Novelas de Mich Goddard

The two guards stepped forward. One of them finally realized who was hiding beneath the black hoodie.“Mrs. Cross,” the taller guard said, her voice firm but respectful. “I’m so sorry, ma’am, but Mr. Cross’s instructions are clear. No one leaves the building without his authorization after 10 PM. Especially not you.”I took a step back, my mind racing for a lie.“Oh, about that. My husband is aware. I’m just going for a walk. I need some fresh air.”The second guard shook her head.“Orders are orders, ma’am. We’ll escort you back upstairs.”My pulse thundered. The Velvet Shadow flashed through my mind—Diva waiting with answers about my father. The bar was so close. I could almost taste the chance to finally learn the truth.I pushed harder.“My husband knows I’m leaving. Or do I need permission to take a walk in my own house?”One guard looked uneasy at the sharpness in my voice. The taller one sighed.“Okay, ma’am. But I’ll have to confirm with the boss first.”I knew that if they ca

The note burned against my palm like a live coal as Julian’s hand stayed heavy and possessive on my thigh the entire ride back to the penthouse. I didn’t dare unfold it in the car. One wrong move, one flicker of suspicion in those sharp eyes of his, and everything would crumble. Julian looked at me, and my heart raced, hoping he had no idea about the paper. “You did excellent today at the merger event,” he said. I looked at him and forced a smile as hard as I could so it would look as genuine as possible. “Thank you, fake husband.” He looked at me for a moment and let out a low laugh, turning his gaze toward the window as the city lights blurred past. Then he moved his hand from my thigh and took my hand in his. A strange flutter spread through my stomach for the second time. Why do I feel like this? I asked myself. “Prepare yourself,” he said. “In three days, we fly to London. It’s the first official board meeting for the merger, and you, as my wife, will have to go with me.”

The Ferrari pulled into the penthouse garage, and the engine fell silent. Julian’s hand remained on my thigh, resting over the cashmere coat, but this time I didn’t move away. After seeing my father lying in that hospital bed, something inside me had changed.If pretending to be Julian’s wife was the only way to stay close to him and uncover the truth about the poison, then that was exactly what I would do. No more fighting him at every turn. I would play my role, keep up the act, and stay close until I uncovered the truth.Beside me, Julian studied me in the dim glow of the dashboard lights.“You’ve been unusually quiet,” he said, his voice calm and steady.“I’m tired,” I said, keeping my voice even.He gave a small nod and finally pulled his hand away before stepping out of the car.My eyes followed him automatically as he walked around to my side and opened the passenger door. Holding out his left hand, he looked down at me.“Let’s go inside, fake wife.”The ride up to the penthous

The heavy glass VIP entrance doors of the state hospital slide open with a soft hiss. We step out of the angry storm into a world of harsh fluorescent lights and the sharp smell of bleach and antiseptic.The night-shift staff freezes the moment Julian’s polished leather shoes click against the gleaming tile floors. Conversations die mid-sentence. Heads turn. The receptionist straightens up so fast her chair squeaks.“Good evening, Mr. Cross,” she breathes. “Dr. Aris has been notified. He is waiting on the private floor.”Julian does not acknowledge her. He keeps walking, his large hand pressed firmly against the small of my back. The touch burns through the cashmere coat, a constant reminder of who holds the reins.I clutch the heavy fabric tighter around my body. The delicate white lace underneath offers no protection against the hospital’s cold air. My bare feet ache inside the cheap emergency slides he forced onto me before we left the penthouse.Inside the mirrored elevator, our re

The line went dead. Only the cold, automated hum of the dial tone ecohing in my ear.Slow poisoning. Over months. A stroke that did not happen naturally.The phone slipped in my trembling fingers.My eyes snapped across the master suite toward the closet doors where Julian had disappeared moments earlier.He had known who I really was from the first day my fake application as Vivian Vance landed on his desk. He had let me stay anyway, watching me like a predator waiting for his prey.What if his game went far beyond destroying our family’s fortune on Wall Street? What if he was the one who poisoned my father? Panic exploded in my chest, raw and blinding. Outside, sheets of heavy rain lashed violently against the floor-to-ceiling glass. The loud, steady hammering filled the quiet bedroom.I did not care that I wore nothing but the delicate white lace set he had chosen earlier, or that a massive storm was raging out there. I dropped the phone on the bed and bolted across the suite, thro

Morning light cut through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Julian Cross’s penthouse like a cold warning.I woke up tangled in black silk sheets that smelled like him—warm amber, agarwood, and a dangerous kind of masculinity that clung to my skin. My body still carried the ache from the night before. Every muscle remembered how easily he had pinned me down.“You are going to be under me a lot from now on.”The words kept echoing in my head, replaying like a dark promise I could not escape.I sat up fast and pulled the oversized silk shirt down over my thighs. Julian was already awake. He stood by the window in nothing but black boxer briefs, his broad back and strong legs on full display. The Ghost of Wall Street looked untouchable, like he did not belong in the same world as the rest of us.He turned around. His sharp blue eyes moved over me. For a second, hunger flashed in them, then it disappeared behind his usual control.“Get up,” he said. “We are going shopping today. You need a wa

