Novels by Gwen hywfar

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~I'm halfway to Rain's apartment, no, our apartment? This temporary living situation is getting confusing. Hell, my life is confusing. My phone rings pulling me from my wandering thoughts. The caller ID shows "Mom," and I realize with horror that I haven't talked to my mother in over a week."Hi, Mom.""Mariah Elena Rivera, what in God's name is happening to you?"I wince. Full name usage is never a good sign. I try to play dumb."What do you mean, Mom?""I mean I just saw a news report claiming my daughter is living in sin with a hockey player and involved in some kind of cult!"Forgot to mention my mom is overly religious. I wish I had the faith she did, maybe the devil would have fled from me like she would always say, rebuke the devil and he will flee from you. The devil certainly didn't flee from me because..."Mom, it's not...""And apparently you broke up with Ethan? When were you planning to tell me that? I liked Ethan!"I nearly drop the phone. "You

~∆~ Rain's POV ~∆~One week after the pack house incident, I'm standing in the parking lot of the United Center trying to convince myself that walking into practice is a good idea. The media madness has only gotten worse since Luna managed to get us out of Chicago temporarily, and now that we're back, the reporters are back."Rain Cross! Over here!" A reporter waves frantically from behind the security barriers. "What do you have to say about the leaked photos of you and Mariah?"I pause mid-step, wondering if I should ignore my agent and put an end to these bastards by suing the life out of them."Mr. Cross! Is it true you've been living a double life involving underground rituals?"My blood runs cold. That's not that far from the truth, which means someone with real information is feeding the press."Any comment on Natasha's claims that you're involved in cult activities?"Of course, Natasha found a way to make this worse. I pull my phone out to text Mariah, who's waiting in the c

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~The insults I've endured from these she-wolves have been constant and cruel. I can never understand the logic behind their stupid whispers when they can't even chase me out of their pack.I haven't told Rain about what I've been dealing with. Whenever the pack women enter my room to clean or bring food, they whisper just loud enough for me to hear every word."Whore," they call me. "Mate stealer."I've learned that most of these women know Rain is a famous hockey player, and quite a few of them had crushes on him before this whole mess started. So, they don't blame him. They blame me for seducing him and using a kind of magic on him. Although, I am wondering if all of them believe all humans have some abilities like them.Then, there were the younger ones, who followed Natasha's social media. These set call me a slut for "stealing another woman's boyfriend" when I "had a fiancé."They still believe Ethan is my mate, despite everything Kane learned during his inte

~∆~ Rain's POV ~∆~The ride to the pack house feels endless. Marcus, the driver Alpha Kane left us with, maintains a stony silence despite my attempts at conversation."Nice weather we're having," I try, looking out at the streets and trees passing by.Still, I got nothing. I was sitting at the front so I was trying my damn best. I needed to know what kind of person Alpha Kane is, so I tried again."How long have you been with the pack?"Still nothing.I'm about to try again when I hear him mutter, " I don't talk to rogues. Especially mate stealers." He wanted me to listen to that. Rogue and mate stealer? I am not a rogue, I still carry my pack's scent.The words, however, seem to annoy Mariah as her entire body goes rigid beside me. I guess she knows what a rogue means then."Excuse me?" she says, her voice dangerously quiet. "What did you just say?"Marcus glances at her in the rearview mirror, his expression full of disdain. "You heard me.""Shut your mouth if you don't know the t

~∆~ Ethan's POV ~∆~I'm sitting in my office, trying to focus on the case files spread across my desk, but my mind keeps wandering to Alpha Kane's demand to meet Mariah. Why would he want to meet my fake mate? And how am I supposed to present her as my mate when she won't even speak to me? I need to find to fix this mess.The knock on my door interrupts my scattered thoughts."Come in," I call, straightening my tie and putting on my professional face.The woman who enters is in her forties, with dark circles under her eyes and a careful way of moving that I recognize immediately. Another one of those people. Humans can be so stupid and foolish. Looking at the one in front of me, I am hundred percent sure she is one of those foolish women. I've seen it in dozens of clients over the years, the cautious posture of someone who's learned to expect pain. This is going to be long one. I couldn't help but grumble."Mr. Summers?" she says softly. "I'm Sarah Mart. I have an appointment abou

