Secret Societies: In The Shadows

"Boss, your one night stand five years ago, Katya Petrov, is back, and she has a son who looks just like you. On your orders, we will bring her to you, but you have to know, she has now become powerful." *** Five years ago, Katya was naive and believed that the handsome stranger she met at the bar was a knight who would sweep her off her feet, and save her from the shackles of her ruthless father, who has promised her to an old Mafia Don. But it is to her shock when she discovers that the man who broke her virginity was only using her to get to her father. Ferrara De Castello gives no fuck about what he uses to get what he wants as long as he obtains the required result. To him, the end justifies the means. And at the beginning, his desire was to ruin the Petrov clan, but now, his obsession is Katya Petrov and claiming the smart little boy as his heir. Problem is, the sweet innocent Katya he knew before, is as good as dead. And she will do everything in her power, to stand in his way. But four year old genius Christopher has other plans for his mommy, if she insists on staying away from his dad, "Mom, why don't you like daddy?"

Adrian Knight is a billionaire who built his empire by sacrificing love for power. Years later, Gabriel Vega, the man he betrayed, returns with a secret son Adrian never knew existed. As enemies close in, scandals rise, and the past threatens to destroy them, Adrian faces the hardest choice of his life: protect his empire built on ambition, or fight for the love and family he thought was gone forever.

***This is the sequel to "Second Chance Luna" and picks up where that story left off. I highly recommend reading that one before attempting to jump into this story.*** Update schedule is Mon. Wed. Fri. US Mountain Time Alpha Aleksandr Volkov had to fight hard for his second chance mate, a human named Rieka who has 4 children from her deceased human husband. After teaching her about the supernatural world, and rescuing her from rogues, they finally tied the knot, but just as they prepared to leave for their honeymoon, another alpha shows up to warn them that Rieka is still in danger. There is a secret in her past that even she doesn't know about. They have to work together with new allies to uncover her family history and ensure future safety of her and her children, all while navigating a new mate bond and the uncharted territory of a human mated to an alpha.

Fucking hell,” was the last thing I heard from him before his lips met mine, his hands cooling my skin. But it still wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I needed him to ease the burning inside me. “Inside—” I gasped, turning my head to the side. “It hurts inside of me.” Seth was breathing heavily above me. “Do you know what you are asking for, Camilla?” I swallowed, looking at his face before spreading my legs. “Yes, Beta. I want you inside of me.” Camilla had always lived in the Green Hill pack but hadn't found her mate yet. She started to think she was either mateless or her mate wasn’t in her pack. After an attack with while she was cleaning the Luna’s house , she was taken to the hospital by their Pack’s beta, Seth. But when Camilla opened her eyes and looked into Seth's brown eyes, she felt sparks. She had known Seth, but even with their brief encounters, there was nothing. Camilla’s happiness faded when she remembered Seth was married and had a four-year-old son. Now, what would Camilla do, especially after finding out she was carrying the Beta's child? Would she remain the Beta's dirty little secret?

"Just let me hold you for a while, please," he said after setting me back down. This time, he laid me in the middle of the bed before sliding in next to me. "What if this was really me? Not a dream version of Lucy but the real thing?" I asked. He reached his hand across to me, pulling my hair behind my ear before pulling me closer to his body. "Well, in real life, you probably would have slapped me for doing this," he said, making us both laugh. Little did he know. After I witnessed my mom's murder, I fled my pack to search for a freedom I knew may never exist. I dreaded the day I would turn 18 as I never wanted a mate bond after the horror I had lived through. After years of being sold as a slave, I found myself belonging to a new pack once again. And then, I turned 18. I found not just one but two mates along with untapped power that I have no idea how to manage. ***TRIGGER WARNING - SA AND PHYSICAL ABUSE MENTIONED THROUGHOUT STORY***

My Alpha husband, Ryder, has always hated the sound of a crying pup. But recently, he started caring for my adopted sister's newborn pup, staying by its side in the nursery every night until dawn. Every time Ryder left our bedroom for the nursery, an inexplicable stabbing pain would pierce through my chest. This agony would last all night until dawn when he returned. I had finally reached my breaking point. At the Full Moon Festival, I announced in front of the entire pack that I was rejecting our mate bond. The pack's mind-link erupted with whispers that the battle had damaged my mind. A golden light ignited in Ryder's eyes as he stared at me in disbelief. "Because I was too busy to check on you when you were injured, you're rejecting our bond over a six month old pup?" I didn't meet his eyes. Instead, my gaze lingered on the faint lipstick mark smudged inside his collar. My voice trembled, yet it did not waver. "Since you love her pup so much, once our bond is severed, you can openly be the father."

