POWERLESS

POWERLESS

favour aligbe · Ongoing · 49.4k Words

1k
Hot
1k
Views
0
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

A deal sealed in desperation.
A marriage bound by secrets.
A heart caught between danger and desire.

When Isla Monroe agrees to marry a man whose name strikes fear and fascination in equal measure, she steps into a world where power rules, silence conceals, and love is the most dangerous game of all.

He’s cold, unreadable, and devastatingly magnetic.
She’s fragile, desperate, and holding onto her last thread of hope.

What begins as a contract quickly unravels into something far more complicated…. where tension simmers, pasts collide, and every touch feels like a trap.

But in a house full of shadows, the greatest mystery isn’t him…
It’s why he chose her.

And when secrets start to surface, Isla must ask herself the question no one dares to answer.
What’s the real price of wearing his ring?

Chapter 1

I didn’t expect the world to crumble in a single afternoon.

One moment, I was hoping for a miracle. The next, I was holding a medical report with a death sentence wrapped in a six-figure invoice.

“Your mother needs immediate surgery, Miss Monroe,” the doctor had said. “If it’s not done within the next seventy-two hours, she may not survive.”

He said it like he wasn’t talking about someone’s life. Like he wasn’t talking about the only person I had left in this world.

When I walked out of that office, it felt like my legs weren’t mine anymore. My fingers clutched the hospital file so tightly, my nails dug into the plastic cover. I didn’t even notice when I stepped into the rain. I was numb. Cold. Lost.

$500,000. That’s what it would take to save her. Five hundred thousand dollars for the surgery and the post-operative care. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it. It was more than my life’s earnings. More than I’d ever seen in one place.

And I had no one. No backup. No plan B.

I stumbled to a bench beneath the hospital canopy and sat down, the water dripping from my soaked clothes pooling around my feet. It wasn’t just the rain that chilled me. It was the weight of helplessness.

A mother who devoted her entire life to raising me. A woman who worked night shifts and cleaned houses just so I could attend school. And now, when it was my turn to save her, I was powerless.

I pulled out my phone for the hundredth time and scrolled through my contacts. Most of them were people I hadn’t spoken to in years. Some were old classmates, others were coworkers I barely remembered. Not a single person I could call for help.

I had already tried everything. Posted donation appeals on every social platform. Applied for emergency medical assistance, only to be told the waitlist was months long. Pawned every valuable thing I owned including my grandmother’s ring and my college laptop. Still, I wasn’t even close.

I bit down on my bottom lip hard enough to bleed.

What else could I do?

“Miss Isla Monroe?”

The voice cut through the storm like a sharp blade. I looked up, startled.

A tall man stood in front of me, dressed immaculately in a black trench coat, an umbrella shielding him from the downpour. His suit looked more expensive than my entire apartment. He carried a briefcase in one hand and wore an unreadable expression on his face.

“Yes?” I replied hesitantly, pulling my soaked coat tighter around my body.

“I’m Mr. Clark. I represent Mr. Alexander Blackwood.”

For a moment, I wondered if the cold had gotten to my head and I was hearing things.

“Blackwood?” I repeated slowly, frowning. “As in… the billionaire Alexander Blackwood?”

He gave a small nod. “Yes. Mr. Blackwood has sent you with an offer.”

I blinked, confused. “You must be mistaken. I don’t know Mr. Blackwood.”

“You don’t need to. He knows you.”

That sent a ripple of unease down my spine.

Who is this madman?

“I… I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Without another word, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a sealed envelope. He handed it to me, along with a business card. The paper felt too crisp, too clean in my trembling hands.

I opened it slowly, unsure of what I was even expecting.

What I saw made my breath catch.

A check. $500,000. Payable to Isla Monroe.

My heartbeat slammed against my ribcage. I glanced up at him, the paper shaking in my grip.

“This can’t be real,” I whispered.

“It’s very real,” he replied calmly. “It comes with a condition.”

“What kind of condition?” I asked, already bracing for something horrible.

“A marriage contract. Six months. You marry Mr. Blackwood legally and publicly. In return, the check is yours, and your mother’s surgery will be arranged immediately.”

I stared at him like he had just spoken in another language.

“You want me to marry a stranger?”

