Lower Decks Ao3 Novels & Stories

I've been married to the prince of the underworld for ten years and have endured countless life-or-death situations by his side. My hands, once trained to play the piano, are covered in calluses from holding guns and stained with blood. But at 28, my husband ends up falling for a young woman from the slums. She's as delicate and pure as a chamomile. She's his well-kept little secret—until I run into them at the woman's prenatal appointment one day. I storm up to him, demanding an explanation, only for him to nonchalantly hand me divorce papers. "Sonia is a devout follower of the church and can't have a child before marriage. I must make an honest woman out of her. Sign these, and you'll get 40% of the company's shares." I refuse to do as told, so he corners me. In the end, he has my crippled younger brother tied up and forced under a hydraulic compression machine. "Sign the papers, Maeve, or watch your brother become a human mince pie. The choice is yours." I fall on my knees and beg him to stop. As the machine turns on, my hands fly to my aching lower belly, and I scream as I lose consciousness. When I wake up again, I'm back in the hospital, in the same spot where I ran into my husband and his mistress at her prenatal appointment. This time, I don't confront him. Overnight, I make arrangements with a sanatorium abroad, get divorced, and run away from home. Yet the moment I truly disappear, my husband loses his mind.

After a month-long business trip, I finished my work early and drove home through the night. I was eager to surprise my husband and son. However, I heard suggestive noises drifting from the master bedroom the moment I stepped inside my home. I was fuming. I stormed toward the door and was ready to catch them in the act. However, when I threw the door open, all I saw were two mini pigs on the bed. Their lower bodies were inextricably locked together. I moved closer to inspect this absurdity, but my son stopped me. “Mom, don’t go near them. I brought those pigs back. They’re covered in parasites.” I sighed in relief. I was about to laugh at my own paranoia when a glowing text suddenly flickered across my vision like a livestream comment. [That was close! Lily almost caught them. Luckily, David was smart enough to turn Sarah and himself into mini pigs!] [Toby is such a good boy. Lily won’t suspect a thing with him covering for them.] [Once David gets his hands on Lily’s million-dollar inheritance, he’ll divorce her and marry Sarah! Toby will love his new mom!] That was how I realized the pigs were my husband and his mistress. My own son was fully aware of the truth. Yet he was helping them lie to me. My anger turned into a laugh as I watched the two pigs continue their grotesque display. I pulled out my phone and called the hotel. “I have two mini pigs here. I want them spit-roasted!”

I was in the middle of signing a contract when my phone rang. It was my younger sister, Lily Carter. Her voice was cautious, almost hesitant. “Hey… did you get divorced?” The question caught me off guard. I was about to answer when another voice suddenly cut in on her end of the line, a woman I didn’t recognize. She called out Lily’s name sharply. “Did you forget all the rules I set for you? During work hours, your only job is to serve me. Who said you could hide in the restroom?” A crisp slap echoed through the phone. “Now tell me,” the woman demanded. “What are the rules?” A second later, Lily spoke, her voice small and trembling. “First, during work hours, I have to lower myself when I speak to you. “Second, everything I earn has to be handed over to you. “Third, my phone has to stay on at all times. Whatever you say, I have to do it immediately.” The woman let out a mocking laugh. “At least you remember. One more. When we’re outside, you call me Mrs. Shaw, the boss’s wife. Make sure everyone in the company knows exactly who I am.” Hearing my sister’s quiet sobs, something inside me snapped. I immediately switched to a video call and dialed my husband, Daniel Shaw. “So,” I said coldly when he picked up, “you’ve been using your position at my company to keep a ‘wannabe Mrs.’ on the side, haven’t you?”

