Werewolf

Warning! This story is a reverse harem and contains explicit scenes, including BxB, throughout.
Six years ago, I gave everything to the boy who set my world on fire, my heart, my body, my trust. The next day, he vanished without a word.
Since then, life hasn’t been kind. I buried my parents in the same week I brought my newborn son home from the hospital. At just eighteen, I became a mother and a guardian to my fifteen-year-old sister, barely surviving the weight of it all. When I finally thought I found stability in a loving husband, I discovered he was living a double life, with another woman.
Now, my son, Jaxon, is acting out, angry at the world and carrying wounds I can’t heal. After yet another phone call from the school, this time, expulsion. I knew we couldn’t keep pretending things were okay. We needed a fresh start.
I never expected that fresh start to lead me to a sleepy mountain town hiding a dangerous secret… or to him.
Because this town borders a hidden pack of wolf shifters, and their alpha is none other than the boy who disappeared six years ago.
The same boy who doesn’t know he left me with more than a broken heart…
He left me with his son. 
“Genesis. Your eyes, they just glowed right now,” Killian spoke, his hands cupping my cheeks, his hands felt gentle almost as if he was holding a flower, I wouldn’t mind being a flower. Flowers are beautiful. My mind wandered off again, and I heard the voice in my mind let out a small snicker.“What about my eyes?”“They changed…” He let go of my face, and I felt like I had been deprived of the sweetest feeling. I wanted it back. But I had to soldier on.“Don’t yours when you communicate with your wolf,” I asked tucking the small strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes following my movements intently, tensioned filled the air.********************************************************************************************************************************************Genesis was a loner living as a slave in a pack that killed her family; some people didn't even know she existed. She believed that her future was bleak and is doomed to forever be a slave for a pack she hates with all of her might.what happens when she meets meets her fated mate who turns out to the the Alpha King Kilian a thousand year old Lycan who has a fierce and cruel reputation and who has publicly announced to the supernatural world countless of times that he did not wish for a mate.Will he reject her?And what will happen when Genesis finds out just how powerful she really is, and who her parents really were. 
Another name: TEARS OF A FLOWER"What do you want, Victoria?" Victoria walked closer to Vega, her eyes held hatred in them."Look, let me warn you, don't even dare try to ruin my marriage, or else I will make your life a living hell!""You knew he wasn't your mate, and you let him mark you, didn't you?" Vega asked with anger brewing inside her.Victoria lowered her gaze a little, which meant she actually knew."So what if I know? I'm the one he marked, not you!" She yelled, showing Vega her marked neck.******************************What happens when your twin sister is accidentally marked by your one true mate?Victoria and Vega are twin sisters born to the Alpha of white snow pack.These sisters are so identical that it was very difficult to differentiate between them. Their Father Alpha Blake Gilbert sometimes found it hard to tell their differences too.Fortunately they had two distinct features that separated them, one is the fact that Victoriawho happened to be the eldest was reckless and stubborn, while Vega was calm and quiet.But sadly, Vega was the one who always got punished for her sister's crime.Everyone in the white snow pack thought Vega was the black sheep among the two.Vega suffered silently.Secondly, Victoria's wolf was brown while Vega's was white, but no one had seen Vega's wolf which was a rare kind.Alpha Reynold Flames of Blue Stone Pack happens to be the most famous and well-respected Alpha in the northern province of Westland.He is a Lycan and he was very powerful.At the age of thirty, Reynold was still without a mate.When he visited white snow pack, his wolf sensed the presence of their mate.Excited as he was to find his mate, he was deceived into marking the wrong woman (Victoria) since she smelled just like his mate (Vega).What will happen to these three lives which have become entangled for life? Will there be a breakthrough for them or will things get even worse? 