“This is not a romantic proposition, Miss Monroe. It’s a business transaction. Mr. Blackwood requires a wife for a personal matter. You are a suitable candidate.”

My stomach churned.

“Why me?” I asked again, louder this time. “Why not someone from his own world? A model? A socialite? A woman who actually fits in his life?”

He paused just for a second. There was a strange look in his eyes before he said, “Because you resemb… remind him of someone. That’s all I can tell you.”

What did that even mean?

I looked down at the check again. It was so surreal. I could almost feel the weight of the ink on my fingertips.

“I don’t understand… is this even legal?”

“There’s a contract. A legal one. You’ll receive a copy to review. Everything will be handled by our attorneys.”

“And after six months?” My voice cracked.

“The marriage ends. Cleanly. Discreetly. No obligations afterward.”

I stared at the check, torn between the rising fear in my chest and the urgency clawing at my heart. My mother needed that money. She didn’t have time for my pride, or my hesitation, or my confusion.

I had nothing. No options. No safety net.

And now, this stranger was offering to buy my life for six months in exchange for saving hers.

“What happens if I say no?” I asked softly.

He raised a brow. “Then I walk away, and the offer disappears. Forever.”

I looked up at him again, searching for any sign that this was a prank or a scam or anything other than what it appeared to be.

But there was none.

“Why would a man like Alexander Blackwood need a fake wife?”

Mr. Clark didn’t answer. He simply gave a thin smile and turned away.

“You have until midnight,” he said before walking off into the rain, disappearing like a shadow into the storm. His black umbrella glistened as he walked away.

I stood there soaked, stunned, heart pounding in my ears.

And in my hand… was a lifeline I never expected, attached to a chain I didn’t fully understand.

I didn’t know if this was a blessing or a trap. A miracle or a curse.

But deep down, I knew the truth:

Desperation doesn’t care about consequences.

And mine had just written me into a deal I couldn’t afford to refuse.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

The Prison Project

The Prison Project

900.4k Views · Ongoing · Bethany Donaghy
The government's newest experiment in criminal rehabilitation - sending thousands of young women to live alongside some of the most dangerous men held behind bars...

Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?

Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.

Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.

Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...

At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…

Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?

Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?

What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…

A temperamental romance novel.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.1m Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
The mafia princess return

The mafia princess return

647.2k Views · Completed · Tonje Unosen
Talia have been living with her mother, stepsister and Stepfather for years. One day she finally get away from them. Suddenly she learn she have more family out there and she have many people that actually love her, something she have never felt before! At least not as she can remember. She have to learn to trust others, get her new brothers to accept her for who she is!
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

591.3k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

495.1k Views · Ongoing · Becky j
"Mate is here!"
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Invisible To Her Bully

Invisible To Her Bully

304.5k Views · Ongoing · sunsationaldee
Unlike her twin brother, Jackson, Jessa struggled with her weight and very few friends. Jackson was an athlete and the epitome of popularity, while Jessa felt invisible. Noah was the quintessential “It” guy at school—charismatic, well-liked, and undeniably handsome. To make matters worse, he was Jackson’s best friend and Jessa’s biggest bully. During their senior year, Jessa decides it was time for her to gain some self-confidence, find her true beauty and not be the invisible twin. As Jessa transformed, she begins to catch the eye of everyone around her, especially Noah. Noah, initially blinded by his perception of Jessa as merely Jackson’s sister, started to see her in a new light. How did she become the captivating woman invading his thoughts? When did she become the object of his fantasies? Join Jessa on her journey from being the class joke to a confident, desirable young woman, surprising even Noah as she reveals the incredible person she has always been inside.
The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride

The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride

504.8k Views · Ongoing · Riley Above Story
On the day Evelyn thought Liam would propose, he shocked her by getting down on one knee—for her stepsister, Samantha. As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, Evelyn learned the cruel truth: her parents had already decided to sell one daughter’s future to a dangerous man: the infamous War God Alpha Alexander, who was rumored to be scarred and crippled after a recent accident. And the bride could’t be their precious daughter Samantha. However, when the "ugly and crippled" Alpha revealed his true self—an impossibly handsome billionaire with no trace of injury—Samantha had a change of heart. She was ready to dump Liam and take Evelyn's place as the family daughter who should marry Alexander.
Yet Alexander made his decision clear to the world: “Evelyn is the only woman I will ever marry.”
The Human Among  Wolves

