Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Jessica Southern believed that love could conquer anything-even betrayal. So she staged a reckless kidnapping to test Alan Knight, the man who had adored her for fifteen years. But when he chose his fiancée over her, Jessica was left behind to die in a fiery explosion. Everyone thought she was gone forever. No body. No funeral. Only scandal and shame. Four years later, she walks back into his life-alive, beautiful, and carrying secrets that could shatter the perfect world he's built with her cousin, the woman he was supposed to marry. Now torn between guilt and obsession, Alan refuses to let Jessica go again. He wants answers, revenge, and most of all... her. But Jessica didn't come back for love. She came back to reveal the truth-and to make them all pay. When love turns to hate, and hate becomes obsession, can two broken hearts survive the fire they started?

Chapters

Chapter 11

Alan yanked her straight into his arms, gripping her soaked clothes in frustration. He was beyond pissed-she actually ran out in just a thin nightdress and his suit jacket? He'd ditched the jacket underwater to make swimming easier. Now that clinging, wet fabric was plastered all over her body, making her look even more exposed than if she'd worn nothing at all. There was no way he was letting Paul see her like this.

No way he could carry her bridal style like this-the nightdress was way too short. So, like hoisting a kid, he picked her up vertically with one arm and trudged up from the lakeside.

The chilly wind hit Jessica hard, making her shiver uncontrollably. Her teeth chattered, lips turning an alarming shade of purple.

"Coat!" Alan barked.

Paul quickly shrugged off his own coat and wrapped it around her.

"Alan, you're soaked too! Let Jessica go and wear my coat," Chloe offered, holding out her jacket.

From the moment he rushed over till now, Alan hadn't even looked at her. Chloe already realized she fell into Jessica's trap-but what could she say? Alan had seen everything with his own eyes. She couldn't even make up an excuse.

Panicked and flustered, Chloe's hands trembled as she held out the coat. She knew Alan hated Jessica, but he hadn't acted on it-and if he hadn't, neither could she. Going against his will? Not happening. He was always that kind of guy.

Alan didn't spare Chloe a glance. He just carried Jessica straight into the villa.

"Put me down! I can walk!" Jessica protested, squirming in his arms. She could feel the storm brewing behind his tightly clenched jaw.

She had intended to stir things up between him and Chloe. She knew him too well-he despised manipulative women. But clearly, things hadn't gone the way she'd hoped. Now, she just wanted out of his suffocating hold.

"Don't move. Keep it up and I'll toss you back in," he growled lowly.

Hell no. Jessica inhaled sharply. If only she could take him on-she'd really sock him. Chloe had literally just shoved her, and now he threatened to throw her?

She stayed still-not that it saved her from being dumped into a bathtub the next second.

Ouch! The impact nearly brought tears to her eyes. And before she could collect herself, his hands were already tearing at her clothes.

"What the hell, Alan! You jerk!" she screamed, pounding at him in outrage. That was the only wearable piece she had left, and now he'd ripped it too!Alan didn't even flinch at the small fists hitting him. He grabbed the showerhead and turned it on, letting the cold water stream over her. Her skin turned red from the chill, but he kept the water icy at first, only gradually turning the temperature up.

Jessica's leg cramped up again, worse than before. She couldn't even think about hitting him now, just curled up into a ball in the tub.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning at her scrunched-up, pained face.

"My leg... ahh!" Her toes curled in spasms as the pain shot through her.

Alan turned off the showerhead and perched on the edge of the tub, dragging her leg up onto his lap.

"Ah! That hurts! Don't touch me!" Jessica screamed, her voice raw.

Alan held her foot firmly, and his expression darkened. "Shut it."

He chucked a towel straight at her face. "Bite this. If you scream again, I swear I'll deal with you right now."

He practically yelled it.

With both hands, he pulled her leg straight despite her resistance. It was the quickest way to ease the cramp, but painful as hell.

Jessica's body trembled under the water from the sharp pain. She bit down hard on the towel, watching Alan's furious face. He looked like he meant every word.

By the time he was done with both of her legs, sweat was dripping from her forehead. It was only then that she realized just how awkward their position looked.

