Bound to the Bastard Alpha
They gave Fiona to the crippled bastard as a cruel joke-the adopted daughter married off to the wheelchair-bound outcast nobody wanted.
Her real crime? Existing when the true heiress returned. Her mate rejected her for her manipulative sister. Her family cast her aside. And her forced husband? He's cold, cruel, and makes it clear he despises this arrangement as much as she does.
But something's not adding up. The man in the wheelchair spends money like he owns the world. He stands up for her when no one else will. And there's something disturbingly familiar about his voice, his touch, the way he looks at her.
Then one night, he stands up from that wheelchair, and Fiona realizes she's been played.
Her husband isn't a helpless outcast. He's the most powerful Alpha in the country, and he's been hiding in plain sight.
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Chapter 2
Fiona's POV
The club was dimly lit and pulsing with bass that vibrated through my chest, mixing with hushed whispers and laughter from people I couldn't see clearly. The mask covering my face gave me something I desperately needed right now: anonymity.
Freedom.
This place was known for its masked events and indulgence in everything considered immoral by polite society. A month ago, I never would have set foot in a place like this. The former heiress of a respected family didn't go to clubs where people hid their identities and did things they'd never admit to in daylight.
But that girl was gone.
I'd spent my whole life trying to be the perfect daughter they wanted. I sacrificed everything I wanted, every dream I had, molding myself into their image of perfection. And it was never enough. No matter how hard I tried, I was always the outsider, the disposable one they could throw away the second their real daughter came home.
Blood was thicker than water. That was the lesson I'd learned.
And now they wanted to marry me off to some stranger, some man who was supposed to be Serena's betrothed originally. They were using me as a tool again, a replacement for their precious biological daughter who deserved better.
Well, I was done being their obedient little puppet.
The vibrant energy of the club pulsed around me as I settled into a secluded corner, scanning the room for a potential companion for the night. If I was going to be forced into marriage with some decrepit man I'd never met, then I was damn well going to make this decision for myself first. I refused to surrender my virginity to a stranger against my will. I'd give it to whoever I wanted, on my own terms.
My eyes roamed the crowd and suddenly locked onto another pair across the room.
We stared at each other through our masks, and something electric sparked between us. Time seemed to slow down, suspended in the tension crackling through the air.
But before I could even process what I was feeling, an unwelcome hand snaked around my waist with a touch that was all too familiar.
My heart lurched.
I turned to confront whoever had the audacity to grab me like that, and the scent of his cologne hit me like a tidal wave of memories I'd rather drown.
Nathan.
My ex-mate stood there with a mask covering his face and a cocky grin that made my skin crawl. Despite the disguise, I recognized him instantly.
I almost scoffed out loud and blew my cover right then and there. The irony was almost laughable. Here he was, the same man who'd broken my heart for my sister just hours ago, claiming it was all about love and destiny and other absolute garbage, and now he was at a masked party hitting on random women.
The thought crossed my mind to call Serena over and expose him for the scumbag he really was. But then a wave of gratitude washed over me instead.
Gratitude that we weren't mates anymore.
Scumbags belonged with scumbags. And I deserved so much better than the likes of him.
"Are you here alone? Would you like some company, beautiful?" His voice dripped with fake charm that made my stomach turn.
I scoffed loudly, unable to hide my disgust.
The fact that he didn't recognize me beneath this mask, even though I'd known him instantly, just proved how one-sided our relationship had always been. He'd never really seen me at all.
I refused to dignify him with a response because speaking would give away my voice, so I ignored him completely and pretended he didn't exist.
But he kept pushing.
"Do you not hear me? I am speaking to you." His tone turned harsh and annoyed.
I stayed silent and got off my chair, determined to find another spot far away from him.
But before I could take more than two steps, he seized my hands with brutal force and yanked me back hard enough to make me wince.
"Who the hell do you think you are, ignoring me like that?" he spat, his anger radiating off him in waves. "Dressed like a whore and acting like some noble lady? Do you even know who you are giving this stupid attitude?"
His words sliced through me but I kept my mouth shut, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response that would reveal who I was.
I tried to pull away again but he grabbed me by the waist, his grip tightening like a vice. I struggled against him, panic rising in my throat as I fought to keep my mask in place.
His fingers inched toward my face, reaching for the edges of my disguise.
