Romans de Bree

Ava’s POVThe crisp autumn breeze carried the scent of fallen leaves as I stood before Richard’s tomb, dressed in a flowing white dress that billowed around my ankles. It had been over two years since the chaos, since the battles that tested our strength, our love, and our resilience. Two years since we lost the man who gave me—gave all of us—a new chance at life. A chance at love, at family, at something real. I felt a gentle press against my hand and turned slightly, meeting the warm gaze of my mother-in-law. Without words, I passed her a knowing smile and squeezed her hand back. We had arranged this ceremony not to mourn, but as a reunion. A day to celebrate Richard’s life rather than grieve his absence. Laughter and quiet conversations floated through the cemetery as familiar faces gathered. Holly stood a few feet away, her phone in hand, a small, amused smile playing on her lips as she typed away. I narrowed my eyes, curiosity sparking in my chest. Was she texting… a boy? I

Epilogue Orion stood alone on the balcony of the penthouse, the cool morning air brushing against his skin as his thoughts drifted to the past. He had sold the mansion—the one he and Ava once called home. The memories that filled those walls had become too painful to bear. The haunting image of that particular morning played in his mind, unbidden and relentless. Ava in his arms, blood staining her dress as she struggled to breathe, coughing up blood. “Don’t talk, Ava. Please… just stay with me. Somebody get the ambulance!” His frantic cries echoed in his ears as the paramedics wheeled her away, her weak hand reaching out, telling him with her eyes to let her go. Despite the terror in his chest, he listened to her wish and watched her leave, helpless to follow. Uncle Theo had dragged him away, his voice hollow, urging him to pull himself together. “Ava, your wife, will want you here,” Theo had said. Those words, heavy with unspoken meaning, drove him to storm into the conference ha

Ava’s POVThe incessant ringing of our phones jolted us awake. I stirred, unwilling to leave the warmth of Orion's arms. He hesitated for a moment before reaching for his phone on the headboard. His body stiffened as he listened to whoever was on the other end. Suddenly, he shot upright. “What do you mean by that?” he barked into the phone, his tone sharp and commanding. My curiosity piqued, I sat up and watched him intently. “Schedule a meeting for today,” he ordered before tossing the phone aside and raking his hand through his disheveled hair. “What happened?” I asked, my voice cautious. He turned to look at me, his expression softening. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, just some… minor concern at my company,” he replied, placing a reassuring kiss on my hand. His lips then trailed from my hand to my arm, my shoulder, my neck, and finally to my ear. “Stop,” I said, smiling as I half-heartedly pushed him away. But before things could go further, my own phone rang. Orion

Orion’s POV“Holly?” I called out, my voice laced with shock. Ava’s head snapped toward the door, and in an instant, she was on her feet, rushing to her sister. Pulling Holly into a tight embrace, Ava clung to her as if letting go would make her disappear. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. “What happened? Why are you crying?” Holly asked, her voice filled with confusion. “I just missed you,” Ava whispered, her voice soft but thick with emotion. Rose stepped forward, her brow furrowed. “Holly, why are you here so suddenly? Your bodyguard didn’t notify me about this visit.” Holly’s next words landed like a thunderclap. “That’s because he’s dead.” “What?” Ava gasped, pulling back from her sister. Her posture straightened as the words sank in. “What do you mean? What happened? When did this happen?” she asked, her voice rising with urgency. Holly’s gaze dropped, her hands trembling as she whispered, “It’s Dad.” She looked directly at Ava, fear etched

Orion’s POVCradling Ava's limp form against me, her body cold and still, the past week came crashing into my mind like a relentless tide, dragging me back to the darkest moments. Chloe’s voice, as clear as if she were standing right here, played over and over in my head.I closed my eyes, fighting the flood of memories, but they came anyway. The first time she’d called after the scandal had faded—her calm, unnervingly calculated tone—it had felt like the beginning of something dangerous. Something insidious.“I want you there at six,” she'd threatened, her voice oozing venom masked as sweetness. “Or I’ll make sure this goes public. Think I’m bluffing? I’ve got a video that’ll destroy you, Orion. Imagine how she’ll react when she sees it. All those nights... How do you think she’ll feel watching our sex video?”The poison in her words sank into my skin, the memory of that call still fresh. “Remember Chicago?” Chloe had murmured, her breath deliberate, every word a careful caress. “I

