MTL - My Stepmother is Soft and Charming - Chapter 54 Night talk (first update on the shelves)

WPC July 2023 Winner.

When the Demons and Angels of the 99th floor detected a threat to their reign, they teamed up to topple the man who'd placed them in such a situation.

The Lord of Sins, a walking calamity of the Heaven's Spire, had put pressure on the transcendents no mortal had ever done.

However, before the Lord of Sins could revolt against their reign, the Demons and Angels decided to nip the threat in the bud.

Manipulating his clanmates, using other clans, controlling fate...

They used all powers available to them in an attempt to halt the advance of the Lord of Sins. Eventually, it worked, and the Lord of Sins fell from grace.

But it wasn't a happy ending for the vicious transcendents.

“I'll return one day, stronger than ever and as a force even you can't touch! I'll become the Lord of Sins again!”

The man returned to the past with a goal in mind.

Everything else was just an interference.

“Return of The Strongest Player” is a gripping tale of a man's ascendance. His journey back to the pinnacle of strength, the adversities blocking his path, and the comrades he eventually acknowledged.

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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.

Ananya never expected death to bring her into another life.One moment, she was running her parents’ restaurant in the modern world.The next, she opened her eyes in silk robes, surrounded by hostile stares — the Queen Consort of the empire.But this body was cursed in everyone’s eyes.The Emperor loathed her.The mistress laughed at her.And the court whispered behind her back.Only she wasn’t truly alone.> “Finally, someone can see us!”“What kind of Queen Consort are you, so calm even with ghosts in your chamber?”“Shut up, Wei Rong, let her breathe. She looks like she’s about to faint.”Three ghosts — a stoic scholar, a brash general, and a mischievous noble girl — lingered at her side. They were invisible to all but her. And with them, she learned to survive the poisonous palace.When rumors spread that she was cursed, Ananya stood before the empire’s court.Instead of tears, she offered proof. Instead of fear, she offered dignity.> “If Heaven believes I am cursed, let the fire and smoke betray me. I will not hide.”And Heaven sided with her.Outside the palace, crises struck — starving soldiers, missing supplies, merchants growing fat from stolen grain. Inside, Lady Zhen, the Emperor’s favored mistress, grew bolder by the day, flaunting her beauty and mocking Ananya’s quiet grace.> “Sister, do you still dream of winning His Majesty’s heart? Look at you — plain, dull, unworthy.”“If simplicity is a crime, then let it be mine,” Ananya answered, unshaken.The Emperor indulged Lady Zhen openly… but in the silence of night, he tasted Ananya’s food, lingered at her table, and found himself unsettled by her calm.> “This is not palace fare,” he muttered.“It is lighter,” Ananya replied softly. “Easier to sleep after.”Step by step, conspiracy thickened. At a grand banquet, a poisoned cup was placed in Ananya’s hand. But a ghost’s laugh echoed in her ear — and the cup was swapped. A dancer collapsed instead.From that night on, the Emperor’s gaze changed. He began to notice the woman who never begged for favor, never fought for attention, yet always endured.Still, war brewed at the borders. Betrayals reached even the throne. Assassins crept through the palace halls. And the one person who seemed weakest became the calm at the center of the storm.Through whispered secrets, mischievous hauntings, and quiet resilience, Ananya carved her place in the empire.She would not simply survive.She would rise.And the Emperor who once despised her would one day whisper only her name.