The Luna Gambit
5.0
Comment(s)
13.6K
View
116
Chapters

Xavier Blackwood is the man every girl at my college dreams about at night, myself included, but I'd never let anyone know that. Standing at 6'4" with steel grey eyes, he might look like a walking dream, but he acts like a first-class jerk. Who would have thought that one night, while dragging myself home after doing double shifts at the diner, I'd be jumped by three men...only to have Xavier come to my rescue. Oh yes, Xavier bloody Blackwood saved my life...but the thing I saw, the CREATURE that ripped those men to shreds, wasn't the Xavier everyone thinks they know. He wasn't human... He was a wolf, a demon, a creature from myth, but before I had time to process, he knocked me out too. Humans that learn about the existence of werewolves have to die. ...There are NO exceptions. The Werewolf Xavier saved me, but now I am condemned to death. To make things worse, both Xavier and Axel claim I am their mate. ...This can't be good.

The Luna Gambit Chapter 1 Ruby

Ruby

Life is finally about to stop kicking me in the ass, and the world is going to know my name. Everything is about to change.

I repeated my morning affirmation three more times as I exited the cab and looked around at my new school. I am in college. I, Ruby Saunders, have made it to college. I'll still have to work my ass off to maintain my grades and qualify for my full ride, of course, but nothing is going to deter me from my path. I've worked too long and too hard to get where I am now, so all distractions can go to hell. I'm not saying I won't attend the occasional party, but I know the opportunity I've been given will be gone forever if I lose it. I can't pay for college on my own; I can barely pay for lunch.

"Damn babe, nice ass."

My eyes narrowed as I stopped walking. I sighed as I turned around while pulling my hands out of the pockets of my leather jacket. The distractions were starting earlier than I had expected, and I wasn't in the mood. Five minutes. Only five minutes had passed on my first day, and I already had this to deal with.

Sure enough, there was a boy behind me eyeing me up and down, his bright blue eyes twinkling with lust. I tilted my head to the side and smiled, and his face lit up even further. He wasn't bad looking, but he was a distraction, and I wasn't about to be his next victim.

"What did you just say to me, you little bitch?" I said. His eyes widened as I raised a finger to his face. "Shut the fuck up."

"Ahh, I..."

I turned away before he could spit out whatever it was he was trying to say while behind him. His friends started laughing. I know what you're thinking. I didn't have to be that mean. But if you knew the life I've lived, you'd understand my determination to stay focused, which meant no boys.

For most of my life – almost all of it actually – I've been alone. I've been looking after myself for as long as I can remember, and that's how it will continue to be. People like me don't get offered help. Nor do we need it. I can take care of myself.

After leaving the admissions office a little earlier than I had expected, I decided to do a tour of the school. My first class wouldn't be starting for another hour, so I had some time to kill.

There was a dark academy aesthetic about this place that I knew I'd never grow tired of. From the moment I had seen this place online, I knew this was where I was meant to be. So, after receiving my scholarship, I packed up what little I had (which fit into one suitcase), pocketed my last three hundred bucks, and came here.

I inhaled deeply as the wind picked up and whipped my hair around me, the red strands tangling around my face. The buildings were all of a gothic design with vines going up the walls. People mostly spoke in hushed voices, and with the sky being overcast, the campus was shrouded in darkness.

I was at home.

Sometimes in life, you'll get a feeling in your gut, a feeling that pushes you to do or say something, and more often than not you end up living with regret if you ignore it. So far, I'm happy I took the risk of coming here.

The library is hands down my favorite place here. The quiet that greets you along with the slightly musty air gives you the feeling you've stepped into another world. As soon as I stepped inside, I was inundated with the smell of old books, and my heart rate sped up. Victorian-style lamps lining the walls and a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling provided soft lighting that left shadows all over the library.

I made my way through the shelves, taking deep breaths as I glided my fingers along the spines of the books.

Oh yes, I'd be spending a lot of time here, a lot of time indeed.

Ever since childhood, books have been my way out, my escape from the shitty reality I live in. One day, something I've written will offer someone a means of escape. Yeah, I know, weird idea since I'm a law major.

