"What's going on?" Nikolai asked pensively. "I think it's a break-in" she replied. "Why didn't the alarms go off then?" "I don't know" Kamila shut the door behind them. "Papa?" Faina asked "He'll be here soon, kroshka" she whispered hugging her daughter to her chest. When siblings, Faina and Nikolai, find themselves estranged from home after the death of their parents, they must do everything to avenge their loss. Including, taking on new identities. But what happens when they're both caught up in the deepest of betrayals?
September 11, 2004. San Diego, USA.
Coronado's streets were bathed in serene silence, the only sound being the gentle lullaby of the ocean waves. The city's inhabitants, a mix of weary tourists and families, had succumbed to the day's exhaustion, their dreams no doubt filled with visions of sun-kissed beaches and endless summer fun. But amidst the slumbering homes, a few windows still glowed like beacons, shining bright with the promise of late-night laughter and adventure. And in one of these illuminated havens, the Kuznetsov family's story was just beginning to unfold.
"It's past your bedtime Faina. Don't make me chase after you every night" Kamila called after her daughter, her voice laced with exhaustion and playful sternness as the little girl darted to the living room and straight into her father's lap.
"We're on vacation mama! I want to stay up for longer this night"
Dominik smiled down at the eight-year-old clinging to him before beseeching his wife "Just let her be for an hour more, Mila" and the girl squealed in delight at her victory while Kamila shook her head.
"You spoil her too much, Dominik" The woman folded her arms across her chest "And you can put her to bed. I'm done for the day" she huffed before retreating to the bedroom, leaving her husband to handle the bedtime battle.
Faina pouted, "Why does Nicky get to stay up and not me?"
Nikolai entering the room replied bluntly, "Because I'm a teenager" and Faina scowled, her brows furrowed in discontent.
"That's not fair. I want to be a teenager too"
"And you will be, eventually" Dominik patted her head while he raised a questioning brow at his fifteen-year-old son who barely ever left his room.
"Just came to grab this" Nikolai says reaching for his headphones on the dining room table "Go to bed Fay" he addressed his baby sister.
"Papa says I can stay" she huffs and Nikolai shoots a blank stare at his father before returning to his room without a word.
Dominik indulged his daughter in her endless nonsense chatter until she passed out in his arms.
"Finally," he whispered scooping her up and transporting her to the room to tuck her in.
...
As Dominik entered the room, the soft creak of the door broke the silence. Kamila lay in bed, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling with slow deliberate breaths. He approached the bathroom, the sound of running water and gentle humming filling the room. After freshening up, he slid into bed beside her.
"I know you're still awake" he whispered. Kamila often feigned sleep when upset, avoiding conversation.
When she didn't respond, he drew her close, his arms wrapping around her "I'm sorry, miliy" he said softly brushing his lips on her shoulder.
Kamila rolled over facing him, her eyes flashing with frustration. "You always indulge her and she never listens to me"
Dominik's boyish smile flashed, his eyes crinkling at the corners "She's my little girl"
Kamila corrected "Our little girl" her voice firm but gentle "I don't want to raise a spoiled child"
He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and his gaze locked on hers. "You're an amazing mother. Our children are perfect" Kamila smiled, her eyes softening as Dominik's voice dropped to barely a whisper in the dim light. "You have me wrapped around your finger, just like she does. You're all my weaknesses".
"You're all my strength" she whispered and their lips met in a tender kiss.
He peppered kisses down her neck to the swell of her breasts as his hands disappeared beneath her silk nightgown, exploring her thighs. Kamila's breath quickened, her hands tangling in his hair.
"Dom-" she sighed when his hands wandered deeper between her legs-
A sudden jarring crash shattered the brief euphoric moment, startling them both.
"What was that?" Kamila asked, her voice laced with worry as she clutched her husband's arm.
Dominik's face masked seriousness as his instincts ran on high alert. "I don't know" he replied.
Before they could process the noise, a louder bang resonated through the house, enough to stir unsettlement in the couple. Dominik's expression turned grim with his mind already breeding the worst-case scenarios. The noise was enough to wake their neighbors if they didn't have soundproof homes.
He sprang into action, his voice firm and commanding. "Get the kids, Mila, and lock yourselves in the basement" he reached under the hidden compartment of the bed to grab a gun and shove it behind his pants.
She gave him a firm nod and raced to the door with him following close behind.
"Be safe, Dom" she whispered and he gave he a reassuring nod in response.
"Don't come out unless I come and fetch you" he added. "Mila-" he warned when she didn't heed.
"I'll try"
As Kamila hastened to the children's rooms, she found Nikolai already carrying Faina. "This way" she instructed, taking Faina from him and leading them to the basement.
"What's going on?" Nikolai asked pensively.
"I think it's a break-in" she replied.
"Why didn't the alarms go off then?"
"I don't know" Kamila shut the door behind them.
"Papa?" Faina asked
"He'll be here soon, kroshka" she whispered hugging her daughter to her chest.
Meanwhile, Dominik made his way to the living room in tentative steps to figure out the cause of the noise.
"I told you to be fucking careful" a man hissed angrily in an almost inaudible voice.
