A Love Left in Ashes

A Love Left in Ashes

exclusivegmj · Ongoing · 153.7k Words

1k
Hot
1k
Views
303
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Aurora Calloway was the wife no one knew existed, trapped in a marriage where love was a distant illusion. But when betrayal cuts too deep, the life she thought she had unravels, forcing her into a battle she never saw coming.

Chapter 1

Aurora's POV

"I don't have a wife."

As though the weight of our vows and the presence of our marriage were nothing more than a gossip to be brushed aside, Cassian's remarks flow naturally from his lips in a smooth, unconcerned tone.

I don't wince. I stay put. I've learnt to remain motionless and invisible. Deep down, though, something breaks—not outwardly or noisily, just a silent, shattering crack in a heart that has been fracturing for two years.

Sharp-eyed and wearing a sleek black dress, the journalist tilts her head slightly. She presses, adjusting the microphone, "Mr. Viero." "Your marriage has been the subject of rumors—"

Cassian's lips form a contemptuous grin that causes rivals to falter and investors to perspire. As he adjusts the sleeves of his fitted suit, he remarks, "Rumors carry as much weight as fiction." "I'm not married to some imaginary wife; I'm married to my work."

The crowd erupts in laughter.

Phantom.

Ghost.

Curling my fingers around the stem of my unopened champagne flute, I take a deep breath. My mask remains in place—a meticulous, honed display of elegant detachment. I ought to be accustomed to this.

This, however, is a new low.

Julian West, the one man in this room who sees too much, laughs quietly next to me. "Brutal," he whispers, pointing to Cassian with his whiskey glass. Despite his humorous tone, there is a severe undertone.

I keep my eyes off of him. "It is merely business." The deception comes easily to me.

Julian spends too much time studying me. With a slightly too-soft voice, he observes, "You're either the most patient woman in the world or the most foolish."

I grin politely at him. "Perhaps both."

The audience parted to make place for Cassian as he strode toward the middle of the ballroom, stepping down from the platform like a king stepping down from his throne. He looks around the room, through me, beyond me, and not a trace of recognition.

The sting shouldn't still be there.

I should give up hope.

However, I do.

And my biggest error was that.

---

Cassian's POV

I sense it as soon as I leave the stage—the change in the atmosphere, the whispers beneath the surface. I don't care, though.

With his trademark smirk, my CFO, Archer Whitmore, murmurs, "Strong statement," as he settles into step next to me.

I hardly give him a look. "That was the reality."

He gives a snort. "Was it?"

I disregard him. I belong to no one in my universe, and perception is power. Even if my father coerced me into marriage, I never had to admit it.

Then someone moves in front of me.

Julian West.

Smug. It's annoying. And overly preoccupied with matters that don't affect him.

Swirling the amber liquid in his glass, he says, "Viero," with ease. "What a statement that was." For a split second, his gaze darts past me.

I stay put.

I don't play games that I don't want to win.

I take a sip of my bourbon and say, "West." "Are you having fun at my event?"

"Very much." Julian's grin widens as he tilts his head. However, I must ask... Who is the woman observing you as if she were debating whether to burn down the entire place if your wife doesn't exist?

Before I can stifle it, a sharp object flickers in my chest. I don't like the way he says it, but I don't make my face readable. As if he perceives something that I do not.

As if he is aware of something I'd rather not acknowledge.

I take a sip of my beverage. "You must be wrong."

Julian shakes his head and laughs. "Maybe." But before he leaves, his eyes stay on the scene a little longer than is required.

And I find that annoying.

---

Aurora's POV

I must breathe.

I leave the ballroom as soon as Cassian's eyes pass me by, as if I were merely a shadow on the edge of his vision. As I enter the balcony, the crisp night air welcomes me, and I clutch the chilly railing, my knuckles whitened.

I removed the mask. Only for a second.

Aurora, take a breath.

It doesn't matter, I tell myself. that when I married him, I was aware of what I was getting into. That long ago, I agreed to the norms of this invisible, quiet life.

However, something feels different tonight.

Something breaks a little more inside of me.

"Aurora."

The voice is silky and deep. Additionally, Cassian does not own it.

I turn to see Julian standing a few steps away, his face impassive as he watches me. Even though his drink is half-empty and his tie is a little loose, the way he looks at me is not casual.

"Julan, what do you want?" With a firm voice, I ask.

He looks at me, then gives me a little, regretful smile and shakes his head. "I could pose the same question to you."

I don't respond. Because, in all honesty, I no longer know.

Julian looks down at the city lights as he rests against the railing. With a calmer tone, he states, "You have two options." "Remind him of your true identity or remain in the background and allow him to erase you entirely."

