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

Celeste was an abandoned princess and a wolf-less she-wolf who held no value to her father. Horres was the ruthless Alpha of the Iron Fang Pack-a ticking time bomb. As a peace offering to a rival pack, Celeste Holmes knew her life would be difficult as the Luna to an Alpha who would give anything to wipe her pack from the surface of the earth. Even then, she felt it was her ticket to escape her father's clutches, yet nothing prepared her for the horror awaiting her. People said Alpha Horres was scary, but to Celeste, he was a demon. Alpha Horres Thorne had everything planned out for the daughter of his nemesis. The humiliation, pain, torture, and everything that could break her was set the moment her father thought of offering her to him. Horres enjoyed watching her bleed. Relishing her despair and seeing the helplessness on her face gave him the energy to plot more schemes against her evil father. Everything was supposed to move smoothly, but there was a flaw in his plan. After that fateful night, he experienced every single pain he inflicted on her, just the way she felt it. Even her subconscious fears and insecurities were felt by him. Didn't they say Celeste Holmes had no wolf? How then did she do it, or did Alpha Holmes' daughter succeed in bewitching Alpha Horres while he was enjoying his time torturing her? Did he lose in his own game of chess? How would he take revenge when he couldn't even hurt her anymore? Was he supposed to just surrender and love her now? What about his grievances?

Action Horror Werewolf

8.6

Claimed By The Ruthless Dark Mafia Don

8.6

I was the untouchable Mafia Queen, but my reign ended in the blood-soaked depths of a damp dungeon. My half-sister, Kelsey, drove a rusted, sharpened spoon into my chest, screaming about the unfairness of fate. In my past life, my father sold me to the ruthless Don Dante Blackwell as collateral to pay off his debts. To survive, I took a black-market fertility drug, birthed his heir, and clawed my way to the throne through sheer ruthlessness. But in the mafia world, a pregnant woman isn't a queen; she's a walking target. I survived countless bombings and poisonings, only to be betrayed and slaughtered by my own family. Until my last breath, I couldn't understand. I had sacrificed everything to secure our survival in the empire. Why did my blood and tears only earn me a rusted spoon to the heart? Opening my eyes again, I am seventeen, sitting in my father's drawing room. Two black velvet boxes sit on the mahogany table. Kelsey greedily snatches the box containing the fertility drug, her eyes gleaming with feverish triumph. "I'll take this one, Papa." She thinks she is stealing my golden ticket to the crown, completely unaware that she just chose a death sentence. I lower my gaze, letting my eyelashes mask the cold, lethal amusement pooling in my eyes as I take the remaining box. Inside is the detailed psychological profile of the Don's dead fiancée. This time, I won't be a breeding mare fighting off assassins. I will dissect the devil himself.

Action Mafia Modern

8.2

His Friend, My Living Hell

8.2

My father's routine heart surgery went horribly wrong, leaving him in a coma. The surgeon was Fabiola, my husband Julian's celebrated childhood friend. When I begged Julian to use his immense resources to save him, he gave me a chilling ultimatum: my father's life for Fabiola's career. To protect her, he stood by as she deliberately scalded my hand with boiling soup. He locked me in a rat-infested wine cellar to "teach me a lesson." He even force-fed me peanuts, knowing I had a deadly allergy, and had me committed to a psychiatric hospital when I still wouldn't break. I didn't understand how the man who once promised to build a fortress around me had become the one launching the attack, all for a woman he claimed was just a friend. So, as Fabiola shoved me from the deck of our yacht into the dark water below, I didn't fight. I let myself fall, because faking my death was the only way to destroy them both.

Action Modern Romance

8.3

Mated To My Ruthless Alpha Stepbrother

8.3

Note: There are two books in this series Book 1: Daphne and Theo Book 2: Aurora and Andrea "I didn't rescue you out of mercy, Daphne. I took you because you're mine." Daphne is a survivor. After her pack was slaughtered, she lived as a rogue, eventually becoming a stripper to pay off a dead man's debts. But her life shatters when she discovers her mates are the two most powerful men in the Moonstone Pack-and they don't want her heart. They want her womb. Used, abused, and forced to carry a child for a man she hates, Daphne thinks she has hit rock bottom when a tragic betrayal steals her baby and her freedom. Then comes Theo. He is the ruthless Alpha of the Silver Pack, a man who wears a mask to hide his "demon" eyes and a heart turned to ice. He saves her from the wreckage, but his touch sparks a fire that shouldn't exist. He is her mate. He is her protector. And he is her stepbrother. In a world where the weak are discarded, Daphne must train in secret to prove she is worthy of the Silver Pack. But as the ghosts of their shared past return and war looms on the horizon, Daphne realizes the biggest danger isn't the Alpha who wants her body back... it's the one she was never meant to love. He's her family. He's her King. And he will burn the world to keep her. ~~~~~~~~ Book 2: Claimed By The Cursed Lycan King Aurora is the Moonvale Pack's greatest shame...a slave who shifted into a rare white wolf only to find her mate is the man who hates her most. Alpha Luca doesn't want a "weak" mate. To get rid of her, he gifts her to the Lycan King, Andrea...a man cursed by the moon and famous for his bloodlust. Luca expected her to die. Instead, Andrea found something in Aurora's scent that silenced his inner beast. Now, the girl who was once a broken slave is returning to Moonvale. She isn't looking for an apology, and she isn't looking for love. Backed by the King who was supposed to kill her, she is coming to reclaim her mother and burn Luca's empire to the ground.

Action Romance Werewolf

8.0

Our Marriage: A Twisted Revenge

8.0

My husband, Aiden, brought his mistress to a gala. She was carrying my clutch bag, a gift from him. He was laughing, daring me to make a scene. But the ultimate cruelty wasn't the affair. It was when he brought up my kidnapping from ten years ago, using my deepest trauma as a weapon to publicly shame me. His mistress, Ember, piled on, her voice dripping with false pity. "Oh, Julia, I just can't imagine what you went through. Aiden told me everything. How you were… so damaged." I suddenly realized who she was: the daughter of the man who had orchestrated my kidnapping. This wasn't just an affair; it was a long-con revenge plot to destroy the company I had sacrificed everything to save. Aiden, the man who once swore to protect me, was her willing pawn. His cruelty had already cost me our unborn child years ago. In that moment, the last bit of love I had for him turned to ice. He thought he was breaking me. He had no idea he was just handing me the keys to his destruction.

Action Modern Romance

8.7

Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By Contract

8.7

Fiona thinks she has it all-love, loyalty and a secured life-until her mate, Alpha Kael, leaves her for his first love, Laila. Abandoning her at the altar on the day of their bond reaffirmation before the moon goddess, Fiona watches helplessly as Kael dotes on Laila from the shadows without knowing how else to claim back her mate. Fiona soon discovers she's pregnant and hopes the news will finally bring Kael back to her. But her world shatters when Laila, also carrying Kael's child, pushes Fiona down a hill during a heated fight, causing her to have a miscarriage that left her broken and desperate. Just when all hope seems lost, Fiona crosses paths with Alpha Derek, the blind yet most powerful Alpha in Eastern Highlands. He offers her revenge against her unfaithful mate and his mistress in exchange for becoming his Luna for a year. She agrees. But Derek is no savior. He hides behind dark shades and darker secrets. Worse still, he's the very architect of her pains. Yet the closer she gets to him, the more her heart betrays her... because the most dangerous thing about Derek isn't his power or his schemes but the way he makes her want him, even when she swore she'd never risk her heart again.

Action Romance Werewolf

Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Chapter 11

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