Grasping Evil - Chapter 31: Spirit iron obtained! Also… Cauldron Ring?

“That baby is mine, and so are you,” He declared, pointing at Kate’s belly while his deep green eyes gazed at Kate, like a viper ready to strike.Kate couldn’t believe that he– Henry Grant, her new boss eight years younger than her, was the father of her unborn child.“We should be together by default. But I will give you a choice. Go and suffer with your deadbeat husband, or come with me, I will show you the fun you’ve missed.”=====For the past five years of her marriage, Katherine “Kate” Woods, 32, had always believed she was infertile. She was unable to conceive a child and her deadbeat husband Matt always insulted her for it, calling her a useless woman despite never finding a job himself, forcing Kate to be the sole breadwinner of their family.Yet, he still had the nerve to cheat on her with her own sister!Heartbroken, Kate escaped to her office late at night with four bottles of strong red wine. To her surprise, she wasn’t alone.A handsome young man stood in her office, watching her.He refused to give her his name, but offered to keep her company for the night. With lust and booze coursing through her veins, Kate readily abandoned herself to her basest, most repressed instincts, seducing the nameless but willing visitor.In her drunken stupor, she boldly declared, ”If my husband wants to sleep with every woman on earth, then two can play that game.“She didn’t care if they did it raw, as she always thought she was barren. Only to find herself staring at a positive pregnancy test a month later.Kate Woods, the supposedly ‘barren woman,’ was pregnant.The stranger had accomplished in one night what Matt could not in five years.Now that Henry has given her a choice, would Kate leave her deadbeat husband and jump into the sea of uncertainty with this young man?Or would she stay with Matt, her husband who cheated on her for the sake of their families?

When the First Wizarding War ended, and Lord Voldemort chased out Dumbledore from Hogwarts, he became the undisputed leader of the Wizarding World, cementing his rule as the new Minister of Magic. Yet everyone in power knew the war was far from over; it was now waged behind closed curtains and under the table. Behind the veil of secrecy, those still loyal to Dumbledore continued to fight, waging guerilla-like warfare against him and his forces, drawing in other countries' wizards and witches, opposing Voldemort and his plans to dominate all magic.The Anguine family, home of pure-blood wizards, part of Voldemort's new Ministry of Magic, were often tasked with confronting the Order of the Phoenix, raising their reputation year by year. Born into the Anguine family, Conrad just came to age, ready to attend Hogwarts to start his studies. He was excited to go to a school he had heard about from his father many times, but times have changed. It is not like in the old days. But who knows? One day, the school may return to what it was before the Era of Darkness.---- Author's Notes:Dear Readers! I'd like to welcome you to my first foray into writing fanfic and into doing a book from a first-person point of View. As to what to expect, let me give you more details so you won't be disappointed if it is not your cup of tea!- An alternate timeline: Voldemort killed the Potters and Harry as a baby. He never lost his body, thus winning the 1st Wizarding War.- Of course, a battle is still going on in the background, but that will only come later in the story.- Being in an alternate timeline, the dates may be a little bit off, but the story will mostly play out in the same time frame as the original.- Being an altered history, some main characters will not show up, and I mainly mean Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Or any of the Dumbledore supporting cast. (at least for a good portion of the story). For obvious reasons. If this is not what you want, please understand that I am going for a familiar yet different story than the original. I am taking inspiration from the original plot, but I am not planning mirroring it 1:1.- Of the returning characters, some may have altered personalities, although I will try my best to remain true to their book counterpart. But I will also think up ”what would they have done“ scenarios and modify their personality to match the alternative world we are in. I hope you will still enjoy it; that is my goal. To entertain you.- There is no transmigration, no isekai tropes, no reincarnation, no knowledge of in-lore events, none of that. The main character is someone who is born in-universe.

[TRIGGER WARNING: Mature Content + Dark Themes]EXCERPT:“Axel, no. We… can’t do this!” I jolted back when he pulled up my skirt.As if to retaliate, he grabbed my wrist and yanked my body to his. “We can do whatever I say we can do, María José.”“I’m your brother’s reject. Do you even hear yourself right now? He didn’t want me, Axel. What does that make me to you?”“I don’t care about Álvaro’s foolishness. It's his loss for losing a woman like you.”“Okay, I must confess. I'm not worried about him either. It's Rosa… you're getting engaged to my sister in a month!”“Let me remind you, María José—I don’t give a fuck about that, either.”No matter how hard I jerked, he wasn’t letting me go. And part of me—so, so foolishly—didn’t want him to.______Having spent her life avoiding the spotlight, María Jośe never imagined she’d be the one to bring shame to her esteemed De la Vega family. With beauty as captivating as a field of lilies, she is the prized daughter of an ambitious father who cares more for his reputation than his children’s happiness.When Álvaro Montenegro, the arrogant heir to the Alpha title, sets his sights on her as his chosen Luna, María Jośe is desperate for a way out.But everything changes when the Moon Goddess answers her prayer in the most unexpected way: María Jośe discovers she is an Omega—wolfless and the lowest rank in the pack. Once held in awe, she is now shunned; a source of shame to her father and a target for ridicule in the pack.As her life turns upside down , María Jośe's hatred for the pack grows. The only solace she finds is in her growing, forbidden bond with Axel Montenegro—Álvaro’s older brother, who has turned his back on the pack to live as Beta.These two developed a love-hate friendship born from their shared disdain for the pack’s cruelty, which slowly evolves into a passionate, secret romance.But when Álvaro discovers Axel’s interest in María Jośe, jealousy ignites within him and he suddenly wants María Jośe as his own.Love, vengeance, and betrayal all brewed into a whirlwind of drama, desires, and deadly comebacks. Will María Jośe rise from the ashes of her former life, or will she be consumed by the power struggles of the pack she despises? Will she give in to the oldest brother who is scared of commitment or the younger one who fiercely seeks redemption?

A new emperor rules each year in Yohuachanca.Only the most delicious of food graces his palate; the realm’s most beautiful women fill his harem; his palace dazzles the mind in its beauty; and four priestesses counsel him in all matters. The life of an emperor is good, luxurious, and short. For at the year’s end, he is sacrificed to the Nightlords under the light of the Scarlet Moon.I am Iztac. A pisspoor orphan and the year’s emperor. A sacrifice bound for the altar. But the vampires have made a mistake this time. For I am a sorcerer, whose soul journeys into the secret underworld to plunder the secret spells of the dead. There, in the darkness, hides the power to drag the Nightlords off their throne. I have a year to find it, or perish for good.I may not be the first emperor, but I will be the last.