THE LIES BETWEEN US

THE LIES BETWEEN US

zainnyalpha · Ongoing · 326.4k Words

520
Hot
8.7k
Views
228
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

His mouth claimed mine, fierce and unrelenting, stealing the breath from my lungs. My palms slammed against his chest, but instead of pushing him away, I found myself clutching at the hard lines of muscle beneath his shirt.

“You taste like sin,” he murmured against my lips before dragging his mouth down the curve of my throat.

“Damien—”

“Look at you, trembling for a man you swore you hated.” His fingers traced higher, stroking where I ached most, and I gasped, nails digging into his shoulders. “Say my name again. Say it like you need me”

Heat pooled low in my belly, my protest tangled with a moan. His fingers teased the hem of my silk slip, pushing higher until his hand found bare skin. I shook my head, the word caught in my throat as he pressed harder, drawing a desperate whimper from me.

I shouldn’t crave him. I hated him.

Our engagement wasn’t real,nothing but a transaction, a lie born of blackmail and secrets…

And still, when his lips crashed against mine, my body betrayed me with the one truth I could never speak aloud.

I wanted him.

*****

Damien Moretti doesn’t believe in marriage.

Not for love. Not for convenience.

But when a buried family secret puts everything his family built at risk, he’s forced to say yes to one thing he swore he never would:

An arranged marriage.

Brielle Lancaster is his last resort.

The polished, proud daughter of the man holding the blackmail.

He doesn’t want her.

He doesn’t trust her.

And yet, the longer she’s in his home, the more dangerous she becomes.. not to his empire, but to his control.

Because falling for her was never part of the plan.

But now that he’s started... he doesn’t know how to stop.

Brielle Lancaster has played her role for twenty-four years .. the perfect daughter, the quiet writer, the good girl.

But when she’s forced into an engagement with the cold, calculating Damien Moretti, everything unravels.

She doesn’t want the penthouse.

She doesn’t want the title.

And she certainly doesn’t want the man who looks at her like she’s a complication.

But behind his walls, she sees cracks.

And beneath the surface, she finds a man fighting demons no one else sees.

She wasn’t supposed to care.

But now she does.

And she’s not sure if it will save her or destroy them both.

Chapter 1

BRIELLE

One thing I hated more than soggy fries and getting shoved around in a crowded subway… was an impromptu phone call from Thomas Lancaster — otherwise known as my father–demanding I come home.

It never ends well.

I stared at the screen as his name flashed again, jaw clenched. Ten seconds of silence, then it stopped.

This was the third call in under five minutes. Which meant it wasn’t just a “drop by” situation. It was a life-altering one.

And with Thomas, life-altering usually meant I was about to lose something — freedom, choice, or whatever scraps of peace I’d managed to collect lately.

The cab jolted as we hit a pothole, dragging me back to reality. Rain tapped against the windows in a soft, steady rhythm, matching the dull throb behind my eyes.

The driver threw a glance at me through the rearview mirror. “You okay back there?”

I nodded, forcing a small smile. “Yeah...”

I didn’t say I’d rather be going anywhere but home. That part was implied.

I tucked my phone away and stared out at the city lights bleeding into the wet pavement. The closer we got to the Lancaster estate, the heavier my chest felt — like the air itself thickened the nearer I got to that godforsaken mansion.

I hadn’t lived there in years. Not since college. These days, I stayed at the apartment I shared with my best friend. I only went back when I absolutely had to. Holidays, guilt-tripped visits, the occasional check-in. Nothing more.

Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe this was just another one of Thomas’s classic “family bonding” demands.

Sure. And maybe pigs fly first class.

I sighed and was about to pull out my phone again when the cab’s radio crackled to life.

“In other news, New York’s most elusive billionaire heir is officially back in town. Damian Moretti, the only son of international tech tycoon Alessandro Moretti, arrived last night via private jet after spending the last two years in Italy…”

My head turned slightly toward the speaker.

