Novels by A.B PEN

CASPIANI left BloodMoon Pack at dawn, the way I had left every place that ever hurt me. Without a goodbye.The convoy waited at the foot of the VoxTin steps, black cars lined up like mourners. Elric held the door of the lead vehicle. Behind him, the building rose into a pale grey sky, forty floors of glass that had held the only warm six weeks I'd known in years.I did not look up at it.Roger had come to see me off. Of course he had. He stood at the bottom of the steps in a charcoal suit, hair combed, face arranged into a respectful sorrow he'd clearly practised in a mirror.“My king,” he said. “I'm sorry for the circumstances. I hope you'll reconsider returning to inspect the Eastern division next quarter.”“VoxTin remains yours,” I said.Surprise flickered over his face, quickly smothered. “My king is generous.”“Your numbers are improving. Whoever's been correcting them has done good work.” I let the sentence rest between us a second longer than was polite. “I would hate to disru

NARAYAOn the fourth day, the lock turned in the middle of the afternoon.I was sitting on the floor with my back against the bed, counting cracks in the ceiling plaster, because counting was the only thing left that Roger couldn't take. My cheek had gone from purple to a sick yellow-green. My ribs hurt when I breathed. The window was nailed shut from the outside. Ava had gone quiet days ago, curled tight around the small, stubborn flutter beneath my navel, and I had stopped asking her for comfort because she had none to give.Food came three times a day through a guard who never met my eyes. Roger came at night. He sat on the edge of the bed and told me about his day in a soft, reasonable voice, and I stared at the wall until he left.So when the key scraped, I assumed it was early.I did not stand.The door opened a few inches. A woman slipped through it and closed it behind her with great care, and I looked up into a pair of green eyes I had expected to see on the other side of a l

CASPIANNaraya didn't come on Monday.I glanced at the empty desk outside my door, the neat stack of files she'd left on Friday, the cold mug at the corner that nobody had cleared. I told myself it was nothing. A cold. An appointment with the midwife. She had earned a day.She didn't come in on Tuesday either.By Wednesday I had stopped pretending. I stood in the doorway of my own office at half past eight, watching the elevator doors slide open and closed on strangers, and felt something in my chest tighten with every one that wasn't her."Delphine," I said. "Where is Miss Veils?"Delphine looked up from her screen. She had that careful, cornered expression people get when they know the answer is going to land badly."Alpha Brimstone called on Monday morning, my king. He said she was unwell.""Unwell how?""He didn't say.""Has she called?""No, my king.""Has she answered her phone?"Delphine's silence was an answer.I went back into my office and shut the door and stood very still

MELISSAI heard her before I understood what I was hearing.It was past ten, and I had only come downstairs for water. The twins were asleep, Brian curled around his stuffed wolf, Jennie sprawled sideways across her pillows like a small starfish. The house had that settled, creaking quiet that big houses get at night, and I was halfway down the hall when a voice came out of Roger's study.A woman's voice. Low. Steady. Furious.“...since the first day. Every lie. Every signature. You didn't just trap me, Roger, you built the trap before I even knew I was walking into it.”I stopped.I knew that voice. I had never heard it in my life.I knew it anyway, the way you know a face in a crowd after years of seeing it only in dreams. It was the voice that should have been behind Naraya's careful little notes, the one I'd imagined, idly, when she wrote _thank you_ on her pad and smiled at me over the twins' heads.Lower than I'd expected. Warmer. And absolutely unafraid.The door was open a few

NARAYAI stole from him on a Thursday.Roger had been very clear about what he wanted. Not much, he said, nothing that would hurt anyone. Just the shipping manifests for the southern trade route, the ones Caspian kept in a locked drawer in his study, and any correspondence with the Northern Pack. Insurance, Roger called it. So we know where we stand.I sat at my desk for two hours before I made myself do it.Caspian had gone to a council meeting on the thirty-second floor. Delphine was at lunch. The corridor outside his office was empty and the whole floor hummed with that thick, expensive quiet that makes every small sound feel like a confession.The drawer wasn't locked. That was the part that broke something in me.He had given me a key to the study three days earlier without a word of explanation. Just set it on my desk with the morning coffee and said, “In case you need to work in there.”I photographed eleven pages with Zilla's old phone. My hands were so steady I hated them. Th

NARAYARoger was in the kitchen when I came down the next morning, humming.That was the first wrong thing. He never hummed. He stood at the counter in his shirtsleeves with a cup of coffee, the sun spilling over his shoulders, looking like a man who'd slept well and woken up generous. The crack in the hallway wall had already been plastered over. The shattered glass was gone. There wasn't a single trace of last night left in the house.Except the way my wrist still ached.“Sit,” he said, pulling out a chair. “I made breakfast.”“I'm not hungry.”“You're eating for two.” He smiled, soft and sad, and set a plate of eggs in front of me. “Please, Naya. I owe you an apology.”I sat. Slowly. Ava was on edge beneath my ribs, her hackles up, whispering that this was worse, this was so much worse than the wall.“I lost my temper,” Roger said, taking the chair across from me. His silver eyes were clear and tired. “I was cruel, and I scared you, and I'm sorry. It's just… when you said his name,

