I have no intention of being anyone’s bride, let alone fighting tooth and nail to get there.

All the vicious catfights in the school nauseate me. I have bigger things to worry about, like being hunted by my father, who’s getting closer every day.

Yet no one leaves me alone. The princes believe I’m playing hard to get, so they pursue me fiercely. When they realize that I’m not as ambitious or smitten as the other girls, they place a bet—whoever claims my virginity takes it all.

Their stupid vanity game paints a target on my back—all the bride candidates join forces to come after me, cleverly planning my demise. I might be an apex predator, but I’m one against a thousand of the meanest “coyotes.”

To make sure I live through the game, Killian offers to train me. The chemistry between us cuts through every obstacle and tears down our own defenses.

We should know what’s good for us. We should stay the hell away from each other. He’s still the forbidden fruit. If I taste him, we’ll burn, and the world will burn with us.

But I can’t stop...

Published
December 28, 2023
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Author

Meg Xuemei X

In Meg Xuemei X’s stories, love is a battlefield—and sometimes, an actual one. Known for her unapologetically bold heroines and magnetic, morally gray antiheroes, Meg doesn’t just write fantasy romance; she drags readers headfirst into dark realms pulsing with danger, magic, and steamy tension. Her worlds are brutal, her characters sharp, and the stakes? Often nothing less than gods, kingdoms, or the heroine’s very soul. Over the years, Meg has earned a fiercely loyal fanbase with series like Half-Blood Academy, Underworld Bride Trials, and Monsters After Dark. Each saga pulls from myth and magic but reimagines them with her own signature…