
Introduction
Her voice was brittle, her eyes filled with a contempt that could have flayed me alive.
I didn't deny it. I couldn't even muster the pretense of surprise. She was right. I had punctured them. Methodically. Deliberately.
I sat on the edge of the bed, the smoke from my cigarette curling into the tense air. "I don't regret it," I said, my voice rough.
"You're insane," she whispered, backing away until she hit the wall. "You trapped me."
"I kept you," I corrected, standing up and closing the distance between us. She trembled, but not from cold. It was pure, raw fear. "I tried everything else to make you stay, Elena. Money, gifts, threats... nothing worked. You were always looking at the door. Always looking for him."
I reached out, trapping her between my arms against the cold plaster. "So I gave you a reason to stay that you can't run from."
Her hand moved instinctively to her flat stomach. "I haven't decided if I'm keeping it."
The air in the room dropped ten degrees. I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at the darkness swirling in my eyes. "That is my child, Elena. And you will never, ever take him away from me."
Sweet Reminder: This is a fluffy romance disguised as a dark romance.
Chapter 1
Sebastian Vane's POV:
The clink of crystal against crystal had become a kind of torture by the third hour.
Champagne flutes multiplying like rabbits across every surface of the Ashford Estate, laughter pitched just a bit too loud, conversations swirling around mergers and marriages and absolutely nothing that mattered.
I'd watched Lord Ashford toast his daughter's engagement twice already—same speech, same forced smile—while perfectly coiffed heads nodded and applauded on cue.
Someone thrust another glass of Dom Pérignon into my hand. I didn't remember finishing the last one.
I was halfway to the exit when Adrian Vane found me.
"Uncle Sebastian." His voice cracked slightly.
Christ, the boy looked wrecked. Dark circles, rumpled collar, that desperate shine in his eyes. "Could I have a moment?"
Ah. Here we go.
I gestured to the balcony with my glass, already knowing what was coming.
The cool night air hit us, carrying the scent of manicured roses and old money. Adrian's hands were shaking as he gripped the marble balustrade.
"I need to tell you something." He swallowed hard. "I can't accept the family's arranged marriage."
His words made my jaw clench so hard I tasted copper.
"There's someone I love," he continued, words tumbling out faster now. "I know my duty to the family, Uncle Sebastian. I know what's expected of me. But I can't marry someone else when my heart belongs to another. I won't do it. I can't—"
His voice cracked, and he gripped my arm with desperate strength.
"You wouldn't want to see me marry someone I don't love, would you?" Those brown eyes bore into mine with raw pleading. "Elena is the only woman I'll ever marry. No one else. I won't accept anyone the family chooses for me."
"Adrian." I kept my tone measured, though impatience bled through despite my efforts. "And where exactly is this woman of yours? Have you even asked if she feels the same?"
"I just—I've temporarily lost track of her." He straightened his spine, a flash of stubborn determination cutting through the desperation. "But once I see her again, I won't let go. Never."
Won't let go. The phrase echoed in my skull like a mocking refrain.
I looked at him for a long moment—this nephew of mine, so convinced that fate would simply deliver his heart's desire into his waiting arms. So certain that love was something you could catch if only you wished hard enough.
"Then wait until you see her," I said flatly. "We'll talk then."
Not that I'll ever let that happen.
I stepped past him without another glance, leaving him alone on the balcony with his romantic delusions and the cold night air.
I'd barely taken a few steps when my phone buzzed.
Marcus. Head of security. Calling at 11:47 PM during a social event could only mean one thing.
"Sir." His voice was tight. "She's gone."
The whiskey glass nearly shattered in my grip. "What?"
"Left through the service entrance approximately forty minutes ago. Disabled two cameras, bypassed the motion sensors in the stairwell. She's—"
"Find her." The words came out flat. Dead. "Bring her back. Now."
"Already mobilized, sir. We have—"
I hung up, walked straight through the marble foyer, and past the staff who melted out of my path, past the clusters of guests who knew better than to intercept a Vane in motion. No one questioned. No one dared.
Inside, something dark and vicious was unfurling, spreading through my chest like ink in water.
*Forty minutes. She could be anywhere by now.
No. Marcus would find her.
He had to find her.
The ride back to the Aurora Penthouse took seventeen minutes. I counted every single one.
My phone rang again as we pulled into the private garage. "Secured, sir. She's in the living room."
I didn't bother responding. Just moved through the elevator, the hallway, my hand finding the silver crucifix in my pocket out of habit.
Keep it together. Don't lose control. She's safe. She's home. She's—
There.
Curled on the sofa like a broken bird, security personnel flanking either side.
Her hair hung in tangled strands, her dress torn and frayed at the hem, feet bare against the cold floor. When those pale blue eyes met mine, I glimpsed something that made my blood run cold—raw, unguarded terror.
Then it was gone, replaced by that cool, distant look I'd come to dread.
"Leave us," I said quietly.
The room emptied in seconds. Smart. They could probably feel the violence simmering under my skin, taste it in the air like ozone before a storm.
I crossed to her slowly. Carefully. Every muscle in my body screamed to grab her, shake her, make her understand what she'd almost done.
Instead, I crouched down, eye level. Inspected her for injuries with hands that almost—almost—didn't shake.
Scraped knees. Bruised wrist where someone had grabbed her too hard.
