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

The air in the room grew thick with tension as Alistair's words hung between us. Alaric had released his grip on the butler's lapels, but remained standing close, his breathing heavy with barely controlled emotion.


"What secret?" Alaric demanded again, his voice dangerously low. "What could possibly justify your betrayal?"


I moved to Alaric's side, placing a gentle hand on his arm. The muscle beneath my fingers was rigid with tension.


Alistair straightened his disheveled clothing with trembling hands. The proud, dignified butler I had known was gone, replaced by an old man bowed under the weight of decades of deception.


"Your Grace," he began, his voice unsteady. "The Thorne legacy... it's built on blood."


"All noble houses have violence in their past," Alaric countered dismissively.


Alistair shook his head slowly. "Not like this. The first Duke of Thorne didn't earn his title through loyalty to the crown as history records. He seized it through treachery and mass murder."


Chapter 136 - The Thorne Legacy and a Desperate Choice