The Human Among Wolves

344.1k Views · Ongoing · ZWrites
"You actually thought I cared about you?" His smirk was sharp, almost cruel.
My stomach twisted, but he wasn’t finished.
"You're just a pathetic little human," Zayn said, his words deliberate, each one hitting like a slap. "Spreading your legs for the first guy who bothers to notice you."
Heat rushed to my face, burning with humiliation. My chest ached — not from his words alone, but from the sick realization that I had trusted him. That I had let myself believe he was different.
I was so, so stupid.
——————————————————
When eigteen-year-old Aurora Wells moves to a sleepy town with her parents, the last thing she expects is to be enrolled in a secret academy for werewolves.
Moonbound Academy is no ordinary school. It's here young Lycans, Betas and Alphas train in shifting, elemental magic, and ancient pack laws. But Aurora? She's just...human. a mistake. The new receptionist forgot to check her species - and now she's surrounded by predators who sense she doesn't belong.
Determined to stay under the radar, Aurora plans to survive the year unnoticed. But when she catches the attention of Zayn, a brooding and infuriatingly powerful Lycan prince, her life gets a lot more complicated. Zayn already has a mate. He already has enemies. And he definitely doesn't want anything to do with a clueless human.
But secrets run deeper than bloodlines at Moonbound. as Aurora unravels the truth about the academy - and herself - she begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Including the reason she was brought here at all.
Enemies will rise. Loyalties will shift. And the girl with no place in their world...might be the key to saving it.
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

1.8m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
The Biker's Fate

The Biker's Fate

1.3m Views · Completed · Piper Davenport
"You are absolutely my fucking woman, Dani. Got me?"
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Dani," he pressed. "Do you get me?"
"No, Austin, I don't," I admitted as I pulled my robe closed again and sat up. "You confuse me."
He dragged his hands down his face. "Tell me what's on your mind."
I sighed. "You're everything my parents warned me against. You're secretive, but you're also honest. I feel wholly protected by you, but then you scare me more than anyone I've ever known. You're a bad boy, but when I dated a so-called good one, he turned out to be the devil, so, yeah, I don't get you because you're not what I expected. You drive me crazier than anyone I've ever met, but then you make me feel complete. I'm feeling things I don't quite know how to process and that makes me want to run. I don't want to give up something that might be really, really good, but I also don't want to be stupid and fall for a boy just because he's super pretty and makes me come."
Danielle Harris is the daughter of an overprotective police chief and has led a sheltered life. As a kindergarten teacher, she's as far removed from the world of Harleys and bikers as you could get, but when she's rescued by the sexy and dangerous Austin Carver, her life is changed forever.
Although Austin 'Booker' Carver is enamored by the innocent Dani, he tries to keep the police chief's daughter at arm's length. But when a threat is made from an unexpected source, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the only woman who can tame his wild heart.
Will Booker be able to find the source of the threat before it's too late?
Will Dani finally give her heart to a man who's everything she's been warned about?
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

413k Views · Completed · Jessica C. Dolan
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
Thornhill Academy

Thornhill Academy

119.2k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Allison was never meant to survive. She was born a siphon and hidden away like a mistake the world was waiting to break. The Council planned to shape her into a weapon or erase her before she became one. She was supposed to disappear quietly; another tragedy folded into the past. Instead, she lived, she thrived. When the truth of her bloodline comes to light, Allison’s carefully held world fractures, and power spills through the cracks whether she’s ready for it or not. She steals the magic she needs. She survives the way she has learnt. Everything is fine until she captured from the scrub lands and four men begin to orbit her life; each bound by something deeper than choice. Five men. Five obsessions. Five hearts tethered to hers by magic older than the Wall itself.

Hunted, haunted, and newly awakened, Allison is dragged into a rebellion built on blood and belief, the same fight her parents died trying to protect. As enemies close in and desire sharpens into something dangerous, she must decide what kind of power she will become. The weapon the Council always wanted. Or the storm that tears their world apart. When Allison rises, kingdoms kneel and when she loves, she loves like war.

Dark Academia | Reverse Harem | Dark Romance | Dark Humour | Action-Packed | Steamy | Unputdownable