Novels by Denise

JakeWhen I saw Kiara in that chair —tied up, dirty, and pale— I felt like I could completely lose my sanity. I felt like I could kill everyone, even those who weren’t to blame. But I knew I couldn’t lose my head at that moment because my most important duty was to get her out of there safe and sound. And for that, I needed a bit of my sanity. But the enemies would taste every drop of my fury.I kissed her because I couldn’t bear to see her pale, lonely lips. I felt her mouth as proof that everything was over. I tasted her lips like a reward after spending days without sleep just to find her.And I did. I found her alive.I noticed the lock of hair that had been cut, hidden among the rest of her hair. But I knew every part of her, and I caught the detail. Rage consumed me, and I wanted to kill Derian, though not before torturing him.Thomas came down the stairs and saw us together, but he missed the part where I kissed her, and I felt angry because he didn’t see it. I wanted him to kn

KiaraI had to start the car, but guilt relentlessly took hold of me. I didn’t want to leave them, but Jake and Thomas had given me a clear order.What if I drove away and they came back right after? I couldn’t just leave like that, so I waited two more minutes. I promised myself that if they didn’t appear within those two minutes, I would leave and do as I was told.But then I heard cracking sounds behind the car, and my instincts forced me to turn around to see who it was. For a brief second, I hoped it was Jake, or Thomas, or both, but that made no sense. They were in the opposite direction.So who could be behind me?Derian.I looked back, gripping the steering wheel tightly in case I needed to drive off. And I saw him. I saw Derian walking slowly toward me with a smile on his face. He wasn’t in a hurry. He wasn’t going to hurt me or kidnap me again, but he was going to scare me and torture me psychologically.I threw the car into reverse.Fear acted for me.I hit him without thin

Kiara“Where’s the car?” I asked, since I couldn’t see anything.“A few meters from here. We couldn’t just pull up and let them see us,” Jake answered.That was when I noticed Jake’s and Thomas’s clothes. Both of them were dirty, not only with the enemies’ blood, but with mud and grass.“We had to crawl so they wouldn’t see us. The rain helped dull our scent. It took us several minutes to get here, but it doesn’t matter because now we’re going to run to the car,” my boyfriend explained.“If we tell you to run, you run. No looking back, Kiara. No matter what happens. Here...” he pulled the car keys out of his pocket. “You’ll see the car if you keep running straight ahead. Don’t wait more than two minutes for us if we don’t reach you, understand? You’ll have to drive away as far as you can and get help. My phone is in the car, so you can use it to call someone from the pack for backup.”I frowned and shook my head. I didn’t want to do this alone. His words made it clear they wouldn’t be

KiaraJake looked at me as if I were crazy. As if being kidnapped had changed the way I acted and spoke.I noticed his brows furrow. I knew he would defend her. I knew he didn’t believe me. To be honest, I didn’t expect him to believe me right away. Judging by the way he treated Irina, it wasn’t going to be easy to convince him. That hurt, but I couldn’t expect more from him. Irina had trapped him, manipulated him so much that Jake himself was no longer someone I could fully trust.The way he looked at me hurt; the way his eyes told me not to say something stupid. But why would I say something stupid right now? This wasn’t about jealousy. This wasn’t about him. It was about the fact that Jake had no idea he was sleeping with the enemy every night. Jake had replaced me with my sister, believing she had always been there to help him, but that wasn’t true. It was only a slow plan of destruction. A well-crafted one. Even I had fallen for the story that Irina was in love with Jake and woul

KiaraThe kiss between Thomas and me didn’t cancel out the kiss between Jake and me.They had just kissed me less than thirty seconds apart, and Jake was looking at me the same way Thomas would look at me if he knew we had kissed.Jake tensed —more than before— and had to look away when our eyes met. The tension was too much.“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” he asked, giving me a quick once-over. “You’ve lost weight… I’m so sorry. This is my fault.”“That’s not true. It’s not your fault. Calm down,” I assured him with a small smile.I was happy to see him. To see both of them. But even in the middle of my rescue, the tension between the three of us was uncomfortable enough to make it hard to stay together for long. The kiss hadn’t helped at all, and, to be honest, after Thomas kissed me, I felt dirty. I felt like I was betraying Jake when, in reality, it was the other way around; I was betraying Thomas.Thomas tried to kiss me again, and Jake quickly looked away, as if it hurt him to

KiaraI sobbed when I saw him standing there, as if he couldn’t believe I was alive. His face was pale, and there was blood on his white shirt along with some dirt. I scanned him with my eyes, just as he did with me, while the chaos upstairs hadn’t stopped.The roars continued, the claws of the wolves in the fight didn’t slow down, nor did the insults and the constant rivalry between the two packs. Derian had simply left, but it didn’t surprise me that the others covered for him and risked themselves for him, they felt a kind of affection and loyalty toward him that no beta I knew would understand.I breathed heavily. Air rushed back into my lungs after panicking while trying to free myself. The ropes were so tight that I couldn’t even picture the moment Jake would untie me.“Jake, it’s you…” I smiled, relieved.“Did you think I wasn’t coming?” he gave me a smile of relief as he hurried toward me.He knelt in front of me to untie my legs and then my hands. I watched him, his head lowe