"I, Alpha Malik Denver hereby reject you, Eliana Jacobs as my mate and Luna." His voice was like a sword through my chest, slicing my heart into a million tiny pieces. He looked at me with a commanding glare and I knew I didn't have much of an option. "I, Eliana Jacobs, accept your rejection." I whispered as my hands fell to my stomach because unbeknownst to the Alpha, I was carrying his child. - Eliana Jacobs had been through hell her entire life. Ever since her mother died, she'd been abused by her whole pack. No one but her understood the kind of pain she went through until then one night, she decided to flee from her pack. However, destiny led her into the hands of Malik Denver, the most ruthless of all Alphas in Oakland and the leader of her own rival pack. In a twist of fate, he took her in and saved her from becoming rogue. But all in exchange for one thing—a child. Two years had passed and not only had Eliana fallen in love with Denver, she also finds out she’s finally pregnant. But before she could even break the news to him, he shockingly rejects her. “This is over!” He said. Distraught and devastated, Eliana once again decides to run away but this time to somewhere far away. It wasn’t until six years had passed that something unexpected brings her back to Oakland. But now, she isn’t alone, she’s with a six year old boy. How would Denver take the news of her return? Would he finally regret his decision to let her go? And alas, what would happen when he finds out about his secret baby?

Jacques struggled hard to get out of the small town filled with gangs not only to improve her life, but also to get away from 'him' - the one she calls 'The Monster'. She had offended him by breaking the friendship with his little sister. She thought she escaped it all when years passed and she settled in the city. A nice job, a lovely boyfriend, a small home for them... She thought she had what she needed. She almost forgot about 'him'. But then he came back in her life for his sister, and took everything away from her. Her boyfriend, her little home, her freedom, and to her dismay he even took the child in her belly. He is a self-made man although he is from a powerful family. He has attained everything he has, working hard with his own hands. He has plans, He has secrets. But for him, she is the moon. She is his first love. She came to him one noisy night and he couldn't forget her from then. But every time he tries to get close to her, she suffers as if they are not meant to be. He wanted to stay away from her to not see her suffer. He did stay away from her for years. But when a chance presented itself pushing her to him, he couldn't stay back and tried to get close to her. And he got close to her to help her, but then he made her lose her child unwittingly.

He whispered her name nine hundred and ninety-nine times in his sleep. Never mine. For five years, I gave everything to Vincent Bonanno—the heir to one of the most powerful mafia dynasties in Europe. I turned his house into a home, remembered every careless detail he let slip, even abandoned my dream of becoming an artist—believing that one day, he would finally choose me. But whenever Alessia appeared, his loyalty bent toward her. The night boiling fondue scarred my arms, he rushed to shield her from a scratch that barely reddened her skin. In public, his gaze never stayed with me—it drifted to her. I was the wife on paper, but never in truth. So I walked away. With nothing but a suitcase, divorce papers he signed without noticing, and a secret I never planned to share—three months pregnant. He discovered too late. The divorce was real. The clinic file was real. And by the time he realized, I had vanished. Now the man who once ruled cities with cold power is tearing the world apart to find us. He has soldiers, money, and a thousand apologies he never gave when I was still his wife. But I’m no longer the woman who begged for affection. I’m a mother. An artist. A survivor. The question isn’t whether Vincent can reach me. It’s whether, when he does, I’ll ever let him back into the life he destroyed.

After moving to Italy to leave her troubled past, Mykaela pursues a modeling career while living with Miles, her best friend. All seems well and routine until unforeseen circumstances ruin her career plans and force her back to New York. Miles Falco, an artist enjoying the Italian countryside, must choose between the simple life he loves and being successor to a clan of influential businessmen contending for power in all of Italy. Can he escape his predetermined fate? A life of deceit, chaos, and deadly encounters with the mafia? Will they survive the odds that threaten their future together? ◆ PG-16 ◆ cover design: mzmauve