Silent Castle

I died in the year my husband hated me most. Unable to endure his endless silent treatment any longer, I swallowed a bottle of pills and ended my life. At the crematorium, watching the flames roar inside the furnace, he allowed himself a rare smile. “Someone as vile as her doesn’t deserve to be laid to rest whole.” So when the staff handed him the urn, he flipped it over. My ashes scattered across the floor in an instant. All this time, he had believed I was responsible for the death of his first love. That belief was why he had schemed and plotted for years, all for this precise moment of final desecration. When it was over, he stepped over my ashes and walked away without looking back. Though not long after that, he fell to his knees and begged the crematorium to give my ashes back to him.

I bought a breathtakingly handsome and sculpted werewolf slave from the magic black market. His rock-hard abs were on full display, and his deep V-lines pointed straight down into his tight, low-slung pants. But once I got him home, it was clear something was very wrong. A low, suppressed growl rumbled constantly in his throat. He stared at me with his golden wolf eyes, looking like he wanted to tear me apart and devour me whole. His body burned like a walking furnace. I thought he had wolfsbane fever and frantically contacted the seller. The seller was silent for three seconds after hearing my description. [My dear witch, is it possible he isn't sick, but just...hungry?] [The kind of hungry...that makes a werewolf want to pin you to a wall and sink his fangs into your neck to mark you?]

Every tear I shed feeds his ego. Every whimper, his pride. Every bruise he leaves behind, his silent claim over me. He takes me cold. Leaves me ruined. And I wait - quiet, breathless, for the next time he comes back to break me again. He thinks he has me in the palm of his hand. Thinks I’m nothing without him. A fragile wife, meek, obedient. A weakness he never needed. I let him believe it. I never tried to break the illusion. As long as I have his hands on me, As long as his shadows reach for me, That’s enough. But in the dark, daggers roam. And with every sound my heels make, they fall. He still thinks I’m glass, But he hasn’t heard me shatter.

One week before her perfect wedding, Skylar Johnson finds her fiancé having wild, breathless sex with her sister in her parents’ winery. She is left broken and humiliated. But one reckless kiss with a stranger in an elevator changes everything, especially when that stranger turns out to be Carter Ford, a married mafia billionaire heir. When their paths cross again, he offers her a position at his company, pulling her into a world of power, obsession, and deceit. Behind the luxury lies a hidden empire, the American Mafia, waging a silent war against the Italian Camorra. And Skylar? She’s the perfect pawn. What begins as passion spirals into obsession as Carter draws her into his illusion, remoulding her into the image of his first love. By the time Skylar sees the truth, it’s too late. She’s already his masterpiece and his prisoner.

He runs a hand through his hair, the weight of it all pressing on his shoulders. “You think I married you out of pity? You think I hate your silence? No. I hate that your silence keeps me locked out. That I love you… and you’ll never hear it.” To the world, Maria is the perfect silent wife, beautiful, obedient, and deaf. But behind closed doors, she hears everything… Including the love her cold billionaire husband swears he’ll never confess. When she secretly trades places with her troubled twin, a web of lies, danger, and forbidden truths explodes. He thinks he’s lost the only woman he’s ever loved. She may never make it back to him alive. A marriage built on silence. A love louder than words. And a secret that could destroy them both.

MATED is book #2 in a new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Bella Lore, whose series MY TRUE MATE and THE ALPHA’S MATE have over 500 five-star reviews.

“I couldn’t stop reading.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When her father suddenly dies, Winter Grace, 17, is forced to fly across the country and attend a mysterious prep school, an ancient castle in a fog-covered island on the coast of Maine. Nothing here is what it seems, and it isn’t long before Winter, feeling a surging power for the first time, realizes that she is not who—or what—she thinks she is.

But when Winter feels an inexplicable crush for an elusive and dangerous boy at the school, she realizes a greater destiny is at play. She knows the relationship might destroy them both—yet she also knows that they can never be apart.

In MATED, Winter and her crush embark on a dangerous quest to retrieve the magic relic and save their friends their school.

Yet they have no idea of the fate awaiting them—or what they will need to do for each other to survive.

Creating an unforgettable world of vampires, werewolves, shifters and magic of all sorts, a world of fantasy, love and sacrifice, MORTAL will take you to another place, rife with shocking twists and turns. Fans of books such as Vampire Academy and Twilight and Crush are sure to fall in love!

Future books in the series are also available.

"The story was very well written and was unique as compared to other shifter stories.”

--Reader review (The Alpha’s Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.”