I had exited the shelves upon shelves of books to take a seat when, a few tables away from me, a guy got to his feet.

It was like watching a giant who had been crouching down stand tall. The man before me was at least six-foot-four with raven black hair, a square sharp jawline, and perfectly shaped thick brows. He was looking around the library and, if his knitted brows were anything to go by, he was angry.

Maybe he had been waiting for someone and they had stood him up. But who would stand up a guy like that? He was clearly a gym junkie, with one of his arms as big as my two arms combined.

As the man began to walk away, I heard a voice behind me. "He's hot, isn't he?"

I looked over my shoulder to see a girl bent down to my ear level, her blue eyes glistening with amusement. "Don't waste your time, honey. Every woman on this campus wants a piece of him, and he gives none of them the time of day."

Who was this girl, and why was she talking to me? She had caught me checking that guy out, whoever he was. So what? Was she a jealous ex or something?

"Um, okay. "Don't worry, I'm not interested."

Her eyes widened as if I had said the world was flat before a grin was pulled at her lips, and she sat down. "Hmm, how interesting. "I get the vibe you don't run with the crowd. "That's good." She stuck her hand out to me. "I'm Natalie."

I shook her hand because, why not? "She seemed nice. "Ruby."

"Fitting name, Ruby, with your red hair and all." She squinted and leaned closer. A natural redhead at that. Nice!"

Now I wouldn't say I'm the most beautiful woman to walk the earth, but my hair has always drawn attention to me, both its color and the fact that it reaches below my ass. And the bangs that stop just above my eyebrows make my small oval face appear smaller. I'm five-foot-five, have decent C-cup boobs, and I have some curvy hips. Hence, the comment I had gotten from that poor guy earlier.

Natalie, however, was a model. I've never been the type to be jealous of another woman's looks, but Natalie was tall, five-foot-seven at least, with legs like a gazelle and platinum blonde hair. Her ice-blue eyes were the icing on the cake.

"Yup. So who was that guy then?"

She smirked. "Oh, so you are interested?"

"I'm curious," I corrected her. "Only curious."

And that was the truth, because he was hot. Gorgeous even. He was tall and muscular, and while he was extremely handsome, there was an aura of seriousness about him that I liked.

She exhaled and looked in the direction he had gone. "He's Xavier Blackwood, son of Mathieu Blackwood." She looked over at me and smiled. "Xavier is part of the rich-kids crowd, although he rolls alone. That actually makes girls want him more. I'm not sure if it's a trick or not, but there you have it. You can try your luck, sis."

"I'll pass, sis."

She shrugged, not in the least bothered by my snappy response, and I found myself liking her. Looking at her, you'd think she'd be a materialistic "oh my god, I like, so I need a skinny latte" type, but she seemed rather chill.

I can't stand a calorie-watching bitch. Eat food!

I checked my watch, and my eyes widened. I couldn't believe my time was almost up. I got up and picked up my bag. "Hey, sorry, but I have class. I can't miss my first class."

She got up with me. "Sure, what building are you going to?"

"Law."

She grinned. "Nice, so am I. Let's go. You can tell me how you've managed to get an ass like that."

I laughed, and she winked at me as we left.

Yeah, I like her. That makes my first day a success because I usually can't stand people in general.

Continue Reading

You'll also like

My Reborn Husband Didn't Choose Me? I Flash Married a Firefighter!

My Reborn Husband Didn't Choose Me? I Flash Married a Firefighter!

Sibeal Sallese
5.0

For seven years, I drank the bitter tonic my fiancé, Alpha Adrian, gave me, believing it would cure my "wolfless" defect. I was wrong. It was poison. He wasn't trying to heal me; he was keeping me weak so he could replace me with my foster sister, Ariel. When the fire consumed the Alpha's Wing, I was trapped under a burning beam, my legs crushed. Adrian kicked down the door. I reached out to him, screaming for help. But he didn't look at me. He looked at Ariel, who was lying on the floor in a silk nightgown. He scooped her up, cradling her like she was the only thing that mattered. I begged him not to leave me. Instead of helping, he used his Alpha Command on me, his voice booming with supernatural weight. "Stay put! I'll be back for you!" It was a lie. He used his power to freeze me in the inferno and left me to burn alive. I survived, only to watch him publicly reject me for her the next day, with my own father's blessing. They called me a "genetic dead end." They thought I would crawl away and die in shame. I didn't. I limped up the mountain to the Neutral Lands to find the one man everyone fears-the exiled Alpha, Garth Morgan. "I have the Gamma Bloodline Scroll," I told the massive figure emerging from the shadows. "I don't want your gratitude," Garth growled, his eyes like storm clouds. "I'm not here for gratitude," I replied, staring him down. "I'm here to make a deal with the devil."

