True Beginning
About
Lucy wanted Max in charge.
His rules. His decisions. His consequences.
Now everyone will see what that means.
Her friends. His family. The outside world.
But the rules are only beginning.
Max doesn’t intend to hide what they are.
And Lucy is about to learn that surrender is much easier in private.
Because Max wants more than her obedience behind closed doors.
He wants her time. Her choices. All of her.
True Beginning is the second book in Willow Madison’s TRUE series and continues Lucy and Max’s journey into the Dark Domesti-verse: contemporary dark romance where rules, consequences, possession, and surrender go far beyond closed doors.
This is not a sweet romance about a dominant man made harmless by love. Max’s control is becoming part of the relationship itself—his expectations, his authority, and the consequences when Lucy fails to meet them.
And Lucy is discovering that wanting a man to take charge is one thing. Wanting the rules, the discipline, the praise, the punishment—and the certainty of belonging completely to him—is something else entirely.
Expect a possessive and controlling hero, escalating domestic authority, rules and obedience, punishment and praise, power imbalance, jealousy, psychological tension, explicit heat, and a heroine discovering just how deeply surrender can become part of the life she thinks she wants.
For readers who love the intensity of dark omegaverse dynamics—but want the world contemporary, non-paranormal, and entirely human—welcome back to Willow Madison’s Dark Domesti-verse.
Edition Notes: Fully re-edited and expanded with approximately 12,000 additional words.
Content Notes / Trigger Warnings: Mature content; significant power imbalance; domestic-discipline and power-exchange dynamics; corporal punishment and humiliation; possessive and controlling behavior; emotional manipulation; jealousy; complicated consent; references to childhood abuse and domestic violence; threats and on-page violence.
— Excerpt —
Lucy
“You’re going to stand here and think about every rule you’ve broken today, little girl, including any from last night. And when I come back, you’re going to tell me each one.”
In a panic, my eyes dart around the expanse of white wall in front of me.
He expects me to tattle on myself?
He runs his hands from my shoulders to my clasped fingers and squeezes them. “If you can recite every rule to my satisfaction, you’ll go to bed tonight without a spanking.”
At that, he walks away. I resist the urge to turn my head to follow him with my eyes.
He moves around in the bedroom, then turns the TV on low. Panic swallows my concentration. My brain will focus only on how scared I am.
For one second, I think about grabbing my purse and running out the door.
But I know, I won’t.
I had my chance to run.
After he’d slapped me, Max had pushed me toward the door and told me to decide to stay or leave. The next day, he told me that was the only chance he’d give me to make a decision for myself, that I no longer had a choice of simply walking away.
And I know he’s right.
My heart decided—there’s no going back.
I gave in to him … to his anger … his control… and his love. My only choice now is to please him, to obey him, to love him.
If only it were that simple! I’ve made a real mess of it today…
I want to cry, but I think this would only make him angrier right now. He expects me to be thinking, not feeling sorry for myself.
Miserable, I don’t know how long I stand like this. I lift my head up slightly when I hear the TV turn off. He walks quietly down the hall to me. “Time’s up, little girl.”
As he grabs my arm to yank me down the hall, my hands split apart for a moment. “Keep your hands together, behind your back.”
He pulls me into the center of the bedroom. My eyes go straight to the bed. A brown leather belt lies across it. It isn’t one I’ve seen him wear; it’s too thick and wide.
Oh, my God! He intends to spank me with that?
I panic more, forgetting about my hands, but not dropping my arms. I pivot to follow Max as he moves more into the room, putting a little distance between us. His expression is still fiery, yet not as dark. On the edge of the bed, he sits right next to the belt.
“Undress.”
I hesitate, wanting to plead my case until his frown deepens. I remove the sweater and dress, then my bra and thong.
He raises an eyebrow and says sarcastically, “Do I have to tell you again, Lucy?”
I blink twice before his meaning dawns on me. I put my arms behind my back, and he gives me a faint smile.
I’m very exposed now. Only my hair covering the top of my nipples provides me any comfort.
“Begin.”