Taken by the Heartless
Rejected By My Betrothed, Claimed By The Warlord Alpha
I was born a wolfless cripple in the Richmond Pack, but by royal decree, I was engaged to the kingdom's Champion Knight, Emory. During the winter banquet, my half-sister Dessie suddenly tilted backward into the royal ice pond, screaming that I pushed her. In my previous life, I reached out in panic to save her, only to be dragged down and framed for attempted murder. When Emory dove into the freezing water, he swam right past my sinking body to rescue her instead. Once ashore, my own father and my betrothed ignored my desperate pleas. They branded me a vicious, jealous traitor. Emory publicly broke our engagement to marry Dessie, while my father threw me to the executioner to wash away the family's shame with my blood. Until my head was on the chopping block, I didn't understand. Why did my own family want me dead just because I had no inner wolf? Why did the knight who swore to protect me conspire with my illegitimate sister to destroy my life? Opening my eyes again, I was back on the snow-dusted terrace, right as Dessie was setting up the exact same trap. "A wolfless cripple like you should crawl back to the gutter," she whispered, falling backward. This time, I didn't flinch or beg for help. Instead, my fingers shot out like iron clamps, grabbing her wrist, and I dragged her into the freezing depths with me.
Chapter 1
Kalea POV:
"Sister, Emory Lambert is destined to be mine," Dessie Richmond whispered, her voice a poisonous thread slipping through the frigid breeze of the Royal Lunar Garden. "A wolfless cripple like you should crawl back to the gutter where you belong."
Her amber eyes gleamed with malice.
Before I could even process the violent sting of the freezing air on my face, Dessie tilted her body backward, angling herself toward the black waters of the royal ice pond.
She was setting up the exact same trap from my past life.
She wanted the entire court to see her fall, to hear her screams, and to watch me take the blame for attempting to drown the favored younger daughter of the Richmond Pack.
In that past life, everything had favored her. I had screamed in panic and lunged to grab her, my fingers clamping hard around her wrist and leaving livid grip-bruises on her skin.
When we fell, I thrashed and begged Emory to save me, so when he swam straight past me to lift Dessie first, onlookers called it justice — the Champion saving the victim from her attacker.
The healers found my marks on her, and nothing of hers on me. That was enough for a charge of attempted murder.
Now, everything is different. The terrace is crowded with high-ranking nobles, and I know exactly where her nails will land.
I already saw through her act completely. I would play along — and turn her own trap against her.
I did not flinch. Instead, I calmly extended my left arm toward her, offering the loose silver-blue cuff at my wrist as if trying to catch her. Dessie, already falling backward to fake her accident, instinctively clawed out and seized my wrist hard to make it look real, her nails digging deep into my sleeve.
Dessie's smug grin instantly froze.
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized she had grabbed me first. Before she could let go, I stopped resisting. I leaned into her pull and let her own backward momentum drag us both off the marble edge together.
A chorus of shrill gasps erupted from the noble onlookers lining the snow-dusted terrace.
Then came the deafening crash of freezing water.
The shock of the sub-zero pond slammed into my chest, squeezing every drop of air from my lungs.
The weight of our velvet winter gowns pulled us straight into the dark depths.
Dessie thrashed wildly, her arms flailing like a dying bird as her silken skirts tangled around her legs.
Even as she thrashed, her right hand remained locked around my left wrist, her nails tearing frantically at my silk cuff.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream under the water, bubbles bursting around her terrified, contorted face.
Unlike my past self, I did not scream, did not beg, did not leave a single mark on her. I stared back at her through the murky blue, cold and completely still.
Pain tore through my limbs, but my mind was clearer than it had ever been in my two lifetimes.
Above the surface, muffled shouts vibrated through the water.
"Someone help! The Richmond ladies have fallen in!"
Through the rippling surface, a familiar silhouette tore off his heavy velvet cloak on the bank.
Emory Lambert.
The newly crowned Champion Knight of the Grand Royal Trials, and my betrothed.
