The Mafia's Mate

The Mafia's Mate

Chickennugget  · Ongoing · 424.0k Words

411
Hot
1.4k
Views
12
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Clio disguises herself as a man and secretly dates her boss—until she catches him in bed with his secretary.

Before she can react, he sweet-talks her into going undercover in another city to investigate the most dangerous man alive: CEO Matthew Merikh.

The moment Matthew sees her, his gaze freezes. He can’t believe it—his fated mate is… human. And a man.

Clio struggles to maintain her disguise, but Matthew closes in fast. Trapping her against his desk, he commands,

“I said, take. it. off.”

The more she hides, the more certain he becomes—this trembling intern is his mate.

And as the truth unravels, Clio realizes the cruelest twist of all: the man her boyfriend sent her to investigate… may be the same one who once watched her in the rain—the infamous Head Hunter.

Chapter 1

Clio

Jackpot!!!

I dashed out of the bustling streets, my heart pounding with exhilaration. The crisp evening air brushed against my cheeks as I hurriedly made my way towards the towering building. Dark clouds were assembling in the sky so I was more than happy that I finished my job before the weather got bad. The polished marble floors sparkled under my feet as I ran through the corridors to enter the area my company was renting.

“Hey!” One of the workers there noticed me, “Our pretty boy’s back!” Almost everyone was leaving the office at that time but they waved at me when they saw me.

“Hi!” I waved back at them and went over to the Boss’s office. Everyone knows me as a pretty boy but no one actually knows that I’m not a ‘boy’. I’m a girl pretending to be a boy.

I have my reason for pretending to be a guy and I really hope I survive doing this.

I’ve been working for NL News for quite some time now and the sole reason for that is because of the Boss. I rapped my knuckles against the door of his office and waited for his response.

He always tells me to knock, but he’s the boss, so, of course, I should knock before I enter the room even though we’re not just boss and employee.

"Come in," A deep voice answered after a short gap and I opened the door.

“Nolan!” I ran up to my boss’s desk, “I did it!” I took off the DSLR camera around my neck and opened the screen, “I caught the shot!” I was so excited to show it to him that I didn’t notice Cherelle, his dark-haired, blue-eyed secretary, in the room.

“Cherelle,” It was only when Nolan spoke to her did I pause and turned my head to her, “You can leave,” I saw her standing near the wall, not far from us.

“Yes,” She cleared her throat and adjusted her clothes, “I’ll get back to work.”

She began to walk towards the door to leave and I think I saw something odd.

Why were her knees red?

“Clio,” I looked at Nolan when he called my name, ignoring everything else.

“Yes?” I answered.

He patted his thigh, “Come on,” He smiled at me making my heart skip a beat, “What were you going to show me?”

“Ah!” I walked around the desk, “Yes,” Slowly and softly I took my place and sat down on his left thigh shyly, “I got the shot.” I spoke in a lower tone as I got the picture of the celebrity couple. They were having an affair even though the woman is married, “Here,” I staked out on the roof of a building to get this and it took me three days but as long as Nolan was happy, I didn’t care how far I had to go.

A sly smile spread across Nolan’s face and he wrapped his arms around my waist, “Well done,” He rested his chin on my shoulder, right next to my neck, “Good job,” I felt his breath on my skin which made me excited.

“Thank you,” I let out a soft giggle.

“This is going to be an exclusive scoop.” Nolan let out a soft chuckle and I couldn’t help but feel happy. I always do when he praises me like that.

“I did good, right?”

“Very good,” He patted my head and I felt proud of myself. Then he took the camera from me to look at the pictures and I kept staring at him. Nolan is good-looking, his wavy brown hair and dark brown eyes have always been appealing to me but for a while now, he’s got me wondering about something.

“Nolan,” I stared at his face which was only a few inches away from mine,

“Hmm?” He kept his eyes on the screen.

“Will you really tell everyone we’re dating when I graduate college?” It’s been a year since Nolan and I started dating. We have an age gap of ten years but Nolan has been so nice to me and my mother for as long as I can remember that I couldn’t help but fall for him.

He looked at me, “Hmm?” Then softly touched the locks of my light blonde hair as he placed the camera on the table, “You’re so pretty,” He smiled at me, making me blush, “If only you weren’t…” He whispered the next sentence halfway, making me pause. My heart skipped a beat in dread.