"You think you're invincible, hiding behind that mask, right?" he sneered, venom dripping from every word. "Let's see what happens when it's off. You'll never be able to work anywhere again, never live peacefully once I get to know who you are. I'll make sure of it. You slut-"
Before his fingers could touch my mask, his body was suddenly ripped away from me.
I spun around and found the stranger I'd locked eyes with earlier now standing between us like a wall. In one swift motion, he delivered a devastating punch to Nathan's face that sent him stumbling backward with a cry of pain.
Blood poured from his nose and his lip split open from the impact. He tried to regain his footing but the stranger stepped forward, his stance radiating barely controlled violence.
"She does not need to speak before you know that she does not want you, you pervert!" The man's deep voice resonated through the room and made me swallow hard.
"Do you know who I am? How dare you punch me? How-" Nathan sputtered, trying to salvage his pride as he scrambled up from the floor. But the stranger towered over him, his build and presence so intimidating that Nathan visibly shrank back in fear.
"That's what I thought. Now, will you get lost before I break your hands too?" The threat in his voice was crystal clear.
Nathan glanced around nervously, realized he was completely outmatched, and started backing away while hurling empty threats over his shoulder in a pathetic attempt to save face.
Once he slunk away into the crowd, the tension finally eased and I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
This stranger had just saved me from a disaster, and gratitude flooded through me.
I turned to face him, wanting to thank him properly, but he spoke first. "You alright?"
I nodded and offered him a small smile. "Thank you so much."
"Oh, so she has a voice. I wonder why she did not use it with that man then, uh?" He referred to me in third person, and despite everything, it pulled a smile from my lips.
"Well, not even my voice deserves to be wasted on certain miscreants, don't you think?" I kept my tone low and laced with sarcasm.
"Hmm, you may be right. But what is a beautiful damsel like you doing in a place like this? Even with the revealing gown, you look out of place here. I can't put my finger on it, but you really don't fit. I wouldn't be surprised if this is your first time."
"Well, it is indeed my first time here," I admitted, adding a hint of mystery to my words. "And I am here on a mission."
"Hmm, are you a spy watching a target then?" His eyes gleamed with amusement behind his mask.
"Not really." I leaned in closer, letting my voice drop to something more alluring. "I'm simply a woman looking for a man to spend the night with."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise and a smirk tugged at my lips as I watched his reaction.
"Why the astonishment? Surely you don't believe women should not be able to enjoy the pleasures of casual intimacy just like men?" I teased, my gaze daring him to challenge me.
He stumbled over his words, clearly caught off guard. "Uhm... no, that's not it. I am sorry if I-"
I chuckled softly and leaned back, enjoying the power shift between us. "Relax, darling. You look so shaken."
His breath hitched slightly and his eyes darkened with something that made heat pool in my stomach. "And have you found what you're looking for yet?"
I met his gaze head-on and let a sultry smile play across my lips. "Not quite."
I leaned in closer and let my fingertips trail lightly across his arm, feeling him shiver under my touch. "But I have a feeling," I murmured, my breath warm against his ear, "that you could help me with that."
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8.9
Debora went to prison to protect the man she loved, only to end up a paroled convict living under the roof of her abusive foster parents.
When they found her positive pregnancy test from a one-night stand, they threatened to kick her out and send her straight back to a cell.
Just as they were about to report her, the stranger from that dark hotel room suddenly appeared.
He paid her foster parents one million dollars to marry her and take her away.
Debora thought she was finally safe.
But the moment they were alone, he looked at her with pure, venomous hatred.
He didn't want a wife; he wanted a prisoner.
He believed Debora was the ruthless murderer who had destroyed his life in a car crash, and he planned to make her suffocate in her own despair.
He didn't know she was just a scapegoat.
To survive and protect her baby, Debora found a job at a bridal shop, only to run into the real culprit—the man who actually drove the car and framed her.
He was now happily engaged to a wealthy heiress.
They deliberately ruined a priceless wedding gown and blamed it on her.
"Kneel on this floor and apologize, or I'm calling the police to revoke your parole!"
Why did she have to rot in hell for his sins, while the man she married wanted to destroy her?
Just as her trembling knees were about to touch the cold marble floor, the heavy glass doors were violently shoved open.
Her billionaire husband strode in like a force of nature, his eyes locked onto the wealthy couple with a terrifying, destructive rage.
8.7
For three years, I played the perfect, submissive housewife to billionaire Julian Harrison.
But right after an intimate night together, he coldly threw a divorce agreement onto the bed.
