RuinWar-torn battlefields and the stench of death have been my home for centuries, carving scars on my soul that mirror the carnage I’ve witnessed—and caused. A creature of destruction, condemned to forever walk this earth.Before this lifetime they used to speak my name in whispers. I was known as Conquest, the rider on the white horse. The first Horsemen to signify the end times, but oh, how wrong they were. We’ve been here since the Gods created us; watching, waiting.Now they call me Ruin; Wolf shifter and Beta to Alpha Ryker, or rather, The Pale Rider. Every few millennia, we reincarnate as different supernatural creatures, coming into our true power when our human vessels reach the age of eighteen.Beneath my hardened exterior lies a heart burdened by the weight of the lives I've taken. I am the aftermath of chaos, the aftermath of war, and the start of it all.How many people can you kill before you become disillusioned with everything? I know The Creators had a purpose when t

Chloe JaneLast night’s bodyguard introduction went as well as you’d expect. From my father introducing me to the man who has the charming name of Ruin, to him grunting in response. My sister led me inside and didn’t even ask why I’d been there in the first place.Now it’s morning and I’m blindly staring up at my ceiling, knowing he’s on the other side of my bedroom door. My father apparently trusts this man for some reason, and since he’s seemingly making decisions for me, there’s not much else I can do. Besides, I got more of an odd feeling from Alpha Mason than … Ruin. Gods, I don’t think I can call him that name. Does he have a normal name, I wonder?My stomach rumbles and I breathe out an annoyed sigh, knowing I’ll need to go out there to eat something. Well, I’ve never been one to back down from a confrontation, so here goes nothing!I get up from the bed and inch forward towards where I know my door is. My hands are shaking so much from nervousness, and that anxiety just incr

Chloe JaneI didn’t think things could get any worse, but now I realize that my sister has been keeping things from me. It’s not only the fact that she kept the baby thing from me, but I could tell there’s more. Kim isn’t being honest about things for some reason, and she’s mad at me for something as well. I wish I could tell what was going on, because now it feels like everyone is lying to me.Well, everyone except Ruin.I don’t know why that even counts. He’s just my bodyguard, paid to look out for me, protect me and keep me alive. Basically a glorified babysitter. No, I can’t depend on him, either. I need to find out what’s going on before I go insane and preferably before I get married.I can hear footsteps approaching my bedroom, one foot slightly dragging and I know it’s my father. Great, Kim must have told him that I knew about the baby thing now he’s coming to explain himself to me. Guess I have to get my nod and smile routine ready.Three knocks. “CJ honey, can I come in?” M

Chloe JaneI can’t remember half of what happened on my lunch date with Alpha Mason, only that I acted completely out of character. I giggled at his jokes, swooned when he told me about our future together, and allowed him to kiss me.My first kiss and I can’t recall how it happened. The only thing I can attribute it to is Alpha Mason’s calming scent, but that doesn’t make any sense at all. I’ve never heard of a wolf being able to control another with its scent alone.This is where I wish I could see, so I could research his pack and its previous Alphas. I doubt my father would even tell me anything if I had to ask, and the same goes for Kim. To them, I’m just supposed to be compliant, and I can’t help but be compliant around Alpha Mason.“This is stupid,” I grumble to myself. I’m back out in the back garden again, and I should be enjoying the last few moments of Spring, but I can’t even bring myself to enjoy my favorite season. All I’m sitting with is the worry that when I’m alone w

Chloe JaneSo, Alpha Mason couldn’t make it this weekend to spend time with me, and I can’t say I’m disappointed. I wouldn’t have been myself around him, anyway, and it would have left me feeling hollow again.Now I’m sitting in the sun room, reading my Braille dark romance novel and wondering what will become of my life now. I have less than six months left of my independence before I’m to be someone’s wife and womb. As much as I want to fight the fact, I can’t. It’s been decided by those more powerful than me, and I can do nothing but go with the current.Sometimes I wish my life was one of these dark romance novels I usually read. One where the morally gray man takes the usually sweet virgin girl away from it all and worships her, while she never has to worry about anyone harming her because he would kill those who even looked her way.But my life is not a dark romance novel, although this marriage arrangement is quite archaic. “Something sad happening in that novel, dove?”I smi