“…Sources close to the family say Damian’s return could signal major moves in the Moretti empire. The notoriously private heir has kept a low profile since disappearing from the spotlight in early 2023. But with his return, speculation is already swirling—”

I tuned the rest out.

Damian Moretti.

That name used to live on everyone’s lips. In gossip blogs, in boardroom whispers, in every girl’s fantasy who ever dreamed of marrying wealth and danger.

But not mine.

We’d never met. Our circles didn’t cross. And yet, somehow, hearing his name made my skin prickle with something I couldn’t quite place.

I shook it off.

This had nothing to do with me.


Twenty minutes in the Lancaster estate and I already regretted not canceling. I could’ve blamed it on a deadline. Told them I was drowning in edits. Maybe even faked a migraine and turned off my phone.

Instead, I was here. At this ridiculously long table. Eating overpriced, overcooked pasta and trying to pretend I loved it.

“You look lean, Brielle,” my mother said, her tone soft but carefully measured like everything else about her. She sat across from me, picture-perfect in her pearl necklace and tailored navy dress, her posture straight as a ruler. Her hair was pulled back in that classic chignon she always wore when she wanted to look "in control."

“Have you been eating?” she added.

I chewed slowly, resisting the urge to smirk. “Well enough,” I muttered. “I mean, when I remember.”

Her brows pinched slightly. “You really shouldn’t let yourself get that consumed. Writing is important, yes, but not at the expense of your health. A routine is key, darling. Even when you're...pursuing art.”

The way she said art made it sound like a hobby I’d outgrow.

I wiped my mouth with the linen napkin, swallowing the last of the soggy pasta. “Oh well, it’s work, I guess,” I said, voice flat.

My mother reached for her wine, pausing just long enough to cast a knowing glance at my father — who still hadn’t said a word. He sat at the head of the table, stone-faced, his phone face-down beside his wine glass, a folded newspaper stiffly pushed to the side.

“Still,” she continued, “you really shouldn’t push yourself beyond your limit. You used to love cooking. You barely post anything personal anymore. Are you sleeping well? Taking your vitamins?”

“I’m not seventy-five, Mom.”

She smiled tightly. “No, but burnout is real. And I worry about you.”

Liar.

Her version of “worry” was an occasional text and passive-aggressive comments about how pale I looked on Instagram.

I was about to change the subject — ask about her garden or that ridiculous charity fashion show she was probably organizing again when my father finally spoke.

“How’s your boyfriend?”

The question dropped like a hammer.

I blinked. “What?”

He didn’t look up. He was slicing into his steak like we were just discussing the weather. “The man you were seeing. What was his name again? Liam?”

My stomach turned.

“We broke up. Two months ago.”

That got his attention.

Finally, he looked up. His eyes were cool. Sharp. Assessing. Like he was calculating something in his head.

My mother made a small sound. “Oh, sweetheart, you didn’t mention…”

I shrugged. “It wasn’t serious.”

Thomas Lancaster hummed. That low, unimpressed sound he made when he already knew something and was waiting to use it against you.

“I see,” he said, sitting back slightly. “So you're not… emotionally attached. That simplifies things.”

My brows furrowed. “Simplifies what?”

He picked up his wine glass, swirling the red liquid once before meeting my eyes.

“You’re getting married.”

I blinked.

Laughed.

Then blinked again.

“I’m sorry… what?”

“You heard me,” my father said, as if he’d just informed me of a board meeting or a tax adjustment. “The arrangements have already been made. You’ll be introduced formally tomorrow at dinner.”

I stared at him like he’d grown horns. “Are you serious?”

Dead silence.

My mother kept her gaze locked on her wine glass like she could disappear inside it. That was confirmation enough.

“Oh my God. You’re serious.”

I shoved my chair back with a scrape that echoed across the room. “No. Absolutely not. You can’t just—just decide something like this! I’m not some pawn you can move around on your stupid power-hungry chessboard—”

“You’re being dramatic,” he cut in, voice flat. “Sit down.”