Orphaned at birth, Scarlett Winters returns to her birth pack hoping to finally find a family's love. Instead, she becomes nothing more than a pawn in pack politics, arranged to marry Alexander Amber, the powerful heir to the Northern territories. For three years, she plays the role of the perfect future Luna flawlessly, until Alexander's former flame Grace returns, flaunting both her pregnancy and victim status."Let's sever the mate bond now," Scarlett declares, her emerald eyes flashing with defiance as her immunity to Alpha command sends shockwaves through the pack."Don't be ridiculous," Alexander sneers, his arrogance evident. "You wouldn't dare give up the Luna position."But what Alexander and the Winters Pack don't know is that their supposedly docile she-wolf was raised by the formidable Thorn Pack in the North. Her adoptive brother Roman, the legendary Shadow Alpha King whose mere name makes lesser wolves tremble, has been searching for her since she mysteriously disappeared three years ago to protect their adoptive mother.Now Roman has finally found her. Their reunion ignites the mate bond they've both been fighting, forcing them to confront their forbidden feelings. As his scent of pine and midnight overwhelms her senses, Scarlett feels her carefully constructed walls crumbling."Five minutes," Roman growls, pulling her onto his lap, his blue eyes blazing with three years of suppressed desire, "to explain why you fled during our pack's darkest hour." 
They thought they were enemies. Fate made them mates.Joy Stone isn’t just the brainy, sarcastic queen of pranks—she’s a deadly Alpha hybrid in disguise. At her human university, no one suspects the quiet nerd is also the fiercest warrior of the Diamond Heart Pack.Until he walks in.Lex: infuriatingly gorgeous, maddeningly brilliant, and cocky enough to challenge her at every turn. He’s also the future Alpha of the Water Moon Pack, a notorious playboy whose charm breaks hearts almost as fast as his fists break bones—and now, her new rival for the top spot on campus.Their war starts with stolen notes, savage comebacks, and steamy glares that last too long. But one reckless kiss, one dark secret, and one blood-soaked rescue later… everything changes.They’re not just rivals.They’re mates.Now Joy has to choose: resist the pull—or give in to a bond that could expose everything she’s worked to hide.Enemies in the classroom. Lovers by fate. And in the end, only one will top the pack. 
My name is Elle.I am a beta female, but I live like an omega. Sometimes I don't even know what's better for me. I hoped that when I turned 18 my life would change. But everything got worse. At the age of 18, every werewolf knows his wolf. My wolf did not appear. In the last year I was simply wolfless. My mate rejected me and he is my the biggest nightmare.But it is said that hope dies last, so until the last moment of my life I will believe that something good is prepared for me in this world as well.Like I said, I'm Elle Parker. In the eyes of some, the most insignificant omega. But is that really the case?QUICK PREVIEWI would like to believe that this is possible. Moon Goddess ... can I get my rejection back? Please...I take a deep breath, look up to the sky and hopefully say:"I alpha Brandon Taylor take back my rejection and accept you Elle Parker as my mate, as my luna, as anythig you want to be in my life. I TAKE IT BACK!"Then I fall to my knees crying. I feel a huge pain in my chest that seems to suffocate me, I lie down on the ground and close my eyes feeling how I slowly start to faint but not before hearing just like in a dream a warm and tender voice."I, Moon Goddess, accept your request!" 
At her graduation ceremony, Claire White eagerly awaited Adrian to finally make their relationship public. But to her horror, she watched as he got down on one knee and proposed to Nicole, the esteemed daughter of a powerful Alpha.Heartbroken, Claire drowned her sorrows at a bar, where she met a dangerously alluring man, Theo. Sparks flew between them, but just before they crossed the line, fate intervened desperate phone call about her father's sudden illness pulled her back to reality.With her father's life on the line and medical bills piling up, Adrian offered financial help on the condition that she became his mistress. Furious, Claire refused, only to find herself blacklistedand unable to secure a job.Just when she was at her lowest, an unexpected opportunity arose a high-paying position as the secretary to the CEO of a prestigious company. But upon stepping into her new workplace, she discovered a shocking truth her new boss was Theo. And worse still, he was Adrian' s father. 
In the shadow of Halloween, a chance encounter sets off a deadly game of cat and mouse. Two teenagers, Jack and Elsa, are bound together by a forbidden romance, but one of them harbors a dark secret: a werewolf's curse. As the full moon rises, the line between love and horror blurs. Every moment they share is a ticking time bomb, waiting to unleash a monster. But who is the beast? The charming Jack, with his disarming smile, or the enigmatic Elsa, with her secrets and lies? As they flee from a ruthless society that will stop at nothing to destroy them, the truth becomes a luxury they can't afford. Trust no one, not even your own heart. In 'Beauty is a Beast', the suspense is a killer. 
“I, Asher Thorn, reject Aurora Nightshade as my mate and the future Luna of this pack,” Asher declared, his voice ringing out across the clearing.The words hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled backward, my mind reeling. This couldn't be happening. Mate bonds were sacred, unbreakable. To reject one was… unthinkable.Asher sneered down at me, his handsome features twisting into something ugly. He spat, “It’s simple. I won’t be saddled with her as my Luna. She’s weak, pathetic. An omega.” He practically spat the word. “Can you imagine her bearing my pups? Leading this pack beside me? It’s laughable.”As an omega, Aurora had been abused and treated like a slave by her pack after the death of her parents. On her 16th birthday, she was rejected by her mate, Asher, the future Alpha. Heartbroken, she fled and was found by the powerful Blackstone Pack. There, she met her second-chance mate, Alpha Xander, who recognized her potential and helped her transform into a warrior—the strongest in the pack.When her old pack begs for help against a rogue threat, Aurora must confront her past. Will she forgive Asher for rejecting her, or will she seek revenge alongside her second-chance mate, Alpha Xander? 


Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his? 

“Lila,” I began softly, choosing my words. “About last night...”She stood abruptly, cutting me off. “Don’t. There’s nothing to apologize for. It happened.”I frowned, trying to gauge her. “So, what are you saying?”She crossed her arms, steadying herself. “I’m saying I have a deal for you.”“A deal?”“We keep seeing each other—secretly. No one has to know. No strings attached.”I stared at her, wondering if she was serious. But from the look in her eyes, I knew she was.**********Lila Frost, a brilliant bio-genetics student and the fiercely protected sister of Alpha King Ronan, returns to Silver Lake for a quiet summer focused on her research. But one reckless night changes everything when she shares an unforgettable encounter with Caden Walker—her brother’s dangerously irresistible best friend. Their one-night stand ignites a fiery connection, and they agree to indulge their passion without complications—no love, no strings attached.But when Lila discovers she’s pregnant, her world unravels. Torn between her growing feelings for Caden and the fear that he could never love her back, Lila retreats into her studio, burying herself in her work to escape the truth. The secret she carries threatens not only her heart but also her bond with her overprotective brother.As Caden remains unaware of Lila's internal struggle, Ronan uncovers the truth about their relationship—and his fury knows no bounds. Now, Lila must confront her feelings, her brother’s wrath, and the uncertainty of what her future holds. Can she risk everything for a chance at love with Caden? Or will she lose him—and herself—trying to protect her heart? 
Andrea felt like a clown torn apart by fate.In just 24 hours, she had experienced two dramatic betrayals.First, dumped by her cheating Beta fiancé at the night they should have bonded; Second, fooled by her heartless Alpha mate after their explosive sex night.And both for the same reason: she's only an omega. A weak omega.What's worse, when Andrea got pregnant with Alpha Kade's baby, his family only took it as a pollution of their bloodline and forced her to abort.This time, Andrea refused to continue to compromise.“By the light of the moon that binds us both, I reject you, Kade Nightshade.”Then she disappeared, like a wind, leaving the proudest Alpha of New York alone in anger and remorse.***Five years later, Andrea had risen as a powerful Alpha, and beside her were her lovely twins. And this time, Alpha Kade swore to make her pay!***“Say my name again,” he demanded. "Say you're MINE!"I threw my head back and moaned as he bit my neck. “Kade,” I gasped.I didn’t care that we were out in the open woods or that this was the man I had sworn off of; I had to have him inside me right then and there, or I would die from need. 


