My heart sank as I stared at the headline on the screen: “Alaric Donovan Spotted Driving Socialite Emily Harrington Home… Where is Omega Wife?” Beneath it was a photo, taken through the windshield of Alaric’s car. Emily was in the passenger seat, smiling radiantly as she looked at him. He wasn
Elara The girls clung to my legs, sobbing when they discovered we would be going to a fancy party without them. Zoe’s face was buried against my thigh, her muffled cries pulling at my heartstrings. Ella wasn’t much better, her wide eyes brimming with tears as she stared up at me, her hands c
stomach twisted as I glanced toward the group of women huddled nearby, their eyes darting toward me before quickly looking away. “Did you see what Emily posted?” another murmured. “Pouring tea in her dressing gown? How embarrassing.” “She’s an Omega. What do you expect?” The words hit me lik
Elara Mason’s eyes locked onto mine before I had a chance to slip away. When he looked at me, I froze. The faint hum of conversation around me faded to a dull roar in the back of my mind, and every instinct screamed at me to turn around, to get away. But I couldn’t move. I felt as frozen as a de
I shoved backward, elbowing him hard in the ribs, and his hold loosened just as a low, guttural growl echoed from the far end of the corridor. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Alaric moved like a shadow, crossing the distance between us in seconds. His eyes glowed crimson beneath
Elara The room felt suffocating as I stood there on that stage with Alaric. Every eye was turned to us, every voice had gone silent, every mouth was now hanging open in shock. I didn’t know what Alaric was planning when he led me to that stage, but I wasn’t expecting him to pull my hair aside an
It was so much more and so much less at the same time. My love. I knew he didn’t mean those words. I knew, in the bottom of my heart, that he was just saying these things as a part of our act—that it was the only way for either of us to find some reprieve from the gossip and the backlash that wa
Elara Alaric’s lips were warm, firm, and tasted as dark and rich as spiced whiskey. For a moment, it felt like the world had shifted, tilting into something softer—something that made sense. I could feel his heartbeat through his shirt, the steady thrum pulling me closer. But then Alaric stiffen
“She’s a wonderful girl. It’s been a joy to finally be a part of my biological daughter’s life. I’m sure you feel the same about Zoe.” Sarah stared at me for a moment, something unreadable in her gaze. Whatever it was, it had me stiffening ever so slightly. But the moment passed just as quickly as
Elara Alaric’s announcement landed like a punch to the gut. “She’s been through so much, Elara,” he said softly, his hand brushing my shoulder and giving it a squeeze that I barely felt. “It’s temporary, just until we figure everything out.” I blinked up at him, unsure whether I had just mishe
But I forced myself to stay still. To not react. It wasn’t Sarah’s fault that her death had been faked and she’d been held captive for years. And it wasn’t Alaric’s fault that his emotions were running high. The wife he’d thought was dead had suddenly returned out of nowhere. Maybe I won’t get my
Elara The sound of all the shocked murmurs and the sight of the stunned faces quickly faded behind the heavy door as it closed behind us, leaving just the three of us in the quiet, private room. I sank down nervously onto the edge of the nearby bench, still too stunned to speak or even begin to
My heart tugged a little. I brushed my fingers over the necklace Alaric had given me the night before—a simple pendant, but the meaning behind it far outweighed the sparkle of the diamonds inlaid along its edges. “Maybe,” I whispered, the thought of Alaric standing at the altar enough to send a fl
Elara Somehow, a few months of bliss passed after that fateful night that Alaric proposed. Eventually we began to encroach upon the original six month span of our arrangement, but we barely even noticed. In fact, our arrangement had quickly become a thing of the past. We weren’t constrained by
Elara The door slammed harder than I meant it to, but I didn’t care. Let them hear it echo down the damn hall, for all I cared. Fated mate? Either Asher had lost his mind, or he really thought he could manipulate me into believing him.. I stormed down the corridor, my hands curled into fists a
“I can handle him,” I replied, my jaw tightening. Elara didn’t even flinch. “He’ll talk to me.” I let out a slow breath, running my hand over my face. This was the last thing I wanted—to have them in the same room, breathing the same air. But if Asher was the key to unraveling the rest of this, th
Alaric The cold metal of the watch glinted under the harsh lights of the interrogation room. I held it between my fingers, thumb brushing over the engraved initials for what felt like the millionth time that morning. A.S.D. Asher Samuel Donovan. The watchmaker had confirmed the watch’s owner wit