Expansion

Gavin became Alpha right after our mating ceremony. His older brother, Damien—the former Alpha—was dead. Killed by a rival pack from the North. Gavin took his brother's mate, Sarah, and headed north. He claimed he was avenging his brother. He swore he'd expand our territory. He told me the expansion was too dangerous. He didn't want me to get hurt. So I was left behind. Left to rule a dying pack in the south, with only my healing gift to keep us from collapsing. I bled myself for healing serums, all to ensure his northern campaign didn't falter. Every time I sent word asking when our packs would merge, he'd give me an excuse. His position in the North was unstable. They'd just finished a war. It wasn't the right time. Seven years later, the pack couldn't hold on any longer. I sent Leon, my last remaining beta, to find Gavin. Leon’s message back told a different story. Gavin's new pack was already one of the three great powers in the North. And he had a pup with Sarah. A public one. Pain, sharp and swift, lanced through my chest. I marched to the pack elders and demanded they sever our mate bond. Then, I sent a message to the Healers' Guild that had been recruiting me for years: "I'm severing my bond. I'll be packless in three days. Tell the Guild I'm in."

Après la mort de mes parents, j'ai été adoptée de façon inattendue par l'Alpha et Luna, devenant ainsi la seule humaine sur un territoire de loups-garous. Pendant vingt ans, leurs héritiers jumeaux, futurs Alphas, m'ont couverte d'affection. Leur poursuite et leurs faveurs rendaient tout le monde follement jaloux. Mais lorsque j'ai voulu choisir un compagnon, ils m'ont tous les deux rejetée. Kane a dit, « Je veux d'abord me concentrer sur l'expansion de notre territoire. Je ne veux pas trouver une compagne aussi tôt. » Liam a dit, « Les humains ne peuvent pas porter la lignée d'un Alpha. » Le lendemain, lors de mon banquet d'anniversaire, ils ont tous les deux demandé en même temps la main de la fille de la servante Oméga. Pour lui faire plaisir, ils m'ont forcée à boire de la liqueur 'Flamme de Sang', une boisson que les humains ne pouvaient absolument pas supporter. J'étais complètement anéantie. Le jour où j'ai été autorisée à sortir de l'hôpital, j'ai appelé ma mère adoptive. « Je suis prête à épouser le Roi Vampire. »

Zarah est l'une des belles filles d'un riche aristocrate brésilien, qui est très strict et axé sur les affaires. Alexander est un milliardaire puissant avec la réputation d'être un magnat des affaires, qui dirige son entreprise strictement et ne lui donne guère de seconde chance, il est dans une offre pour un contrat d'expansion de son entreprise au Brésil, entre autres. Le père de Zarah voit cela comme une opportunité d'établir des liens puissants, il suggère le mariage entre Zarah et Alexander, lui promettant qu'il s'assurera d'obtenir l'offre car il est un homme de premier plan dans le conseil de décision. Zarah est forcée de l'épouser contre sa volonté, abandonnant son fiancé, le seul homme qu'elle ait jamais aimé et la vie qu'elle a connue pour satisfaire le désir de pouvoir et d'influence de son père. Mais sera-t-elle capable de surmonter son chagrin pour son ancienne vie ? Sera-t-elle capable de donner à l'amour une chance et de faire confiance à nouveau malgré les circonstances qui ont conduit à leur mariage ? Leur nouveau mariage sera-t-il capable de survivre aux problèmes apparemment sans fin qui menacent leur nouveau mariage ?

Amber built an empire she was never allowed to claim. Brilliant, strategic, and fiercely loyal, Amber was the mind behind a billion-dollar real estate empire—the woman who identified undervalued properties, structured acquisitions, and designed expansion projects that reshaped skylines. But when betrayal strikes, she’s fired, humiliated, and discarded by the man she helped rise to the top. She walks away with nothing but her intelligence, her dignity… and the projects that were always hers. What her ex-fiancé never expects is his powerful half-brother. A billionaire real estate magnate in his own right, controlled, private, and raising two adopted children on his own, he offers Amber something unexpected: a contractual marriage. No romance. No lies. Just mutual benefit. A public wife to stabilize his corporate image—and a strategic partner who understands the business better than anyone. Amber accepts. She takes her real estate projects with her—developments she sourced, designed, and negotiated from the ground up—and brings them into her new husband’s company. Entire portfolios shift overnight. Investments follow her. For the first time, her name is on the contracts, her voice dominates boardrooms, and her success is undeniable. As Amber rises, the real estate empire she once built in silence begins to crumble. Deals collapse without her leadership. Bad investments surface. And the company her ex-fiancé claimed as his own crashes spectacularly—while Amber thrives, wealthier and more powerful than ever. But what begins as a business arrangement slowly becomes something far more dangerous. Because power is intoxicating. Trust is fragile. And love was never part of the contract.