“Nolan?” I looked at him and he immediately smiled at me.

“Of course,” He kissed my cheek and wrapped his arms around my waist, “Of course, I will. You’ve only got a semester left right? When do your classes start again?”

I nodded, “Right after the summer vacation, in September,”

“How old are you again?” He asked and I paused. Shouldn’t he know that? He asked me once before too.

“Twenty-one,” I answered anyway.

The sky got completely dark and I heard rumbling. I guess it was going to rain soon.

“Okay!” He smiled at me and placed his hand on my face, “You can leave for today,” He caressed my cheek with his thumb and we locked our gazes, “Your skin is as soft as always,” He was staring at me, making me feel giddy. I stared into his brown eyes while I found him staring into my blue ones. He moved closer, making my heart skip a beat.

Is he going to kiss me?! Finally!!?

I got excited and closed my eyes but he stopped right before he reached me, “Come on,” He spoke and I shot my eyes open, “Get going now.” He turned his face away, making my heart drop.

“Oh,” I got off of his lap, “Okay,” And started leaving his office. Was I mistaken? But he was so close to me. I reached the door and looked back at him. A year… We’ve been dating for a year but he still hasn’t kissed me…

“Have a safe trip back.” Nolan waved at me, “And be careful not to run into the Head Hunter.” Just then a bolt of lightning struck in the sky, and the sound of thunder reverberated in the air.

My skin stood up at that and I shook my head, “Come on Nolan,” I laughed nervously, “Why would I run into that murderer? Aren’t his victims from City A?”

He nodded, “But all his victims, so far, have been pretty young adults. And he kills regardless of gender.” He pointed at me, “Wouldn’t that make you the perfect target.” I felt a shiver go down my spine, “Hmm? My dear Clio?”

I shook my head, “Nolan!” I frowned, “This isn’t funny,”

He laughed, “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He winked at me, “Get going, you should get back to your dorm before it gets late.”


Unfortunately for me though I had only walked halfway there when it started raining like crazy.

Oh no!!

I ran to the nearest convenience store with my camera bag covering my head and took shelter from the rain under the store’s overhead shed.

“Oh Gosh…” I brought my bag down and dusted the raindrops off of it, thanking myself for getting a good quality bag even though I’m dirt poor. Then I let out a sigh and stared at the rain falling down like cats and dogs.

It is monsoon season already? I moved my upper body as I felt a little restless, I was in a street where barely anyone was seen walking normally and today there wasn’t a single person in sight.

The flickering street light cast eerie shadows on the cracked pavement, creating a foreboding atmosphere that sent chills down my spine. So I turned to look inside the convenience store where the lights were on but no one was at the counter. Did they go out? Or go to the back to get something? Lightning struck, followed by thunder sending goosebumps all over my body and I immediately moved.

I should definitely go inside!

I was about to enter the store when I heard a scream that made me freeze in my path.

What was that?!

I shot my head around but saw no one. Am I hearing things? I gulped. I should get inside!

But, as I opened the door another blood-curdling scream made my eyes go wide.

This time, I caught where the sound was coming from and turned my head slowly to the narrow dark alley right by the store’s side.

“HELP!!!!” It was a woman screaming, “PLEASE!! HELP!”

My heart started pounding and my first instincts were to run away but then I thought about it again.

What if she’s stuck or what if she slipped?!

I let the door handle go and jogged over to the alley. I peered inside but it was too dark to see anything.

“HELP!!” Hearing her beg made me feel bad but there was no other choice for me but to go in and get to see better since nothing was visible from the corner and that’s what I did. I walked into the dark place that barely had any light at all, “HELP ME PL-” The woman’s heavy screaming for help stopped halfway and I froze as well when I heard something unholy.

Unfortunately, I had gotten near enough to be able to see what was going on and just then lightning struck to illuminate the whole place, giving me a clear purple view of the scenario followed by darkness again.

There, amidst the suffocating darkness as thunder rumbled, a gruesome act unfolded before my horrified eyes. A figure, their face concealed by the shadows, stood over another person, a woman, who lay motionless on the ground.

I squinted my eyes at the scene because I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The woman lay there unmoving but why was her head not there?

My heart pounded violently in my chest, its frantic beats drowning out the sounds of the world around me. Fear gripped me tightly, constricting my throat and stealing the breath from my lungs when I noticed the person standing above her with a ball-like shape in their hand.

