Violet_167

Isabella Beaumont figured she was making a smart, if desperate, trade: her freedom in exchange for marrying the dreaded Duke Alaric Thorne. 
Sure, the guy had a reputation darker than a moonless night, whispered about in every corner of the kingdom, but it was just a contract, right? A way to escape a brutal past that had literally left its mark on her face. 
She wasn’t expecting warmth, and definitely not passion. But then Alaric, this formidable, feared man, starts acting… protective. His unexpected kindness will make her want to throw away her protective mask and actually fall for the man who was supposed to be just her ticket to freedom. 
Just as Isabella starts believing she might actually deserve happiness, everything begins falling apart around them.
With the villains on the loose, old wounds being ripped open, and everyone’s true colors showing, is this sudden, fierce love strong enough to survive the storm? Or will the darkness from their pasts and the deadly games shatter everything they’re starting to build?

The Masked Duchess

Baron Reginald sobbed on his knees, his eyes fixed on Roric's headless corpse. Blood pooled on the gravel road, black in the moonlight.


"Please," my father begged, his voice cracking. "I can explain everything. Lord Malachi—he forced me—"


"Silence." Alaric's voice cut through the night like his blade had moments before. He stepped closer to my father, sword still dripping. "I don't care what excuses you've fabricated. You sold your daughter like livestock."


I watched from the carriage, Alaric's coat wrapped around my shoulders. Part of me wanted to look away, but I couldn't. This was the reckoning I'd secretly prayed for through years of abuse and neglect.


Alaric crouched down, bringing his face level with my father's. "You have two options, Baron. Neither ends well for you."


My father's body shook uncontrollably. "What... what options?"


"I could kill you right now, as you deserve." Alaric gestured to Roric's body with his sword. "It would be quick. Cleaner than you merit."


Chapter 35 - A Vow in the Night, A Path Forward