Deep Sea Embers - Chapter 781: A Glimmer of Life in the Hourglass

WARNING: MATURE CONTENTI was eight when my world burned. My family was slaughtered; my home was reduced to ash. And the ones responsible? Gone. All they left behind was a black bandana embroidered with a nightshade thorn—a symbol of death.For ten years, I trained in the shadows. I became a weapon. Now, my hunt leads me to Prestige Supernatural Academy (PSA), the most elite werewolf school in the world—a place ruled by four Alpha heirs with too much power, arrogance, and dark desires.The night I arrive, I cross paths with Dristan, Kai, and Axel—heirs to the East, North, and West Alpha Kings.Arrogant. Vicious. Gods among wolves.They see me as nothing. A weak, powerless stray. They humiliate me, taunt me, overpower me— making me want to rip them apart.So, I make a vow: I’ll destroy them before they ever get the chance to destroy me.Then, on the eve of my 18th birthday, the Blood Moon rises. My wolf awakens. My power surges. And fate? That cruel, twisted bitch shackles me to all three of them.Mates.I want to reject them.I burn for them instead.And when I meet Xade, the wicked, silver-tongued heir to the Middle Belt Alpha King, the final bond snaps into place.Four possessive, dominant, and dangerously irresistible alphas.One vengeful, unbreakable wolf.And a deadly secret tying them to my past.Loving them could destroy me.Hating them could kill me.But in the end… who will ruin whom?And, fuck—why does my traitorous body want all four of them to do it?***************“Say it.”Dristan’s voice was smooth and controlled in a way that promised devastation underneath.I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering as he cornered me against the desk. Kai was behind me, his warmth pressing into my back, his breath teasing my neck.Axel leaned in, lips curved in a sinful smirk, his hazel green eyes dark with amusement. “Say it, sweetheart. Say you don’t want us and we’ll let you be—maybe.”I clenched my fists. I wanted to tell them to fuck off—but my traitorous body? It was already betraying me. My skin burned. My heart raced. My thighs clenched against the insufferable ache they caused just by existing.I lifted my chin, ignoring the heat curling low in my stomach. “I don’t—”“Liar.”The single word came from Xade, who had been silent until now. He was sitting in the professor’s chair, his crystal blue eyes burning into mine. He didn’t have to touch me. His voice alone was enough to undo me.He smirked, tilting his head. “You can fight it all you want, little wolf. But we can smell it.”Axel’s fingers traced the pulse at my throat. “Your heart’s pounding.”Kai’s lips brushed my ear. “Your body’s betraying you, love.”Dristan exhaled slowly, his gaze locked onto mine like a predator savouring its prey. “Your scent doesn’t lie, mate.”Fuck.My entire body was on fire. My legs trembled. My wolf purred in my head, eager to submit.I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.So, I did the only thing I could—I shoved Axel back, spun around, and tried to escape.I didn’t make it.Kai grabbed my wrist, yanking me back into his chest. I gasped, my palms slamming against his rock-solid torso.His golden eyes burned into mine. “Where do you think you’re going?”Axel was behind me now, his fingers sliding under my jaw, forcing my head up. “We’re not done with you, sweetheart.”Dristan smirked. “Not even close, mate.”“We're just getting started,” Xade drawled.I was trapped. Caged.And the worst part?I didn’t want to run.

The world was destroyed, the apocalypse descended, a new era began, and the right to survive as a Lord was granted to every person.Domains, Heroes, Troops, Treasures, Resources—all of the countless servers constructed by the myriad continents were opened up.Qin Muye looked at his panel, which was akin to cannon fodder, and his domain with its damaged suffix, and felt a strong urge to cry but no tears would come.No divine talent, no hidden hints, no overpowered Profession.“If that's the case, then I'll just have to adapt and live in a different way.”

Everything was going so well. It was the perfect path toward greatness.

At nineteen, Dexter was already one of the world’s most celebrated authors. His books topped charts. Critics praised his genius. Fans devoured every word. But behind the acclaim was a lonely boy—raised without parents, love, or real friends—just stories.He published his first novel at fourteen. By seventeen, he was a literary star. But the higher he rose, the hollower it felt.Then came the writer’s block. The headaches. The blackout. And the transmigration.Dexter awoke in the body of Daylan, a disgraced young man in a crumbling, medieval world laced with steampunk tech, divine law, and political unrest. Daylan had already failed two of the three sacred Trials—rites that determine one’s magical potential. He was drowning in debt, entangled in plots to overthrow a corrupt Divine Church, and branded a lost cause.With no way back, Dexter took the final Trial—the most brutal of them all—and began a path that would earn him the whispered title: Soldier, Poet, King.But as his powers grew, one question haunted him: Did he truly die? And if so, who—or what—chose to bring him back?