Three Years Of Cold Marriage, Now He Begs

Having been reborn, this time around, I look straight at Arthur Thorne and choose to break our mate bond. Lilian Wilder, the she-wolf he's been seeing on the side, is carrying his pup. To let her pup become his heir, he pleads with me to step aside and make room for her. "Lilian saved my life before. I can't let her and my pup live on the outside as rogue wolves. You'll help me, right? Once my heir is born, I'll bring you back." Back when Arthur had been besieged by the Silvermoon pack, Lilian betrayed her pack and rescued him. Having survived the attack, he became the Alpha, but Lilian got chased out of her pack. Ever since then, he'd been looking after her and would leave the pack from time to time to accompany her. In my previous lifetime, I'd adamantly refused to break our mate bond. However, in order to let his precious Lilian become his Luna, Arthur poisoned me with wolfsbane himself, subjecting me to endless torment. Unable to bear the pain any longer, I chose to break our mate bond. Lilian stared at me mockingly and said, "It's just a bit of wolfsbane. Why are you acting like it's torture? And don't tell me you're going to slander me by saying I did it!" Arthur didn't want to let the love of his life suffer in any way. So, he dragged me right to the burial grounds and watched as I bled to death. Now that I've been reborn, I'm not going to let myself be at anyone's mercy again!

On New Year's Eve, I returned home. At the welcome party, my boyfriend, Grayson Caldwell, suddenly appeared, holding a bouquet of red roses and a diamond ring, dropping to one knee. "Although this proposal comes a full three years late, our love will never be late," he said. "Alexa, marry me!" Friends cheered from the sidelines, all expecting me to nod through tears and say yes. But they had forgotten that three years ago, on New Year's Eve, he had promised to propose. That night, I dressed to the nines and waited until dawn—but he never showed up. Instead, there was only a cold phone call. "Tanya is sick. I'm busy taking care of her. You'll have to wait a little longer for the proposal." And so, on New Year's Day, I left the country alone, bound by a family-arranged marriage. I had already married someone else three years ago.

This book is a spin-off of Damaged: Lala has made her escape from the biker leader Spin, although currently pregnant at eighteen with Spin having demanded she have an abortion. Three years pass between the time she leaves Spin before he finds her again. During the three years: Lala has changed her identity to Amory Williams, changed her look, and is the successful owner of the Spark Nightclub in Brooklyn, NY. She is also tangled in a complicated relationship with Jonny Knight. Jonny met Lala under her identity as Amory, when he left the US Navy. He's hired by her to protect her, but their relationship has built into something so much more than a business professional one. When Spin re-enters Amory's life, Jonny fights to keep him out, but the decision will ultimately fall on her... Who will she choose: the bad boy she fled from who is seeking redemption, or the good guy who stuck by her as she rebuilt her life? Find out what happened between Jonny and Amory from the moment they met, and Jonny's point of view right up until the very end of Damaged. This book will also feature an alternate ending!

At the pack's festival, a witch hands me a crystal orb that reveals the truth. When I ask "why," she says she was entrusted to deliver it and reminds me only to use it when I am alone. As the image in the orb grows clearer, and my mate appears, I forget how to breathe. "Jared Hamilton, do you love me?" a woman asks in her sweetest voice, curling her arms around his neck. "I do. Of course, I do. You're the only one I'll love for the rest of my life, Luciana." My hand slips. Even after the crystal orb hits the floor, I can still hear them talking. "I swear before the sacred Moon Goddess that I'll be with you, Luciana Rose, until my very last breath. If I ever break this oath, may I never know joy again." I feel suffocated. All I can do is stare in disbelief. The woman he vows to love for life is none other than my very best friend.

When I went to register my son, Cody Vantor, for medical insurance before his first year of kindergarten, I was told I wasn’t his biological mother. "Are you sure this is your child? The system shows a different woman listed as the mother." I said nothing. I quietly snapped a photo of the unfamiliar home address, then followed it to the neighboring complex. When he saw me, my husband, Dorian Vantor, froze. His hand instinctively moved to block the doorway. "So you found out. But making a scene won’t change anything. I haven’t treated you badly these past three years." I looked past him, and my body went cold. The woman behind him was my younger sister, Summer Walsh, fresh out of college. She handed him a glass of water and gave me an apologetic smile. "Don’t blame me, Lennie. The doctor said I have postpartum depression. I can’t handle hearing a baby cry. Thank you for raising Cody for me all these years. I really am grateful." Just then, Cody, who had been waiting in the car downstairs, ran up. He rushed into Summer’s arms like it was second nature, then turned to look at me. "Aunt Lenora, don’t cry. Mommy said you’re a good person. That’s why she asked you to help. Daddy said if I behave and call you ‘Mom’ at your house, I can come back on weekends to see my real Mommy."

"Sign the contract, or lose everything." I stared at the papers that would seal my fate—a three-year marriage to Julian Blackwood, the ruthless billionaire they call the Ice King. My family didn't ask. They demanded. My father's company was drowning, my stepsister's engagement had exploded, and I was the replacement bride they could sacrifice. Just another transaction. Julian made it clear on our wedding day: "Don't expect affection. Don't expect companionship. Certainly don't expect love." He refused to kiss me at the altar. He gave me a bedroom down the hall and told me to stay out of his way. I was Mrs. Blackwood in name only—a contract, a convenience, a means to an end. I accepted it. I had survived twelve years of abuse in my own home. I could survive three years of indifference in his. But then Nate, Julian's best friend, showed me kindness, and suddenly my cold husband became possessive. When my sister attacked me, he became protective. Now the man who promised me nothing is fighting his own father to keep me. The marriage that was supposed to be fake is becoming terrifyingly real and the secrets about my mother's death are threatening to destroy everything. They said Julian Blackwood destroys everything he touches. What they didn't tell me... is that sometimes destruction is exactly what you need to be reborn. With a pregnancy involved, how was I going to end this three-year marriage peacefully?