Val Westover Burns

She was never meant to be a bride. Let alone his. Mute. Marked. Mistreated. Isla has always been a ghost in her own pack—silent, unseen, and used. But when the spoiled daughter of her Alpha refuses to marry the ruthless Mad Alpha Lucien, she offers Isla as a substitute. Thrown into a deadly game of deception, Isla must pretend to be the bride of Alpha Lucien, and must not be found out as a fake as her life relies on it. But Lucien isn’t the monster the rumors say—he’s something far more dangerous. He’s her mate. And she feels nothing—— which day by day, is making Lucien grow more obsessed with her. He wants answers. And she wants her freedom. Which one would prevail? Love or freedom? And what happens when Lucien finds out that Isla is not just a mute bride, and she’s far far more than what he’ll ever be? Find out in this gripping story. Perfect for people who like slow burns, fated mates and stolen identity.

“You’re my goddamn stepbrother. You know this, so let’s set boundaries,” I whisper as if I’m speaking of something abominable. But it’s something that should be normal. Sane. Logical. Then Riven Rythrone lifts a hand and grabs my chin, forcing my gaze up to his. His eyes don’t belong to someone normal. They belong to someone dark. Abnormal. Insane. Illogical. “You begged to be mine. Remember?” My breath hitches, my pulse riots, and my body stupidly flinches as he snakes a hand around my waist, dragging me closer. Close into his twisted, demented world, where he rules, where reason burns, and where I’m the only thing he refuses to let go of. Twenty-year-old Adelina West has no reason to hate her mother’s marriage to a California millionaire. But when a devil with blue eyes is involved, resentment comes easy. She wants to escape him. He wants to own her. And when Riven Rythrone wants something, not even blood or sin can stop him.

Mia Romano never wanted the mafia life. The daughter of a ruthless Don, she dreamed of freedom, of love beyond blood-soaked vows. But her world shatters when her father forces her into marriage with Mark DeLuca—his cold, calculating right-hand man. Handsome, loyal, and untouchable, Mark has secretly loved Mia for years, though she has always belonged to another. Trapped in a loveless arrangement, Mia despises him, clinging to her boyfriend, the one man who ever made her feel normal. But Mark’s world is one of power, protection, and unshakable devotion. And when rivals close in, Mia discovers the dangerous fire that burns beneath Mark’s calm surface. As they sleep in separate rooms, jealousy brews, especially when Mark’s alluring ex moves into their lives. What begins as hatred slowly twists into longing, obsession, and passion. But in the mafia world, love comes with blood, betrayal, and deadly consequences. Will Mia surrender to the man she swore she would never love—or will her heart destroy them both? Read to find out.

In the gritty shadows of Chicago, Lucian “The Reaper” Moretti, the city’s most feared mafia kingpin, rules with a cold heart and a deadly hand—until Ethan Caldwell, a closeted FBI agent, shatters his world. For two years, Ethan lived a lie as “Evan,” Lucian’s trusted right hand man—battling the burn of forbidden lust while feeding the FBI the evidence to destroy him. But one reckless night, lust wins. In the heat of their only night together, bodies collide—just before the raid blows everything apart and Ethan’s betrayal is revealed. Now, after a year in prison, Lucian is free—and out for blood. Torn between vengeance and the ghost of Ethan’s touch, he begins the hunt. Meanwhile Ethan drowns in guilt, trapped in a fake engagement and a life built on lies. In a city where love is a death sentence, can two broken men survive each other, or will their blood-soaked bond tear them apart? A pulse-pounding MM mafia romance where betrayal cuts deep, obsession burns hotter than sin, and love may be the deadliest weapon of all.

They killed her on her twentieth birthday. Her own brother sold her like cattle while his best friend watched her bleed out in the woods all for the "greater good" of their failing pack. Ivory Vale died with tears in her eyes. A betrayal like no other. One year later, she was reborn with a hunger for revenge that threatens to consume what's left of her soul. *** Dangerous, devastatingly handsome, and absolutely lethal, Dante Torrino has never met a threat he couldn't eliminate until he finds a silver-haired she-wolf covered in fluid who makes his control crack. He should kill her. His family's ancient curse demands it. Every instinct screams she's dangerous. Instead, he saves her life and finds himself drawn into her web of vengeance and secrets. Because the more he learns about her death, the more he realizes her enemies might be connected to his own family's dark empire. Some betrayals run deeper than death. Some vengeance burns hotter than hellfire. And some loves are worth being reborn for.

