Caught By The Dark

Table of Contents Caught By The Dark | Copyright Dedication A Note From The Author Prologue – The Man Chapter 1 – Adélaïde Chapter 2 – The Man Chapter 3 – Adélaïde Chapter 4 – The Man Chapter 5 – Adélaïde Chapter 6 – The Man Chapter 7 – Adélaïde Chapter 8 – The Man Chapter 9 – Adélaïde Chapter 10 – The Man Chapter 11 – Adélaïde Chapter 12 – Adélaïde Chapter 13 – Adélaïde Chapter 14 – Adélaïde Chapter 15 – The Man Chapter 16 – Adélaïde Chapter 17 – The Man Chapter 18 – The Beast Chapter 19 – Adélaïde Chapter 20 – The Man Chapter 21 – Adélaïde Chapter 22 – Adélaïde Chapter 23 – Adélaïde Chapter 24 – The Beast Chapter 25 – Adélaïde Chapter 26 – The Man Chapter 27 – Adélaïde Chapter 28 – Adélaïde Chapter 29 – Adélaïde Chapter 30 – The Man Chapter 31 – The Beast Chapter 32 – Adélaïde Chapter 33 – The Man Chapter 34 – The Beast Chapter 35 – Adélaïde Chapter 36 – The Man Chapter 37 – Adélaïde Chapter 38 – Adélaïde Chapter 39 – Adélaïde Chapter 40 – The Man Chapter 41 – The Beast Chapter 42 – Adélaïde Chapter 43 – Miroslav Chapter 44 – Adélaïde Chapter 45 – Adélaïde Chapter 46 – Adélaïde Chapter 47 – Miroslav Chapter 48 – Adélaïde Epilogue 1 – Miroslav Epilogue 2 – Natasha About The Author Caught By The Dark Copyright Copyright © 2023 Chowen Publishing House LLC All Rights Reserved Kindle Edition All Rights Reserved Editor: North Pines Editing LLC Cover photo and design: © Covers by Aura No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Dedication To Dad. Dad, I finally used the phrase creamy white thighs. Thanks for being the cool dad who let me watch rated R movies as a kid and let me borrow smutty books from the library as a teen. There’s probably a correlation between those habits and the books I write. I couldn’t have done it without you. XOXOXO, Tootie. A Note From The Author Dearest Reader, This isn’t a fairytale retelling, or it never was meant to be that way from the start. I’ve spent many hours contemplating the Beauty & Beast archetype. I think all romances, especially the darker ones, all have a touch of this story in them. Or maybe the original French masterpiece simplified something fundamental, and now it’s always associated with that. Either way, that topic for another time. As it stands now in this final version, Caught By The Dark has Beauty & Beast flavor, but also a smattering of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—another masterpiece, which I implore you to read! The story you’re about to read isn’t the nicest story. What I mean is that this is a dark romance—bad stuff happens or is mentioned. Let me explain further. That is a broad statement, and has two distinct parts. Dark and romance. In my research, dark is a spectrum amongst writers we use to talk about these things. This story is dark in that the world is dark. Bad things happen, and fallible souls make mistakes. But I also worked hard not to make these characters toxically dark, especially to one another. Romance is romance. That means I’m taking two half-hearted people, finding their other, and making them whole. If you’re here, expect spice as part of that process. In conclusion, this is a dark romance, so if certain content bothers you, proceed with caution, because I did write something mature. Thank you so much for selecting this humble little story as your next read. I’m truly honored. Please enjoy. Best regards, Prologue – The Man ~Three Months Ago~ The door of my old truck creaked as I stepped out into the warm spring afternoon. A shiver wracked through my muscles. The change was always close at hand, right under the surface, and so long as the sun remained high in the sky, I had the upper hand and the power to keep it at bay. But the craving for destruction would eventually overwhelm me, pushing me to take a back seat and observe him rage about all night long. The beast I was cursed with knew not a shred of moral decency. The other werewolves, my packmates, couldn’t imagine the soul-draining agony I went through daily to suppress the villain who would hold me hostage for all time unless I fought like mad when the sun shone bright. “You made it!” Svet called out, hurrying from his back porch to where I stood. My brother clapped me on the back, sending me staggering forward. “Good to see you, too,” I ground out, rounding on him with an upper cut to the abdomen. Svet crumpled, wheezing a laugh. “But I can’t stay long.” I jerked a thumb at where the Louisiana moon hung low in the sky, waiting for night to fall in earnest. Svet rolled his eyes. “You’ve got a solid two hours before sunset. Come! Eat, drink, and be merry.” My chest tightened with unease as I stepped around the protective shield that was my truck. Across the well-kept lawn was the meeting barn, where the pack was gathering. The werewolves were streaming in groups toward the great doors, which