Vern Tessio

She was never meant to be loved—only used. Lorelie Montgomery was the illegitimate daughter of a powerful political dynasty, raised in silence and trained to serve. When her family arranged a marriage between her and Governor Sebastian Kingston, she knew it was just another move in a game she never asked to play. To the public, they were the perfect political couple. Behind closed doors, there were strangers bound by suspicion, secrets and hidden agendas. Sebastian saw her as his pawn to get close to her corrupt family. Lorelie never trusted him and wanted nothing more than to escape from him and her family. Every smile was rehearsed. Every word was measured. Every laugh was practiced. Every touch was calculated. But as the lines between ally and enemy blur, and buried truths claw their way to the surface, Lorelie begins to see the cracks in Sebastian’s armor—and he starts to question everything he thought he knew about his wife. Can love save them from the lies that built their world? Or will it be the reason they lose everything?

“I hate you for bringing me here! I hate you for forcing me to live among wolves when I'm the only human. They all hate me! I am a prey, a pet, a weakling waiting to be devoured. How could you do this to me?” I cried as I stared the Alpha in the eye. I had just tried to escape again, but he caught me as always. There was something in his eyes. It was rage. Possessive and protective rage. “If anyone makes you feel insecure because you're human, I'll make sure their heads roll at their feet. Nobody is permitted to hurt you. Because you're mine. My mate. My Luna,” he replied. *** For 18 good years of my life, my father has kept me hidden from the outside world. Everything I wanted, he provided... Except to interact with people and live outside the walls of my wing in his mansion. All of a sudden, one night, he wants us to leave everything behind and flee. Flee from what? He won't say. Until strange men barge in and the leader of them has the face of the monster who has plagued my dreams every night for a decade. And then the monster proclaimed me his mate and took me away from the world I’ve ever known.

Ich war mit dem Wolfsgift Silbermondkraut infiziert, das sich langsam im Körper ausbreitete, und stand kurz vor dem Tod. Aber das einzige Allheilmittel, das mich retten konnte, wurde von meinem Gefährten Leo gekauft und meiner Stiefschwester Jane geschenkt. Weil er dachte, ich würde meine Krankheit nur vortäuschen. Ich gab die konservative Behandlung auf und nahm starke Schmerzmittel. Der Preis dafür war, dass meine Organe nach drei Tagen versagten und ich letztendlich starb. In jenen drei Tagen vor meinem Tod gab ich alles auf. Als ich Jane die von mir eigenhändig gegründete Pelzfabrik schenkte, lobten mich meine Eltern dafür, wie sehr ich doch meine Schwester liebte. Als ich vorschlug, die Gefährtenbindung aufzulösen, lobte mich Leo dafür, dass ich endlich vernünftig geworden war. Als ich meine Tochter bat, Jane von nun an „Mama“ zu nennen, sagte sie glücklich, dass ihre Mama Jane sie sowieso immer am besten behandelt hatte. Als ich Jane meine gesamten Ersparnisse übertrug, bemerkte meine Familie nichts Ungewöhnliches, sondern war nur zufrieden mit meinem Verhalten: „Endlich ist Anna nicht mehr so bösartig.“ Ich wusste nicht, ob sie es nach meinem Tod bereuen würden.