Rick Haynes

Bella, the doomed mate of Blood Stone Pack's Alpha Cole, had it all she ever desired before betrayal destroyed her life. Betrayed of a sin she wasn't guilty of, Cole gave in to the deceitful words of his childhood sweetheart and best friend, Georgina. With Cole's faith broken, Cole spurned Bella and cast her out of the pack, leaving her shattered and defenseless. Coerced into fleeing for her life, Bella finds shelter in the Beck kingdom, away from the heartbreak and perils of her past. There, she meets an unexpected turn of fate, her second chance mate, Alpha King Rick Beck. His strength and kindness provide Bella with security and acceptance she believed she had lost forever. But just when Bella is recovering, Cole finds out the truth and returns, determined to win her back and make things right. Caught between the mate who shattered her heart and the powerful Alpha King who offers her a new life, Bella is presented with an impossible decision. Will Bella muster the courage to take her second chance at love with Rick, or will she let Cole back in her life, risking getting hurt again? #Betrayal #Second chance

Detective Casie Blackwood thought she'd left her supernatural past behind when she joined the police force ten years ago, fleeing the shame of public mate rejection and family abandonment. Now, ritualistic murders are forcing her back into a world she desperately wanted to forget. Three human victims have been discovered with surgical precision wounds and ancient symbols carved into their palms—markings that point to forbidden blood magic from before the supernatural communities established peaceful coexistence. When Casie finds a note written in the old pack language reading "The Hunt Begins," she realizes someone is deliberately targeting humans to harvest their primal fear, threatening to expose the entire supernatural world. Partnered with Detective Rick O'Connor, who remains unaware of her true nature, Casie must navigate the investigation while concealing her enhanced senses and knowledge of the supernatural. The wounds aren't from blades—they're fang marks. The positioning isn't random—it's ritualistic. And the killer's scent carries a terror that suggests they're being hunted by something even more dangerous. Forced to break ten years of silence, Casie contacts her estranged brother Elias, learning the symbols are ancient binding marks used to channel supernatural energy across factional boundaries. The killer needs seven sacrifices total to complete a ritual that will shatter the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds. With three victims already claimed and only four days until the next lunar cycle, time is running out. As federal agents circle and media attention intensifies, Casie must choose between maintaining her carefully constructed human life and embracing the supernatural heritage she rejected. The investigation isn't just about stopping a killer—it's about preventing an all-out war that could destroy both worlds she's sworn to protect.