
Introduction
Dante Russo, the cold, calculating heir of their greatest enemy and Angelo’s Uncle one that could destroy her ex-husband with a single word.
Now, Ariana is trapped in a dangerous game.
On one side her vow to ruin Angelo and Bella to make them suffer as she did.
On the other her forced marriage to Dante, a man as ruthless as he is intoxicating, whose loyalty is as uncertain as her own heart.
Chapter 1
A R I A N A
I sat in the doctor’s office, my fingers tapping nervously against my thigh. The room was too quiet, too cold and I was tensed.
The white walls and the smell of antiseptic made my stomach twist. I had been here for what felt like hours, waiting for Dr. Bennett to come back with my results.
What if something’s wrong with me? I’ve been feeling off lately, lots of morning sickness and fatigue, it was becoming disturbing.
So I finally decided to go for a check up.
The door creaked open, and Dr. Bennett walked in, a small smile on her face.
My heart pounded so loud I was sure she could hear it.
"Ariana," she said, sitting across from me. "Your results are in."
I held my breath.
"You’re pregnant."
The words hit me like a wave.
Pregnant.
I’m pregnant ?
A baby.
Angelo’s and my baby finally after years of trying finally I was going to have a baby?
My hands flew to my stomach, tears burning my eyes.
"Really?" My voice was barely a whisper.
Dr. Bennett nodded. "Yes. About six weeks along. Everything looks perfect."
I couldn’t stop smiling as a tear rolled down my eyes.
A baby.
After all this time, after all the months of hoping, it was finally happening.
Angelo was going to be a father.
I can only imagine how happy he’d be, just as much as I was, if anything he was going to be happier.
“Thank you very much” I appreciated getting up.
I marched outside the hospital letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Angelo had been… distant lately. Ever since he got that promotion at work, he’d been buried in files, late-night meetings, and stress.
He barely had time for me anymore and it was disturbing even though I was the reason behind his promotion but it hurt that I didn’t get all his attention like I use to.
But maybe, just maybe a baby would bring him back to me… to us.
Tonight was our four-year anniversary. I had planned everything perfectly. Dinner at La Rosa, the most exclusive restaurant in the city.
The one my parents owned.
The one where I would finally tell Angelo the truth.
The truth I had been hiding for years.
I wasn’t just Ariana Lopez, the simple girl he fell in love with in college.
I was Ariana Melendez.
The heiress to the Melendez fortune.
My family owned half the city hotels, restaurants, even a few tech companies. But I had hidden it all because I wanted Angelo to love me for me, not for my last name or my money.
But now… now it was time.
I would tell Angelo two life-changing things:
-
We were having a baby.
-
I was a Melendez.
I just prayed he wouldn’t hate me for lying.
I really do.
My phone ringing snaps me out of my train of thoughts.
I slipped it out from my purse the name on the screen flashing to my eyes.
It was Bella my best friend.
“Hey! Where have you been, I’ve been trying to reach you…”
I cut her off before she would begin ranting, “I’m Pregnant” I annouced palming my mouth.
She paused.
For about a minute before yelling,
“What! What did you say?”
I nodded as though she could see me with tears in my eyes.
“Yes! I’m going to have a baby… Angelo and I are finally going to be parents” I add.
“WOW! Congratulations… I’m so happy for you, oh my god I’m going to be a godmother” she yelled in excitement.
“Alright Bella I’ll call you later, okay? I have something to attend to” I say as the restaurant I reserved came through.
They called to confirm the dishes they’d be preparing and after that I headed home to go get ready.
—
I stood in front of the mirror in the entrance of the restaurant smoothing down my red dress. It hugged my curves perfectly, the fabric soft against my skin, my dark hair fell in loose waves down my back, and my makeup was light but glowing.
Perfect.
The table at La Rosa was reserved. I have the chef strict instructions, Angelo’s favorite dishes, the most expensive wine.
And at the end of the night, when the moment was right, I would hand him a small box.
Inside? A onesie that said "Hello, Daddy."
And then… then I would tell him everything.
My phone buzzed. A text from Angelo.
"Running late. Work stuff. Be there soon."
I sighed. Of course. Lately, it was always work.
But tonight, I wouldn’t let anything ruin this.
