Novels by Anny Ann

Chapter 10The glowing monitors cast a soft, blue hue across the security operations room, contrasting sharply with the pitch-black night outside. Marcus stood perfectly still, his breath hitched as he watched his boss. He was waiting for the inevitable explosion of his rage, the corporate orders that usually followed a breached schedule or a wasted fortune. Shutting down L’Étoile had cost a lot of money, and the Darius had never tolerated inefficiency.Darius, however, remained completely captivated by the sleeping girl on the screen."You are dismissed for the night, Marcus," Darius spoke softly, his eyes never wavering from the monitor. "In fact, take the next two days off. Turn off your corporate phone. Go spend time with your family."Marcus blinked, his mouth parting in absolute shock. For a second, he wondered if the man sitting in front of him was an impostor. In the five years he had served as Darius Smith’s right hand, he had never been given a spontaneous holiday. Dari

Chapter 9The heavy double doors of the penthouse had barely clicked shut before Celine kicked off the pumps Kayden had bought her. She let out a long, ragged breath, her shoulders sagging as the elegant facade she had maintained all morning completely crumbled. She felt filthy. The lingering memory of Kayden's lustful gaze and his arrogant assumption that she would gladly trade her surgical career to become a high society incubator made her stomach churn with rage."Traditional wife," she scoffed to the empty, luxurious living room, ripping the pins out of her hair and letting the dark locks fall around her shoulders. "An asset. A prize."Desperate to scrub the day off her skin, Celine walked into the master bathroom and turned the shower dial to steaming hot. She stood under the heavy spray for nearly thirty minutes, letting the water wash away the expensive scent of the Grand Horizon Club. When she stepped out, she bypassed the racks of designer outfits and pulled on a set of

Chapter 8The Grand Horizon Club sat atop the highest hill in the city’s exclusive district, a private glass pavilion accessible only to multi-millionaires and old money aristocrats. When Kayden’s private chauffeur opened the door of the smooth Rolls-Royce Phantom, Celine stepped out into the crisp morning air, her ivory midi dress catching the early sunlight. She kept her head high, her heels clicking softly against the marble pavement as a white-gloved captain ushered her toward a secluded, flower-filled terrace overlooking the misty valley below.Kayden was already standing by the edge of the terrace, a crystal glass of sparkling water in his hand. The moment his eyes fell on Celine, a dark, intense hunger flashed across his handsome features. His gaze traveled slowly down her high-necked dress, lingering on the elegant curve of her waist and the sleek lines of her legs. "Beautiful," Kayden murmured, stepping forward and taking her hand. Instead of a standard, polite greeting

Chapter 7Looking at the mountain of designer boxes from Kayden on her right, and the glowing text message from Darius on her left, Celine felt like she was suffocating under a golden blanket. For a girl who had spent the last few years counting every single cent and penny, hiding from ruthless debt collectors who demanded her late parents' unsettled debts, and skimping on meals just to pay off her massive medical school loans, this sudden extreme wealth felt less like a blessing and more like a beautifully wrapped trap.Unable to handle the walls closing in on her, she grabbed her phone, walked out onto the massive glass balcony overlooking the city, and dialed the one person she trusted above all else.The line rang twice before a vibrant, energetic voice picked up. "Celine! Oh my god, thank goodness you called. I saw the medical board's update online and I have been worried sick. Are you okay? Tell me Chief Thornton didn’t actually go through with that ridiculous termination!"Hea

Chapter 6Celine did not sign the paper. She could not. With her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird, she pushed past Darius’s towering frame, unlocked the consultation room door, and practically sprinted down the VIP corridor. She ignored Kayden, who was waiting by the elevators with a dark, expectant smirk, and she ignored Darius’s deep, commanding voice echoing her name. She needed to breathe. She needed sanity.Refusing to make a choice between two predatory brothers, Celine fled the hospital, hailed a local taxi, and demanded the driver take her straight to her apartment. All she wanted was to curl up in her own bed, lock the world out, and let the hangover finally take over.But the universe, it seemed, was entirely done giving Celine peace.The moment her taxi pulled up to her modest, suburban apartment building, Celine froze. Two massive, unmarked black moving trucks were parked haphazardly across the curb. A dozen men dressed in matching charcoal gray uni

Chapter 5Celine leaned against the nurses' station, her fingers tightly gripping the edge of the counter. Her mind was in a complete mess.Mrs. Doris Smith. The matriarch of the most powerful dynasty in the city wanted her to marry her eldest son, Kayden. It was insane, a literal fever dream. Just yesterday, Celine was a disgraced surgeon kicked out of her own operating theater, and now she was being offered a golden ticket into high society."Dr. Celine?"A smooth, calculated voice broke through her frantic thoughts. Celine straightened up, turning her head toward the elevator doors.A man walked down the hallway, flanked by two bodyguards. He was undeniably handsome, wearing a flawless, bespoke charcoal suit, but there was a sharp, arrogant coldness in his eyes that immediately made Celine’s guard go up. He carried himself with the supreme confidence of a man who believed the entire world was his inheritance."You must be the miracle worker my mother is raving about," the man sai