The water was clear, doing nothing to cover her. Everything about her was exposed right under his eyes.

She jerked her legs back and curled tightly into herself, trying to hide any part she could.

"I-I'm good now. I can wash up on my own..." she stammered. Since turning fifteen, she'd never been able to predict his moods. Whatever she said could end up ticking him off.

Sure, sometimes she messed with him on purpose, but that definitely wasn't the case now. Her tone was soft, almost cautious.

Alan stood, his tall figure looming. He reached out a hand toward her.

Jessica shrank back, but there was nowhere to run-she was backed up against the tub's edge. She hugged herself tighter. "Alan, don't touch me!" Her eyes flared, like a cat ready to claw.

His fingers caught her chin, his voice low and cold.

"I didn't touch you, so that gives you a reason to run to Chloe?"

Jessica froze, needing a moment to catch up to what he meant.

Then her temper exploded. "Alan! Get it straight-it was Chloe who pushed me in!"

Continue to next part

Lucas Graham's life unraveled on his eleventh birthday when his father returned home with a mistress in his hand and her child at his beckon. The reason? Lucas's inability to awaken his innate gifts. Cast out from his family, he endured a harsh existence, clinging to the love of his only remaining kin—his mother. Years later, everything changes. Lucas awakens not with one or two but five extraordinary abilities that rival old legends. Yet, instead of reclaiming his lost title, he and his mother choose a quiet life in a remote town, shielding themselves from the past. But fate is relentless. The mistress resurfaces, sending assassins to end Lucas and his mother. The assassins succeed in taking the mother's life, but Lucas survives. Now fueled by a burning desire for vengeance, he vows to make them pay for his mother's death, even if it means reducing the city to ashes.

Action Fantasy Modern

9.8

Double Betrayal: Shadows Of Vengeance

9.8

Aurora Vale was trained to be a weapon beautiful, precise, and disposable. Recruited as a teenager into a covert intelligence division that officially doesn't exist, Aurora has spent her life seducing secrets out of powerful men and destroying targets without ever pulling a trigger. Cold. Calculated. Untouchable. Inside the agency, she is known as The Steel Heart an operative who never fails and never feels. Until her latest mission. Her target is Valerio Blackthorn, an untouchable crime lord feared even by governments brilliant, disciplined, and impossible to trap. Assigned as his personal bodyguard, Aurora is meant to get close, extract information, and deliver him to a massive takedown operation. What she doesn't know is that Valerio has already seen the trap. Instead of exposing her, he lets her stay watching, testing, dismantling her carefully crafted tactics with unsettling calm. As the line between hunter and prey blurs, Aurora begins to realize the truth: Valerio is not the monster she was sent to destroy. And the government she serves is far more corrupt than the criminal world she was trained to infiltrate. When Aurora discovers that the mission is not about justice but about silencing a former ally who refused to be controlled she makes an impossible choice. She betrays the agency. She saves the man she was meant to destroy. Now branded a rogue agent with a kill on sight order, Aurora is forced into the shadows alongside Valerio. Hunted by her own government and by a ruthless international syndicate seeking revenge, the two must survive a war where trust is dangerous, love is lethal, and freedom comes at a devastating price. As bullets fly and secrets explode onto the global stage, Aurora must decide who she truly is a weapon, a traitor, or a woman reclaiming her soul. In a world ruled by lies and power, love may be the most dangerous rebellion of all.

Action Adventure Mystery

7.2

From Shattered Prodigy to Abyssal Vengeance

7.2

Elara Vex had everything-a flawless ice core, the title of prodigy, and a place at the pinnacle of the High Tower. But in one brutal night, it was all ripped away. Her mentor tore the core from her chest. Her fiancé drove a sword through her back. Her own sister smiled as she bled out on the cold marble floor. When Elara wakes, she's years in the past, mere hours before her core is scheduled to be stolen. This time, she won't be anyone's sacrificial lamb. She shatters her own core with forbidden blood magic and forges something far more terrifying in its place-a bottomless, ravenous Chaos Core that devours magic itself. Now, branded a worthless cripple and cast into the deadly Abyss, Elara is pulled from the darkness by the outcasts of Elysium Academy-a school for heretics, psychopaths, and everything the Tower despises. Under the tutelage of a reclusive principal who knew her murdered mother, Elara will master her forbidden power and uncover the Tower's darkest secrets. When the Five Academies Ranking Tournament arrives, Seraphina Vex stands in the arena, draped in white saintess robes, ready to claim ultimate glory. She doesn't know that a ghost from her past has clawed her way back from hell. She doesn't know that Elara is coming-and this time, the prodigal sister isn't asking for mercy. She's bringing chaos.