DanaThe wedding night has finally arrived. The long wait would end in less than an hour.I looked at my long, white, expensive, tailor-made dress. It was strange to get married for the second time, but we both decided to leave the past behind and focus on a new future. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy, because it isn't. But we've tried. We've done it together.Our relationship has strengthened after everything we've been through. Demian has become a better partner. Even better than in our past marriage. He has made it his mission to make me fall in love with him day by day and to show me his love.Our three children were happy to have a united family. I could see it in their faces. Soon, a fourth child would join our lives. Demian and I planned it. My health was stable, so we decided to try.“Miss, are you ready?” my chauffeur asked.The limousine was ready to take me to the church. After our wedding, we will go together as a family to the Caribbean. When we return, we will mov

DanaThe first month without him was hard. Without my mother's support, I would never have been able to move forward.The second month was terrifying. I cried so much. I don't know how I didn't become dehydrated.In the third month, my children were already so strong, and the doctors discharged us from the hospital, and we went home, where a four-year-old brother was waiting for us. I took care of Demian's little son because he was left alone. Rachel abandoned him, and he needed a mother. That little boy was not to blame for having a mother like Rachel, so I took care of him as if he were my own son. I know Demian would have loved that.The fourth month was just as painful as the third. I couldn't accept that he wasn't near me. I missed him so much. There wasn't a day when I didn't cry over his departure. I wondered if he was okay. Was he alive? Did he miss us? What did Rachel do to him?In the fifth month, I visited Jeremy's grave almost every day, asking him to help bring Demian hom

DanaI suddenly opened my eyes and sat up in bed, gasping. I coughed non-stop, and my mother was worried about me. I touched my abdomen and noticed that my belly was no longer the same as before. I frowned and looked at my mom."What happened? Where are my children?""The babies are alive in the maternity and baby room. They are in an incubator, daughter" my mom explained, stroking my hair.My babies... my children had been born, and I had been asleep the whole time. I wanted to touch and kiss them. I needed to see and meet them. Their faces, their little hands, and feet. My eyes filled with tears. Finally, I was a mother. Finally, I could meet them.I begged to be allowed to see them. Mom said she would call the doctor to have me taken to see my children. I had never felt such great excitement. I felt energetic like I hadn't felt in a long time."Don't strain yourself. You just came out of a complicated surgery. You have to stay calm. We'll wait for the doctor. Okay?"A surgery? Why

DemianI looked for the address where a black car with tinted windows would pick me up. Rachel's henchmen were coming for me to take me to her. That was the deal. I understood we were going to leave the city and the country so no one could find us. It was madness to leave the country and have no further contact with my family, Dana, or any information about my children. But that was the deal I made with Rachel so she would tell me how to save Dana. I trusted the maid would be of great help to Dana, my son, and my other two children. I wanted to believe everything would be fine while I was gone, but I wasn't sure of it.Nerves were eating me slowly and anxiety was my worst enemy. The star-filled sky didn't match the horrible feeling in my heart today.They picked me up and put a bag over my head. Another rule was not to resist the kidnapping they were going to perform. So I stayed still. I felt a prick on my neck and it took hold of my skin. I grimaced. That wasn't part of the deal, bu

DemianI had to make a quick decision to save Dana. I had to leave or stay with Dana while she died slowly. There was no certainty in Rachel's words, but I had to do something for Dana, and I believe the maid was right all along. If being with Rachel was the key to Dana's survival, I was going to do it. I had to take that risk. I had seen her die before my eyes. I couldn't let that happen again and have it be permanent. Dana and my children needed me. What kind of man was I if I couldn't protect my family from this hell? What kind of man was I if I couldn't keep them alive?I had to accept going with Rachel, but first, I had to make sure the surgery was successful. Hours passed without any answers. A doctor approached Dana's mother, and I went to listen to what happened."What happened? I'm Dana's husband. How is she? My children?""We delivered the babies, and they are alive, but they need to be monitored in incubators for a while, as their organs are still developing. Ideally, the b

DemianDana's heart stopped suddenly while we were talking. Her eyes were fixed on mine, but she was no longer moving. I was terrified. I felt a fear like I had never felt in my life. Anguish took over my body, dragging me down the path of pain. My chest tightened as I realized she was gone. Dana was gone. Someone had to do something. They had to bring my beloved back to me. I couldn't live without her because living without Dana was like being dead in my own life.I took her face in my hands as I heard the long beep of the machine connected to Dana. I searched for something to help her, but I didn't know how. No one prepares anyone for this. Not even I, a powerful Alpha, could escape such immense pain."Dana, no... No!" I shouted. "Don't go! You can't go! I won't allow it. Not like this. Please," I begged. I had never begged anyone for anything in my life, but for Dana, I was willing to do anything.I would give my life for hers. I was willing to take her place and her pain so that s