Inferno Heiress: Freed From Hell To Reclaim My Empire

Inferno Heiress: Freed From Hell To Reclaim My Empire

Clara Voss
5.0

Hayley was betrayed by those who should have loved her most. To save their precious adopted daughter from a punishment she deserved, her own parents sent Hayley straight into a living hell—an infamous prison where survival demanded cruelty, and weakness meant death. Four years later, the girl who had entered those iron gates no longer existed. She emerged with a single, unbreakable rule carved into her soul: Every betrayal would be repaid tenfold. The day she walked free, the world trembled. A convoy of luxury cars lined the road. A legion of loyal followers awaited her triumphant return. Her father tried to buy her silence with money. But money had long lost its power over her. Her adopted sister hid behind sweet words and false kindness. But empty smiles no longer fooled her. Everything that had once been stolen would be reclaimed—piece by piece. When her parents attempted to tie themselves to the city's most feared man by offering their adopted daughter, Hayley's lips curved into a cold smirk. "Not on my watch." Backed by a legendary hacker, shadowy allies, and an entire prison willing to burn the world for her, Hayley dismantled her enemies with terrifying precision. Then the tyrant noticed her. "You're interesting," he said. "Be my woman, and the city is yours." Hayley raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You want to own me? Survive me first." High society became their battlefield. Power collided with desire. Ambition clashed with obsession. In this ruthless game of dominance and temptation, only one would kneel first. The girl once abandoned in hell rose from its ashes, crowned by fire and vengeance—And in the end, even the most feared ruler in the city would bow, offering his empire to the woman who had conquered both hell… and him.

The Billionaire's Secret Twins: Her Revenge

The Billionaire's Secret Twins: Her Revenge

Shearwater
4.5

I was four months pregnant, weighing over two hundred pounds, and my heart was failing from experimental treatments forced on me as a child. My doctor looked at me with clinical detachment and told me I was in a death sentence: if I kept the baby, I would die, and if I tried to remove it, I would die. Desperate for a lifeline, I called my father, Francis Acosta, to tell him I was sick and pregnant. I expected a father's love, but all I got was a cold, sharp blade of a voice. "Then do it quietly," he said. "Don't embarrass Candi. Her debutante ball is coming up." He didn't just reject me; he erased me. My trust fund was frozen, and I was told I was no longer an Acosta. My fiancé, Auston, had already discarded me, calling me a "bloated whale" while he looked for a thinner, wealthier replacement. I left New York on a Greyhound bus, weeping into a bag of chips, a broken woman the world considered a mistake. I couldn't understand how my own father could tell me to die "quietly" just to save face for a party. I didn't know why I had been a lab rat for my family’s pharmaceutical ambitions, or how they could sleep at night while I was left to rot in the gray drizzle of the city. Five years later, the doors of JFK International Airport slid open. I stepped onto the marble floor in red-soled stilettos, my body lean, lethal, and carved from years of blood and sweat. I wasn't the "whale" anymore; I was a ghost coming back to haunt them. With my daughter by my side and a medical reputation that terrified the global elite, I was ready to dismantle the Acosta empire piece by piece. "Tell Francis to wash his neck," I whispered to the skyline. "I'm home."