***This story has a lot of steamy scenes that are not suitable for minors.***A hundred years after the war where werewolves lost against humans, Kaiya finds herself imprisoned in an island park where they are hunted on a weekly basis for human’s entertainment. However, when the ownership of the island park changes, she finds her mate, who is a newly crowned King.*************************************“You are the first freed werewolf, does not mean that you will be the last.”“Is that why you freed me? To set an example?”“No. I freed you because you will be my woman.”My breathing stops. The way he puts a claim on me makes me want to claim him too.“Ah! Don’t worry about answering me now. I will give you time to consider me.”I look at the table and entwine my fingers together. I take a deep breath and look back at him. “I want that too,” I whisper. “I want to become your woman too.”I answer the surprise on his face by flushing scarlet. Then, he looks away and I can see a blush creeping on his face too. “So, starting now, are we together?” he asks.“Before that, we need to do a promise.”“A promise?”I take his hand to mine and say, “You are my mate, whom I promise to love and cherish forever, until the gods and fate separate us.”He squeezes my hand and answers, “You are my mate, whom I promise to love and cherish forever, even if the gods and fate may try to separate us.” 








For the sake of her family, she accepts to tutor Alpha's . She also becomes a part of the Werewolf academy. Her life was normal....... Until, she comes face-to-face with Alphas's king, Dastien. She couldn't rein the tug. She feels at her heart in his presence and his absence, she couldn't take him off of her mind. She couldn't comprehend, why was this happening to her? Emma knows the shifters' world is full of danger. She isn't made for it. Dastien is the strongest werewolf, the Alpha, the king of Alphas, wants to keep his human mate safe. He is in doubt. Should he accept the mating with a human girl, the true love bond that is created somewhere in heaven or should he choose someone from packs, a strong werewolf girl? He is aware of her emotions, love that he sees in her eyes, though Emma is unaware of her feelings and mating bond. Soon, he must make a choice: Choose her knowing the danger lying ahead or lose Emma to let her live a normal life. 
“I denounce you as my Luna,” he declared, his words striking me with the force of a physical blow.“And I reject you as my mate. I am severing our bond.” He turned away from me, his attention focused on Coco as he lifted her from the ground, cradling her protectively in his arms. The tenderness in his touch was a dagger to my heart, a reminder of what I had lost.Betrayed. Abandoned. Left to die. Lilac, a betrayed heroine, had given everything to Alpha King Kael—her love, her loyalty, her very soul—only to be cast aside when his fated mate arrived. The fragile Omega Coco not only stole Kael’s heart but destroyed everything Lilac had built in their shifter fantasy world, leaving her broken and watching her family perish. As Lilac took her final breath, the last thing she saw was Kael holding the woman who had ruined her.But death was not the end.When Lilac’s eyes opened, she was back, six years in the past, standing in the ceremony where she was first chosen as Kael’s mate. The goddess had granted her a second chance romance in this time travel fantasy. But this time, she would not be the same naive woman who loved blindly. This time, she would fight. She would take back what was hers.Yet, with every choice she makes, the future begins to shift. Kael’s half-brother Alaric showed up in the picture, complicating her path. Fate is no longer predictable, and the kingdom’s destiny is no longer set in stone. As Lilac walks a new path, one question haunts her: Is she rewriting her salvation… or her doom? 

My Mate Toric and his twin brother Silas, the Beta, had an accident on the battlefield.News of one dead and one wounded reached home. Evelyn, Silas's mate, and I cried until our eyes were red and swollen.When I saw my living mate return, my heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally settled.I was just about to rush towards him when he handed me a funeral portrait."Luna, I'm sorry. The pack clinic staff made a mistake. It was my brother who passed away."Beside us, Evelyn stopped crying.I pressed my lips together, suppressing a smile, and obediently hugged the portrait, starting to wail. 

