________________________________Somewhere Beyond Creation…A chaotic void spanning infinite dimensions.Monstrous titans, so vast that even entire realms seemed tiny in comparison, lay dead in the abyss. The very essence of reality crumbled around their decaying corpses, their divine auras still gnawing away at existence itself.Atop the mountain of annihilated deities, a towering figure stirred.A shadowed colossus, muscles harder than celestial ore, veins pulsating with endless power. His crimson eyes burned through the darkness as he lifted a grotesque, pulsating sphere of dark flesh to his lips.With a grin, he bit down.The sphere twitched, still alive—still screaming—before it was reduced to nothing but nutrients.Wuji exhaled, his breath alone shaking the void.“Annoying little pests... at least they had some use.”

[MATURE CONTENT]“Are you mating with someone?”Stunned, she took a step back, widening the space between them. “ Excuse me?”“Ah…” A sigh left his lips. “ Perhaps, I need to rephrase my question. Are you f*cking someone?”She sucked in a quick breath, not knowing what to say. Anger reared itself in her head, mixing with unexpected desire. Sadly, desire was winning.He lifted an eyebrow, and in the next instant, he was already standing in front of her body. Her instincts kicked in. She took a couple steps back until her back hit the wall.The smell of chocolates and almonds rolled between them. Entranced, she thought she smelled the sweetness of the wine but it disappeared as quickly as it came.“I don’t think that is any of your business, Mr. Graydon.” she made a sound of annoyance.“Is it not?” His breath fractured, his eyes darkened with desire.“No.” Her lips quivered at her obvious denial. She mustered all the courage she could, hoping he wouldn’t smell her arousal. She knew it was for naught.His fingers lightly brushed her cheeks, then they trailed down her neck, lingering on her collarbone, the contact sent shivers down her spine. It awakened the primal need she had been wanting to hide since they met.She wanted him.No.She needed him, inside her.Her face flushed at the thought of him taking her, preferably right against these walls.“You want me,” he stated. ““As much as I want you.”Shocked by her own raw and potent yearning, she turned her head away.“I don’t…”“Shhh…” he silenced her with a finger. Then he inched closer, so close his long lashes brushed against her cheek. Her heart pounded like a drum against her chest, fast and hot in anticipation.“Now tell me little one… do I need to get rid of someone before I make you beg me to let you come?”......Is love worth the chaos it brings?.....Tags: #lycans #witch #strongfemalelead #strongmalelead #norape #smut #mates #slowburn