The Discarded Heiress: Marrying My Lethal Husband

The Discarded Heiress: Marrying My Lethal Husband

Xiao Wang
5.0

The rain in Detroit was slick with grime when my family finally came to fetch me. They didn't want a reunion; they wanted a sacrificial lamb to marry into the Kaufman empire to save their failing business. I thought I was just being sold off, but the limo ride ended under a dark overpass where six hired thugs were waiting with chains. My own sister had ordered them to "break my spirit" so I’d be a shaking, pathetic mess by the time I reached the altar. They called me "Detroit trash" and sprayed air freshener when I sat on their leather seats. My stepmother wanted a video of me begging for my life, and my father was ready to trade me like a used car to a man everyone called a "vegetable." They expected a submissive country girl, unaware that I was a high-level "cleaner" who could snap a radius bone before they could even scream. When I finally reached the Kaufman estate, I found my fiancé, Barron, slumped in a wheelchair, drooling and silent. But as soon as the doors closed, the "invalid" grabbed my wrist with a grip of iron and whispered a command that changed everything. I didn't understand why my own blood was so desperate to see me destroyed. What had I ever done to deserve a hit squad and a forced marriage to a man they thought was a corpse? But Barron isn't a vegetable, and I'm not a victim. We just touched down at the Moon family gala in a matte-black helicopter, and as the doors slide open, the "broken" bride is about to show them exactly what happens when you throw away the wrong daughter. "If we're going to crash a party," Barron whispered, his eyes burning with lethal clarity, "we should make an entrance."

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
The Luna Gambit The Luna Gambit Ashabi writes Young Adult
“Xavier Blackwood is the man every girl at my college dreams about at night, myself included, but I'd never let anyone know that. Standing at 6'4" with steel grey eyes, he might look like a walking dream, but he acts like a first-class jerk. Who would have thought that one night, while dragging myself home after doing double shifts at the diner, I'd be jumped by three men...only to have Xavier come to my rescue. Oh yes, Xavier bloody Blackwood saved my life...but the thing I saw, the CREATURE that ripped those men to shreds, wasn't the Xavier everyone thinks they know. He wasn't human... He was a wolf, a demon, a creature from myth, but before I had time to process, he knocked me out too. Humans that learn about the existence of werewolves have to die. ...There are NO exceptions. The Werewolf Xavier saved me, but now I am condemned to death. To make things worse, both Xavier and Axel claim I am their mate. ...This can't be good.”
1

Chapter 1 Ruby

06/09/2025

2

Chapter 2 Ruby

06/09/2025

3

Chapter 3 Ruby

06/09/2025

4

Chapter 4 Ruby

06/09/2025

5

Chapter 5 Ruby

06/09/2025

6

Chapter 6 Ruby

06/09/2025

7

Chapter 7 Xavier

06/09/2025

8

Chapter 8 Natalie

06/09/2025

9

Chapter 9 Ruby

06/09/2025

10

Chapter 10 Ruby

06/09/2025

11

Chapter 11 Ruby

06/09/2025

12

Chapter 12 Ruby

06/09/2025

13

Chapter 13 Ruby

06/09/2025

14

Chapter 14 Ruby

06/09/2025

15

Chapter 15 Ruby

06/09/2025

16

Chapter 16 Ruby

06/09/2025

17

Chapter 17 Natalie

06/09/2025

18

Chapter 18 Ruby

06/09/2025

19

Chapter 19 Ruby

06/09/2025

20

Chapter 20 Ruby

06/09/2025

21

Chapter 21 Xavier

06/09/2025

22

Chapter 22 Ruby

06/09/2025

23

Chapter 23 Natalie

06/09/2025

24

Chapter 24 Xavier

06/09/2025

25

Chapter 25 Ruby

06/09/2025

26

Chapter 26 Ruby

06/09/2025

27

Chapter 27 Ruby

06/09/2025

28

Chapter 28 Ruby

06/09/2025

29

Chapter 29 Ruby

06/09/2025

30

Chapter 30 Xavier

06/09/2025

31

Chapter 31 Natalie

06/09/2025

32

Chapter 32 Natalie

06/09/2025

33

Chapter 33 Ruby

06/09/2025

34

Chapter 34 Ruby

06/09/2025

35

Chapter 35 Xavier

06/09/2025

36

Chapter 36 Natalie

06/09/2025

37

Chapter 37 Ruby

06/09/2025

38

Chapter 38 Axel

06/09/2025

39

Chapter 39 Ruby

06/09/2025

40

Chapter 40 Xavier

06/09/2025