My heartbeat quickens. "And why are you concerned?"

He pushes a hand through his dark hair and lets out a long laugh. "Because, Aurora." His voice falters a little. "A ghost is helpless. A woman scorned, though? That is an extremely powerful force.

Something else, not dread, sends a chill down my spine.

Something that is perilously near temptation.

I start to reply, but before I can do so, I tense up at the sound of footsteps.

Cassian.

Before I even turn, I am aware of it.

His face is unreadable as he enters the balcony, but his presence is commanding as usual. His gaze darts from Julian to me. "Am I disturbing someone?"

Julian remains still. doesn't turn away. "Not at all. All I was doing was talking to Aurora.

Although Cassian's tone remains neutral, his eyes become more intense. That's intriguing. I had no idea my wife and my rival were talking about anything.

My wife.

The words ought to have some meaning. However, they are completely meaningless in light of what he said tonight.

Julian just grinned. "Verio, there are a lot of things you don't know." Pulling his cuffs straight, he pushes off the railing. "But I guess that's the result of ignoring what's directly in front of you."

Cassian clenches his jaw.

I'm left alone with the one man I shouldn't still want when Julian gives me one more glance before leaving.

We both remain silent for a long time.

Cassian then looks at me, his eyes unreadable. "Avoid getting close to him."

I laughed softly and without humor. "Cassian, are you finally admitting that I exist?"

His jaw tightens, but he remains silent.

He doesn't, of course.

Because only when it suits him does Cassian Viero speak.

And I've finally realized tonight that I need to stop waiting for him to notice me if I want to be seen.

I'll need to get him to see me.

In one way or another.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

2.3m Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother.

"What is wrong with me?

Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?

It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.

He’s my boyfirend’s brother.

This is Tyler’s family.

I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.

**

As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.

Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.

When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.

I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.

**

I hate girls like her.

Entitled.

Delicate.

And still—

Still.

The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.

Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.

I shouldn’t care.

I don’t care.

It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.

It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.

I’m not here to rescue anyone.

Especially not her.

Especially not someone like her.

She’s not my problem.

And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.

But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

1.1m Views · Ongoing · Becky j
"Mate is here!"
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

1.8m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
The Human Among  Wolves

The Human Among Wolves

670.3k Views · Ongoing · ZWrites
"You actually thought I cared about you?" His smirk was sharp, almost cruel.
My stomach twisted, but he wasn’t finished.
"You're just a pathetic little human," Zayn said, his words deliberate, each one hitting like a slap. "Spreading your legs for the first guy who bothers to notice you."
Heat rushed to my face, burning with humiliation. My chest ached — not from his words alone, but from the sick realization that I had trusted him. That I had let myself believe he was different.
I was so, so stupid.
——————————————————
When eigteen-year-old Aurora Wells moves to a sleepy town with her parents, the last thing she expects is to be enrolled in a secret academy for werewolves.
Moonbound Academy is no ordinary school. It's here young Lycans, Betas and Alphas train in shifting, elemental magic, and ancient pack laws. But Aurora? She's just...human. a mistake. The new receptionist forgot to check her species - and now she's surrounded by predators who sense she doesn't belong.
Determined to stay under the radar, Aurora plans to survive the year unnoticed. But when she catches the attention of Zayn, a brooding and infuriatingly powerful Lycan prince, her life gets a lot more complicated. Zayn already has a mate. He already has enemies. And he definitely doesn't want anything to do with a clueless human.
But secrets run deeper than bloodlines at Moonbound. as Aurora unravels the truth about the academy - and herself - she begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Including the reason she was brought here at all.
Enemies will rise. Loyalties will shift. And the girl with no place in their world...might be the key to saving it.
Accardi

Accardi

888.2k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
“I thought we discussed this earlier, Weakness? I warned you. His death is on your hands.”
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.


Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
A pack of their own

A pack of their own

1.8m Views · Completed · dragonsbain22
Being the middle Child ignored and neglected, rejected by family and injured, She receives her wolf early and realizes she is a new type of hybrid but doesn't know how to control her power, she leaves her pack with her best friend and grandmother to go to her grandfather's clan to learn what she is and how to handle her power and then with her fated mate, her best friend and her fated mate little brother and grandmother start their own pack.
Game of Destiny

Game of Destiny

1.2m Views · Completed · Dripping Creativity
Amie's wolf hasn't shown herself. But who cares? She has a good pack, best friends and a family who loves her. Everyone, including the Alpha, is telling her she is perfect just the way she is. That is until she finds her mate and he rejects her. Heartbroken Amie flees from everything and start over. No more werewolves, no more packs.

When Finlay finds her, she is living among humans. He is smitten by the stubborn wolf that refuse to acknowledge his existence. She may not be his mate, but he wants her to be a part of his pack, latent wolf or not.