Moana’s POVThe guard’s grip bruised my skin as he shoved me through the heavy oak doors, sending a sharp jolt up my arm. My heart thundered against my ribs so loudly that I was certain they could hear it echoing through the quiet room.Think, Moana. Think.Behind me, just on the other side of that threshold, my father’s letter lay face-down in a moldy corner. A fragile, blood-stained secret waiting to be crushed beneath a careless boot. And if I looked back or panicked, they would notice. All it would take was one glance in the wrong direction, and someone here would start asking questions I am not sure I can answer.I have to keep my eyes forward and pull myself together.“I caught her lurking behind the door, Alpha,” the guard reported, his fingers digging deeper into my collarbone as he forced me a step closer to the massive desk. “She was pressed right against the wall like a spy when I saw her.”My stomach tightened in an instant.Eldrick’s gaze snapped to mine.And for a fracti

Moana’s POV "You are doing it on purpose," he hissed. "Doing what, Alpha?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Your scent," he said. He leaned down, his nose touching the skin of my neck. I shivered. "It is everywhere. I can't go into a room without smelling you. I can't eat. I can't sleep. It feels like you are pulling on a string inside my chest." "I am not doing anything," I said, tears filling my eyes. "You are the one who rejected me! You told me I was nothing! If you want the feeling to stop, then let me leave the pack!" Eldrick’s hand shot out and grabbed my waist, pulling me hard against his chest. I gasped. The touch was like an electric shock, and the pain in my heart stopped instantly. For the first time since the ceremony, I felt at peace. My wolf hummed with joy. "I can't let you leave," he whispered into my hair. His voice was soft now, almost like he was crying. "If you go too far away, the pain will kill me. And I hate you for that. I hate that my life is in your hand

Moana’s POV Sela stepped closer. She sneered at me. “So you really thought you would become Luna? Pathetic.” Elara kicked my side lightly, just enough to make me stumble. Ava laughed loudly. I tried to wipe the water off my face, but my hair stuck to my cheeks, while my dress was wet and cold. I felt everyone looking at me like I was nothing. “Look at her,” Sela said. “A rat who cleans floors.” “She really thought she could be Alpha Eldrick’s mate,” Elara said, laughing. I stayed on my knees, holding the brush like it could protect me. But it didn’t help. Sela pushed me again, making all of them laugh loudly. Finally, Sela glared at me. “You can never become Eldrick's Luna,” she said. Then she walked away. Elara and Ava followed, still laughing. I sank to my knees in the wet water as my body shook. The hall was quiet again, but I felt cold and humiliated. I finished scrubbing the floor quickly, hoping no one else would see me and humiliate me like the girls did. My bones ach

Moana’s POV The forest was so quiet that I could hear the snow falling on the leaves. I was on my knees in the cold dirt. The golden light was still glowing between my chest and Alpha Eldrick’s heart. It felt warm, like a soft blanket, but I was shaking with fear. I looked up at the high stone ledge. Eldrick stood there, looking down at me. His face was not kind. It was full of a dark, angry fire. "Please," I whispered, though my voice was too small for him to hear. I wanted to tell him that I was not my father. I wanted to tell him that I had worked hard for ten years to show I was a good wolf. But the words stayed stuck in my throat. Eldrick took a step closer to the edge of the rock. He looked at the golden cord. Then he looked at the hundreds of wolves watching us. "Look at her," Eldrick shouted. His voice was like a crack of thunder. "Look at the mate the Moon Goddess has given to your Alpha." A woman in the front row laughed. It was a mean, sharp sound. "She is a se

Moana’s POV The forest was so quiet that I could hear the snow falling on the leaves. I was on my knees in the cold dirt. The golden light was still glowing between my chest and Alpha Eldrick’s heart. It felt warm, like a soft blanket, but I was shaking with fear. I looked up at the high stone ledge. Eldrick stood there, looking down at me. His face was not kind. It was full of a dark, angry fire. "Please," I whispered, though my voice was too small for him to hear. I wanted to tell him that I was not my father. I wanted to tell him that I had worked hard for ten years to show I was a good wolf. But the words stayed stuck in my throat. Eldrick took a step closer to the edge of the rock. He looked at the golden cord. Then he looked at the hundreds of wolves watching us. "Look at her," Eldrick shouted. His voice was like a crack of thunder. "Look at the mate the Moon Goddess has given to your Alpha." A woman in the front row laughed. It was a mean, sharp sound. "She is a se

Moana’s POV The air in the forest was so cold it felt like needles on my skin. I stood in the dark shadows, my back against a large pine tree as my hands shook. They were covered in small scars from years of hard work, because I had spent the whole day cleaning and scrubbing floors at Elder Rodrigo's house. The smell of the cleaning polish was still on my fingers, stinging the little cuts on my skin. In the Blackthorn Pack, I was a ghost. My name is Moana Ashclaw, but nobody called me that. To them, I was just a servant girl. I was the girl who lived in the cold cellar and ate the leftovers from the dogs. Kyrian Ashclaw had tried to kill Alpha Eldrick, three years ago, but he failed, and he died for it. Since that day, I had been a slave to the pack to pay for his sins. "Don't look up," I whispered to myself. My breath made a little white cloud in the air. "Just stay in the dark. Let the night end. Let the moon goddess choose someone, just anyone that wouldn't reject a slave l