In The Shadows- Rhea Ripley

The ring is for monsters. The backstage is for professionals and Sophie was never supposed to be both.

As a new makeup artist for the WWE, Sophie's job was simple-
blend the contour, set the powder, and stay out of the way of the giants who run the show. From her first day at the Gorilla Position, she felt the weight of a gaze that didn't just watch, it hunted.

Rhea Ripley. The Eradicator. A woman built of muscle, ink, and a terrifying, cold intensity.

To Rhea, Sophie is a "soft" distraction- a girl who smells like vanilla and expensive perfume in a world that reeks of sweat and iron. Rhea spends her weeks trying to intimidate Sophie into quitting, cornering her in dark locker rooms and issuing cold ultimatums. She claims she wants Sophie gone, but her lingering stares and possessive outbursts suggest a much darker truth.

When a series of forced proximities arise. It strips away their professional masks, the tension finally snaps. Sophie is tired of running from the "Mami" everyone fears, and Rhea is tired of fighting the hunger she feels every time Sophie's soft fingers touch her skin.

In the high adrenaline shadows of the arena, a dangerous game of dominance begins. Rhea wants to own the space Sophie occupies, Sophie wants to prove she isn't afraid of the dark.

A lesson in power, a surrender to craving and a romance that's anything but " professional."