I let out a breath heading to the table.
“Mrs Melendez would you like anything?” The waiter asked with a polite smile.
I shake my head checking the tin, it’s been an hour now and Angelo is still not here, I’ve been trying his line but it’s unreachable, I’ve sent him countless of text asking where he was but no response.
I was starting to get worried… was he okay? Did something happen?
Letting out a breath I reached for my phone deciding to call Marcus my personal assistant to ask if Angelo had left the office.
“Hello?”
“Yes boss?”
“Has Angelo left the office?” I asked concerning irking up.
“Yes, he left by 5pm” he answered.
My heart dropped.
Angelo left that early and he told me he was working and would be running late?
Why would he lie to me?
Something was definitely wrong.
“Are you sure?” I asked my brows furrowing.
“Yes Mrs Melendez… I saw him sign out” he affirmed.
“Okay thank you very much.” I say before cutting the call.
I looked at the time and it was already 11pm and Angelo was still not here.
Tears accumalted at the brim of my eyes every piece of my heart broken, he ruined the night I gave my all to plan.
Angelo better have a good reason for ruining our anniversary dinner
Last Chapters
#60 Chapter 60 060.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#59 Chapter 59 059.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#58 Chapter 58 058
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#57 Chapter 57 057
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#56 Chapter 56 056
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#55 Chapter 55 055
Last Updated: 1/28/2026#54 Chapter 54 054
Last Updated: 1/28/2026#53 Chapter 53 053.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#52 Chapter 52 052.
Last Updated: 1/28/2026#51 Chapter 51 051
Last Updated: 1/28/2026
You Might Like 😍
The Rogue King II
Under the weight of his grief and pain, along with of the uncertainty of the new mate bond forged between Silas and Nate, Silas decides that he needs help. The weight of being Alpha that nearly just lost his pack if his little sister hadn’t been there, Silas decides to push everything away to be a better and stronger Alpha. Using magic is father gave him, Silas loses so much more than his way.
Nate, struggling with the mate bond, what the bond means for him, has continued to fight Silas, his Alpha, his best friend, and now his mate. When their fight goes too far, both Silas and Nate must deal with the consequences. It both pulls them together and tears them apart. Eventually leading to a full break in any relationship they had ever had.
On his own, Silas has to navigate through the next chapter alone. Coming to realize his actions, the consequences, and just how much it’s going to take to repair the damage he has done.
Nate, also on his own, works through what it means to step up in more ways than one. Somehow, even after her death, Aelia is still reaching out and helping Nate navigate the world on his own. He vows to grow and step up into the wolf that she knew he could be.
Book 2 in The Rogue Kings following immediately after The Rogue Kings I - Solaris' Reign. Trigger Warnings. Rated 18+.
The mafia princess return
Omega Bound
Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life.
Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The CEO's Unspoken Love
Before I could answer, he moved closer, suddenly looming over me, his face inches from mine. I felt my breath caught, my lips parting in surprise.
"Then this is the price for speaking ill of me to others," he murmured, nipping my lower lip before claiming my mouth in a real kiss. It began as punishment but quickly transformed into something else entirely as I responded, my initial rigidity melting into compliance, then active participation.
My breathing accelerated, small sounds escaping my throat as he explored my body. His touches were both punishment and pleasure, drawing shudders from me that I thought he felt reverberating through his own body.
My nightgown had ridden up, his hands discovering more of mine with each caress. We were both lost in sensation, rational thought receding with each passing second...
Three years ago, to fulfill the wish of his grandmother, I was forced to marry Derek Wells, the second son of the family that had adopted me for ten years. He didn't love me, but I had secretly loved him all along.
Now, the three-year contractual marriage is about to end, but I feel that some kind of sentiment has developed between Derek and me that neither of us is willing to admit. I'm not sure if my feelings are right, but I know that we can't resist each other physically...
A Queen Among Tides (Book 5 in the Gods' Saga)
Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong.
Lemuel will have to face his past in hopes of starting a new future, but an overly flirtatious King is the least of his worries when he learns Sebastian's parents are convinced that a conniving usurper disguised as a curvy blonde, is the future king's true soulmate.
