Diamond Castle

Emmeline Gray's fate was sealed. Her father, Lord Gray, had betrayed the Lunar Council, and now she had to pay the price. The Council had condemned her to serve the ruthless Rogue King, Cedric Silver. As Emmeline entered the dark castle, she felt trapped. The air reeked of malice, and Cedric's piercing gaze cut through her like a knife. "Speak out of turn, and you're dead," Cedric warned, his voice low and menacing. His eyes seemed to bore into her soul, and Emmeline felt a shiver run down her spine. "You'll submit, Emmeline," Cedric continued, his voice dripping with an undercurrent of desire. "Your father's sins won't be forgiven, but maybe you can earn redemption." Emmeline's heart pounded in her chest as their gazes met. She recognized the unmistakable spark – Cedric Silver, the feared Rogue King, was her mate. Cedric's eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire as he took a step closer to her. "You're mine now, Emmeline," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. "And I always claim what's mine." Emmeline's pulse quickened as she felt the weight of Cedric's gaze. She knew she should be afraid, but a part of her was drawn to the darkness that lurked within him. Tied to the man who embodied her family's destruction, Emmeline's life was now a twisted dance between loyalty, survival, and her own heart. Would she find redemption, or would darkness consume her?

Gina and I were just ordinary werewolves in the Silver Claw Pack. Our incomes were modest, but we married well. Her mate was the captain of the Silver Claw Pack patrol unit. Mine, the fire squad leader. They grew up together—childhood friends—and were the youngest golden duo in the Werewolf Alliance. On the day we married, our mates each bought us a luxury high-rise apartment on the top floor of the central castle, side by side, with the promise of sharing life and death together. That is, until that fateful night. Rogues broke into the central zone. Chaos reached even the upper levels of our building. The tower caught fire. Amidst the thick smoke, I sent a desperate mind-link to my mate. He blocked it. Turns out, both our mates were busy shielding their shared first love, Lifu. They ignored our calls for help. Gina dragged me as we ran. She was six months pregnant; her pup was already kicking from the panic. Her mate never showed up either. We made it to the stairwell, where we were trapped for five hours. Toxic fumes filled our lungs. I went into labor too early. My pup didn't make it. Gina bled for three days in the hospital. Her pup was gone too. Meanwhile, our mates were digging through the wreckage—twenty-four hours straight—searching for Lifu's lost dog. That was it. Right then and there, Gina and I looked at each other and knew. We were done.

The next day I woke up, I am now the fiance of the Duke of Dubois Castle, or known as Lemon. “I am a demon who lives by desire and greed, you have yielded with the contract that you have exchanged with your life?” “Then what do you want?” “I want the whole of you Veta Le Blanchet, not just your blood, heart and soul, it is the whole of you.” Theroux Claude, the third prince of the kingdom. “Lady Le Blanchet, just how can you stand still this demon duke? If you ever get tired of him, you are always welcome to my palace.” Another troublesome man, my childhood friend when I was at the academy, Durand Gagnon. “I have attained this nickname not just because I follow all his Majesty’s order, but because I want to have a stronghold in the knight position so that I can support you my Lady, remember that my oath is only for you.” Then, what is my cousin thinking that he would say such things? “Sister, I have finally inherited the title of the Baron, please come back to our fief, and I will make sure to bring back the glory of our family!” As I try to relinquish the past, the more troublesome it becomes. Is clinging to the tiny bit of my life a wrong choice? And why is the temple spying on me? “Lady Le Blanchet is the only descendant of the family, you shouldn’t involve yourself farther with the Demon Duke.” “It’s done my Lady, as long as it is you, I can give everything, even if I destroy this Kingdom.” Hold on, just what on earth this demon wants from me?

MATED is book #2 in a new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Bella Lore, whose series MY TRUE MATE and THE ALPHA’S MATE have over 500 five-star reviews.

“I couldn’t stop reading.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When her father suddenly dies, Winter Grace, 17, is forced to fly across the country and attend a mysterious prep school, an ancient castle in a fog-covered island on the coast of Maine. Nothing here is what it seems, and it isn’t long before Winter, feeling a surging power for the first time, realizes that she is not who—or what—she thinks she is.

