Meet My Brothers by Red Thirteen

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk's office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk's pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray's text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we're done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray's life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Modern Revenge Divorce

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The Moon Festival was supposed to be the happiest night of the year for the Ashwood Pack, but for Elara, it was a living nightmare.

While the scent of roasted meat and pine needles filled the air, and laughter echoed through the village square, Elara stood in the shadows of the banquet hall, her hands trembling as she polished silver platters.

At twenty years old, she was the pack's "broken" Omega. In a world where strength was everything, Elara had no visible power. Her wolf had never roared; it had never even whispered. To her adoptive parents, she was a burden. To the pack, she was a servant.

But tonight, she had held onto one small, flickering flame of hope: Valerius.

Valerius was the future Alpha of Ashwood, a man with hair like midnight and eyes that burned like amber. He was her fated mate. She had felt the pull the moment she turned eighteen, the invisible thread that tied her soul to his. She believed that once he claimed her, her life would change. He would protect her. He would love her.

The music suddenly died down. The heavy oak doors of the hall swung open, and Valerius stepped onto the raised platform, his presence radiating authority. Beside him stood Lyra, a beautiful Beta with a cruel smirk and eyes full of triumph.

Elara stepped forward, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. This is it, she thought. He's going to announce our bond.

Valerius scanned the crowd, his gaze landing on Elara for a split second. There was no love in his eyes; only cold, sharpened disgust.

"Members of the Ashwood Pack," Valerius's voice boomed, cutting through the silence. "As your future Alpha, I have a duty to ensure our bloodline remains strong. A pack is only as formidable as its Luna."

He reached out and took Lyra's hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Elara felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest.

"I, Valerius of Ashwood, publicly reject the weakling Elara as my mate," he declared, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "She is a wolf without a soul, a defect in our ranks. Instead, I choose Lyra to be my Luna and my equal."

The room gasped, and then a heavy, suffocating silence followed. The rejection hit Elara like a physical blow. The invisible thread in her soul snapped, sending a wave of agony through her body that made her knees buckle. She collapsed onto the cold floor, the silver platter she was holding clattering loudly, echoing her shame.

"Please..." Elara whispered, her voice cracking. "Valerius, the bond..."

"The bond is a mistake of nature," Valerius sneered, stepping down from the platform to tower over her. "Look at yourself, Elara. You are nothing. You serve no purpose here. Do not ever speak my name again."

Lyra leaned down, whispering so only Elara could hear, "I told you he'd never pick a stray over a queen."

Before Elara could even draw breath to cry, her adoptive father, Alpha Damon, stepped forward. He didn't offer a hand to help her up. Instead, he looked at her with pure resentment.

"You've humiliated this family for the last time," Damon growled. "A rejected Omega brings bad luck to the hearth. You are stripped of your name and your place. Pack your rags and leave. If you are seen on Ashwood land by sunrise, you will be hunted as a rogue."

The crowd parted as Elara stumbled to her feet. She ran. She ran past the mocking whispers, past the bonfire that felt like it was burning her skin, and deep into the black heart of the surrounding forest.

The forest was unforgiving. Rain began to pour, a cold, biting deluge that soaked through her thin dress and chilled her to the bone. Elara collapsed at the base of an ancient willow tree, far beyond the pack's borders. She was truly alone. No family, no mate, and no wolf to comfort her.

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