Page 1 of 3013: Wonderland

Prologue

The world hadchanged in the year 3013.

Earth rebuilt their civilization after the Alien Wars ravaged the planet and an unknown virus nearly wiped out the entire population, but nothing could ever bring back what once was. A new age of mankind was born, but some of the edicts set forth for humans to survive have become obsolete in the ever-changing universe.

What fate has in store is uncertain, though, one constant is clear. In a cosmos filled with endless possibilities, love is the ultimate prize. Warriors from every species search the stars for love, and they will risk all to fight for those who hold their hearts. But danger is always present when worlds collide. As new challenges arise, all the known races must adapt and learn from their allies. However, not all desire peace, or to live in harmony.

And as a new year dawns, the battle for the future has only begun…

Chapter One

Juliet Langdon wasdesperate to escape.

It was more than a mere desire. At this point, it was a matter of survival.

After living in hell for a little over a year, she couldn’t wait to break free of the chains that bonded her to a man she absolutely loathed. And when she claimed to hate him, she really did…with every fucking fiber of her being.

Her captor, James Borov, had literally destroyed her life when he had claimed her as his chosen. It hadn’t mattered that she hadn’t agreed. Hell, she hadn’t even really spoken to him more than a handful of times before he kidnapped her and marked her as his.

And the worst part of it was he had the right to do so.

Most high-ranking elites wanted to claim females who had a scroll mark, signifying they were fertile, but they were rare. The majority of human women wore the star mark they got after they went through testing. While some thought the star tattoos were offensive since they indicated infertility, others saw it as a mark of protection.

However, it didn’t always work…especially for someone like Juliet.

While she had been damn glad she had been marked with a star during testing since it meant she didn’t have to attend the Alliance Academy, her own path hadn’t been easy. Growing up an orphan, she’d never had a family.

She always told herself her parents had chosen to give her a chance for a better life by leaving her on the doorstep of a group home, but she knew reality was a lot more disappointing.

The kids in the group home had been a mix of races and a diverse group of different personalities. While there were manyindividuals she did her best to steer clear of, she had also made several good friends who had been supportive and caring. She had been particularly close to a few older Krytos who had watched out for her and made sure that no one else picked on her.

Things changed once most of her friends had aged out of the home, so Juliet knew she had to find her own escape. When she realized she had a talent for ballet, she focused on using that as a means to build a future for herself. Through hard work and dedication, she earned a coveted spot in a dance academy that had trained her body and mind.

When she’d moved out of the group home and into the academy dorms, things didn’t get much easier. In fact, in some ways, it was even more dangerous. Dancers were competitive, and it wasn’t easy to make friends when everyone saw each other as rivals. They had required all the students to take an enhancement shot similar to what all elites received, making them stronger, faster, and more agile, and the academy had a full staff of dance instructors as well as teachers for basic studies.

Those years had been difficult, but she’d gotten through it by focusing on her goals. From there, her dreams had come true when she received an offer from a well-respected company to dance professionally.

But being a ballerina wasn’t all glitz and glamour.

It took perseverance and countless hours of practice and preparation.

More than that, it also required a good amount of genetic luck. Even if someone had the drive to be a dancer, that didn’t mean they had the grace and skill to do ballet. Some dancers swore it took special feet in order to dance well, while others claimed it was all about agility, flexibility, and training.

Juliet was lucky to have a lean body with strong muscles, good feet, and the natural grace of a dancer. It was common forperformers to enhance their features with surgery, but she had been blessed with an attractive face, light gray eyes, and blonde hair that almost looked silver on stage. Instead of making her seem washed out, her pale features made her look ethereal. She was also slightly taller than most of her peers, which made her stand out even more.

All the hard work was worth it since she absolutely adored ballet. Enjoyed the discipline and challenge of it. Being able to breathe new life into old stories was a privilege, and entertaining crowds with new shows was thrilling. Even when every muscle and bone in her body ached, she was still genuinely excited about the next performance.

But now, she felt sick just thinking about putting on her pointe shoes.

And that was all because of one man’s obsession.

The Borov family was wealthy, well-connected, and famous in the entertainment world. They had owned the ballet company for generations, using their money and expertise to entertain audiences. They had been instrumental in making the classical form of dance popular again, and surprisingly enough, the other races had also gained a new appreciation for ballet.

James Borov joined his family’s business after he graduated from the Academy instead of continuing on as a soldier like his older brother and one of his fathers. His mother and his other father were still technically in charge of the company, but they had passed along most of the daily responsibilities to their children.

Not a dancer himself, James took care of managing the finances and fundraising, while his older sister was a managing director of the company. She was technically the main boss, but she still answered to their parents.

As the youngest, James was the treasured baby of the family. His charming personality drew people to him, but it was hisability to focus on someone and make them feel like they were the most important person in the room that made people trust him. With light brown hair, green eyes, and a killer smile, he had vid star good looks, but his princely appearance simply hid the monster within.

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