Ashly is not some cute little Omega who wants to please Alphas; she can kick any Alpha or Beta who tries to mess with her. Even the Alpha is her own mate. Alex knows Ashly is his Omega, but he is scared that Omega rejects him; she already kicked his pack ass. But when the truth unfolded about the Omega identity, he was shocked and somehow happy. Alex had finally decided to confess his burning love to his mate. They both gave in to their overflowing feelings, but Ashly couldn't help her growing fears to slowly consume her. After their graduation, things become hard for Ashly. Alex leaves to see his family, and he never comes back. Ashly waits for him in front of his door with a baby inside her, but the Alpha never comes back. After a year, they meet again. What will be the outcome? Will Ashly still love her Alpha no matter what happens, and will Alex finally tell the truth to Ahley? What happens when Alex sees a child who exactly looks like him? "He is my pup." "No, he is not; you are nothing but a stranger to him. So, get out and never come back here. Ashly Madden doesn't need an Alpha." 
I am Amalthea Jade, the daughter of the prestigious Matthew and Thea Jade. My parents died in a rogue attack, and the only hope I had was my chosen mate, Blake Cohl.I thought I got all the happiness in the world when I got married to him, but on my wedding night, he brought his fated mate to our wedding room. The mate, he can't reject.I would've let go of her if she hadn't provoked me, and naturally, I did what anyone would've done in a situation like this. I attacked her.There's a rule that if any person attacks another person without a reason, then he/she is punished with 20 whippings, but since I am the luna, I was given another option, apologize to my husband's fated mate.Bow down and apologize to the person who took away my happiness? He must be joking.Rather than bowing, I took not 20 but 50 whippings to remember this humiliation for the rest of my life.Feeling tired, I decided to leave, as my father also thought that Blake was the better alpha than me. But as I was leaving, I came to know that my parents’ death wasn't just a normal rogue attack case. It was more than that.The plan was simple. Avenge my parents, the humiliation I suffered, and start afresh, but what am I supposed to do when the Lycan king starts tailing me?How the hell am I supposed to react when he says he wants to marry me, and that he will destroy everything in my world if I keep refusing him? Not to mention how he hates me.“I can’t marry you because I hate all the males with the alpha syndrome, and I am already married,” I barked at him.“And? I don't see why that's a problem. Let me make it clear, Amalthea. I want you, and I will do anything to get you, even if it means I will have to turn this world upside down,” He smirked.How am I supposed to get on with my plans like this? Not to mention the rogue head who is strangely interested in my matters more than I am.Oh, and did I mention I was in the process of awakening my powers that even I didn't know of? 




“No matter what it takes, I must break the curse and be with my true mate, my fated Luna.”Alpha Zadok is a ruthless alpha male and King of the Roman pack. After a betrayal by witches that led to the murder of his parents and the near extermination of his people, he retaliates, eradicating the entire witch clan in his territory.Following the extermination, he faces the cruel reality of a curse that prevents him from sensing his fated mate.When an unsuspecting and powerless witch is teleported to the wrong location and kills a wolf in her wake, Zadok is enraged and ready to kill.What happens when he discovers she might be the salvation of his pack and, ultimately, his fated mate in this enemies-to-lovers paranormal romance?Ithra is a powerless witch from the Celts clan. When her coven and home are threatened by a breach in the force field protecting her people from the underworld, she must embark on a journey to save her clan.A spell gone wrong lands her in the wrong location, facing danger at the hands of a ruthless alpha in this shifter romance. With a mission to save her community and a destiny she cannot escape, what happens when she falls in love with the greatest enemy of her kind in this forbidden love tale? 

When Beryl was heartbroken finding her boyfriend cheating on her with her step-mum,The triplet billionaires appeared, claiming to be her mates. They fall for her, hard. She slept with one of them. But she doesn’t know whom. Worse, she’s pregnant. She: Who’s my baby’s father?!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Already heartbroken when her father died, Beryl was devastated when she found her boyfriend f*ucking her step-mum at the parking lot of the funeral. What’s more shocking was the billionaire Armand Lupine’s sudden appearance and his hot triplets claiming to be her mate. And what is mate anyway? Forced to live with Armand and the triplets, Beryl uncovered the realm of the werewolf's world. Though Armand cherishes her, the triplets, star hockey player Nicholas, world-famous painter Brian and rock star Cheney always took every opportunity to make fun of her. Are they really Beryl’s mates? With them around, can Beryl return to the ordinary human life as she wished? 