Amie cant resist the Alpha that comes into her life and drags her back into pack life. Not only does she find herself happier than she has been in a long time, her wolf finally comes to her. Finlay isn't her mate, but he becomes her best friend. Together with the other top wolves in the pack, they work to create the best and strongest pack.

When it's time for the pack games, the event that decides the packs rank for the coming ten year, Amie needs to face her old pack. When she sees the man that rejected her for the first time in ten years, everything she thought she knew is turned around. Amie and Finlay need to adapt to the new reality and find a way forward for their pack. But will the curve ball split them apart?
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

723.1k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
Shattered Girl

Shattered Girl

873.3k Views · Completed · Brandi Rae
Jake's fingers danced across my nipples, squeezing gently and making me groan in pleasure. He lifted my shirt and stared at my hardened nipples through my bra. I tensed, and Jake sat up and moved back on the bed, giving me some space.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Was that too much?” I could see the worry in his eyes as I took a deep breath.

“I just didn’t want you to see all my scars,” I whispered, feeling ashamed of my marked body.


Emmy Nichols is used to surviving. She survived her abusive father for years until he beat her so severely, she ended up in the hospital, and her father was finally arrested. Now, Emmy is thrown into a life she never expected. Now she has a mother

who doesn't want her, a politically motivated stepfather with ties to the Irish mob, four older stepbrothers, and their best friend who swear to love and protect her. Then, one night, everything shatters, and Emmy feels her only option is to run.

When her stepbrothers and their best friend finally find her, will they pick up the pieces and convince Emmy that they will keep her safe and their love will hold them together?
The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

3.2m Views · Ongoing · chavontheauthor
“You’re mine, little puppy,” Kylan growled against my neck.
“Soon enough, you’ll be begging for me. And when you do—I’ll use you as I see fit, and then I’ll reject you.”


When Violet Hastings begins her freshman year at Starlight Shifters Academy, she only wants two things—honor her mother’s legacy by becoming a skilled healer for her pack and get through the academy without anyone calling her a freak for her strange eye condition.

Things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that Kylan, the arrogant heir to the Lycan throne who has made her life miserable from the moment they met, is her mate.

Kylan, known for his cold personality and cruel ways, is far from thrilled. He refuses to accept Violet as his mate, yet he doesn’t want to reject her either. Instead, he sees her as his puppy, and is determined to make her life even more of a living hell.

As if dealing with Kylan’s torment isn’t enough, Violet begins to uncover secrets about her past that change everything she thought she knew. Where does she truly come from? What is the secret behind her eyes? And has her whole life been a lie?
Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

248.6k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
An original story by Xena Kessler
My back hit the desk. Pain exploded through my skull.
"Girls like you don't get to dream about guys like Kai." Bella's breath was hot on my face. "You don't get to write pathetic love letters."
She shoved me again. Harder.
"Maybe if you weren't such a desperate little—"
I fell. My head cracked against the corner.
Warmth trickled down my neck. Blood.
Their laughter turned to gasps.
The door slammed.
I tried to stand. Couldn't. The room was spinning, fading to black.
Someone... please...
Angelina, the most powerful Alpha who conquered forty-nine packs, dies in a yacht explosion—only to wake up as Aria Sterling, a fifteen-year-old Omega's daughter who just died from bullying.
The original Aria's life was a nightmare. Humiliated when golden boy Kai Matthews posted her love letter online, then shoved to death by his girlfriend Bella Morrison. But that's not all her family faces:
"You got until Monday," the tattooed gangster sneered at Aria's mother. "Ten grand cash. Or I'm taking collateral—your kids' organs fetch top dollar. That pretty daughter of yours? She could make us money another way too."
Now Angelina's lethal combat skills awaken in this fragile body. No more hiding. No more fear.
Armed with an Alpha's ruthlessness and a mysterious blood-red pendant, she'll dismantle everyone who hurt this family—one calculated move at a time.
Goddess Of The Underworld

Goddess Of The Underworld

729k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Left at a pack border with a name and a stubborn heartbeat, Envy grows into the sharpest kind of survivor, an orphaned warrior who knows how to hold a line and keep moving. Love isn’t in the plan…until four alpha wolves with playboy reputations and inconveniently soft hands decide the girl who won’t bow is the only queen they’ll ever take. Their mate. The one they have waited for. Xavier, Haiden, Levi, and Noah are gorgeous, lethal, and anything but perfect and Envy isn’t either. She’s changing. First into hell hound, Layah at her heels and fire in her veins. Then into what the realm has been waiting for, a Goddess of the Underworld, dragging her mates down to hell with her.

When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.