At the party celebrating Ryan making partner, his childhood friend, Jenna knew I was deathly allergic to peanuts, yet she deliberately put peanut syrup in my drink. I drank it, Within seconds, my throat began to tighten, constriction seizing my windpipe like a closing fist. Panic flared in my chest as a suffocating wave of heat rushed to my face. Desperate, I grabbed my emergency allergy spray from my purse. Instead, a harsh minty sting sprayed into my throat. She had swapped my medication with a mint spray. I turned pale and collapsed onto the hardwood floor, clawing at my neck, gasping for even a shred of oxygen. Jenna laughed so hard that tears welled in her eyes. "Wow, Isabella Moretti. Someone get this girl an Oscar for that performance. I’ve been a nurse at the top hospital in Chicago for five years, and I’ve never seen anyone throw a tantrum like this over a splash of syrup." I crawled toward Ryan on my hands and knees, biting my lower lip until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. "Ryan... please... call 911... I can't breathe..." Ryan looked down at me."Stop pretending, Isabella. Nobody drops dead from a little drink. Jenna is a medical professional. If you were actually in danger, she’d be the first to know." With that, he turned his back on me. I stopped begging. Using my final shred of strength, I triggered the phone's emergency SOS. A silent distress signal and my live GPS location immediately shot straight to my father.

“You are my wife. No one gets to touch you, and I sure as hell won’t let you touch anyone while you bear my last name.” My breath catches. Rage and unwanted arousal fight a war inside me. I lift my chin in defiance, glaring at him. “You don’t own me, Rain.” “Unfortunately, I do for the next year.” “I have needs, Rain. I am not going to spend a year celibate just because you hate me.” “Who said you have to spend the year celibate?” Rain tucks a finger beneath my jaw, his gaze lingering on my lips. He tilts my face up to his, thumb grazing my lower lip. “If you have needs, Selene…” His eyes flick back up to mine. “I will take care of them.” In the city of Raven Heights, hierarchy is the order of the day. Selene is the youngest member of the Vaughn family. A scandal breaks out when her cousin, Vivienne, has a one night stand with Rain Manchester- the illegitimate son of the most influential family in Raven heights. She’s made to cover up for Vivienne and marry Rain in her place. To make matters worse, she discovers Vivienne in bed with her boyfriend. Furious, she agrees to the marriage for revenge, only to be plunged into a world of hatred. Rain despises her. He’s in love with someone else — Ava, and a marriage to Selene has ruined his chances of being with her. They agree to stay married for a year, with him swearing never to fall for her. But can his resolve withstand the test of time? Or the sharp mouthed wife he has married? Can they stay a year as a married couple without falling in love?

“I’m sorry, Dam,” she said softly, her voice smooth as silk. “I shouldn’t have walked away. I missed you.” My heart clenched. She stepped closer, her fingers brushing against his beard like she’d done it a thousand times before. He didn’t pull away. “Selene…” Damon said again, this time lower, almost breathless. Every inch of my body burned with disbelief. I had to look away to stop my tears from falling. Selene’s eyes flicked toward me, and for the first time, she seemed to notice I was there. Her expression didn’t falter. “And who’s this?” she asked, her tone casual, almost bored. Damon hesitated. “That’s….” “Aria,” I cut in, my voice sharp. “His Luna.” Her eyes widened slightly, then her lips curved into a slow smile. “Luna?” she repeated, like the word was a joke. “Oh, you’re the omega Luna?” I felt my wolf stir inside me. Let me out, she growled. ******* Aria Silver, betrayed by her father, Alpha Xander, fled her home pack and hid in the Silver Moon Pack hiding as an omega. She built a small gym house and made a life for herself, until fate turned cruel and tied her to the very man who despised her kind. Now mated to the cold Alpha Damon Black, who hates anything below a gamma, Aria must fight to prove her worth… or be crushed by rejection. Will she survive the heat, or will love burn her down completely?

"So much fire, so much fury, but I knew you for ten years, and I never once saw it. Why?" Burke spat. "Because then I loved you.” Silver snapped, trying to push away from him, but Burke wasn't ready to let go. He jerked her closer. "And now?” He breathed against her lips. “Now I don't." She whispered, struggling to breath. He darted his tongue out and swept it over her lower lip. She shuddered, struggling to keep still. He nipped at the wet lip, and a moan escaped her mouth. Her eyes closed as she allowed herself surrender. Just this once. “Liar," He whispered, pushing her away. He stood up and towered over her with a mocking smile. “I'm all you'll ever love. The rest are just simple fuck and fruitless attempts to get over me, but you never will. I'm embedded in your soul. But go ahead, keep fooling yourself.” *********** Silver Loraine was just the housekeeper’s daughter until she married the billionaire heir, Burke Carrington. A year into the marriage, Burke divorces her in a fit of rage, believing she seduced his powerful father. Humiliated, heartbroken, and unknowingly pregnant, Silver disappears. Three years later, she returns as the surprise heiress to half of Carrington Enterprises, thanks to the very man who ruined her life: Bartholomew Carrington. His will has two conditions: Silver must live under the same roof with her ex-husband for 90days and also work side by side with him… or forfeit everything. To make matters worse, her son bears an uncanny resemblance to the late patriarch