“F**k me to death if you must, you asshole,” I sobbed. I felt defeated as I lay beneath the Alpha King’s hardened body. He was pressed heavily against me. Tears stained my features and he stared around my face, curiously. He had paused for a long moment, breathless and trembling. Just moments ago, he was ripping my custom-made wedding gown off my thin body and shredding it to pieces. I trembled uncontrollably as he pressed me against his bed, kissing every mark of my body and biting me until I bled.His dark blue gaze had gone wild and at that moment, I truly feared for my life. I feared that the night of my wedding night was going to be the end of my life altogether.The memory of the day invaded my mind as I kept thinking to myself, “how did I end up here?” ***To save her little brother, Hannah was forced to take her stepsister Amy's place in the arranged marriage, marring the cruel Alpha King, Peter. Little did she know, there will be so many dangers await her.Alpha Peter, the most arrogant, cold and strongest man in werewolf Kingdom, he accept this marriage because he needs to find his mate, as it was foretold. Only his mate can save him from his frantic fury. He has no idea that soon he finds himself falling for this little omega girl. 



I stand before the pack members, condemned by whispers and stares that cut deeper than any blade. Branded a killer, but I am no murderer. Yet, their accusations cling to me like a shroud, suffocating every shred of hope within me.“I’ll never reject you, Ivanna, but I’ll make your life hell.” His words echo throughout the hall. A cruel reminder of the torment that awaits me. “I’ll forever punish you for what you did to me and the pack.” My mate’s voice, once a source of strength, now drips with venomous hatred. “You’ll remain as my mate, and I’ll remain your nightmare.”“I didn’t kill her!” I protest, but he sees only a liar, a traitor to the pack. His fist hits my cheek, a brutal punishment for crimes I did not commit.“Liar!” He barks. “You killed her. And I’ll do the same to you. Slowly. Painfully. Until you’re choking on your last breath and desperately ready to tell the truth, that you killed her.”—----------------------------------------------------When the Luna mysteriously dies before my eyes, everyone tags me as her killer. I go through hell and back. My life becomes an endless circle of misery. But I won’t break. I won’t give in to my abusers, no matter how brutally they try to break my soul. I’m determined to fight till the end. Until I’ve proven to them that I’m not the Luna’s Killer. 


Senior student Victoria Winner is the campus queen and the heiress of her father’s empire, her name and beauty give her the strength to feel she owns the world. She is the hottest girl on campus, yet she doesn't want to date because, for her, no one is above her, and she is too beautiful to date just with anyone. And too proud of herself that no boys have ever kissed her. Girls envy her while she can toy the boys with her fingers. Until one day, a new guy on campus ruined her reputation by kissing her.Oliver Prize is the handsome and hot Alpha of the Valiant Pack, the most feared pack in the entire werewolf community. He was devastated when the elders asked him to watch over his mate from the Sterling Pack since he doesn’t believe in falling in love, and having a mate; for him, it was only a waste of time and energy.Oliver was forced to pretend as a high school senior student transferee at Zenith Academy, and his bad-boy yet mysterious aura made the girls fall for him except with one girl, Victoria.Excerpt:“How dare you steal my first kiss from me?" Victoria hissed as she looked daggers at Oliver."And why do you ever feel so stressed about it when I can feel you enjoyed that kiss so much? It was just a kiss, Victoria. Besides, you don't even know how to kiss." Oliver replied with a smirk that made her angrier."If you want, I can give you a kissing tutorial for free." He said and left her without taking a second glance, and that is why Victoria hated him with all her heart.He was the only guy on campus who got the courage to mess with the school queen by kissing her. He hated everything about her especially her guts, but he couldn't deny himself that the kiss he shared with Victoria was the best kiss he ever had.During Victoria's eighteenth birthday, she discovered what she truly is, a secret she can't even tell her best friend. And she realized the world she knew was all lies. Victoria couldn't accept what she was, and she found refuge in the arms of 


Victoria devoted five faithful years to Ethan, her mate-to-be—or so she thought. But on the night she planned to reveal her deepest secret, she overhears Ethan and her best friend in bed, laughing about her "omega innocence." Betrayed, heartbroken, and burning with fury, Victoria turns away from the man who used her... straight into the arms of his enigmatic half-brother, the dangerous and magnetic Damian Sterling.
"Why him?" Damian asks, his voice dark.
"Because I want to forget your brother," she dares.
Just one night. No feelings. No regrets. But neither of them expects the raging call of fate, or the secrets about to explode.
She was never an omega.
He was never meant to touch her.
But destiny has its own rules—and it starts with one unforgettable night.
Will revenge turn into something deeper—or destroy them both?