
The Forbidden Awakening
justinaesomchi13 · Ongoing · 125.4k Words
Introduction
One spiked drink. One brutal rescue. One night of raw, unforgettable passion.
Maddie Thompson never believed that fate was real, until Alexander Blackwood saved her from assault and the ancient mate bond snapped into place between them. They spend one explosive night together in his hotel suite. Maddie flees at dawn, terrified of the feelings he awakens and desperate to protect the fragile life she’s holding together with duct tape and desperation.
She’s already sold herself into a one-year fake marriage to Ben Hargrove, trading vows for the money that will save her dying mother and pay her sister’s tuition.
The wedding is in seven days.
On the morning of the ceremony, she discovers that Ben’s stepfather is Alexander. Maddie walks down the aisle in white, the man standing beside the groom, the man whose fortune is bankrolling her entire future, is Alexander Blackwood.
Her fated mate is now her stepfather-in-law.
Trapped in the same sprawling estate, every look is torture, every accidental touch a spark ready to explode. Alexander’s wolf is losing control. Maddie’s dormant blood is waking up. And Ben is starting to notice.
One year.
One house.
One bond that refuses to stay buried.
Some marriages are made for money.
Some mates are made for war.
The moon is rising, and neither of them may survive the heat.
Chapter 1
Maddie Thompson wove through the pulsing crowd on the nightclub dance floor, the heavy bass thrumming in her chest like a second heartbeat. Strobe lights sliced through the haze of dry ice, painting everything in electric blues and violent pinks. Tonight wasn’t just any night out, it was a celebration. She and her closest friends were marking the start of their final year in architecture school, a milestone that felt both exhilarating and terrifying. After years of late-night studio sessions, endless model-building, and critiques that could make or break a semester, they were finally on the home stretch. Freedom was in sight, or at least the promise of it once portfolios were complete and degrees were in hand.
Maddie raised her glass in another toast, laughing as her best friend Clara shouted over the music, “To surviving fourth year, and to never pulling another all-nighter for a jury ever again!” The group clinked glasses, the sharp sound of crystal lost beneath the DJ’s relentless beat. Maddie took a long sip of her cocktail, the sweet burn sliding down her throat. For once, she wasn’t thinking about deadlines or her mother’s hospital appointments or the tuition payments that loomed like storm clouds. Tonight, she was twenty-four, surrounded by people she loved, and the world felt wide open.
She had noticed the man earlier, leaning against the far end of the bar. Older than the usual college crowd, late twenties, maybe thirty, with slicked-back hair and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He’d been watching her for a while, his gaze lingering too long whenever she glanced in his direction. Maddie brushed it off. Clubs were full of creeps; you learned to ignore them and keep dancing. She turned back to her friends, throwing her arms up as the beat dropped, letting the music carry her away.
An hour blurred by in flashes of laughter and spinning lights. Another round of drinks appeared, someone’s treat, and Maddie accepted hers without hesitation. The first sip tasted fine, fruity and strong. The second made her blink. By the third, the room tilted sharply, colors bleeding together. Her limbs grew heavy, as though someone had poured wet concrete into her veins. She set the glass down on a nearby table, gripping the edge for balance.
“Clara,” she tried to say, but her voice came out thick and distant. Her friend was already swept back into the crowd, arms linked with someone else. The floor swayed beneath Maddie’s heels. She needed air. Needed to sit. Needed…
A hand clamped around her upper arm, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. “You look like you could use some help,” a voice slurred near her ear, hot and sour with alcohol. It was him, the man from the bar. Before she could protest, he was steering her toward the back exit, his grip iron-tight. The crowd parted around them like water, no one noticing the way her feet stumbled or how her head lolled against her will.
The door swung open, and cold night air slapped her face. The alley behind the club was narrow and poorly lit, overflowing dumpsters casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. The sudden quiet after the club’s roar was disorienting. Maddie tried to pull away, but her body refused to cooperate. The drug, whatever he’d slipped into her drink, had turned her muscles to mush.
