Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Chapter 1

Each stroke of good luck is a triumph over someone else’s misfortune.Jack Grim, the son of two legendary assassins, was born and raised on nothing but coldness — and the skills to spill blood.At seventeen, Jack received his final task as an assassin apprentice under his parents.“Succeed, and you’ll run your own organization — live the life you’ve always dreamed of.”For Jack, it was everything he had ever wanted: the chance to finally become the professional assassin he was born to be.He struck his target at midnight, succeeded, and received everything his parents had promised.But in the wake of victory came a pounding headache, a relentless fever—and then… transmigration.Jack now found himself in Raiden’s body — the keeper of the Book of Ashes, the heart of the Devourer, and the very book the coward Raiden had died protecting with his life.Jack had no desire to live in another world, magic or not. He simply wanted to return to his life as an assassin.But duty had other plans. The balance of this world now rested on his ability to protect the book — and like it or not, the responsibility was his to bear.

Ali Avery was a successful young man adored by everyone. But things were not as they were shown to the life. Shunned and betrayed by his peers... He was hiding among happy facades.

They hunted my kind for extinction but I came back as their nightmaresnon human mcDarian once the strongest Dragon Knight in the Empire, died protecting the last dragon from extinction. Betrayed by his comrades and burned alive by holy fire, he vowed vengeance with his last breath.But the gods answered—with a curse and a gift.Darian reincarnates hundreds of years later... as the last dragon egg hidden in a cave deep beneath the earth.Now, inside a fragile shell, he remembers everything. The betrayal. The genocide. The lies told by the human kingdoms. And as his body slowly grows, so does the power of ancient draconic magic—and the System embedded into his very soul.> [Draconic Evolution System Activated]Choose Your ElementUnlock Ancient MemoriesDevour Magic Sources to Accelerate GrowthHatch When Power is ReadyHe must hide from dragon hunters, manipulate desperate adventurers, and absorb mana from the dying world to hatch once more—stronger, darker, and more terrifying than ever.And when he emerges?> The world that burned him will feel true fire.

As a human, I should be miles away from any large shifter event. Especially the annual Mate Hunt.A hunt for mates. Doesn't that sound barbaric? Yeah, it's as bad as it sounds.Several packs in the area gather as their newly minted adult wolves shift. Females are let into the woods first and are given an hour's head start, just before sundown. Then it's time for the males, ostensibly thrown out to hunt down the scent of their fated (or chosen) mates.It isn't an event for the faint of heart, and it's definitely no place for someone who can't shift. So why the fuck am I here, running my little human heart out, chased by what sounds like an entire pack of wolves? Great question. I don't know, either.But I'm here.Surrounded by howls fueled by the thrill of the hunt.Feet bleeding. Lungs freezing.I am so fucked.----R18. Dark themes, including but not limited to: Murder, attempted murder, a stack of dead bodies, betrayal, mild sociopathy, an ML who appears to bathe in red flags despite his favorite color being green, an unwarranted hatred of blueberry muffins, and pillow thievery.