The Descent

She glared at the stormy skies, her gaze tired and accusing because she was so sure that somewhere out there in the clouds, way up high in Mount Olympus... there was a certain goddess of love laughing while watching Proserpina's current dilemma. This is the story of that one time the underworld's heir meets one stubborn werewolf who just won't leave her alone or also known as that awful moment of meeting the right person at the wrong time.

Disowned by her cold and unloving father, Raven is banished from high society and forced to work as a humble cleaner in her father’s company. However, in the shadows of the office building, she encounters Damon, a ruthless yet alluring mafia boss. When Damon makes her a tantalizing offer, Raven agrees, unknowingly embarking on a path that will thrust her into the center of a perilous game of love, betrayal, and power.

She wanted to be free, but did that mean surrendering everything to Damien and his whims? Tired of her domineering husband, Valerie Tanner decides it's time to start a new life somewhere else. However, when she moves to Live Oak, her brother's friends show her a life of total abandon where someone else calls the shots, and she has no choice but to obey. Once she gives in, Valerie descends into a dark morass of exploits that leaves her reeling and craving more, even though she fights each order she's given. Her mind screams at her that it's wrong, but her body pleads for her to continue. The question now is: how far will she fall before she loses herself? Or, is this the path to show her who she truly is?

As the only expert in the world capable of rescue dives below 3,000 feet, I received a once-in-a-lifetime salvage contract worth tens of millions of dollars. I had dived in those same waters over a decade ago. My son's research submersible had been damaged on the ocean floor. After his oxygen ran out, he suffocated in the dark. The grief nearly destroyed me. My husband, Griffin Lattimer, held me through it, staying by my side through countless miserable nights. I found out later that he had personally redirected the only rescue vessel capable of reaching the depths our son was at to save his childhood friend's daughter. That girl had merely choked on a mouthful of water in the shallows. I divorced Griffin and threw myself into deep-sea salvage like a woman possessed, diving over and over until I knew the undercurrents of those waters better than I knew my own home. I never wanted another child to die the way mine did. Today brought the same stretch of ocean, the same crushed hull, the same depleted oxygen, and the same impossible odds. When I opened the client's file, I went completely still. I recognized the name and face inside instantly. I would never forget either of them for as long as I lived. I smiled and slid the folder back across the table to my partner. "I can't take this one."

I, Milly Gomez, had hidden my identity as the Lycan King's heir and joined the Boulder Pack as part of my training. The pack's Alpha, Andy Shaw, and I fell for each other during that time. He cherished me so openly that the whole pack envied me. He promised me a grand mate bond ceremony. I waited for five years, but it never happened. I found out later that the Council of Elders had never thought I was good enough. To them, I was just an orphan who came from nowhere. I didn't want to make things harder for Andy, so I decided to tell him the truth that I was the Lycan King's daughter. Before I could, Andy started disappearing for days at a time. Then, on the ninety-ninth night he failed to come home, I received a message from another she-wolf. [I'm carrying Andy's pup. I will be his only Luna. As for you, you're nothing but a plaything he uses to satisfy his lust!] I found out later that the she-wolf was Jane Brooke, the daughter of the Shadow Pack's Alpha. Andy had been sleeping with her every night he disappeared. So, I did something behind his back too. I quietly prepared my plan to return home. It was time to leave.

On the eve of Valentine's Day, the entire Ravenport is waiting for Vivian Grayson's scores to be released. They're all watching to see if my score is high enough to attend her family banquet this year. The Grayson family has made it clear that their future son-in-law will be chosen at that banquet. Yet, after seven years of dating Vivian, I come in second every single time. This had made me the biggest joke in the city. This year is no exception. Vivian throws herself into the arms of the male model, Jason Carter, who ranks first. She says matter-of-factly, "I really like the way he smells. You understand, right, Noah? Next year, I'll definitely make you number one." The lively atmosphere in the banquet hall drops to freezing point. Everyone is waiting for me to tear that smug look off Jason's face. But I don't lose my temper like before. I simply say calmly, "Congratulations." A victorious smile appears on Vivian's face. "You've finally learned to control your temper, Noah. You're not far from becoming the Graysons' son-in-law." I nod indifferently. I am about to become someone else's son-in-law, but not the Grayson family's. I have disagreed and argued with my family for the past seven years. Now, it's time to follow their arrangement and go abroad to honor the marriage they set up for me.