Luca's POVI had Natalia bent over the edge of the bed, pounding into her from behind while Isabella knelt beside us, sucking on my balls and licking wherever she could reach.Natalia’s moans filled the penthouse suite, so loud and desperate.“Fuck, Luca! Honey...! Harder! Don’t stop!” she cried out, pushing her ass back against me.I gripped her hips tighter and slammed into her deeper, the sound of our bodies slapping together mixing with her screams.Sweat dripped down my chest as Isabella looked up at me with hungry eyes and shiny lips.“My turn, please,” she begged. “I need you too.”I pulled out of Natalia, my dick glistening with her juices, and pushed Isabella onto her back.I spread her legs wide and thrust into her in one hard stroke while she arched off the bed, moaning like a whore in heat.“Oh God, yes! You’re so deep!” Isabella gasped.Natalia didn’t wait. She climbed over Isabella’s face, lowering her pussy onto her mouth, and Isabella licked her eagerly while I fucked

Sophia's POVI stood there, momentarily frozen as he glared at me like I was garbage.“Breeding vessel...” My mouth opened before I could stop it. “Luca, I won't pretend to understand that because...”Slap.My head snapped to the side so fast I saw stars, and the taste of blood filled my mouth where my tooth cut my cheek.“Run your fucking mouth at me again,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet, “and see what happens. You're nothing but a fucking breeder. So do your job and shut up.”He walked out, and the door slammed behind him like a coffin lid closing on me.I just stood there with one hand pressed against my swelling cheek, the other still clutching that stupid paper he squeezed.My whole life I'd been so careful and studied extremely hard. Four years of pre-med, four years of medical school, I was only two months away from finishing my brutal surgical residency exams. I was “this” close to finally being a fully independent attending surgeon, free to save lives on my own terms.

Sophia's POVThe room beyond was dark except for a thin line of light through the curtains.At first my brain couldn't process what I was seeing, but then my eyes adjusted and the shapes resolved into something that made my stomach drop to my feet.A man sat in the corner of the room, bound to a chair with ropes. His head hung forward, chin resting on his chest, and I could see the rise and fall of his breath.He was alive, but that small relief evaporated when I took in the rest of him. His face was swollen beyond recognition, purple and red bruises blooming across his skin.Blood had dried from his nose and a cut above his eye. Both eyes were nearly swollen shut, and a dirty rag was stuffed between his lips, tied tight around his head.I should have screamed. I should have run. But my feet were cemented to the floor, and all I could do was stare at this human wreck while my mind screamed questions I couldn't answer.Who was he? What had Luca done to him? How long had he been...“Don

Sophia's POVPanic immediately seized me and my body reacted before my brain caught up as I kicked hard with both legs, catching whoever it was square in the chest.I heard a heavy grunt as the person flew backward, slamming into the wall with a thud.“Who the hell are you?” I hissed, scrambling back on the bed with my heart pounding like it would tear out of my chest.I could hear stumbling in the darkness, furniture knocking over, and my hand fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand.The lights flicked on and Luca stood there, breathing hard with his gray eyes blazing with fury. His tux jacket was gone, his shirt half unbuttoned, and his hair messed up. He looked drunk. Really drunk. And really pissed off.“Oh my God, Luca… I didn’t know it was you!” I rushed out with my hands up. “I’m sorry, I thought...”The slap came so fast I didn’t see it.His hand cracked across my face, sending me flying back onto the bed while pain spread across my cheek. I tasted blood.“You stupid bitch,” he

Sophia's POVThe smile on my face felt like a carefully constructed mask. That's the only way I can describe it. This mask on my face as I walked down what should be the aisle of my dreams.Every girl dreams about this day, right? The white dress, the flowers, and the man waiting at the end like Prince Charming finally found his Cinderella or whatever.Cinderella got a fairy godmother. I got whatever the opposite of that is. A demon godmother, maybe. One with really expensive taste in real estate.The chapel was beautiful, I'll give them that. With crystal chandeliers and fresh flowers everywhere. But here's the thing about beautiful settings. They can lie just as well as ugly ones. I've learned that the hard way.My father walked beside me with his arm stiff through mine like he'd rather be anywhere else. Probably planning his escape route.I couldn't blame him. If I had a choice, I'd be five states away right now, drinking something strong and forgetting this whole thing ever happen