Gin Akutagawa

--- In the shadows of betrayal and loss, Diana McCoy rises from the ashes of a forbidden love that once saved her—and ultimately shattered her. Eric McCoy was her sanctuary, her darkest sin, until a bullet stole him away, leaving her with everything he has. Then, Wade McCoy, her lover's son kidnapped thesame day of his funeral. She makes a burning vow: to reclaim him from the people who took him. But vengeance is a treacherous path, and it leads straight to Rafael Goldman—a ruthless enigma who sees the fractured ruin in her soul and offers a devil's bargain drenched in desire. As their worlds collide in a storm of obsession and power, Diana surrenders to a passion that blurs the line between punishment and salvation. Can she wield her revenge without losing herself to the man who might be her greatest enemy... or her ultimate undoing? “Sometimes the devil doesn’t come to destroy you—he comes to finish what love couldn’t.” [Continue if you dare. From here you're on your own...] --- He fucked me like atonement, like penance, like the only god he believed in lived between my thighs. He groaned against my throat and it sent shivers down my spine. I saw his pupils in mine, holding the gaze steady. He cupped my cheek and gave me an aggressive kiss before I broke it, forcing his head to my neck. He kissed my throat, teeth scraping the pulse that was trying to kill me. I laughed softly, ragged and vicious, bit his lip until I tasted blood. That particular finger staggered back to my cunt again and forced its way into my v*gin* while his d*ck was still inside, grinding me. Suddenly his left hand came over my mouth, cupping it firm, blocking my screams....

He was my professor, the Alpha of the Silver Crest Pack. Feared by every wolf on campus. In class, he was a sucker for rules, but outside, he was the kind of savage who obeyed no one. Especially not the Moon Goddess. I ran to this University to escape and arranged marriage, find freedom and my true mate. I wasn't expecting him, and I definitely wasn't expecting to snap at the one man who could order my head served on a platter to him. Then I realized he was mine. Mine to own, my mate! But he was the same man who helped destroy my family and Pack. The same Alpha who had murdered my brother without a second thought. The rules said we couldn't touch. I wouldn't reject me, I couldn't resist gin and every time another man looked at me, his wolf edged closer to savage. Sleeping with him would ruin everything. So why did I want it so badly? He was my curse, my punishment, and my aching obsession.

"Look at the target, Gabe," Derek hissed, his voice a low vibration that settled in my bones. "Imagine it's my heart. Imagine you are finally putting me out of my misery." I was trapped between the cold metal of a gun and the burning heat of his body. My finger trembled on the trigger, but I couldn't pull it. My name is Gabriel. To the world I am the nerdy quiet university student. To Derek Miller, I am his toy. He found my secret sketchbook, page after page of his naked body drawn with obsessive detail. Now, he uses those sketches to keep me on a leash blackmailing me whenever he wants a taste of my dignity. But the nightmare was only beginning. When my religious mother announced she was marrying Derek’s billionaire father my world shattered. My bully wasn't just a ghost from campus anymore, he was my stepbrother. We share a room. We share a bathroom and now my body. He is everywhere I breathe. He claims me. He insults me. He treats me like trash. And the sickest part? I have realized I loved it rough. Our obsessive love is impossible. My mother would disown me, the Miller name would be tarnished, and Derek’s tough love is starting to leave scars I can't hide. Just as I am about to break, a new guy enters the picture someone who promises to love me softly. Someone who doesn't smell like gin and danger. But in the dark world of the Millers, safety is a lie. Now I have to choose: Do I run toward a peaceful future, or do I stay with the devil I already know?