"Felix" A cold voice cut through the atmosphere, drawing the attention of the two men in his living room to him.
The man named Felix whipped around to the sound of the voice, temporarily startled. "Dammit," Felix cursed before putting on an eerie smile. "Dominik. A pleasure to see your face again after so long"
"What the fuck are you doing breaking into my home?"
"Visiting my brother?" Felix replied, voice dripping in sarcasm.
"My brother was dead to me over a decade ago" Dominik narrowed his eyes at him, the tension between them was palpable.
"Tsk, still so bitter. And here I thought finding another true love would've softened you" Felix chuckled.
"Enough games, Felix. Why are you here?"
Felix retrieved his gun from his suit pocket as Dominik did the same. Their movements swift and practiced that one would've missed it if they blinked.
Felix's eyes glinted with malice "I've decided your time is up"
Dominik's expression turned fierce, his eyes blazing with anger and the initial surprise of seeing his brother again and years, washed away "The audacity of you" Felix scoffed "I'm on vacation Felix, and I'd like to keep it that way. So, I suggest you take you and your dog-" he said referring to the man with Felix who hadn't attempted to move an inch "-out of my fucking house".
Felix tilted his gun to the side and pulled on the trigger, releasing a bullet an inch away from Dominik's head and straight into the wall. "I'm not here to fuck around with you" he sneered.
"And I'm not finding your intrusion particularly amusing either. I can do away with you both right now but for old times' sake, I'm giving you the option to leave. The offer is open for a limited time"
"You're fucking surrounded and outnumbered dumdum" Felix laughed
"Who sent you?"
"I'm nobody's servant!" Felix scowled.
"Yeah right"
In the basement, Kamila heard the faint sound of a gun going off and her heart pounded inside her ribcage
"Nicky, take your sister" she whispered urgently to her son.
"And where are you going?" Nikolai asked her worriedly.
Kamila pinned her son with a resolute stare "If I'm not back in five minutes, take your sister and use the escape door"
"What-"
"Now's not the time to rebel against me Nikolai. I don't feel good about your father being up there by himself". She opened a safe in the basement taking out a gun "Lock the door behind me" And with that, she left.
Dominik had stepped on a nerve and Felix had tackled him head-on. Two more men marched into the living room observing the two brothers in a fight.
"This is out of script" the first man who came in with Felix muttered. He was a tall broody man with sharp cheekbones.
"Do you think Felix knows what he's doing? We were given direct orders to assassinate the family quietly and leave, not start unnecessary hand combat" The second man replied already pissed. He was an inch shorter than Tall-broody with a lean physique.
"He's stalling on purpose" the third bulky man added with realization and pulled out his gun aiming it at Dominik as the brothers tackled each other on the ground and another gunshot was fired.
In a realm where greed and power are known by kings, daughters were born and given off in marriage to create blood-bonds to continue lineages. Peace was known in the realm, but peace never does last. Chaos, war, death, betrayal, these twirl the reality of this realm. A king different from other kings, an Alpha, a hybrid-Alpha born to conquer but made to observe, saw the greed of these kingdoms with the boredom of being left out of petty human business. The Alpha king joined the war to conquer leading to them revealing themselves to the humans. Lisa, a magazine editor working at the New York Times was unknowingly pulled into a world she never knew about. As a daughter of an aristocrat, forced to deal with a new world and also meet an unexpected mate, the Alpha king, and battle the forces of Good and Evil, the dark powers of witches, and escape prophecy which would lead to her demise, will love bloom? Will she be able to return to her world? Or will she accept destiny and accept her Alpha mate? Read on to find out.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
"Who is she?" I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "He met her at the Alpha training camp," he said. "She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice." My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks. Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna. **** Emily never shifted on her 18th birthday and became the laughingstock of the pack. When her old crush, Alexander Black, returns from Alpha Training, she never expected him to be her mate. After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that young Alpha Alexander has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, Emily runs off and disappears from the pack. Now, five years later, Emily is a high-ranking warrior in King Alpha's army, specializing in sensitive matters. When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate, Alexander. Will Alexander figure out it is Emily? Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
22-year-old Evelyn Carter is attempting to start over in California while avoiding her past. She will be embarking on a new career path as a private school teacher. She is smart, attractive, and doesn't put up with nonsense. Who wouldn't notice her? However, what happens when she attracts the attention of someone unwilling to let her go? Who wants her and nothing else after falling in love at first sight? A 25-year-old billionaire CEO and single father, Lucian Carrington. He takes what he wants and he is also a very dangerous man. All it needed was one look at a stunning woman to realize she was HIS, even though he doesn't believe in relationships because they always end. Preview: Miss Carter, you will be mine. I say firmly. "Release my arm, Mr. Carrington, before I force you to." She says, seeming to smile at me. I give her a sly smile. Squeezing my wrist with her other hand, she twists it uncomfortably. I gave a painful hiss. "Don't underestimate me, Mr. Carrington." "This is the only time I will allow you to walk away from me, Miss Carter." She glared at me as she turned. "Mr. Carrington, I am no possession of yours." I was left standing there when she opened the classroom door and left.
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"