A surge of terror surged through me, paralyzing my body and rendering me powerless to even say anything. The ball-like shape dangled down the figure’s hand like a head without a body being kept in the air by gripping the hair. The sight of such violence, the raw brutality on display, stirred a mix of disbelief and horror within me. My mind struggled to comprehend the unimaginable scene before me, desperately searching for a rational explanation, hoping it was all a sinister illusion.

That’s when the figure looked at me, rendering me frozen as the blood from the severed head trickled down and got washed away by the rain.

No matter how much I tried to deny it. I knew the person in front of me was none other than the infamous serial killer.

‘The Head Hunter’


Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my sight but failing to erase the trauma etched in my memory. Dread coursed through my veins, mingling with a desperate urge to escape the nightmarish tableau that unfolded before me. Every fiber of my being screamed for safety, and I ran like crazy, unsure of where I was even going. I kept glancing over my shoulder to see if I was being followed but the rain that was drenching me and the tears that blurred my vision didn’t allow me to see anything properly which only resulted in the terror and fear grasping my mind even more.

It wasn’t until I reached the familiar building that I realized where my body had taken me and a hint of hope lit in my heart.

With trembling legs, I stumbled back into the company office, my mind filled with a mix of sorrow, and fear.

“Nolan,” I let out a quivering breath and began to walk to his office. My heart was beating so hard, I could hear it pounding in my ears in the lonely office where the gushing sound of the rain faded as I walked further in, “Nolan,” As I got closer to his office, I saw that the lights were still on and it made me feel better.

He’s still here! I felt so much better just by knowing that.

Tears were streaming down my face and my whole body was shaking from the cold and horror.

“Nolan,” I tried to yell his name but each time only a whisper came out.

I gulped, lubricating my dry throat as I reached his office where I heard muffled voices.

He must be with someone.

That’s good! The more people the better!!

I got to the door and without a second thought I opened it up.

“Nolan!” I stepped inside with a heavy heart ready to run into his arms to find some warmth and peace but stopped the moment I saw what was in front of me. Nothing could have prepared me for the heart-wrenching scene that awaited me, not when I was already losing my mind. Cherelle and Nolan were on the three-seater couch, engaged in vulgarity. Nolan was sitting on the couch, his pants down while Cherelle was sitting on top of his crotch enjoying an intimate romance.

Shock and disbelief flooded my senses, momentarily paralyzing me as the world seemed to shatter into a million fragmented pieces. The air in the room turned heavy with an indescribable mix of heartache and resignation as they both turned to look at me in shame. The echoes of my pounding heart intensified as the anguish and pain intermingled, intertwining with the echoes of the earlier terror, creating a maelstrom of emotions.

My brain couldn’t comprehend anything properly at this point and all I could let out was a simple questioning word as I stood there dumbfounded.

“What….?”

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

2m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

2.7m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

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
Bella and Her Beast

Bella and Her Beast

20.7k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
For all the little girls who grew up wondering what happens after the prince kisses the girl—this is the story they never told you.
.
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."
The Spy Who Left

The Spy Who Left

1.9k Views · Completed · Orion Vale
"She's naive. A pretty little socialite who got lucky marrying above her station."
"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.
Where The Ice Gives Way

Where The Ice Gives Way

122k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Charlotte Pierce is used to surviving in motion. New towns, new schools, the same old house on the edge of nowhere, and the same rule that keeps her standing. Keep her twin brother, Charlie safe. Keep his hockey dream alive. Keep her own needs quiet. She works too much, sleeps too little, and saves the one thing that still feels like hers for the middle of the night, when she can lace up her worn skates and carve freedom into dangerous frozen ice. Charlotte and Charlie shifted once, years ago, and never understood what it meant. They had no pack, no guidance and no protection. Just two twins clinging to each other and pretending the voice in their heads was stress, imagination, or loneliness. Then they move to Wellington.
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)

Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)

A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)

6.5k Views · Ongoing · ADB_Stories
Isolde’s life was full of love and joy. She was set to be High priestess of the makkari, but everything changed in a single night when she lost everything at the hands of someone she thought she could trust.

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)
Ignition And Ice; A Racer's Forbidden Blueprint

Ignition And Ice; A Racer's Forbidden Blueprint

2.6k Views · Ongoing · Awkward Pen
Merritt Lawson has spent years building two impossible dreams.