"Scarlett landed an hour ago. I need my single status restored to welcome her back."
That same night, I ended up in the emergency room and discovered I was pregnant with twins.
When Julian found out, he didn't show a shred of joy. Instead, he stormed into my hospital room, threw a blank check directly at my face, and ordered me to get rid of them.
He accused me of using the babies as a sick game to trap his assets.
Then, his ruthless lawyer kicked me out of our penthouse, confiscating the jewelry he gifted me and tossing my worn-out notebook onto the floor like garbage.
Standing in the freezing rain, my heart completely died.
I had swallowed my pride, managed his life, and cooked his meals to his exact standards for three years, only to be thrown away the second his first love returned.
But he didn't know that the notebook his lawyer discarded contained the secret formulas of Aura Beauty, a billion-dollar empire I built in the shadows.
I tore his check into pieces, blocked his number, and left in a Maybach sent by my associate.
Logging into my global CEO database, I looked at his company's fragile stock chart with a predatory smile.
The docile Mrs. Harrison died in the rain. It was time to crush his empire.
8.3
Lucas Vane was my ruin. My first love, my greatest regret, and the man who shattered my life before disappearing into the shadows. I thought I had finally escaped his reach, until a desperate debt forced me into a cold, clinical contract with the one man I should have feared more.
Victor Vane. The powerful, terrifying patriarch who doesn't know the girl he just bought was once his son's greatest obsession.
Now, I am trapped between two worlds. I am the wife of the father, bound by a signature and a ring, yet I am pursued by the son who is determined to reclaim what he lost. As the lines between hatred and desire blur, I find myself craving the touch of the man who owns me, and the man who broke me.
Secrets can only stay buried for so long. What happens when the King finds out his Queen belongs to the Prince?
9.0
To save her dying mother, Adaline walked into the Waldorf Astoria to deliver a shirt to her fiancé.
She didn't know her stepsister, June, had swapped her keycard. Adaline stumbled into a pitch-black suite and was brutally assaulted by a stranger in the dark.
The nightmare didn't end there. June paid off the only bone marrow donor for Adaline's mother to flee the city, and stole Adaline's fiancé. Bankrupt and desperate, Adaline was forced to sell herself into a loveless marriage with the ruthless billionaire Ferris Finch just to secure a medical team.
But when Ferris saw the dark, violent bruises covering her body, his eyes filled with absolute disgust.
"You make me sick. Pack up your cheap tricks."
He mocked her, calling her a filthy woman who couldn't even wash her lover's marks off before crawling into his house.
Adaline swallowed her pride and endured his cruel humiliation. When June publicly taunted her about the hotel assault, Adaline finally snapped, ending up handcuffed in a freezing police cell.
She thought she was completely out of moves, waiting to rot in prison while her new husband despised her.
But back at the estate, Ferris had just pulled the hotel's security footage.
Staring at the screen, the arrogant billionaire's face turned completely ashen.
He finally realized that the innocent woman he had destroyed in the dark that night, and the wife he was currently torturing, were the exact same person.
7.9
I went to the City Clerk's office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk's pitying look told me my entire life was a lie.
"The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single."
The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate.
Gray's text to her was the final blow:
"Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we're done with the charade."
I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray's life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance.
How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury.
I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street."
"I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray."
If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.
7.9
Erin woke up in her luxurious Fifth Avenue penthouse, three days after returning from the cold, sterile psychiatric hospital where her husband had locked her away.
On the night of their third anniversary, Crockett Winters came home smelling of his mistress's perfume, expecting his docile wife to serve him.
Instead of playing the obedient fool, Erin calmly exposed the million-dollar diamonds he had just bought for his lover.
Furious at her sudden defiance, Crockett tried to physically intimidate her, pinning her against a wall to reassert his dominance.
When his aggression failed, he threw a brutal divorce agreement on the table.
"Sign it, and you walk away with nothing. You can't survive without me, and you know it."
He sneered, convinced the ironclad prenup would terrify her. He thought her rebellion was just a pathetic, jealous tantrum, a desperate play for his attention while he continued to pamper his mistress.
He truly believed she was just a beautiful canary who would eventually crawl back to her gilded cage in tears.
But Erin didn't cry, and she didn't sign the papers.
Instead, she locked him out of the master suite and pulled out his unlimited Centurion card.
In a single night, she calmly spent ninety million dollars of his money to buy up prime real estate and hidden assets, taking the first step to build an empire that would completely destroy him.