Seeking the Tao in the Mortal World - Chapter 158

“Strip.”The command was sharp, laced with authority, cutting through the silence like the crack of a whip.The deep timbre of Dimitri's voice sent a shiver down the spines of the gathered women. They had learned quickly in the past two days, obedience meant survival. At his order, they bowed their heads, hands trembling as they peeled away the thin, tattered fabric that barely shielded them from humiliation.But one of them did not move. She stood frozen in place promting Dimitri's eyes narrow._________Born in a world of deception, Princess Sorayah Drakon was forced to live as a prince, hiding her gender and her unique gifts. She can heal wounds, command the elements, disguise as someone else or animals, manipulate dreams, creates powerful illusions, and ability to wield strength no other human possesses.Feeling trapped, she sheds her false identity under the cover of night to dress as a woman. One fateful night, during one of these secret escapades, she met Lupien Nightshade, the crown prince of the werewolves! It was love at first sight.But love soon turns into tragedy when Lupien kills her father, throwing the human kingdom into chaos. Humans were captured as slaves and Sorayah became one of them.She swore revenge, wanting to get close to Lupien to kill him but before she could, she was claimed by Dimitri Nightshade, Lupien's uncle! When she realized their interests aligned, Sorayah sought to gain his trust and use him as a weapon.Two enemies. One kingdom. A shared thirst for destruction.But there was something else.Something Sorayah hadn't planned for.Dimitri Nightshade was irresistible.She hated him so much she wanted to carve his heart out with her bare hands but she couldn't deny the way he made her burn with passion.Will Soraya be able to bend him to her will?Or will she be trapped in his claws forever?

When Ryujin wakes up in the video game he use to play, Espers of the World, he quickly realizes something terrifying: this isn’t a game anymore—it’s reality.Stripped of his identity and renamed Kaidren, he must now survive as a low-profile orphan with a mysterious past and a future controlled only by power. The world around him mirrors the game’s setting, yet the rules are no longer bound by code. The television works. The phone updates in real time. Events that never occurred in the original storyline unfold before his eyes.The NPCs? They’re real people now—with real emotions, real consequences, and real power.As Kaidren struggles to adapt, he’s haunted by memories of a trauma-stricken life and an overwhelming detachment from emotion.But the deeper he explores this so-called game world, the clearer it becomes—this reality is unpredictable, unscripted, and far more dangerous than he ever imagined. And to stay alive, he’ll have to confront what it means to be human... and what it means to be powerful.Because in this world, the line between player and pawn no longer exists.

Knox is an omega – poor, orphaned, weak, and bullied. He was the unluckiest human being alive – according to his own.Burdened by debt, he has no choice but to stop school and work to pay off his loans all the while hiding the truth and pretending as a beta to save himself from harassment. He accepted all legal jobs he could get to make ends meet.Including a contractual relationship with an alpha who’s suffering from a pheromone disability. He gets paid – enough to free him from all of his debts. All he has to do is help the alpha stabilize his pheromone…not until that night happens…The contract was breached. Knox has to pay the price. Afraid of his circumstances, he ran away.Years later, Knox became a capable man. He has a nice job and a kind boss. When his boss got invited to an engagement party, as his secretary, Knox had to come with him. However, he was shocked to find out that the man to be engaged was none other than the spitting image of his son!How will Knox keep the truth from him, when after their eyes met at the party, the alpha had already marked him as his property, claiming him as the payment of the contract he breached?Will Knox hide and run away again? Or will he choose to pay off the debt to be free? Will he be able to push away the alpha whose vices are hidden behind his attractive mask or will Knox abandon his virtues and embrace the dangerous father of his son?

"Bowzer, we'll stop here for the night."