He dove into the water with a clean, powerful slice.
His eyes scanned the depths, searching desperately.
He looked right past my sinking form.
Without a single glance in my direction, Emory swam furiously toward Dessie, wrapping his strong arms around her waist to haul her toward the light.
A bitter, silent laugh bubbled in my throat.
He was supposed to be my promised mate by royal decree, yet his body reacted purely on instinct to save my illegitimate half-sister.
I let my limbs go limp, allowing the darkness of the pond to drag me downward.
I needed this.
I needed every high-ranking noble on that terrace to see him choose her over me.
Darkness began to creep into the edges of my vision.
My lungs burned for oxygen.
Then, the water exploded behind me.
A massive shockwave ripped through the freezing depths, stirring a violent current that pushed the weeds aside.
A shadow moved with terrifying, predatory speed.
Before I could even register the beast-like force tearing through the water, a pair of scalding, calloused hands locked onto my waist.
The grip was unyielding, made of pure steel.
I was yanked violently against a broad, rock-hard chest.
Even submerged in ice, the overwhelming scent of crushing cedar and raw, wild musk flooded my senses, piercing straight through the freezing haze in my mind.
It was the aura of a dominant, top-tier Alpha.
Yet the moment his skin touched mine, the suffocating pressure of his command miraculously softened, wrapping around my freezing body like an invisible shield.
I forced my heavy eyelids open.
Through the distorted water, I looked directly into a pair of piercing, golden-amber wolf eyes.
Gaines Moss.
The notorious young lord of the Moss Pack, heir to the northern iron legions, and widely feared across the capital as an uncontrollable, violent rogue Alpha.
There was no cruelty in his gaze.
Only a dark, frantic intensity that bordered on madness.
The moment my wet shoulder pressed against his collarbone, a sharp, electric jolt surged from his palm straight down my spine.
My frozen muscles trembled beneath the sheer heat of his touch.
Gaines's jaw tightened.
His arm banded around my waist with possessive force, pulling me flush against him as his powerful legs kicked against the current, launching us toward the surface like an arrow.
On the other side of the pond, Emory was already breaking through the surface with Dessie clutched tightly against his chest.
The freezing air hit my face in a violent rush as Gaines hauled me out of the water, his long fingers instinctively cradling the back of my head to shield me from the jagged marble edge.
The deafening roar of the royal court swept over us in an instant.
Taken by the Heartless
WARNING: ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ High and descriptive sexual content, strong language, and use of substance. Recommended for 18+ readers, read at your own discretion. Not for people with soft hearts. If you are not a fan of Dark romance please don't read. If you are not a fan of BDSM please don't read. "I ra
Taken By The Tycoon
Grace Harrow was once the darling of New York's elite-until the man she loved left her humiliated at the altar. Five years later, she's back, not to rekindle her love but to ruin Lucas Stone, the billionaire who shattered her dreams. But when Lucas uncovers her plans, he takes matters into his own h
TAKEN BY THE ALPHA.