“No,” I snapped. “You don’t get to spring this on me and expect me to smile through it like I’m thrilled to be auctioned off—”

“You will sit down, Brielle.”

His voice didn’t rise.

It didn’t have to.

That cold, quiet tone was worse than shouting. It sliced straight through me, and I froze before I could stop myself.

Because no matter how old I got, no matter how far I ran or how many boundaries I tried to draw…

You don’t talk back to Thomas Lancaster.

Not without consequence.

“I’m not doing this,” I said again, this time softer, but still standing. “You can’t force me into marriage. What is this, the 1800s?”

“You’re not a child,” he replied. “You’re a woman. A woman of status, of family. It’s time you started acting like it.”

My chest tightened. “You mean it’s time I started obeying you again.”

“You are not getting any younger,” he said coolly.

“I’m twenty-four,” I snapped before I could stop myself.

His eyes flicked to mine—calm, hard, unblinking.

And just like that, the fight in me cracked.

The weight of that gaze. The unspoken threat beneath it. The reminder that my freedom had always been an illusion in his world.

I sank slowly back into the chair, my hands clenched in my lap.

“Who?” I asked, voice hollow.

Thomas took a sip of his wine before answering. “Damian Moretti.”

My blood went cold.

The name hit me like a slap.

Damian Moretti.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Bella and Her Beast

Bella and Her Beast

19.2k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
For all the little girls who grew up wondering what happens after the prince kisses the girl—this is the story they never told you.
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?

.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."
Cursed Fates

Cursed Fates

1.6k Views · Ongoing · Taylor Ashcraft
Charlotte Sinclair was murdered at the hands of her abusive boyfriend. After dying, she wakes up in the body of another. She pieces together information from her first day as Aribella Voss, realizing that she's been reincarnated into a book she knew all too well. The only problem: She was fated to die in this story as well. She sets out on a mission to ensure that doesn't happen, but when she begins changing important parts of the story, she also changes the plot of the story she knew. Without the upper hand, Aribella no longer has idea what lies in her future.
The mafia princess return

The mafia princess return

943.8k Views · Completed · Tonje Unosen
Talia have been living with her mother, stepsister and Stepfather for years. One day she finally get away from them. Suddenly she learn she have more family out there and she have many people that actually love her, something she have never felt before! At least not as she can remember. She have to learn to trust others, get her new brothers to accept her for who she is!
BROKEN TRUST

BROKEN TRUST

7.2k Views · Completed · O.J Thewriter
She broke their marriage. He walked away.

Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.

Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.

Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
After One Night with the Alpha

After One Night with the Alpha

538.6k Views · Completed · Sansa
One Night. One Mistake. One Lifetime of Consequences.

I thought I was waiting for love. Instead, I got fucked by a beast.

My world was supposed to bloom at the Moonshade Bay Full Moon Festival—champagne buzzing in my veins, a hotel room booked for Jason and me to finally cross that line after two years. I’d slipped into lacy lingerie, left the door unlocked, and lay on the bed, heart pounding with nervous excitement.

But the man who climbed into my bed wasn’t Jason.

In the pitch-black room, drowned in a heady, spicy scent that made my head spin, I felt hands—urgent, scorching—searing my skin. His thick, pulsing cock pressed against my dripping cunt, and before I could gasp, he thrust hard, tearing through my innocence with ruthless force. Pain burned, my walls clenching as I clawed at his iron shoulders, stifling sobs. Wet, slick sounds echoed with every brutal stroke, his body unrelenting until he shuddered, spilling hot and deep inside me.

"That was amazing, Jason," I managed to say.

"Who the fuck is Jason?"

My blood turned to ice. Light slashed across his face—Brad Rayne, Alpha of Moonshade Pack, a werewolf, not my boyfriend. Horror choked me as I realized what I’d done.

I ran away for my life!

But weeks later, I woke up pregnant with his heir!