Ava’s POV Mason.“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice curious as soon as the door clicked shut behind him. He didn’t respond, but only walked further into the room.“I was just about to call you, but…” My words trailed off as I took in his appearance. He was still wearing the same turtleneck and coat I’d seen him in yesterday. In the middle of summer. I frowned. "Mason, it’s sweltering outside. Why are you still dressed like this? You could at least lose the coat. I know this is a corporate setting, but I would never question you even if you didn’t dress so formally.”Mason smirked faintly, brushing off my comment, but before he could respond, Orion spoke, his voice laced with suspicion and accusation. “Why are you wearing so many layers in this weather?” He stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator stalking its prey. “Orion,” I warned, my tone firm. “That’s enough.” Mason’s smirk twisted into a sneer as he locked eyes with Orion. “You don’t

Meanwhile back in the realm…The king hadn’t moved in weeks.No improvement. No flicker of lucidity. No escape from the prison of shadows festering inside him.The chamber—once a holding room for ancient weapons—had become a tomb of whispers. Leo lay chained by Shina’s binding light, unmoving, but never quiet. The shadows inside him writhed and fed on his torment, his fury, his grief. Sometimes, they spoke through him. Names. Curses. Promises of vengeance.And sometimes… just silence. The kind that scraped under your skin.No guards stood at his door anymore.The last two were found strangled by their own shadows—expressions of terror twisted across their corpses. Since then, no one dared stand watch. Only Shina dared to enter.Zane sat now at the long table in the Great Hall, surrounded by the regional Alphas and council members—most restless, all suspicious. His shoulders ached. His temples throbbed. He hadn't seen Ruby, his mate, in three nights. Had barely slept in five. Malrik’s

Lila’s POVWe lay tangled minutes later, a heap of sweat and blood and lust, our limbs knotted like vines choking the last breath out of sanity. The makeshift mattress was half off the frame, the air thick with the scent of sex and something deeper—something dangerous. Like ozone before a storm. Like violence held by the throat.His chest rose and fell beneath mine. One hand sprawled lazily over my ass, the other rubbing slow, absent-minded circles across my back, like I wasn’t the reason his world had just cracked open. His skin was hot, flushed, and damp. Still trembling from what we did. What we are.I dragged a finger down his chest, letting my clawed nail skim his nipple, watching it pebble. Then I circled it, soft and slow, until his breath hitched.“Tell me your story,” I murmured, lips brushing his ear. “Why are you really after my sister?”His body stiffened. The hand on my butt flexed. The other dragged over his face like he could scrub the truth off it.“Fuck…” he muttered.

Lila’s POV His scent hit me like a drug—dark spice, smoke, steel. Every nerve in my body lit up like a wildfire. My wolf rose so fast and hard inside me that I couldn’t breathe. Mate. I didn’t think. I couldn’t. The pull roared through my bloodstream, louder than reason, stronger than pain. My limbs moved before logic returned, before sanity had a chance to weigh in. I launched. Teeth bared, body trembling, I slammed into him. He stumbled back with a grunt, caught completely off guard. “What the fu—ARGH!” My fangs tore into the curve of his neck. I bit hard. Blood filled my mouth, hot and metallic and perfect. My fingers clawed into his shoulders as he bucked and screamed, trying to fling me off like some rabid animal. He didn’t know. Didn’t understand. But I knew. The taste of him—his blood—seared itself into my soul. “FUCK!” he howled, grabbing my arms and slamming me against the stone wall. I held on tighter. Snarling. Sinking in. Marking him. Claiming him.