He shoved her against the brick wall, the rough surface scraping her back through her thin top. “Been watching you all night,” he muttered, crowding close. His hands were everywhere, clawing at her skirt, yanking at the neckline of her blouse. Fabric tore with a sharp rip that echoed in the alley. Panic surged through the fog in her mind, sharp and electric. She swung weakly at his face, nails raking skin, but he only laughed, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand while the other fumbled at his belt.
Maddie screamed, or tried to. It came out as a choked whimper, barely audible over the distant thump of music leaking from the club. Tears burned her eyes as she kicked out, her heel connecting uselessly with his shin. He barely flinched. The world narrowed to the stench of garbage and alcohol, the bite of brick against her spine, the sickening weight of him pressing her down. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing it to stop, praying for someone, anyone, to hear…
A low, guttural growl cut through the night.
The pressure vanished abruptly. One moment he was there, crushing her; the next, he was airborne, ripped away with such force that he slammed into the opposite wall ten feet down the alley. Maddie slid down the brick, legs giving out entirely, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She forced her eyes open, vision swimming.
A man stood between her and her attacker, tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark suit that looked wildly out of place in the grimy alley. Even through the haze, Maddie registered the sheer presence of him: the way he held himself like he owned the night, muscles coiled beneath expensive fabric. His back was to her, but she could see the tension in his stance, the way his fists clenched at his sides.
The attacker scrambled to his feet, cursing, and lunged with a wild swing. The stranger moved like liquid shadow, effortless, precise. He caught the man’s arm mid-swing, twisted, and drove a knee into his gut. The sound of impact was sickening, air whooshing from the attacker’s lungs. Before he could double over, the stranger’s fist connected with his jaw in a clean, brutal uppercut that snapped the man’s head back. He crumpled to the pavement, groaning.
But the stranger, Alexander, wasn’t finished. Something primal flashed in his eyes as he advanced, a flicker of gold in the dim light that Maddie’s drug-addled brain couldn’t quite process. He hauled the man up by his collar, slamming him back against the wall with enough force to rattle nearby trash cans.
“You dare touch what’s mine?” The words were low, dangerous, a growl that seemed to vibrate through the ground itself. There was something inhuman in the timbre, something that made the hairs on Maddie’s arms stand on end despite the terror and drugs.
The attacker whimpered, hands raised in surrender. Alexander’s lip curled in disgust. He delivered one final, bone-crunching punch that sent the man sprawling unconscious into a pile of garbage bags. Then, as quickly as the violence had erupted, it ended. Alexander stood over the limp body for a long moment, chest heaving, before turning toward Maddie.
His expression softened instantly. The predator vanished, replaced by something almost gentle as he knelt beside her. Up close, he was devastatingly handsome, sharp cheekbones, dark hair slightly tousled from the fight, eyes a piercing storm-gray that seemed to see straight through her. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it carefully over her shoulders, covering the torn fabric of her blouse.
“You’re safe now,” he murmured, voice low and steady, as if he hadn’t just dismantled a man twice his size without breaking a sweat. His hands were careful as he helped her sit up properly, one palm warm against her back. “Can you stand?”
Maddie tried to speak, but her throat was raw. She managed a nod, tears still streaming silently down her cheeks. The jacket smelled like him, clean, expensive cologne mixed with something wilder, like pine and earth after rain. It grounded her somehow, cutting through the lingering fog.
He slipped an arm around her waist, supporting most of her weight as he guided her out of the alley. Each step felt like wading through water, but his strength was unwavering. When they reached the street, the neon glow of the club sign bathed them in red light. Alexander raised a hand, and a sleek black car pulled up almost instantly, someone must have been waiting for him.
The driver’s door opened, but Alexander waved the man off, opening the back door himself and helping Maddie inside with infinite care. She collapsed against the leather seat, shivering despite the jacket. He slid in beside her, pulling the door shut.
“Where do you live?” he asked softly.
Maddie shook her head, the words tangling on her tongue. Too far. Too alone. The thought of her empty apartment made nausea rise in her throat.
Alexander studied her for a long moment, something unreadable flickering across his face. Then he leaned forward, speaking quietly to the driver. “The hotel.”
The car pulled away smoothly, leaving the club, and the nightmare, behind. Maddie leaned her head against the cool window, watching city lights blur past. Beside her, Alexander sat close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him, a steady anchor in the storm still raging inside her chest.