They say my heterochromatic eyes mark me as a rare true mate. But I’m no wolf. I’m just Elle, a nobody from the human district, now trapped in Brad's world.

Brad’s cold gaze pins me: “You carry my blood. You’re mine.”

There is no other choice for me but to chose this cage. My body also betrays me, craving the beast who ruined me.

WARNING: Mature Readers Only
Survival Island

Survival Island

3.7k Views · Ongoing · Jacky Westbury
Zara lived a steady life. She was a primary school teacher and loved her job. She was not a social butterfly and only had one person she considered a friend and that was her best friend, Ivy. She liked her quiet life after growing up in foster care, the quiet was nice.Until her best friend’s husband and his mistress decided to kill Ivy and frame Zara. Now she has been sent to Survival Island--a deadly prison where convicted criminals fight to the death for a chance at freedom and a $10 million prize.
Zane, a powerful vampire and the island's owner, has spent centuries unable to feel desire for any woman. But when he notices Zara's intelligence, resilience, and determination to survive, she awakens something in him that no one ever has. For the first time in his vampire life, he is interested in a female, and his member is also starting to come to life. Who is this woman and why does he suddenly crave her and not just for her blood?
The Spy Who Left

The Spy Who Left

1.5k Views · Completed · Orion Vale
"She's naive. A pretty little socialite who got lucky marrying above her station."
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

2.9m 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.
Tango with the Alpha's Heart

Tango with the Alpha's Heart

30.7k Views · Completed · judels.lalita
“Who is she?” I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes.
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.


Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
The Dark Witch & The Alpha Book 2

The Dark Witch & The Alpha Book 2

1.1k Views · Ongoing · Kassy Rae Wall
Pythia comes from a long line of dark witches, she killed her mother for her reckless behavior and becomes the queen of the dark witches and teamed up with the Great White Witch and the vampire queen to fight in the battle to keep the balance in all the different worlds, she meets her mate, Tye in the great battle. Tye is the great white witches brother and a alpha. Together they will embark on a battle to correct the elders and take a step forward to peace among the dark witches, the road is long especially when they find out Pythias true royalty line. When realms collide and the moon goddess has to step in and not only aid because of the new found threat but to tell the secrets she has helped keep hidden for many years, Pythia is forced to train harder, work harder and plan for the absolute unexpected but, as she learns her true powers she starts to realize that she can handle anything that may threaten her and her family.
The vampire queen (Ambrosia) and Pythia will become close and discover the true origins of their pasts. They rely on each other when their mates are not around. New family is discovered and it is time they all come together to face one of the toughest moments in the dark witches history.
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)

A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)

6.2k Views · Ongoing · ADB_Stories
Isolde’s life was full of love and joy. She was set to be High priestess of the makkari, but everything changed in a single night when she lost everything at the hands of someone she thought she could trust.

For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.

Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.

A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th 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 in 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 Generation Coming Soon)
Mated To My Ruin: A Dragon's Debt

Mated To My Ruin: A Dragon's Debt

1.9k Views · Ongoing · ashlennox8
Nyx would risk anything to save her dying sister. Even steal from a dragon. Even trust a prince who promised her a crown in exchange for the impossible.

But the prince lied. The dragon she touched bound itself to her soul and now she is trapped in the vampire kingdom with a king who has waited centuries for her return. King Caelan remembers everything. The love she destroyed and the great war she started. The lives she burned to ash with the very dragon now living inside her.

She remembers nothing.

He wants her to suffer for crimes she cannot recall. She wants to survive long enough to save her sister. But the bond between them refuses to stay buried and the dragon has its own plans. When she turns twenty and her fae powers awaken, Nyx discovers the truth is far more twisted than centuries of hatred.

The prince who sent her was the one who destroyed her family. The king who hates her saved the only person she loves. And the past life she cannot remember might be the key to stopping another war.

This time she will not run. This time she will burn the world herself if that is what it takes.