They hurt her.
The thought sent cold fury lacing through my veins.
Incompetent bastards. Let her slip away and injured her in the recapture.
But despite the anger simmering beneath my skin, relief flooded through me in overwhelming waves.
Scraped. Bruised. But whole. Safe. Here.
I pulled her into my arms before I could stop myself, burying my face in her hair, breathing in that familiar scent of jasmine and her.
"Why?" The word came out broken. Wrong. "Why won't you just listen? Why do you keep doing this to me?"
She was rigid in my embrace. Not fighting—she'd learned that lesson—but not yielding either. Just... enduring.
God, I hate when she endures.
"Do you still have feelings for him?" I heard myself ask. "Adrian. Is that why you keep trying to leave? You want to go back to him?"
Her sharp intake of breath told me everything.
The darkness inside me surged.
I stood abruptly, lifting her with me, and she didn't weigh anything at all. Just a handful of soft curves and stubborn will as I carried her down the hallway, her silence screaming louder than any protest.
The bedroom door slammed behind us. I set her on the bed—not threw, I wasn't completely gone yet—and her eyes went wide when I reached for her dress.
"Sebastian, don't—"
Last Chapters
#190 chapter 190
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#189 chapter 189
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#188 chapter 188
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#187 chapter 186
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#186 chapter 186
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#185 chapter 185
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#184 chapter 184
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#183 chapter 183
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#182 chapter 182
Last Updated: 2/11/2026#181 chapter 181
Last Updated: 2/11/2026
You Might Like 😍
The Ice Between Us.
Then comes Jax Miller.
Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.
Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
The Blackthorn Saga: The Heir (Book 1 & 2)
Pulled into a hidden world he never knew existed, Kruz is forced to face the truth—he isn’t just different.
He’s a vampire.
The transformation is only the beginning. Thrust from a life of survival into one of power, wealth, and expectation, Kruz is given a position no one his age should hold: District Elder.
With it comes authority. Responsibility. And enemies he doesn’t yet understand.
And then there’s the bond.
Forced into a connection he didn’t choose, Kruz is tied to a girl—whether he wants it or not. She’s a complication. A problem. A constant reminder that his life is no longer his own.
Because the one person he wants… is the one he can’t have.
As pressure builds and danger closes in, Kruz is forced to walk a line few survive—between duty and desire, control and instinct, the life he had and the one being forced upon him.
Because in this world, power isn’t earned slowly.
It’s given.
And if you’re not ready for it—
It will destroy you.
Human Capture (Up North #2)
Raised in a starving settlement choked by a vast, unforgiving forest, Lara learned early that survival has a price. To keep her family alive, she became a master hunter—agile, silent, and deadly with an array of mismatched blades. But the forest has eyes, and one evening, the shadows dragged her away.
Nine months later, Lara breaks free from a concrete dungeon, only to find herself stranded in the lawless, rogue-infested wilds of Avers Land alongside four captured werewolf girls. Seeking refuge in the neighboring territory of Illyen, she expects to find a way back to her human life. Instead, she is brought face-to-face with Alpha Rowan, the terrifying, ruthless ruler of the frozen North.
One look into Lara’s eyes, and the Alpha’s world shatters. His eyes turn an absolute shade of black. The bond is undeniable. She is his fated mate.
But a human cannot survive the brutal political landscape of the North, and Rowan openly rejects the bond, dragging her onto a warship bound for a kingdom that views her as a fragile liability. Trapped between a mate who refuses to love her and a court of monsters waiting for her to break, Lara must use every hunter's instinct she possesses. Because in the realm of wolves, a human must either grow claws of her own—or perish in the snow.
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
My Benchwarmer Boyfriend's Secret
As the team's benchwarmer, Marco practices harder than anyone, though few seems to notice. There's something about his quiet determination that draws me in, and I find myself falling for the underdog.
But when Marco's true story starts unraveling—about that first night, about who he really is, about the future he's destined for—I realize I might have gotten in way over my head.
And there's another problem: this was always meant to be temporary. His training program has an end date, and we're both fighting against a reality that seems determined to pull us apart.
When everything is on the line, how far are we willing to go for love?
Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha
Those words should have destroyed me, but the truth was worse: I'd been used as a broodmare by the man who swore to love me, set up in a hotel room with a stranger because My husband Alexander Cross couldn't father children himself, and now I carried the secret babies of Damon Lester—the most powerful and dangerous Alpha in San Loris—while my own family replaced me with the daughter they'd always wanted. But when that same stranger's doctor appeared at my door, when twenty million dollars exchanged hands over a fake perfume bearing my secret identity, and when Damon's gray eyes locked onto mine with recognition I couldn't afford, I realized my carefully hidden life as the legendary perfumer Vera was colliding with a pregnancy that could cost me everything.
Could I protect my babies from the husband plotting my death, hide my true identity from the Alpha who's been hunting me for years, and reclaim the freedom I'd buried along with my dreams—even if it means standing alone against the wolves who see me as nothing more than a womb to be used and discarded?
A pack of their own
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)
For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.
Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.
A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series in order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Generation Coming Soon)
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
Bella and Her Beast
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?
.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."
Kaged In
Follow Kage's journey as he tries to heal, falls in love and faces his inner turmoil.