The heavy silver blade sliced through the noon air, stopping a mere millimeter from Tatsumi’s exposed, trembling neck. Storm’s chest heaved violently, his large hand trembling so hard the leather hilt of the executioner's sword creaked under his white-knuckled grip. The deafening, bloodthirsty roars of the crowd blurred into a chaotic, dizzying static in his ears. Deep within his chest, his inner wolf was clawing at his ribs, howling in absolute agony, begging him to drop the weapon. From the edge of the scaffold, Liora saw his hesitation. A flash of genuine panic darted through her eyes before instantly hardening into a cold determination. 'If Storm backs down now,' she realized, her heart hammering against her ribs, 'if he allows an investigation, the truth will come out and my head will be the one on the chopping block.' She needed to move, and she needed to move now. Catching the eyes of the two massive execution guards who were currently wrestling with a thrashing, fu

The wind roared in Roran’s ears as ascended, his knees almost giving away from running. He didn't care about the pain. He didn’t care about the fractured bones or the bruised muscles. His dark irises were locked entirely on the elevated wooden platform where Tatsumi knelt, her fragile body trembling under the weight of the silver suppression chains. He fought his way through the suffocating crowd like a man possessed, his massive shoulders throwing screaming pack members aside. He had to reach her. He had to stop this madness. "Get out of the way! Move!" Roran bellowed, his voice raw, flaring to clear a path. When he finally breached the perimeter of the royal guards and scrambled up the wooden steps of the scaffold, the sheer horror of Tatsumi's state struck him like a physical blow to the chest. It broke him completely. She was a shell of herself. Her knees were scraped and bleeding from being dragged across the rough wood. The heavy silver collar around her neck was biting d

Beta Roran stepped into the damp, suffocating dark, his throat burning from the scent of stale rust and old blood of the dungeon. He was drowning in a sea of his own failure. "I was off duty," his mind screamed, the thought a recurring nightmare that had played on loop since the council meeting. "The one night she needed her guardian, I was asleep. I let her get framed. I let that spineless Alpha tear her away." Every step down the moss-covered stairs felt like a weight pressing onto his chest. He had failed the former Alpha who had entrusted Tatsumi to his care. He had failed the pack's future. But most of all, he had failed the quiet, gentle Omega who had never known anything but loneliness. He had let them put her in silver chains. As he approached her cell block, Roran’s hands began to shake. A sudden, paralysing conflict tore through his mind, slowing his steps to a painful halt. "How do I even look at her?" he thought, his chest heaving. 'Do I face her with the stoic mask

Tatsumi watched her sister closely, the crushing weight of the silver chains on her wrists completely forgotten as the pieces of the puzzle violently crashed together in her mind. The suffocating, musty air of the cell no longer mattered. The piles of ancient bones in the corner blurred into nothingness. The terrifying fear of being unjustly executed, of being dragged to the gallows for a slaughter she had absolutely nothing to do with sent a massive jolt of fury through her veins. It was an awakening, for someone who had spent twenty-five years being passive, submissive, and quiet. 'Why did Liora know the exact minutes the pups died before the pack healers even finalized the autopsies?' 'Why was she wandering the royal corridors so late, completely ignoring a childhood bedtime routine she had fiercely defended for over a decade?' 'Why was she so desperately, fiercely eager to point the finger, jumping to the conclusion without a single shred of hesitation?' The twisted logic

"Liora! Thank the Moon Goddess you’re here," Tatsumi cried out, her raw voice cracking as she pressed her body against the freezing iron bars. The heavy silver chains rattled against her wrists, a harsh sound in the quiet of the dungeon. "You have to tell them, Liora. You have to tell Storm that I could never do this!" Liora stopped a few feet away, her red eyes wide and brimming with forced, unshed tears. She clutched her silk handkerchief tightly to her chest, her entire frame trembling as if she were facing a terrifying beast. "Tatsumi... how could you?" Liora whispered, her voice trembling beautifully. "The pups... our future Alphas... they were just babies." "I didn't do it!" Tatsumi’s golden eyes flashed with desperation. She reached her hands through the bars, pleading with her sister. "Listen to me, Liora. Last night, I couldn't sleep. The pack house felt so suffocating, so I went out to the royal gardens to get some fresh air. It was exactly 10:00 PM. On my way back to my

Meanwhile, Tatsumi sat on the cold, musty ground of the dungeon. The air stunk heavily of rotten flesh and stagnant water, a stark contrast to the pine and earthy scent of the pack house above. In the dark corners of the cell lay piles of ancient bones, dark reminders of the prisoners who had come before her. The suffocating air forced her to press her face against the iron railings just to breathe in a draft of fresh air. It was still musty, but it was manageable. Just last night, she had fallen asleep dreaming of her upcoming wedding. She had seen Storm holding her in his large, protective arms, kissing her so tenderly she hadn't wanted to wake up. Yet, in a cruel twist of reality, he had burst into her room hours later, ordering for her to be thrown into prison for a heinous crime she knew absolutely nothing about. Today was supposed to be a joyous occasion. As the Grand Heiress, she was meant to perform the pack ritual and bless those thirty precious pups. Now, they were all go