Three months after Pete took his foster sister as his mistress, I terminated my marriage, chose to die on paper, and vanished from his life entirely. One quiet morning, I handed my child over to the nannies arranged by the family and walked out of the Rizzuto estate alone. Pete didn’t chase after me that day. He believed I would come back. Once I had calmed down, I would lower my head. The following spring, I was diagnosed with cancer. Standing in the hospital corridor, I suddenly remembered years ago— Pete had taken my hand and said, “You’ll be the finest Donna this Rizzuto family has ever had.” What pulled me back was not Pete. It was a letter from Sicily. Thin paper. Cold, rigid handwriting—the kind favored by old families who had ruled too long to bother with sentiment. “The heir has begun showing signs of emotional instability.” “Recent violent behavior has caused internal concern.” “There is disagreement within the family regarding the current Don’s judgment.” In the mafia world, there is only one reason the elders would bypass a man and reach out to a wife officially presumed dead— When the family itself begins to lose balance. So I returned. To the place I had once fled with everything I had. This time, there were no illusions. I no longer placed any hope in emotion. I was there only to fulfill the obligations of the family. I knew exactly how much time I had left. And I knew exactly what needed to be done. I became a proper Donna.

His smirk deepened and he took another step toward me. “I want to fuck you.” His voice dripped lower, “As a dancer, you should be used to this by now.” I shook my head quickly, panic rising in my chest. “Yes, I do know. I mean, that’s what I’m meant for.” “Now, let’s get down to business, shall we?” He said, stepping closer. “I don’t have all night.” Before I could part my lips to answer, his hand gripped my thigh and lifted it. The fabric of my dress bunched up, exposing the fine lace of my panties. I gasped, trying to move away from him, but his other hand moved to the back of my neck, holding me in place. His mouth crashed into mine, claiming my lips with a hunger that left me breathless. Suddenly, I felt his hand slip under the elastic of my panties, his finger grazing my sensitive flesh. I whimpered into the kiss, trying to resist, but the sensation was too overwhelming. He deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth as his finger moved further, sliding inside me with ease. I moaned in protest, the sudden intrusion causing a sharp pain as he broke the kiss, smiling wickedly. “Shhh…” he murmured, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. He knelt, his hand still holding my leg up. “I’m going to need you to open those thighs for me,” he ordered, his tone dark and mocking all at once.

Her body went still. Then his voice dropped lower, laced with venom and promise. “By the time I'm done with you, you'll wish you never said …I do.” Angelo placed his hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer in… closer than fear, closer than escape. He leaned in, his smile picture perfect for the cameras. “Now kiss your groom,” he murmured. Then…. His breath ghosted over her lips before sealing the moment with a kiss… cold, calculated and final. This wasn't marriage, nor love. Rather, it was war. It was the beginning of her sentence. Millicent felt it in her bones, the quiet threat beneath his touch. She hadn't just married a man. She had stepped into the arms of her executioner. “Smile for the crowd, Mrs. De Angelis,” Angelo whispered in a low and poisonous voice. “Because soon… they'll be watching you burn.” *Click* The cameras flashed. ~~~~~~~~ To save her brother, Millicent Romano agreed to marry the one man her heart never forgot, Angelo De Angelis. But he isn’t the boy she once knew. He’s a Don now. A powerful and ruthless Don who was hell-bent on revenge. To Angelo, she’s nothing more than a pawn, poisoned gift from an enemy empire. The wedding was never about love… it was about war. But desire doesn’t play by the rules of vengeance, and neither does the past they share. As vengeance dives deep, obsession dives ten times deeper. As secrets unravel, there's only one question left…. When love is laced with blood, someone's bound to bleed. In a world where loyalty kills faster than bullets.... Who will fall first?