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

"You found me," she whispered, her voice hoarse with fear. "They sent you, didn't they? The Ravens always find their due."


My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared at the woman before me—my mother, alive after all these years. The mother I'd thought dead, now standing before me, trembling with fear at the mere sight of us. Her eyes—so like my own—darted frantically between Alaric and me, then to the trees surrounding us.


"No," I said quickly, taking a hesitant step forward. "We weren't sent by anyone. I'm Isabella. Your daughter."


She backed away, pressing herself against the doorframe. "No, no. This is a trick. The Blackwoods are clever. They would use my own flesh against me." Her gaze hardened as it shifted to Alaric. "And you—you're one of them. I can feel it. Their darkness clings to all who serve them."


Chapter 118 - A Mother's Fear, A Daughter's Plea