She came to the city to escape her past. He built his empire to bury his pain. Neither of them expected the storm they would unleash in each other.
She came to the city to escape her past. He built his empire to bury his pain. Neither of them expected the storm they would unleash in each other.
The rain battered the roof like it was trying to peel the world open.
Raven Winter pressed her back to the cold steel wall of the estate, breath shallow, fingers trembling as she held the flash drive close to her chest. Her hoodie was soaked through, and the thin fabric clung to her body like second skin. She had ten seconds to make a run for it, maybe less.
Security patterns. Blind spots. Rotating patrols. She had memorized them all. What she hadn't accounted for was the strange energy clinging to the air like smoke. It crackled on her skin, made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
This wasn't a normal mafia compound.
She didn't have time to second guess it. She sprinted across the marble-floored corridor, ducking under a security beam, sliding into the main office. The lights were off. Just like she'd planned. She crossed the room in five heartbeats, reached the massive oak desk, and plugged in the drive.
Five percent. Ten. Twenty-two.
The files transferred slowly, each second screaming louder than the last.
Outside, the wind howled. But underneath it, Raven heard something else.
A growl.
She turned, heart slamming into her ribs. Nothing there. Just the storm. Just her paranoia. She looked back at the screen. Fifty-eight percent. Sixty-nine.
Then the scent hit her.
Dark. Sharp. Masculine. It wasn't cologne-it was instinct. Earth and fire and danger.
Someone was in the room.
She spun around, reaching for her knife.
Too late.
A hand clamped around her wrist, cold steel slammed into her back, and she was pressed against the desk in one smooth, terrifying motion. Hot breath touched her ear.
"You shouldn't be here."
The voice was low. Smooth. Dangerous.
Raven didn't answer. She couldn't. Her mouth was dry. Her lungs locked.
He turned her slowly, deliberately, until she was facing him.
Lucien Drax.
She'd seen him in photographs. The mafia heir turned king. The youngest man to take control of a blood empire. His enemies called him "The Alpha" even before they knew the truth.
But the photos hadn't done him justice.
Six-foot-four, broad shoulders draped in black, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled to reveal inked forearms. His face was carved with cruel precision-strong jaw, high cheekbones, and those eyes.
Glowing. Not metaphorically.
Gold. Real gold.
"You're not one of mine," he said, stepping closer, dragging the knife from her hand. "And you're not just a thief."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, hating how small her voice sounded.
He tilted his head. A strand of dark hair fell across his brow. His lips twitched like he was amused.
"You're shaking," he murmured, brushing his fingers over her pulse. "But you're not afraid. Not the way prey should be."
She tried to twist away. He didn't let her.
He leaned in and inhaled her scent-slow, deliberate, predatory.
Then he froze.
The room changed.
The air thickened.
His eyes darkened into something feral. His grip tightened around her arm.
"What are you?" he asked, voice barely human.
She didn't answer.
He pressed closer, his chest brushing hers, his breath hot and unyielding.
"You smell like mine."
Raven jerked her knee up. It connected with his thigh. He didn't flinch. He grabbed her waist and lifted her like she weighed nothing, pinning her against the wall.
"I should rip your throat out," he growled. "Do you know that?"
"Then do it," she hissed, eyes locked with his.
A strange, electric silence filled the room.
He stared at her. She stared back.
Then his lips curled.
"You want to die?" he asked.
"I want you to let me go."
"That's not going to happen."
The flash drive pinged softly from behind him.
One hundred percent.
She used the distraction to shove him with all her strength, sliding under his arm, grabbing the drive, and running toward the hallway.
She didn't get far.
He tackled her halfway down the corridor, slamming her into the wall again, this time harder. She gasped. His hand wrapped around her throat-not choking, just holding. Controlling.
"Tell me who sent you."
"No one."
"Liar."
He dragged her down a hidden staircase. She kicked. Bit. Screamed.
He never flinched.
The lower level was different. Older. Stone walls. Iron doors.
He threw her into a room lined with black velvet and steel chains. A single chair sat in the center. No windows. Just shadows.
She scrambled up, knife ready.
He smirked.
"Cute."
Then he left. The door slammed shut behind him.
Raven collapsed to the floor, heart racing.
She had stolen from the wrong family.
Not mafia.
Monsters.
Hours passed.
She heard footsteps once. Then nothing.
Until the door creaked open again.
This time, Lucien wasn't alone.
A woman in a blood-red suit stood beside him. Blond. Cold. Beautiful. Eyes like ice.
"Is this her?" the woman asked.
Lucien nodded.