Sophia “Lower the gun, Dante,” Bright ordered. He tried to stay calm, but he was dying to attack Dante. One wrong move, however, could get us all killed. I sobbed, and Dante got angry with me. “Shut your damn mouth!” he yelled at me, and I saw Bright take a step forward. Bright was about to attack, but Dante pointed the gun at my head again. He pressed the barrel against my hair, taking the safety off. I squeezed my eyes shut. The pain wouldn’t let me move, and neither would the fear. The baby was coming. My water broke the moment I heard the gunshots. I was still a week away from full term, but the baby didn’t want to wait. I was suffering. The pain was unbearable, and I felt that something wasn’t right with me. The stress level was dangerous; my blood pressure was dropping. I felt dizzy, my vision blurred. “She’s pregnant, Dante. Are you really going to do this to a pregnant woman? What’s the point of all this? Hurting the person you claim to love?” Bright tried to reason wit

BrightWhen I woke up in the middle of the street with James by my side, I desperately looked everywhere for Sophia.She was nowhere to be found.“I’ve taken the bullet out. You’re going to be fine. I got there in time.”“Where is she?”“They took her, but we tracked the truck to a house at the edge of the forest. We know where she is.”I stood up, dizzy, but nothing was going to stop me from going after her. It didn’t matter if I was injured, Sophia was my family. I would protect her with my life, and I didn’t care about risking my own life as long as I could save hers.I was furious with myself for not having been able to prevent them from taking her. Guilt ate me alive.“I’ll fight even if I’m dizzy and weak,” I said, getting into James’s truck.“We’re all going to fight and kill that son of a bitch once and for all,” he assured me, determined.He started the engine with fury.I mentally prepared myself for the fight. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but nothing else mattered now. The o

SophiaMy blood completely froze when I saw the news. Bright was by my side, lovingly touching my belly while talking to the baby, and he abruptly stopped to see what was happening.Months had passed since Dante was imprisoned, so over time, we began to relax more. Not completely, but Bright and I returned to normal when we moved back into our house to live together as a family. In fact, we sold our house to buy one close to my parents’ home, James’s, and Bright’s parents’.The pack lived in apartments, in a building exclusive to my family. As I’ve said, Dante changed many things once he started his game. For protection, we all stayed together. Bright always said it was better not to let our guard down too much, and James agreed.The deaths stopped once Dante was locked up, which indicated that he hadn’t lied when he confessed to why he was doing it. I must admit that these have been peaceful months in which I’ve felt happy like before, and I haven’t thought about Dante as much.But s

BrightThe police station had a smell I didn’t like. I could sense the anxiety, the confinement. I went through security, left my phone in the tray, and was forced to sign a few papers. I hadn’t called James—not from home or my phone— to tell him I was coming here, because he wouldn’t have agreed with my decision.They led me to the visiting room. Metal table, phone hanging from the wall, two guards watching from a distance. I’d asked to see Dante face-to-face, no glass between us. They said they’d consider it, that they’d see if it was possible. I sat down and waited. I didn’t speak, didn’t check the clock. I just waited for them to bring him in.He came in handcuffed. The guy walked with his head high, as if nothing weighed on him. He had that same arrogant smile he used to wear when he thought he owned everything. He lacked conscience and overflowed with ego. The guards sat him in front of me and stayed close, just in case.“Bright,” he said, like he was anywhere else but a prison.

SophiaThe doorbell rang, and my heart jumped.I knew they were coming, but part of me wished they wouldn’t. Ever since they told me the police would stop by the house to talk to me, I hadn’t been able to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I went back to that room. To him.Bright was the first to get up from the couch. James, standing near the door, took a deep breath before opening it."Police," a woman called through the door.Two officers stepped in, a woman with her hair neatly tied back, sharp eyes, and a young man holding a folder."Inspector Roberts. Officer Francis. Here for Mrs. Sophia."“That’s me,” I replied, trying to sound calm, though my voice trembled.“We just want to ask you a few questions,” she said. “May we come in?”I nodded. Bright gestured toward the living room so they could sit down. I remained standing, not knowing what to do with my hands.“We’d like to clarify a few details about your case,” the inspector began. “First of all, we need to understand why a f

SophiaSophia remained by my side, breathing calmly, her face serene against the pillow. The light coming through the open curtains slid across her skin like a golden trace. It had been so long since I had seen her so peaceful, without fear or tension. But I could still sense the trauma lingering in her. It was a calm born from exhaustion, not peace, an aftermath of darkness that she still carried within her. The darkness Dante had left behind.I couldn’t get out of my head what Dante had told me a few hours ago. Unlike her, I felt like I was losing my mind, trying to figure out the new game Dante was planning. Dante was clever, a real killer. A master planner. If he’d managed to sneak into our wedding night, into a house full of werewolves who already had his scent, then he was capable of anything. I didn’t even feel completely safe knowing the house was surrounded by wolves; after all, we had been attacked once. Sophia had no idea about the deaths Dante had caused that night. I didn