BOOK 1 IN THE MORETTI SERIES A story about an oppressed young woman and a ruthless Mafia man arranged to be married in a world neither of them asked to be born in. *SLOWBURN ROMANCE* *Morally grey Male lead.* *Innocent Female lead.*

Viper and Doretha alike have lost love in their lives. They stumble through the world, existing not living, aching not healing. So when Doretha's sister invites her to leave the toxic household she has been trapped in for 24 years and she arrives in Canada, she meets a man with the same lamenting aura. For the first time since her pain, an ember glimmers in her chest. Viper never expected to find love in the form of Astrid's sister. As soon as she appears from behind Bear, his heart is stolen. Can the two heal themselves together, or will their pain cause them to implode and drag each other to despair?

Aymeric was the bane of my existence. He hated me, and I felt the same about him. On the morning of my 21st birthday, my mate mark appeared and guess who was my Destined One? Aymeric thinks being Destined Ones means all our problems will magically go away and everything else will fall into place. Typical wolf mentality -- good sex will solve everything. He's about to learn otherwise.

Delphine Williams is starting over. Now a widow, she looks for a new life in Charleston, SC for herself and her daughter. An unexpected meeting with a handsome man leads her down a new path. Five good men are now part of her life and her daughter's. Will Delphine be able to open her heart again? The Kingsley team has been dedicated to the Academy. Something is missing from their lives and when they meet Delphine and her daughter, they realize what it is. Can they fix the broken girls and teach them to trust again? *Academy characters from the Ghost Bird Series and Scarab Beetle Series belong to C.L. Stone.