Richard’s POVAs soon as she left, we got to work.Daniel had moved fast—too fast, maybe. The moment she stepped out the door, he confirmed what we all feared: She’s not Ivy. She’s not my daughter.She looked like her. Moved like her. Hell, even smelled like her—mostly. But there were cracks. Hair parted wrong. The way she walked too confidently, like she didn’t carry the trauma Ivy did. The real Ivy, my daughter, never liked strong perfume. This one bathed in it.Daniel’s investigation sealed it: Ivy Blackwood had a twin sister. One we never knew existed. One who’d been playing us like a fucking violin.Questions swirled like a damn hurricane in my head:When did the switch happen?Why?Where is my daughter?!We had a plan. Daniel was to lure her to a safe location under the pretense of meeting privately. Once there, he’d trap her—get answers. Confession. Anything.We waited for his call to tell us the next move.It never came.Marcus paced the floor like a caged animal, fists clench

Connor’s POV“…What did they do to you, Aria?” I muttered, asking no one in particular.Dorothy let out a shriek as I doubled over, still gripping myself in breathless pain. She darted to my side, her voice breaking into frantic sobs.“Connor! Oh my god—Connor!” “You lunatic!” she cried, eyes darting between me and Ivy. “You’re bleeding. Are you bleeding? Why would she do something so wicked?”“I’m fine,” I grunted, slapping her hand away. Still breathless.“No, you’re not!” she wailed. “Your… man parts! She kicked our future bloodline! That’s not fine!”Our what now?She turned sharply, wild eyes locking onto Ivy. “Why?! What kind of monster are you?!”But Ivy just stood there, her hands balled into fists, her jaw tight, eyes flickering with something unreadable—anger? Guilt? Triumph?Mr. Ryland scoffed from behind them, folding his arms. “That’s exactly what he gets,” he said coldly. “Coming into my house, acting like some street hero. Thought he could play smart and hijack my serv

Connor’s POVI pulled Mr. Ryland up by the collar. He slapped my hand away, nearly stumbling again, but I held him, keeping my voice low, steady—barely.“There’s a reasonable explanation,” I said.The words dropped like a stone into a lake. Everything went still.No one spoke.No one breathed.Even the guards, half-raised guns and shocked expressions frozen in place, waited.Ryland’s jaw flexed. “It better be good enough to keep me from pressing charges,” he growled, straightening his blazer. “Because as far as I’m concerned, you just assaulted a state official. And I will have you arrested.”Dorothy’s face was streaked with mascara and fury, still cradling her cheek like the pain was fresh. She snapped, “What the hell is wrong with you, Connor?! What came over you?!”Instinct.That’s what it was.But I hesitated.How do I say it?She’s my mate.No. Rejected. Broken. Lost. Whatever she is now… how do I explain this to humans?I cleared my throat. “The truth is… she’s family.”A gasp r

Reina’s POVThe moment the door clicked shut behind me, the cold hit.Not physical cold—but something deeper. Like I’d been standing too close to a bonfire and now, away from it, I felt the ache of heat lost. I didn’t cry. Not then. I couldn’t. My heart was still too stunned, like it had hit pavement after a fall it didn’t see coming.I walked the corridor slowly, each step echoing off the marble. Every part of this mansion looked the same—ornate, curated, cold. The kind of place where silence was louder than any scream. But I wasn’t thinking about décor.I was thinking about the way his voice cracked when he said get out. He sounded broken. Too broken.The guilt in his eyes before it vanished.The blood on his knuckles.And the thunder behind his ribcage that didn’t calm even after I gave myself to him.This wasn’t about me. I knew that. I knew that. But the sting still bloomed in my chest like a bruise under the skin.I wanted to help him. To heal him beyond his legs. To take the pa

