MARRIED TO THE COLD-BLOODED ALPHA

ries yet to be unraveled. The same sense of unease that had gripped her when she first stepped foot into Lucian's mansion still clung to her like an

thing ancient-something that wasn't quite right. Her fingers twitched at the thought of ste

h. But did she truly want to? Every instinct screamed at her to r

er, and she had no key. Her world had narrowed down to the high walls of the mansion,

had entered, leaving her to unravel the cryptic nature of his words alone. But the silence didn't last. She had heard him moving

or startled her o

firm, betraying none of the nervous ene

stepped into the room. His tall frame filled the doorway, and the

ike gravel, deep and smooth, "th

spoken. Arabella didn't trust herself to speak at first, unsure

ements silent but purposeful. Arabella hesitated, then followed, her feet carrying her down t

ee. She passed walls adorned with paintings of people she didn't recognize, their cold eyes following h

n the heavy front doors. The air outside was crisp, biting, but it was

fo

shapes as if they had been manipulated by some unseen hand. The fog had rolled in, thick and low, wrapping the t

safety of the mansion. But Lucian was already moving forward, hi

his voice barely a whisper in the heav

ng as she tried to force herself to ste

ers, his gaze unreadable.

ground beneath her boots felt soft and uneven, the earth shifting slightly as she moved. The trees seemed to

mind raced with questions she didn't dare ask. Her thoughts circled Lucian's cryptic words, around the strange une

like an eternity

here was different. There was a faint shimmer to the dirt, a subtle glimmer that didn't belong. She crouched, h

place is not just land, Arabella. It's part

o him. "What are y

The Monroe family is tied to this land. You may not know

uickened. "No. Tha

nd this forest place is more than just

body trembling as she tried to make sense of

dn't see what he was indicating, but as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw it. A massive stone structure, half-

hitched in her thr

low and somber. "A gateway. To som

ines aside to reveal a stone archway. The surface of the stone was worn, the carvings faded

n ever. "This is what you've married into, Arabella

und them, and for a moment, the

of the mansion or follow Lucian into whatever dark truth he was offering. Her heart ham

ure: she was in this now. An