The first? Becoming an architect worthy of finally making her mark.

The second?

Convincing herself that one day, Hayes Gallagher–NHL superstar, lifelong best friend, and the man she’s secretly loved for years–will finally see her as more than the girl who’s always there when he needs her.

He doesn’t.

So when Hayes abandons her for yet another girl, Merritt decides she’s done waiting.

One reckless night later, she ends up in the arms of a stranger whose touch makes forgetting Hayes dangerously easy.

She never expects to see him again. Until that stranger turns out to be Stellan Mercer.

Formula One’s most infamous golden boy. And Hayes’s stepbrother who is the one man Hayes would rather destroy than share a room with.

When Stellan uses his influence to make Merritt lead designer on his luxury penthouse project, staying away from him becomes impossible.

Working behind closed doors quickly turns into a secret neither of them can afford. Because the more Merritt falls for the man she was never supposed to touch… the more Hayes realizes he may have lost the only girl who ever truly loved him.

And when jealousy, family rivalry, and the spotlight collide, Merritt will have to decide which dream she’s willing to lose.

Her career, her heart. Or both.
A pack of their own

A pack of their own

2.1m Views · Completed · dragonsbain22
Being the middle Child ignored and neglected, rejected by family and injured, She receives her wolf early and realizes she is a new type of hybrid but doesn't know how to control her power, she leaves her pack with her best friend and grandmother to go to her grandfather's clan to learn what she is and how to handle her power and then with her fated mate, her best friend and her fated mate little brother and grandmother start their own pack.
Invincible Upon Release: The Strongest Mage

Invincible Upon Release: The Strongest Mage

1.5k Views · Ongoing · Autumn Bamboo Shoots
"His bride was labeled a madwoman, humiliated at the wedding and mocked by everyone—“She’s only fit for a murderer.”

Her family looked down on him, and even she herself said coldly: “You’re not worthy of being my husband.”

Everyone thought this newly released good-for-nothing was just a poor fool who’d taken the fall for his brother.

Thorne said nothing.

He merely raised his hand, gently pressing his bride’s forehead.

In an instant, the chaos in her eyes faded. Holy light surged from beneath the church, shooting into the sky.

The world’s only candidate for the Saintess, blessed with holy power, slowly opened her clear eyes before him.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

2.9m Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother.

"What is wrong with me?

Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?

It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.

He’s my boyfirend’s brother.

This is Tyler’s family.

I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.

**

As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.

Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.

When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.

I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.

**

I hate girls like her.

Entitled.

Delicate.

And still—

Still.

The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.

Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.

I shouldn’t care.

I don’t care.

It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.

It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.

I’m not here to rescue anyone.

Especially not her.

Especially not someone like her.

She’s not my problem.

And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.

But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Lethal Web of Mafia's Revenge (Sequal to "Innocent in Mafia's Web)

Lethal Web of Mafia's Revenge (Sequal to "Innocent in Mafia's Web)

1.6k Views · Ongoing · rafia shahid
He grabbed my hair and dragged me downstairs. His grip on my hands and feet ached terribly. I sobbed and wept, silent tears streaming down my face. I was powerless to break free, my left hand clutching my broken right wrist.

He was a beast inhabiting this mansion, inflicting inhuman torture on my poor soul. He had created a living hell for me, this pitiful girl, within his castle.

On this cold winter night, he threw my wounded body into the icy pool, arrogantly enjoying it all, drinking and smoking expensive cigars. A satisfied, cold smile played on his lips as he reveled in my pain. His face was filled with the darkness of sin.

“How...more...am I…still…standing?” I stammered, my lips trembling.

Zain paused, thinking. Then, turning away from her, he replied:

“Until you die!”

With that, he left. As he wished. At that moment, my wish came true; I died.

But not in a frozen pool; I was struck in the head by a bullet from afar, blood splattering everywhere—that was far more gruesome.

My consciousness began to fade, but suddenly, I opened my eyes again and found myself mopping the floor in an ordinary restaurant.

I was startled: What happened? I was reborn? This is unbelievable!
Let Them Kneel

Let Them Kneel

239.2k Views · Ongoing · My Fantasy Stories
Kaelani spent her life believing she was wolfless.
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.

But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.

Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.

When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.

For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.

Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.

But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.

And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.

Especially him.

She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.

Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.