Val Westover Burns

~BOOK ONE OF THE LOVE SERIES. Love’s darkest spark. ❧ To my darlings who wants to be owned and dominated, here is a perfect chance to get on your fucking knees. ❧ Love didn’t save them, hate did. Nicole Daniels never imagined her world would fall apart so violently. Betrayed by her husband, backstabbed by her best friend, and left grieving a child she never got to hold. She's done pretending to be okay. When Rhett Otis, her ex-husband’s cold and infuriating stepbrother, offers her a contract marriage with an offer she can’t refuse, she accepts without hesitation. It’s not love, It’s not hope. It’s survival and revenge or so she told herself. Yet she didn’t fall for him. She crashed, burned, and never recovered. While Rhett told her they were just business but he kissed her like she was his. He was supposed to stay away from her but he married her instead. She was forbidden, but he craved her destruction— hated her for slipping under his skin and hated himself even more for needing her to stay there. What began as a business arrangement becomes a brutal tangle of secrets, yearning, and something neither of them dare name. Enemies. Pretenders. Liars. That’s all they were ever meant to be. But sometimes, pretend hate burns too hot and love becomes the darkest spark.

Evelyn "Evie" Moretti never wanted to be part of the mafia world. The daughter of a disgraced underboss, she’s spent her life dreaming of freedom—a life far away from the violence and betrayal that destroyed her family. But when her father’s debts to the powerful Romano crime family spiral out of control, Evie is forced to pay the price: an arranged marriage to Don Alessandro "Alessio" Romano, the ruthless and enigmatic head of the Romano family. Alessio is as cold as he is handsome, a man shrouded in darkness and driven by a thirst for revenge. From the moment Evie meets him, it’s clear that their marriage is no love story. It’s a transaction, a way to settle a debt and secure power. But as Evie is thrust into Alessio’s world of luxury, danger, and deceit, she begins to realize that there’s more to their union than meets the eye. Alessio harbours a deep hatred for her family, and his cruelty toward her is both calculated and personal. As Evie struggles to survive in her new life, she uncovers shocking secrets about her family’s past—and Alessio’s true motives for marrying her. Betrayed at every turn, she must navigate a treacherous web of lies, power struggles, and forbidden desires. But the more she learns, the more she questions who she can trust—and whether she can resist the dangerous pull of the man who holds her captive in every way. Bound by Blood and Betrayal is a dark, emotional mafia romance filled with twists, tension, and a love that burns as fiercely as it destroys. Can Evie find a way to escape Alessio’s grip, or will she lose herself in the shadows of his world?

She was the outcast, the wolfless disgrace of a powerful bloodline. He was the ruthless bully who made sure she never forgot it. But something has changed. The whispers have shifted, the stares linger longer, and the power she was never meant to have is finally awakening. Now, the one who broke her is the one who won’t leave her alone. Desperation laces his every move, regret burns in his eyes. But some wounds don’t heal, and some betrayals can’t be forgiven. He swore she was nothing. So why is he acting like she’s everything?

Dr. Mira Lane was never meant to return to the world of wolves. After surviving the night her pack was slaughtered, she buried her past and her pain, becoming one of the best trauma surgeons in the human world. She doesn’t shift. She doesn’t trust. And she definitely doesn’t believe in mates. Until the night he is brought into her ER. Alpha Grey Maddox. He was bleeding, unconscious, and radiating the same wild power she’s tried to forget. He’s the leader of the very pack that once betrayed hers. And fate just marked him as her mate. Saving him means more than stitching wounds. It means exposing her secrets. Reawakening the wolf she swore she’d never be again. And stepping back into a world where power is everything… and love can kill. Grey is dangerous, controlling, and loyal to a war she wants no part in. But the bond between them burns hotter each day and when enemies begin hunting Mira for reasons she doesn’t understand, Grey may be the only one who can protect her. But he wants more than her trust. He wants her submission. Her loyalty. Her heart. And Mira must decide: will she run from the mate who could break her or fight for the only love that ever felt real?

