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The Secret of the Alpha

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch-a titan of industry and my best friend's father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

Romance Revenge Mafia

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The crisp autumn air carried a scent of pine and something... darker. Ravenwood Academy loomed ahead, its gothic towers casting long shadows against the twilight sky.

Aria Sinclair tightened her grip on her backpack, her pulse quickening as she stepped through the wrought-iron gates. The school felt different-alivein a way that made her skin prickle. She wasn't supposed to be here.

She didn't want to be here.

But fate had other plans.

A few students turned as she walked through the stone-paved courtyard, their gazes lingering longer than necessary. Some whispered, some smirked, and others... just stared.

She ignored them. Blend in. Stay quiet. That was the plan.

Aria found her locker in the west wing, fingers fumbling with the combination lock. Then-

"You don't belong here."

The voice was low, commanding.

Aria turned, her breath hitching.

A boy leaned lazily against the lockers, arms crossed over a broad chest. Dark hair. Golden eyes. A presence so intense it was almost suffocating.

"And you are?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

"Kael," he said, voice edged with a growl. "And I'm telling you-leave while you still can."

A presence stirred behind him.

Lucian.

The opposite of Kael in every way. Where Kael was all raw power, Lucian was grace. His long, dark hair framed a face too beautiful to be human. Pale skin. Silver eyes. A smirk that sent chills down her spine.

"Come now, Kael," Lucian drawled. "Don't scare the poor girl away. She just got here."

Kael didn't move, his golden eyes locked onto Aria like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

Lucian's smirk deepened. "Ravenwood isn't what it seems, sweetheart. Careful where you step."

And then-just like that-he was gone.

Aria exhaled sharply. What the hell was that?

The Warning

The day passed in a blur of whispered conversations and lingering stares.

By nightfall, Aria stood on the academy rooftop, needing air. The view was breathtaking-the forest beyond the school stretching endlessly, bathed in silver moonlight

A rustling sound from below. Then-a howl.

Not a normal one.

This was deep. Guttural. Predatory.

Her blood turned to ice.

She turned to leave-only to collide with something solid.

A strong hand gripped her wrist.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?"

Kael.

His voice was sharper this time, golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.

Aria wrenched her arm free. "What is your problem?"

Kael's jaw clenched. His nostrils flared slightly, as if he was-scenting the air.

Then, his expression darkened.

"You don't know what you are, do you?"

Her heart pounded. "What?"

Kael exhaled, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"You're not supposed to exist."

A gust of wind howled through the night.

And from the darkness of the trees-

A pair of red eyes blinked open. Watching. Waiting.

Aria's breath hitched.

The glowing red eyes in the distance locked onto her, unblinking. Cold. Hungry. Unmistakably inhuman.

Something primal inside her screamed: Run.

But she couldn't move.

Kael, however, did.

He stepped in front of her, his entire body tense, muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike. His golden eyes darkened, something shifting beneath his skin-something dangerous.

The air between them thickened, charged with an invisible force.

"Stay behind me," Kael ordered, his voice laced with something raw.

Aria swallowed hard. "What is that?"

Kael didn't answer. He growled.

Not just any growl. It was deep, guttural, not human.

The red eyes in the darkness moved. Fast. Too fast. One second they were distant-then suddenly, they were right there.

A figure emerged from the trees.

Tall. Cloaked in shadows. Its skin pale as death. A vampire.

Lucian.

But this wasn't the playful, smirking boy from earlier.

This was something ancient.

"Kael," Lucian's voice was a smooth purr, but his silver eyes gleamed with something predatory. "You're being rude. You didn't introduce me properly."

Kael didn't lower his stance. "I don't need to."

Lucian tsked, stepping closer. He was fast-too fast. One blink and he was a foot away. His gaze slid to Aria, studying her like she was some kind of puzzle.

"Interesting," he murmured.

Aria shivered. There was something cold about him-something unnatural.

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