But when Winter feels an inexplicable crush for an elusive and dangerous boy at the school, she realizes a greater destiny is at play. She knows the relationship might destroy them both—yet she also knows that they can never be apart.

In MATED, Winter and her crush embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve the magic relic and save their friends their school.

Yet they have no idea of the fate awaiting them—or what they will need to do for each other to survive.

Creating an unforgettable world of vampires, werewolves, shifters and magic of all sorts, a world of fantasy, love and sacrifice, MORTAL will take you to another place, rife with shocking twists and turns. Fans of books such as Vampire Academy and Twilight and Crush are sure to fall in love!

Future books in the series are also available.

"The story was very well written and was unique as compared to other shifter stories.”

--Reader review (The Alpha’s Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had been married to Derek for six years, and we had a three-year-old son. He was poor, earning only $2,000 a month, but I had no complaints; I took care of everything at home for him. After getting dinner on the table for the whole family, I finally had a minute to check my phone. A video popped up on my feed: a twenty-two-year-old girl from a rural area whose hands, roughened by years of hard labor, looked like they belonged to a sixty-two-year-old woman. I looked down at my own hands, just as worn and scarred, and stared at them blankly before tapping into the comments. I expected people to feel bad for her. However, to my surprise, the comments section was flooded with a single sentiment: "Why would anyone marry a penniless loser?" One of the top-liked comments came from a couple; in their photo, they were pictured holding hands—fingers tightly intertwined—with the girl sporting a massive diamond ring. The accompanying caption read: "A man who truly loves you would never bear to let you suffer." I felt a pang of envy. Given the choice, who wouldn't want a glamorous life? As I was about to close the app, I accidentally tapped on the couple's photo, enlarging it. In the background, previously too blurry to make out, was a face I recognized. It looked exactly like my husband, Derek Sterling. I froze, and almost against my will, I tapped into the account's profile. Post after post of lavish photos of them together flooded my screen. And then I saw him clearly. The scar above his brow, the one he got when a shelf fell on him while protecting me, was still plainly visible. It was my husband. It was Derek.

My husband worked overtime in the studio and suffered from an explosion. His body was blown to pieces. When my bestie frantically told me the news, I just nodded calmly. She called and texted me nonstop. She urged me to go to the site to recognize my husband's body. I blacklisted her and bought a ticket to go abroad. In my previous life, when I heard the news, I stopped at nothing and rushed to my husband's studio. However, I only saw my husband's cold ashes. My bestie said that my husband had poured out his troubles to her once. My husband said that I had run up a mountainous debt for gambling. He wanted a divorce, but I threatened him that he would have a sky-high debt if he divorced me. Even my mother cried and accused me of often going to the casino and taking men home at midnight. But none of this was true. I treated my husband very well; just a few days ago, I gave him a million-dollar watch as a gift. And I had never done anything related to gambling. Facing their accusation, I chose to call the police to prove my innocence. However, the police discovered my diamond necklace at the explosion site, where forensic experts also found my fingerprints. I failed to prove my innocence and became the heinous murderer who killed my husband. My mother took me to court for justice and took over my business empire. In jail, I was retaliated and died. When I opened my eyes again, I regained my life on the day when my husband suffered from the explosion.

After the death of her family in an accident that left her scarred, and wolfless, Nora Howard was constantly at the mercy of her fated mate who was disgusted at the very sight of her. On the day of her anniversary her husband, Alpha Aiden broke the bond between them. And casually tossed a divorce paper at her face. Alpha Aiden gave a diamond ring to her best friend. Nora was shattered, and too weak from betrayal. Only this time, she was done. She might be ugly with a scar on her face. Wolfless, and carrying the guilt of losing her family. It was time for a change. In her quest for escape, Nora strayed into the Blackcrest pack. A powerful pack ruled by the Virelli twins. Halil and Kai Virelli. Lycan kings who ruled their pack with iron fist, and were ruthless with enemies. However, beneath the cold devastatingly handsome faces of the Virelli twins was a spine chilling curse. One only a mate can break. They wanted to exert instant judgement on Nora Howard. But fate shifted when the moon goddess linked them as a second chance mate to Nora. They vowed to make her regret every minute of her life, and break her bit by bit. Until, they caught themselves staring at her a minute longer. An incident happened, that changed everything. Nora ran away from the Blackcrest pack, seeking revenge. Unknown to her, their seeds were growing in her. In that moment, The Lycan twins realized Nora was the woman they truly yearned for. Dark secrets resurfaces linking her to them. Would she go through with her revenge? even if she had the powers to take down the most powerful Alphas. Or had she fallen in love with the Virelli twins, and somehow hadn’t noticed?