Bella Manuel, the overlooked Omega of the Greywolf Pack, has spent her life enduring the whispers, the ridicule, and the weight of knowing she will never be more than a background figure in her own pack. But when her long-awaited mate is revealed at a grand birthday celebration, she dares to hope—only to have her heart shattered. He rejects her in front of everyone, leaving her humiliated and broken. Determined not to be the weak, discarded Omega everyone expects her to be, Bella makes a bold choice—she will make him regret ever turning his back on her. But just as she begins to plot her revenge, fate throws an unexpected twist her way. The Moon Goddess, in her infinite wisdom, may have granted her something far greater than a cruel mate—something far more dangerous. A second chance mate. He is powerful. He is ruthless. And he is not fully wolf. Thrown into the path of a Hybrid feared across packs, Bella must decide whether to run from this terrifying new destiny or embrace the fire that burns between them. But is she truly ready to handle a mate whose darkness might consume her? Who is this Hybrid, and can Bella survive the force of his claim?

“Give me one reason, Liv.” He stalked toward me, cornering me against the edge of the desk. “One good reason why I shouldn’t bend you over this desk and fuck you senseless.” My breath caught. “This is wrong, Damon. So wrong.” I pressed my palms flat against his chest, trying to create space. “You’re my brother-in-law…” “Not yet, love,” he whispered, fingers curling around my waist possessively. “You’re still engaged to him, but the man you’ll be getting married to…” Two fingers slipped into my heat, making me gasp. “…is me.” I should’ve walked away. I should’ve resisted. But I couldn't forget what it felt like to be his. * Olivia have the perfect life. The perfect fiancé. Marcus is everything she thought she wanted—sweet, charming, dependable. Safe. She thought she have it all figured out... Until the night of her engagement party, when she comes face-to-face with Damon—her ex. The man who had broken, damaged and left her for ruin, three years ago. The man she’s about to call brother-in-law. Now, old wounds rip open. Feelings she thought she buried, clawed their way back to the surface. And the man she once loved? He isn’t asking this time. Damon wants her back. And he’ll burn every bridge, including the one with his own brother—to make her his again. NOTE TO READERS: This is a dark, emotional, and scorching hot love story. It features a possessive anti-hero, messy family drama, emotional trauma, and morally gray decisions. If you’re looking for a soft romance with flowers and sunshine, this might not be it. But if you crave forbidden passion, flawed characters, and a love story that burns through betrayal and pains… Welcome to Olivia and Damon’s world.

The night Alpha Kieran Steele turned down Aria Blackwood as his mate in front of the whole Crescent Moon Pack, she believed her life was ended. She spent three years establishing a new life as a renegade hunter, pursuing dangerous werewolves that pose a threat to human settlements, after being expelled and humiliated. She has vowed never again to participate in pack politics and is stronger and more deadly. However, Aria is forced to cooperate with the same pack that sent her away as a string of vicious killings shakes the supernatural society. Even worse, she is compelled to date Kieran, the guy whose rejection almost crushed her and who now maintains that their mate bond was never really severed. For the past three years, Kieran has been regretting his decision every day. He has seen his pack disintegrate from the inside out as a result of pressure from pack elders to turn down his "weak" mate in favor of a political alliance, and he still has nightmares about Aria's damaged eyes. He needs the one woman who has every reason to despise him now that the bodies are piling up and a rogue alpha is endangering all he has vowed to defend. Aria and Kieran must face the falsehoods that destroyed them and the fiery heat that still burns between them as they pursue a killer who appears to know every move they make. However, the adversary they are seeking has a perverse link to their history, and a scheme that will force them to choose between their emotions and their pack. Can two shattered souls create a link that is strong enough to withstand betrayal, violence, and the ultimate test of fate in a world where second chances are scarce and trust is a luxury they cannot afford?

