The wolf didn’t come to protect her anymore. He came to claim what fate had already decided was his. Elowen thought the creature at the edge of her property was only a strange kind of guardian—silent, watchful, almost gentle in the way he lingered in the tree line as if protecting her from something she couldn’t name. Until the night he finally moved. Rain-dark air turns electric with instinct as those golden eyes burn with something feral and starving, and the distance between them shatters in a heartbeat. What follows isn’t an attack, not truly—it’s nature unleashed, a bond demanding to be sealed in the only language the beast understands. Elowen was never being hunted. She was being chosen. In the cold earth of the forest, fear and surrender blur together as something ancient awakens between them—teeth, hunger, heat, and a connection that feels less like violence and more like destiny snapping into place. And when the darkness takes her, Elowen understands one impossible truth: This wolf was never just a wolf. He has been waiting for her. And once the bond is made, it cannot be undone. Because whatever he is… he has marked her as his.

They wanted a weapon. They created a queen. Novalee Ashford had a simple life-a job she tolerated, a husband she adored, a future she believed in. Then Dante Santoro decided she was his. Ripped from everything she knew, Novalee is thrust into a world of violence, cruelty, and impossible choices. The Santoro family doesn't just want to own her body-they want to remake her soul. Under their brutal tutelage, she transforms from victim to weapon, from captive to bride. But Novalee has a secret: she remembers who she was. And she's planning something they never expected. Vengeance. With Atlas-the guard who was supposed to keep her caged-as her unlikely ally, Novalee plays the deadliest game of her life. Every smile hides a blade. Every submission masks rebellion. Every moment brings her closer to the reckoning they deserve. They wanted to create a monster. They succeeded. The Cost of Life is a dark romance containing mature themes and graphic content. Reader discretion is strongly advised. ****WARNINGS**** Explicit sexual assault/rape (multiple scenes, graphic) Non-consensual sexual situations Explicit consensual sexual content Sexual degradation and humiliation Forced sexual performance Violence: Graphic murder (on-page) Torture (physical and psychological) Domestic violence and abuse Blood and gore Beatings and physical assault Captivity & Control: Kidnapping and imprisonment Human trafficking elements Forced marriage Psychological manipulation and gaslighting Conditioning and breaking Loss of autonomy Trauma & Loss: Pregnancy loss (violent, explicit) Forced hysterectomy Suicide (referenced/off-page) Grief and mourning PTSD symptoms Other: Forced drug administration Starvation/food control Sleep deprivation Isolation Death of spouse (on-page, graphic)