After my sister's death, I signed a five-year contract marriage with her mafia husband, Horton Falcone. I became the stepmother to my five-year-old nephew, Luca. On my birthday, I wore my late sister's diamond cross necklace, not realizing what it was. At the family dinner, Luca walked up to me with a glass of red wine and threw the wine in my face. The red wine dripped down my cheeks, its sharp scent stinging my eyes and staining my white dress. He tilted his head back to look up at me, his eyes as cold and cruel as his father's. "Don't think you can replace my mom just because you married into the Falcone family," he said with a malicious grin. "You're the reason she's dead." "I wish you were the one who died. Then I could smash your gravestone instead of celebrating this stupid birthday." "I swear, when I grow up, the first thing I'll do is dump you in the Hudson River myself!" The memory stung as sharply as the wine, and all I could taste was despair. I stared at the child I had spent five years raising as my own, a sharp pain pulsing in my chest. I had thought I could devote myself to the Falcone family, that I could win him over with my love. But now, I was just so tired of it all. It was a family with no love, a child who saw me as his mortal enemy. I stopped deluding myself. It was time to let go. But after I left, that arrogant father and son came crawling back to me like whipped dogs, begging for my forgiveness.

When you pair two strangers who have a lot of hidden sexual tension towards each other, it's only normal that sensual sparks would fly- as well as their clothes when they're eventually getting wild and steamy with each other. ******** Blue's every day motto was "When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. " But she currently had a lot on her plate, and none of it were delicious lemons. What happens in Vegas was supposed to stay in Vegas right? Man, did Blue wish that was the truth. . Her life was rapidly falling apart! First, her fiancé had just been brutally murdered, she had also been rendered completely homeless, she was also on the run for commiting a serious felony and next she's drunk, having a wild and steamy night with a stranger in the backseat of his car. Could Blue find a sense of purpose in all the madness? At the brink of trying to escape from the chaotic mess he life has suddenly become, Blue encounters the presence of the Baron of Aston! One thing leads to another and soon, she was all royally prissy-ed up in a tall castle, married to him as the Baroness of Aston. It was definitely a fresh start to a new, unproblematic life- or so she thought. All good things come to an end. So what happens when her past comes back knocking at her door? And the stranger from that stormy night resurfaces in her life? And this time, he wanted more than just one night with her and he wouldn't take no for an answer. . .

When Andrei Ivanov returns home to clean up his twin's mess, he doesn't expect his stay to be long or eventful. But then his father makes him an offer he can't refuse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one woman he can't stand—Holly Anderson. She's everything he hates in a woman: incredibly spoilt, short-tempered and too damn self-absorbed. And the biggest red flag? She's his frenemy's little sister and comes with a giant warning label. But with the body of a goddess and the untamed spirit of a gladiator, she tempts him beyond measure and makes him want to break all his rules and risk it all… Holly Anderson didn't become a national treasure through talent alone. Hell, she's had to work hard and fight everyone and everything, including all kinds of temptation. So when Andrei walks into her life, dangling a too-good-to-be-true deal right before her eyes, she knows she should shoot him down and send him packing. But down on her luck and dreaming of a big comeback, she throws caution to the wind and signs on the dotted line, jumping headlong into her long-held fantasy… Against the sweeping backdrop of Rock Castle's underworld, smoky boardrooms and awry business deals, what begins as a harmless con soon spirals into stolen moments of fleeting kisses and lingering caresses, taking this unlikely duo down a dark and thrilling path where desire and danger constantly collide and heartbreaking choices must be made.