The woman stepped forward, examining Raven like she was a broken artifact.
"She's not full blood."
"But she's marked," Lucien said.
The woman bent down, brushed a finger over Raven's collarbone.
And there it was.
A symbol.
She'd never seen it before, but it glowed faintly under the skin-a crescent wrapped in fire.
"How long have you had this?" the woman asked.
"I don't-what is it?"
"Lie again," Lucien warned, "and I'll let her strip the truth out of your bones."
Raven's breathing turned shallow. She didn't know what they were talking about. She didn't remember any mark. Her body had always been strange-too fast to heal, too good at hiding. But this?
"You need to run tests," the woman said.
Lucien didn't look at her. He stared at Raven like he was trying to solve a puzzle only he could see.
"No," he said.
"No?" the woman echoed, shocked.
"She's mine."
"Lucien-"
He turned, eyes glowing.
"I said she's mine."
The woman stepped back. Bowed slightly.
Raven stared at him.
"What the hell are you?"
He smiled.
"Hungry."
Then the door closed again.
And this time, it locked with a sound that felt permanent.
Raven pressed her back against the wall and breathed deep.
She wasn't getting out of here.
Not unless she figured out what the mark meant.
Not unless she figured out what he was.
Not unless she stopped trembling every time his eyes touched her.
Outside the walls, a wolf howled.
Inside her chest, something stirred.
Something ancient.
Something hers.
Emily never expected a fake marriage to the enigmatic billionaire Liam Westwood would spiral into a deadly game of secrets and sacrifice. What began as a contract became survival, then something far more dangerous-love. With enemies closing in and her brother clinging to life, Emily must decide: walk away free, or stay and fight beside the man who was never supposed to steal her heart. In a world of lies, power, and unexpected tenderness, one mistake turned into destiny.
He's a billionaire by day, a beast by blood-and she just became his obsession. When innocent waitress Aria stumbles into the wrong room at an elite gala, she doesn't expect to find herself face-to-face with Damian Wolfe-a brooding billionaire with a deadly secret. He's powerful, dangerous, and inhumanly irresistible. Bound by a dark curse and an empire built on blood, Damian needs a mate to control the beast within. And he's chosen her. But Aria won't go down without a fight. This isn't just seduction. It's survival.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
"Ms. Crawford, it’s time for you to divorce Mr. Larsen and come home. You're the only heiress the Master's waiting for.” ~•~ For the sake of love, Amara accepted the arranged marriage with Tobias William Larsen. She did everything to gain her husband’s heart but when his old love returned, she realized that all her effort was all for naught. Tobias demanded a divorce on the night of their wedding anniversary, even at the price of threatening her. Heartbroken, she finally dropped all her illusions about him and returned home to be the heiress. The next time she met Tobias, they were no longer couples but opponents. "Mr. Larsen, should I remind you again? We've divorced." "Amara, that's the stupidest mistake I've ever made. Please come back to me."
She spent ten years chasing after the right brother, only to fall for the wrong one in one weekend. ~~~ Sloane Mercer has been hopelessly in love with her best friend, Finn Hartley, since college. For ten long years, she's stood by him, stitching him back together every time Delilah Crestfield-his toxic on-and-off girlfriend-shattered his heart. But when Delilah gets engaged to another man, Sloane thinks this might finally be her chance to have Finn for herself. She couldn't be more wrong. Heartbroken and desperate, Finn decides to crash Delilah's wedding and fight for her one last time. And he wants Sloane by his side. Reluctantly, Sloane follows him to Asheville, hoping that being close to Finn will somehow make him see her the way she's always seen him. Everything changes when she meets Knox Hartley, Finn's older brother-a man who couldn't be more different from Finn. He's dangerously magnetic. Knox sees right through Sloane and makes it his mission to pull her into his world. What starts as a game-a twisted bet between them-soon turns into something deeper. Sloane is trapped between two brothers: one who's always broken her heart and another who seems hell-bent on claiming it... no matter the cost. CONTENT WARNING: This story is strongly 18+. It delves into dark romance themes such as obsession and lust with morally complex characters. While this is a love story, reader discretion is advised.
Maia grew up a pampered heiress-until the real daughter returned and framed her, sending Maia to prison with help from her fiancé and family. Four years later, free and married to Chris, a notorious outcast, everyone assumed Maia was finished. They soon discovered she was secretly a famed jeweler, elite hacker, celebrity chef, and top game designer. As her former family begged for help, Chris smiled calmly. "Honey, let's go home." Only then did Maia realize her "useless" husband was a legendary tycoon who'd adored her from the start.
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