A Queen Among Tides is the 5th 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 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 Gen Coming Soon)
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Mates: Regrets and Redemption
With my heart in pieces, I sought solace in the last place I expected—my Alpha's arms. One night turned into a dangerous entanglement, and now my Alpha refuses to let me go. As the Alpha’s obsession grows, I'm caught in a web of desire and fear.
Curtis, the boy I once loved, still holds a promise I made, but the Alpha’s powerful presence pulls me deeper into his world. Should I forgive Curtis and keep my word, or should I risk everything for a chance at something wild and unpredictable with the Alpha who won’t take no for an answer?
“There are no limits between us,” he chuckled, the mirth sparkling in his gorgeous eyes. “And all of this stems from the night you gave me both pain and pleasure. I’m simply returning the favor.”
He took two steps forward, and I stepped back. “But…” The memory of what I had done filled me with fear, and I knew I had to get out of there. “I…”
“No, Firecat.” He placed an index finger on my lips. “This will take your mind off that son of a bitch.” His strong hands pulled me by the waist until I felt his hard manhood.
From Sacrificed Slave to the Dragon King's Obsession
His fangs glinted as he gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. Dragon scales shimmered along his neck, breath scorching my skin.
"Your Majesty... I beg—" He shoved me onto the bed. Silk tore with a sharp rip, cold air rushing over my exposed body.
"Scared?" He smirked, palm sliding down my waist, fingers tracing slow, burning circles. "Yet you shiver... not from cold."
I lunged for the candlestick, but he caught my wrist, pinning it overhead. His knee forced my legs apart.
"When your father gave you to me," his lips brushed my ear, voice a dark rumble, "you were already mine."
On the eve of freedom after ten years of servitude, Lina Valeria stood one night away from reuniting with her betrothed. But Dragon King Augustus condemned her to the Abyss Mines on false charges—a trap forged from obsessive desire.
Augustus Ashenwing, Supreme Sovereign of Skyhold Citadel, is ruthless and feared by all races. His obsession stems from ancient grudges and dragonkind's most dangerous instinct: possessive desire. He demands her submission, binding her to his throne as his consort.
From prisoner to queen, Lina battles him through court intrigue and twisted passion—fighting for her mother, her freedom, her dignity.
Yet this cold-blooded tyrant reserves all tenderness for her alone. He indulges her temper, bends his pride, compromises without limit—anything to see her smile. Gradually, her heart wavers. But loving him means betraying Kain, who waited eleven years. Torn between duty and desire, she drowns in agonizing guilt.
Love and hatred intertwined—a forbidden dragon romance in a realm of oppression.
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-
The Dragon's Last Fae Queen
“Prince? Dickhead? Asshole? Or stalker?” A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. “Maybe I should show you the one title I want you to use.” Before I could react, his hand closed around my chin, tilting my face up. His lips crashed into mine, hard, claiming, breath-stealing. When he finally pulled back, his voice was a rough whisper against my lips. “You could call me yours… because you are mine.”
The Shattered Moon King
Lena is a survivor. For years, she has weathered the harsh, post-apocalyptic landscape by following one rule: trust no one. But when she finds an amnesiac man near death in the wilderness—a man with kind eyes and a strength that is anything but human—she makes a choice that will unravel her solitary existence.
She calls him Cain, but the shattered-moon tattoo on his back brands him as Kaelen, the long-dead Alpha of the powerful Sky-Fall pack. His return triggers a brutal civil war with the usurper who stole his throne and his fated mate. Hunted by Lycan assassins and a fanatical human commander desperate for the secrets locked in Lena's own past, their only hope lies in embracing the very power Kaelen can't remember and Lena has always feared.
As they uncover a conspiracy that threatens not just the pack, but the future of every living thing, Kaelen must fight for a kingdom he doesn't know and Lena must confront a legacy she tried to bury. In a world of broken thrones and fated bonds, they will discover that the greatest choice is not between love and duty, but between who you are told you must be, and who you choose to become.
The Deadly Mafia Princess
Her gang take the matter in their own hands, to try to save their leader from the horror of her home. What none of them know, they wasn’t her real parents, and now Ro will be sent away to live with her real family. That makes her closest members in her gang pack up and move as well. They don’t want to be far away from their leader.