--Reader review (My True Mate)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Emmeline Gray's fate was sealed. Her father, Lord Gray, had betrayed the Lunar Council, and now she had to pay the price. The Council had condemned her to serve the ruthless Rogue King, Cedric Silver. As Emmeline entered the dark castle, she felt trapped. The air reeked of malice, and Cedric's piercing gaze cut through her like a knife. "Speak out of turn, and you're dead," Cedric warned, his voice low and menacing. His eyes seemed to bore into her soul, and Emmeline felt a shiver run down her spine. "You'll submit, Emmeline," Cedric continued, his voice dripping with an undercurrent of desire. "Your father's sins won't be forgiven, but maybe you can earn redemption." Emmeline's heart pounded in her chest as their gazes met. She recognized the unmistakable spark – Cedric Silver, the feared Rogue King, was her mate. Cedric's eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire as he took a step closer to her. "You're mine now, Emmeline," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. "And I always claim what's mine." Emmeline's pulse quickened as she felt the weight of Cedric's gaze. She knew she should be afraid, but a part of her was drawn to the darkness that lurked within him. Tied to the man who embodied her family's destruction, Emmeline's life was now a twisted dance between loyalty, survival, and her own heart. Would she find redemption, or would darkness consume her?

Gina and I were just ordinary werewolves in the Silver Claw Pack. Our incomes were modest, but we married well. Her mate was the captain of the Silver Claw Pack patrol unit. Mine, the fire squad leader. They grew up together—childhood friends—and were the youngest golden duo in the Werewolf Alliance. On the day we married, our mates each bought us a luxury high-rise apartment on the top floor of the central castle, side by side, with the promise of sharing life and death together. That is, until that fateful night. Rogues broke into the central zone. Chaos reached even the upper levels of our building. The tower caught fire. Amidst the thick smoke, I sent a desperate mind-link to my mate. He blocked it. Turns out, both our mates were busy shielding their shared first love, Lifu. They ignored our calls for help. Gina dragged me as we ran. She was six months pregnant; her pup was already kicking from the panic. Her mate never showed up either. We made it to the stairwell, where we were trapped for five hours. Toxic fumes filled our lungs. I went into labor too early. My pup didn't make it. Gina bled for three days in the hospital. Her pup was gone too. Meanwhile, our mates were digging through the wreckage—twenty-four hours straight—searching for Lifu's lost dog. That was it. Right then and there, Gina and I looked at each other and knew. We were done.

MARKED is book #4 in a new paranormal romance series by bestselling author Bella Lore, whose series MY TRUE MATE and THE ALPHA’S MATE have over 500 five-star reviews. “I couldn’t stop reading.” --Amazon review (My True Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ When her father suddenly dies, Winter Grace, 17, is forced to fly across the country and attend a mysterious prep school, an ancient castle in a fog-covered island on the coast of Maine. Nothing here is what it seems, and it isn’t long before Winter, feeling a surging power for the first time, realizes that she is not who—or what—she thinks she is. But when Winter feels an inexplicable crush for an elusive and dangerous boy at the school, she realizes a greater destiny is at play. She knows the relationship might destroy them both—yet she also knows that they can never be apart. In MARKED, it is time for Winter to return on the epic quest back to save her school—but first, it is time for her to now sacrifice it all, and find—and save—her lost love. Creating an unforgettable world of vampires, werewolves, shifters and magic of all sorts, a world of fantasy, love and sacrifice, MORTAL will take you to another place, rife with shocking twists and turns. Fans of books such as Vampire Academy and Twilight and Crush are sure to fall in love! Future books in the series are also available. "The story was very well written and was unique as compared to other shifter stories.” --Amazon review (The Alpha’s Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Excellent from start to finish and leaves you wanting more.” --Amazon review (My True Mate) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The next day I woke up, I am now the fiance of the Duke of Dubois Castle, or known as Lemon. “I am a demon who lives by desire and greed, you have yielded with the contract that you have exchanged with your life?” “Then what do you want?” “I want the whole of you Veta Le Blanchet, not just your blood, heart and soul, it is the whole of you.” Theroux Claude, the third prince of the kingdom. “Lady Le Blanchet, just how can you stand still this demon duke? If you ever get tired of him, you are always welcome to my palace.” Another troublesome man, my childhood friend when I was at the academy, Durand Gagnon. “I have attained this nickname not just because I follow all his Majesty’s order, but because I want to have a stronghold in the knight position so that I can support you my Lady, remember that my oath is only for you.” Then, what is my cousin thinking that he would say such things? “Sister, I have finally inherited the title of the Baron, please come back to our fief, and I will make sure to bring back the glory of our family!” As I try to relinquish the past, the more troublesome it becomes. Is clinging to the tiny bit of my life a wrong choice? And why is the temple spying on me? “Lady Le Blanchet is the only descendant of the family, you shouldn’t involve yourself farther with the Demon Duke.” “It’s done my Lady, as long as it is you, I can give everything, even if I destroy this Kingdom.” Hold on, just what on earth this demon wants from me?