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

Lady Rowena's threat hung in the air between us, her whispered words lingering like poison. I should have felt intimidated—this powerful woman had just promised to destroy me at the first opportunity. Yet something inside me had shifted since coming to this house, since becoming Alaric's wife. I was tired of cowering.


I squared my shoulders and met her icy stare with steady resolve. "I understand your concern for your son and the Thorne name, Lady Rowena. I truly do. But I intend to be a good wife to Alaric, and I hope we can find a way to have a peaceful relationship."


Her eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting such composure. "Peaceful? My dear, there is nothing peaceful about protecting a legacy centuries in the making."


"Yet here I am," I replied, keeping my voice calm. "The Duchess of Lockwood. Perhaps we could start by acknowledging that reality."


Chapter 69 - A Fragile Truce, A Queen's Invitation