7 parts Ongoing MatureVanessa thought her life couldn't get worse-until it did. A hardworking woman from a modest background, her world shatters when her father, Jonas, falls gravely ill and their family is left bankrupt. Her stepmother and stepsister abandon them, and to make matters worse, Jonas owes an unpayable debt to Alaric Moretti-a ruthless Mafia lord who is as feared as he is deadly.
Dragged into Alaric's dark world, Vanessa is prepared to fight for her father's survival. But when Alaric's mate bond snaps into place the moment he meets her, everything changes. Vanessa is his fated mate-a rare connection that Alaric, a cold-hearted monster, doesn't want and refuses to accept.
To settle her father's debt, Alaric makes a horrifying demand: Vanessa must give her blood and a lung to save his dying girlfriend, Emma. Refusing to be a pawn, Vanessa strikes her own deal-she'll comply only if Alaric marries her, securing her father's treatment and her siblings' futures. It's a business arrangement, nothing more.