Little did she know, the man who had saved her wasn’t just passing by. And the connection sparking between them, electric, undeniable, was only the beginning of something far bigger than either of them could imagine.
Last Chapters
#111 Chapter 111 Blades of the Alliance
Last Updated: 7/16/2026#110 Chapter 110 Echoes of War
Last Updated: 7/12/2026#109 Chapter 109 First Blood
Last Updated: 7/12/2026#108 Chapter 108 Voices From Afar
Last Updated: 7/10/2026#107 Chapter 107 Echoes of Silver
Last Updated: 7/9/2026#106 Chapter 106 Peaceful And Powerful
Last Updated: 7/8/2026#105 Chapter 105 Family Affairs
Last Updated: 7/8/2026#104 Chapter 104 THE CALL
Last Updated: 7/8/2026#103 Chapter 103 The Weight of Absence
Last Updated: 7/8/2026#102 Chapter 102 The Traitor's Reckoning
Last Updated: 7/14/2026
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His Lethal Obsession
He didn't respond but moved his eyes around the room, scanning the place.
"Wha...what are you doing here?"
His icy blue eyes returned to me, sending shivers down my spine. Then further dropped to my dress and then back to my eyes.
"The shit going on downstairs, what does it mean?" he asked, making my legs as weak as they are eager to flee.
"It's....it my wedding,"
He scoffed darkly. "Excuse me?"
I swallowed. "I am......getting married,"
He let out a humorless laugh, looking away and giving me lesser comfort. He looked at me with a demonic frown.
Terror washed me.
"Every single motherfucker/human being here, be it adult or child, including you, will burn before that happens,"
〽️〽️〽️
The quiet but pathetic life of Twenty-year-old Mia Jefferson changed the night she found a few months old interracial baby boy abandoned in a dumpster on her way home. She saved him and kept him in her care for almost a month until she was taken by a deadly gang who accused her of abduction. She thought it was it for her until the ruthless gang leader, Nathaniel Kincaid, known on the streets as Big Kai and the father of the baby appeared and added to her punishment. At the point when Mia is about to give up, Nathaniel makes her his baby's nanny as the only way to convince him that she is not the abductor. As she picked up her care for the baby, Nathaniel watched her every move consistently, placing his heart in a dark and passionate risk.
Bound by Fate, Freed by Choice
Her escape leads her to Alpha Rowan, the commanding leader of the Blackwood Pack, who offers shelter, protection, and an unexpected chance at a new life. But Rowan’s fierce and jealous fiancée sees Lyla as a threat, and the pack’s charming Beta is drawn to her quiet strength.
As a dangerous attraction simmers between Lyla and Rowan, they begin to unravel a dark web of secrets that implicates Kaiden and threatens both their worlds.
With her hidden power awakening, Lyla must navigate treacherous loyalties, face the alpha who shattered her, and decide: Will she follow the destiny fate forced upon her, or claim the love and strength she has chosen for herself?
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
The mafia princess return
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.
They'll Regret This
My fiancé didn't just dump me—he proposed to her that same night. My so-called family handed me bus fare and a one-way ticket to the countryside.
Perfect. Let them think they won.
They don't know who I really am. The anonymous genius surgeon who saves lives when elite hospitals give up. The legendary artist whose paintings sell for millions at auction. The undefeated shadow queen of the underground fighting circuit. And the true heiress to a fortune that makes theirs look like pocket change.
Now my ex-fiancé begs on his knees. My fake sister's jealousy is eating her alive. And that cold, arrogant CEO who once threw our engagement contract in my face? He's hunting me down like a man possessed, desperate for one more chance.
They threw me away like trash to upgrade their lives.
Joke's on them.
I was always the upgrade.
Let Them Kneel
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.
But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.
Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Game of Destiny
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?
A Queen Among Tides (Book 5 in the Gods' Saga)
Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong.
Lemuel will have to face his past in hopes of starting a new future, but an overly flirtatious King is the least of his worries when he learns Sebastian's parents are convinced that a conniving usurper disguised as a curvy blonde, is the future king's true soulmate.
A Queen Among Tides is the 5th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Gen Coming Soon)
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
Accardi
“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.












