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 raven emblem haunted me. A family with a bird of prey as their symbol, stalking my bloodline through generations. My mind raced with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last.


"A scandal from sixty years ago," Alaric's voice was tight as he paced the study. "A Beaumont and a 'raven nobleman' – clearly a Blackwood ancestor. But why target you specifically, Isabella? Why now?"


I sank deeper into the leather chair, my fingers tracing the embroidery of my sleeve. "Perhaps they believe I belong to them somehow. A twisted inheritance claim passed down through blood."


Alaric stopped pacing, his eyes darkening. "You belong to no one but yourself." He knelt before me, taking my hands in his. "And if you've chosen to share your life with me, that's your decision alone."


His touch steadied me. "What should we do next?" I asked.


"Your mother," Alaric said decisively. "Mariella may be the missing piece. You said your father rarely spoke of her?"


Chapter 113 - A Legacy of Shadows, A Mother's Secret