Giselle_lynette

In the great palace of Crescent Haven, power and cruelty were the only ways to survive. Ariana Silver, a poor family's maid, dreamed one day of leaving the bitter life of servitude under the rule of Luca Blackwood, the cruel alpha in control of the palace. Cold and ruthless, with slaves and courtesans night and day around him, Luca instilled fear in the heart of all who served him.
Ariana catches the eye of Luca, and her descent begins: a cruel death commanded by him in anger, leaves her betrayed and broken. But death doesn't let Ariana go. Her soul burning for vengeance, she's reborn-a second chance to rewrite her fate.

Awakening in her past life, just before the events leading to her brutal demise, Ariana finds herself armed with the knowledge of the future. She resolves to overcome her fate by studying the deadly power struggles in the palace. While learning about the hidden truths of her bloodline and her connection to a powerful legacy, she will find out that her fate is inextricably entwined with Luca's.

But the alpha's fixation on the reborn Ariana only intensifies, and she must tread with caution, against the dangers of palace and past alike. Torn between a struggle to regain her freedom and extract revenge, Ariana refuses to be the weak servant she once used to be. The question is, will she be able to outmaneuver Luca and all the other forces rising against her, or will history repeat itself?

Fated To Reject

Ariana's heart pounded against her chest as she was standing before Alpha Luca Blackwood, whose grip on her wrist was inflexible. She could feel the heat emanating from his body, something so contrasting with the chill of fear that enveloped her. The noise of the banquet faded and was taken over by the thundering of her pulse.

"Y-yes, Alpha?" she stammered, trying to keep her cool in front of his intense gaze.

A smirk played on his lips, and there was a tinge of humour in the cold, blue eyes. "You are different from the rest of them. You do seem… resilient."

Ariana didn't know how to respond. Was that a compliment or a threat? She forced herself to look at him, even when all her instincts begged her to cast her gaze at her feet and back away. "I do my best to serve, Alpha," she replied, her voice shaking despite her efforts to sound steady.

Luca's eyes darted to the people around them, his laughter and cheers still ringing in the air. The celebration was not over yet. He leaned into her, his warm breath dancing across her ear and sending shivers down her spine. "You have fire inside you, Ariana. I can see that. But tell me, what is it that you really want?

It was a question which caught her off guard; nobody had ever asked her such a thing. So long spent just surviving, doing what was expected of her, leaving barely even a moment to dream for herself. "I. I want to serve the palace well," she stammered, at a total loss as to how to put words to the deep longings stirring within her heart.

He chuckled low, the sound as charming as it was threatening. "Serving isn't life, dear girl. It's a means to an end." He let go of her wrist, but the touch of his hand stayed with her, a reminder of how at his mercy her life stood.

And before she could wrap her head around the meaning of his words, he gestured shortly, in a dismissive way. "Go back to your work. I will summon you later.

Ariana nodded, both relief and trepidation washing over her. As she turned to leave, his gaze burned into her back-a weight that caused a crawling sensation in her skin. She quickened her pace, desperate to be free from the magnetic pull he seemed to hold over her.

She remained bemused the whole evening, her mind not letting go of her brief sighting of the alpha. Of course, she tried to pay attention, really she did, but she was lost in questions: Why did he even show an interest in me? What does he want with me?

The night wore on, and the whispers of discontent filtered through the banquet hall. Servants exchanged anxious glances; their voices were low, hurried. The palace had been rife with tension of late, and Ariana couldn't shake the feeling that something dark loomed on the horizon.

Later, her bones finally caught up with their exhaustion when she prepared for bed in the little servant quarter room. The shadows danced a strange waltz of candlelight on the wall, and the silence pleased her. But her brain would not drop the ball as Luca Blackwood snaked his way through her mind, thought after endless thought.

What could a man like him want with some kind of maid from the outskirts? Was he playing with her? It was known the alpha broke whoever crossed his path, and she could only hope not to land on that list of receiving his anger.

That night, as she lay in bed, a peculiar feeling washed over her: a pull, a connection she couldn't explain. It was as if something deep inside her was awakening, whispering secrets of a past she had yet to uncover.

With the moon high overhead, shining down its silvery light on Crescent Haven, Ariana closed her eyes, unaware that her life was about to change forever.

Tomorrow, she would be called once more, and the truth would begin its unraveling, revealing a destiny never imagined possible.

secrets of the night