Sienna Calder swore she’d never touch her father’s world—Dorian Ashford, shipping mogul and billionaire king, left her mom to rot while he built his empire. She’s there to curse his grave when he dies, not to claim a dime. But his will traps her, naming her co-heir to his $50 billion legacy alongside Roman Valtieri, the brooding, hard-edged protégé who’s clawed his way into Dorian’s shadow—and now into hers. They’re to run the empire together or lose it all, and Sienna hates him for it: too slick, too close, every look a spark she doesn’t want. Then a letter from Dorian’s cold hand ignites the fire—he was murdered, and Roman’s name’s scratched beside the truth. A silver key and a vial of blood—hers, his—drag her deeper, promising answers locked in Ashford estate.But the walls crash in fast: Ezra Locke, a scarred snake with a grin like a blade, wants that key, and he’ll drown the place to get it. Roman’s her lifeline—gun drawn, hands steady, pulling her from the flood—and she loathes how his touch burns, how his voice steadies her when the water’s at her throat. Caught between rage and a pull she can’t name, Sienna fights the heat growing with every near miss—Roman’s too damn solid, too damn close, and she’s torn between shoving him away and pulling him in. The empire’s crumbling, the cliff’s falling, and Ezra’s not the only shadow circling—something darker watches, waiting. Love’s a gamble when blood’s the stake, and Sienna’s playing with a deck her father rigged. Can she trust Roman’s hands to hold her up, or will the crown they’re fighting for crush them both in its ashes?

“I’m done with you, Aurora Fernandez—if that’s even your name.” Mia’s voice trembled with rage as she turned for the door. “You’ll regret refusing me,” Aurora snapped behind her. Mia's hand touched the knob—just as it turned on its own. The door creaked open. Her heart dropped. Standing in the doorway was a face she never wanted to see again. Lucius Lovato. The cold, merciless CEO of the department store where she'd once worked. His eyes swept over her with visible disdain. “Who is this little thing, Eva?” he asked, his voice hoarse and biting. And just like that, Mia knew—she was trapped again. Wrongfully accused. Publicly humiliated. Betrayed by the only man she ever loved. Mia Simpson thought she'd hit rock bottom. Then came the offer—escape prison and start over, under one terrifying condition: seduce and marry Lucius Lovato, the mafia heir with a heart of ice and a soul no one dares touch. But Mia isn’t the fragile girl the world thinks she is. She agrees to the deal—on her own terms. Behind her innocent eyes burns a thirst for revenge, and the deeper she steps into the dark world of power, blood, and secrets, the more dangerous she becomes. Lucius, however, is not a man easily fooled. Every attempt to break him only draws him closer. And every secret Mia hides? He already suspects. As enemies close in and her hidden past begins to unravel, Mia discovers a horrifying truth—she is not just a girl caught in the middle of a mafia war. She is the legacy of something much greater… and much more feared. He was her mission. She was his undoing. But in the underworld, love might just be the most dangerous weapon of all.

She’s the one woman who said no. Now he’ll do anything to make her his even if it means breaking every rule he built his empire on. Ava Sinclair doesn’t bow. Not to billionaires, not to power, and definitely not to Luca Hart the cold, calculating tech mogul who thinks everything has a price. When he tries to buy her company and erase her legacy, she slams the door in his face. She doesn’t expect him to come back. She definitely doesn’t expect him to come for her. Forced into a temporary partnership to contain a public scandal, Ava and Luca collide behind closed doors sharp tongues, sharp tempers, and sharper attraction. He’s grumpy, ruthless, and infuriatingly hot. She’s stubborn, brilliant, and determined to hate him. But every fight pulls them closer. Every look burns hotter. And when the anger cracks, the need between them is vicious,raw, consuming, inevitable. Then the threats start. The shadows close in. Someone wants Ava silenced. Someone who knows she’s not just a woman with a sharp mind and a guarded heart She’s the living vault for secrets that were never supposed to surface. As her hidden past unravels, Ava realizes the most dangerous thing isn’t losing her company. It’s losing herself. And Luca? He’s no longer fighting for a deal. He’s fighting for the only thing he’s never been able to buy, break, or control: Her. In a world built on lies, they’re each other’s only truth. And the deeper they fall, the more everything around them burns.