Action Fantasy Horror

7.9

His Blindness Killed Our Pup Now He Begs Forgiveness

7.9

When Brynn was born, she saved Alpha Levi from a rogue attack, sustaining injuries that left her fragile and unable to awaken her inner wolf. Since then, Levi vowed to make her the most cherished princess of the Silver Moon Pack. On her birthday, after tucking her into bed, I snuck out to the underground fighting rings in search of rare healing herbs to strengthen her fragile body. But what I found there shattered my world. Levi, my mate, the Alpha of our pack, stood in the VIP section, his arm draped around Kamila, the pack’s lead communications officer. Below them, in the bloodstained arena, Brynn—my sweet, defenseless Brynn—was thrown into a cage with eight snarling wolves, her small human form trembling with fear. She couldn’t shift. She had no wolf to protect her. "Alpha," Kamila purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness, "that little thing scared me earlier. I thought she was going to attack me.

Action Romance Werewolf

8.7

I Returned With His child

8.7

He needed to stop. This wasn't why he'd followed her. He had only wanted to finally speak with her about their arrangement. But his body wouldn't let him– her flushed face sent ripples of hot need coursing right through him. A moan escaped her, shattering what little self-control he maintained. ------ Six years ago, Gabrielle walked away from Edward Harrington with nothing but a broken heart and a secret growing inside her. Now she's back- not for love, not for forgiveness, but because she has run out of choices. With a daughter to protect, a mother slipping away, and poverty closing in, Gabrielle steps into a world she no longer recognizes: Edward's world. A world of wealth, power, quiet cruelty, and memories that refuse to stay buried. Edward is no longer the boy who once loved her. He is colder. Sharper. Untouchable. And he knows exactly how much power he holds. As past desire collides with present resentment, Gabrielle must survive a house where she doesn't belong, a society that judges her at a glance, and a man who wants control more than reconciliation. But the most dangerous truth of all? Their past never ended. And their daughter is standing right between them. Love. Power. Humiliation. Desire. Revenge. In the Harrington estate, nothing is gentle-and nothing is free.

Action Mystery Romance

9.7

No Escape From Fate

9.7

A monotonous, colorless life and dull relationships instantly fade into the background the moment you step into a completely different world-one with its own rules and laws. It looks so much like ours, and yet is radically different, for here live werewolves and countless other incredible beings. Bring a cursed Alpha King's heart back to life? Ride off into the sunset with one of the handsome guards? Or fall for a dangerous witch and uncover the true face of evil? Wrap it all up for me-I'll take it! An extraordinary world, vivid characters, blazing emotions, and passionate love with a touch of spice ❤️‍🔥 18+ "Quite an interesting hall you've got here," Karadeylis said without even glancing around, his steps bringing him dangerously close. "But OURS holds unforgettable memories of the time we unwrapped your restless little ass." I gasped in outrage at his brazen words-especially with so many people around-but my panties betrayed me, dampening at the memory of exactly what that bastard had reminded me of. "How dare you?!" I hissed, our faces now only inches apart. Goosebumps ran across my skin at the dangerous nearness. I could feel his hot breath on my lips, the heat of his half-bare body, and that intoxicating scent I knew too well. Our breathing came ragged, as if we had just finished running a marathon, unable to break free from the magnetic pull of each other's gaze. "No one else dares-only me, Prepedollie!" the scoundrel growled, gripping me firmly by the tail and yanking my face closer to his as his eyes devoured me. "I warned you-once I found you, there would be no mercy!"

Action Fantasy Werewolf

Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Chapter 11

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