To save Hugh, I took the hit—literally. The kidnappers beat me so bad I ended up with a brain hemorrhage. My mind? Stuck at thirteen. Hugh, all guilt and promises, said, "Wenna, I'll protect you forever." And he did. He watched over me. When the house caught fire, he threw himself over me, took the burns, didn't flinch. Then came his oh-so-perfect foster sister. "Mia's not into... slow people. Maybe you should live next door," he said. And my son? The one I nearly died bringing into the world? "Stupid woman! You embarrass me and Dad. You're nothing like Aunt Mia—she's smart and pretty. If it weren't for you, she could've been my mom. You should just die!" To play hero for Mia, my son shoved me into the street. A truck did the rest. When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day Hugh proposed. This time? I wasn't here for his pity. And I sure as hell wasn't marrying him.

In a world where loyalty bleeds and love burns, Luna Seraphina Dumaris thought her greatest sin was being unloved. But on her second wedding anniversary, she discovers the unthinkable — her husband, Alpha Rowan Dumaris, has been sharing his bed not with another woman… but with her brother. Betrayed. Shamed. Trapped in an “open marriage” she never asked for, Seraphina flees into the night and crosses into forbidden territory — the Rogue border, ruled by the Devil’s Riders, two outlaw biker Alphas feared across every kingdom. Lysander and Lucien Thornvale were once heirs to the BlueMoon Pack — until a prophecy branded them cursed. Now, they live by no Alpha’s law… until a broken Luna walks into their bar and into their lives. Her mark awakens something savage inside them — something ancient, powerful, and dangerously bound to fate. What begins as revenge spirals into obsession. Desire turns into destiny. But the curse binding them all demands a price: to save the twins, Seraphina must sacrifice herself. And as war brews between kingdoms, forbidden lovers, and fated bonds, one truth remains — sometimes, the greatest rebellion is to love who you were never meant to touch.

Some chains are made of iron, others are forged by fate. Edrian Lorne has never dreamed of freedom. Born a slave, trained to obey, and scarred by a master’s cruelty, he has learned one truth: hope is dangerous, but when war tears his world apart, he finds himself standing before the Crown Prince of DarkMoonCrest… and the impossible happened when their eyes met, and the mate bond roared to life. Prince Xander Veyrion has spent his life pursuing one thing, the throne. The bond to a slave is a threat to everything he has built, to every alliance he needs. Yet denying the pull between them proves harder than ruling a kingdom cursed to rot without a noble-born mate. In the shadows of court intrigue, deadly magic, and whispers of rebellion, the bond between Edrian and Xander burns hotter with each stolen glance and forbidden touch. But when betrayal strikes and a killing curse forces their hands, they must decide, cling to ambition and lose each other, or defy the kingdom and claim a love that could bring an empire to its knees. A slave with no hope. A prince with everything to lose. And a bond that could change the fate of a kingdom.

Jesse sets the flowers down on the dining table, plucking the card off the little holder to read out the contents. “Dearest Jesse, just wanted you to know that I'm thinking about you. I hope you're thinking about me too. Love--" He pauses and squints before cocking an eyebrow and pursing his lips turning to face his brother. "Wal, why is the boss of your little boy band gang professing his love to his son’s babysitter?" Wallace drops the noodles on the floor with a loud curse as he burns his hand. ************* Jesse offers to be a babysitter to a kid he hasn’t even met until he realizes he’s babysitting a mafia’s kid. The same mafia he had a one night run in with. Infuriated, he tries to back out since he has been trying his hardest to avoid the criminal life for a long time despite being born into it, but a cute kid and an infuriating Mafia Lord keeps pulling him deeper into the mix.

Naïve and young, she-wolf Mariana Rose took the fall for her mate, Evan Hugh, agreeing to serve time in prison for a murder he committed. He promised to free her within a month—and marry her. But none of that happened. Instead of freedom, she received a wedding invitation from him and a death certificate of her father. Now, vengeance burns hotter than heartbreak. Furious to the core, she accepted a deal from a mysterious woman who bailed her out and arranged for her plastic surgery. Given a new face, Mariana is reborn into a princess. Under a stolen identity as the youngest daughter of the elite Silverthorne pack, she is ordered to infiltrate the most powerful pack in history. But her cover is threatened by the dangerous Rozen Ricks—the clan’s brooding alpha with a chilling aura, whose dark fearsome eyes pierce through her lies who seemed to know exactly what she’s hiding. He thinks she’s a threat, an enemy. She knows he’s a monster. And neither of them is ready for the forbidden fire that ignites between them.