Reina’s POVI need to help him forget. Even for just a second.“I need you to distract me,” he said, voice low—coated in something bitter and dark, like ash after a fire.It wasn’t a request. It was a command, dragged from a place between agony and obsession.And I didn’t need to be told twice.Because the way he said it...It made me want to be the thing that pulled him back from the edge.His distraction.His madness.His silence.And I would give it to him—whatever he needed.Even if it burned us both to the ground.When I reached him, he grabbed me by the waist with both hands, hard and sure. His grip bruised. I gasped as he pulled me down onto his lap, dragging me into him like he needed my skin to stitch his soul back together.His hands slid under my thighs, shifting me, guiding me until I was straddling him properly. My skirt bunched around my hips. The buttons on his shirt were already undone, his chest hot and solid under my palms.He leaned his head back against the leather

Reina’s POV“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”I shot upright in bed like I’d just been tased.Sunlight was pouring through the curtains like it owned the place. My heart lurched. What time is it? What the hell—“Oh my God,” I breathed. “I slept off.”Cassian Morelli is going to fucking kill me.In one blur of panic and tangled limbs, I scrambled out of bed, bolted to the bathroom, and brushed my teeth like my soul depended on it. Cold water, a slap to both cheeks, a quick pat down of my face with a towel, a simple gown—and I was out in record time.My feet barely touched the floor as I sprinted out of my room and over to his. One knock. No answer.I pushed the door open. “Mr. Morelli, I’m so sorry—”Empty.I blinked.The room looked exactly how it always did—obsessively neat, coldly masculine, and just a little terrifying. But something about it being empty hit weirdly. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me like a trespasser in my own twisted life.I’d been in here dozens of times… but I’d

Reina’s POV Cassian Morelli is just a sick devil with so much power and influence. And yet, even knowing that he’s pure evil, that he orchestrated tonight’s madness with a meticulous cruelty only he could possess—I couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of his hands on me. The way his cock had been buried inside me, like it belonged there. We turned a corner, and the air left my lungs in one violent rush. There—just ahead—was a body sprawled across the marble floor, twisted awkwardly like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Blood pooled beneath him in a dark, unforgiving stain, seeping into the grout, trailing out like fingers reaching for something already lost. My breath caught in my throat. No. No, no, no. My eyes widened, chest caving in as I staggered to a halt. My heels scraped against the floor, suddenly unsure of how to carry me forward. Because I knew that figure. Roman. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even blink. My mind refused to understand what my eyes were

Reina’s POVWhen Mr. Morelli left, giving me twenty minutes to end things with Roman, I had taken it as an opportunity to make a run for it.But then again—it’s Cassian Morelli.Could I really escape him?How far could I have gone before he found me? Two days? Three, if I was lucky? He knows everything about me at this point.Wait.That means…My chest tightened as the realization iced over my skin.Does he know about the mission too?That I was sent to spy on him?Dread curdled in my stomach, sour and suffocating. I staggered behind a marble pillar in the masquerade hall and pressed my palm to the cool surface, trying to breathe through the sudden whirl of panic. Mr Morelli had always known, hadn’t he? He’s just been playing with me all this time. Letting me unravel under his touch. Letting me crave his dark pleasures… while sharpening the knife.How did I let myself get so entangled that submitting to him comes so easily? It was supposed to be a clean confrontation, but I ended up o

Cassian’s POV Rip. I tore her dress open, exposing her to the cold air of the hidden room. Her breasts bounced free, and I groaned. “God, I could worship them all day,” I muttered, taking one into my mouth as my hand claimed the other. She arched despite herself, torn between duty and desire. Below, chaos unfolded like a fever dream. The haunting sound from the opera still wailed through unseen speakers—some tragic soprano on the edge of despair—drowning out the very real sounds of terror erupting beneath them. Screams bled into the music, distant but unmistakable: the panic of people running, the clash of boots, the crack of glass, and somewhere in between it all—the unmistakable thud of a body hitting marble. And still, I didn’t stop. Reina gasped, squirming beneath me, her breath caught somewhere between arousal and horror. My hips moved in slow, deliberate strokes, still buried inside her like I had all the time in the world. Her body betrayed her—shaking, slick, on e