A story of twin sisters given birth to by Kamela. The sisters live a hard life with their mother, but everything changed after they flee home. Alpha Xander finds his mate in one of the sisters and the other is the Beta's mate. This brings a new beginning to the sisters who love their mate uncondit
TAKEN BY THE DEVIL
BLURB She is an orphan. She was collateral-payment for a debt her uncle never intended to repay. Dragged into Don Rossini's glittering casino as leverage, Cleopatra thought she had reached the depths of hell. Forced to undress and take her bathe before him, she is uncomfortable. Until t
TAKEN BY THE MAFIOSO
Diana is a seventeen-year-old student, who sees her life totally change after the loss of her mother, under the tutelage of her gambling-addicted stepfather, is kidnapped due to her debts, by the ruthless Maxwell Benavente, an Italian mobster. What he doesn't expect is that instead of a teenager as
Taken By The Mafia Lord
"You know, the only thing that hurts about your body is the part that it had to be another man who broke your virginity." Her eyes bulged open, her lips trembling as she mentally searched for the words to say. "It... It wasn't my fault, I was..." "... Drugged. I know, you don't have to tell me. I
TAKEN BY THE UNKNOWN ALPHA
Amelia has never stood out for much, but one strange night changes everything. After a string of unlucky events, she crosses paths with a secret society hidden in plain sight - a world ruled by werewolves. What begins as confusion quickly turns into chaos when she's taken to the clan's sacred matin
Taken By My Boss
⚠️ Warning: descriptive sexual acts, please refrain from reading this if you're below 18, forbidden love, sex. control, manipulation. He leaned in closer, his breath warm. "Is that what you call it when you wear that skirt?" he asked, his hand sliding down my back. "Or when you bend over, letting
Taken by the Mafia King
Sera I escaped a life plagued with death and destruction years ago. But it's come back to haunt me. Killian Ricci is no ordinary crime boss. He's the grim reaper. I belong to him. I don't know why he's keeping me locked up. All I know is he holds my life in his hands. And in the mafia world, his ha
Taken By The Arrogant Billionaire
It was love at first sight. At least for him. Dressed in just her uniform as an attendant, Valerie Gardner succeeded in catching the eyes of Jared Smith, the most powerful man in the country. But she wasn't willing to be in a relationship with him. However , avoiding him seemed like an impossible ta
Taken By The Demon Alpha
"Please, I don't know what grudge you have against my bloodline but I have nothing to do with it" She began to explain, totally out of breath. "Do save your breath because nothing you say or do is going to make me change my mind. I'm going to enjoy tearing you piece by piece, limp by limp until not
Possessed by the heartless ceo
Synopsis Her life was perfect, at least, that's what everyone thought. Adopted by a wealthy family as a child, Mia grew up with all the love, attention, and luxury she could ever ask for. Engaged to Aaron, the heir of one of the richest families in the country, her future seemed set in stone: a dre
Taken By Mr Ceo
He poured himself a glass and turned towards Kate. “Do you want a drink?” he asked her, His frown deepened, as Kate continued with her pleading, “I’m sure you have the wrong person sir, please let me go and I won’t tell the police about what happened today,” she said with all the courage she co
Claimed By The Heartless Heartbreaker
What if you fall deeply in love with someone who sees you as nothing but an inconvenience? What if he ignores every tear, every smile, every desperate attempt to matter to him? What if he crushes your hopes again and again and you still wait, foolishly, faithfully? Would you still cling to the ho
BOUND BY THE HEARTLESS DE LUCA
♣️BOOK TWO OF THE DE LUCA SERIES ★ PROLOGUE ★ After Been left at the alter Shattered and heartbroken, Frederico De Luca Vowed to never get involved with any other woman in his life ... He became cold heartless and ...a heartbreaker ... With their family being one of the leading
Pampered By The Heartless Billionaire Monster
Bridget caught her fiancé tangled in the sheets with another woman. She left the engagement ring behind and, in a moment of reckless defiance, had a one-night stand with Damond Oneill, the most terrifying billionaire on Wall Street. But her nightmare was far from over. Her biological father threate
TAKEN
She found it hard to resist him and neither did her wedding ring. People called it cheating, she called him a meaningful tool. A blissful marriage with a masculine attraction. What a distraction! "No one has to know" he said to her too.
TRAPPED BY A HEARTLESS MAFIA
"I will never sleep with a man like you," Selena said as she rolled her eyes at him. "We will see about that," smirked. ________________________________ Selena's life takes an unexpected turn when she catches the eye of the notorious mafia boss, Aiden Frazier. Drawn in by his charm and dangerou
Taken By My Brother's Dangerous Best Friend
"Will would lose his mind if he knew what I was doing to you right now. Remember Will? Your brother? My best friend? Our boss?" ### She wants him. He swears he doesn't want her. His actions say otherwise. ### Harmon Chancellor is the brooding new COO of Hunter Industries. Will Hunter's found broth