~∆~ Mariah's POV ~∆~Sophia is backing away from him, still wielding her iron pan like it's going to protect her from a werewolf. I do not understand what she is thinking but I admire her courage. Her face is pale with terror, but there's also annoyance in her eyes.She hates supernaturals that badly? Well, I would too if I were normal, but I wasn't."I said get away from me!" she shouts, swinging the pan in wide arcs. "I don't care who you think you are! I don't care about mates or packs or any of this nonsense!"Kane raises his hands in what's supposed to be a calming gesture, but instead, he looks more intimidating; not even his handsome face could save him. Sophia looks even more agitated than before."Miss Johnson, please calm down. You're not in danger...""Not in danger?" Sophia's voice climbs to a near-shriek. "Some strange man breaks into my best friend's apartment, starts talking about werewolves and mates, and you think I'm not in danger?"Rain and Luna appear in the hallw

~Lilith's POV~"Scott! Jamie! Come inside for lunch!" I called out from the kitchen window.Two little boys came running across the garden. Jamie was five years old with Sebastian's blue eyes and my red hair while Scott was with dark hair and my green eyes with a touch of my stubborn personality."Mummy, we were building a fort!" Scott said, his clothes covered in dirt."A really big fort!" Jamie added, holding up his muddy hands proudly."I can see that," I laughed. "Go wash your hands first."Our house was a beautiful estate outside the city. Sebastian had bought it after we got married five years ago. He said he wanted our children to grow up somewhere peaceful, away from the darkness of his family's past.He had refused to return to New York since I didn't want to go back there. He's such a sweet man. I am indeed blessed.As for the Lockharts, they were all still in prison. Hellena had been sentenced to life for multiple murders. Alfonso got life as well. Lucy received twenty-five

~Lilith's POV~Six months had passed since the Lockharts were arrested. Six months since I last saw him. Six months since my Dad unashamedly married Rebecca. Today was Mum's wedding day.I stood in front of the mirror in my bridesmaid dress. It was a soft green color that Mum had picked because she said it matched my eyes."You look beautiful," Mum said, coming into the room. She was wearing a simple white dress that made her look younger and happier than I had seen her in years."You look beautiful too, Mum.""Are you ready for this?" she asked. Funny, I should be asking her. I ain't the one getting married."Are you?" I threw the question back at her.She smiled. "More ready than I've ever been for anything." Sincerely, I wish my mom everything good. She deserves it.The wedding was small. Just close friends and family. We held it in Uncle Thomas's garden because Mum said she wanted to get married surrounded by nature and flowers.As I walked down the aisle ahead of Mum, I looked a

~Sebastian's POV~Three days after the arrests, I finally felt ready to face the hardest task of all. I had to free my father from the psychiatric hospital where my family had kept him prisoner for the past months.Morrison drove me to Greenfield Mental Health Facility. It was a gray, depressing-looking building that looked more like a prison than a hospital."Are you sure about this?" Morrison asked as we parked."He's been locked up for crimes he didn't commit. My mother had him declared mentally incompetent so she could control everything.""What if he really is sick?""Then I'll make sure he gets proper care. But not here. Not in this place. I mean look at this place."I couldn't express how grateful I was to have Morrison by my side. Even Marcus, my supposed best friend, hadn't bothered to check on me through any of this.We went inside the hospital, and the smell was horrible. I wondered how anyone could ever bring their family members to such a place for treatment.The nurses l

~Sebastian's POV~The next morning, Morrison and I drove to St. Mary's Church. It was a small, old building with a cemetery behind it. The garden was bigger than I had expected."Where do we start?" Morrison asked."Jelly's grandmother's grave. She would have hidden it around there."We located the grave easily. It had fresh flowers on it. Jelly must have visited recently before she died."Look around the headstone," I said. "Maybe she buried something." I wasn't sure about this calculation but we tried it anyway.We searched for about twenty minutes. Yet, we didn't find anything. We were getting frustrated and I was almost convinced it wasn't the graveyard until I noticed something. There was a small statue of an angel next to the grave. The base looked loose."Morrison," I called out. He turned to look at me from the side he was. "Help me with this."He came over and we lifted the angel statue. Underneath was a surprisingly waterproof bag.Inside the bag were USB drives, printed do

~Sebastian's POV~Our arrival at the safe house calmed my blazing heart. The house was a small cabin in the woods. It was old but looked surprisingly clean. Morrison parked the car behind some trees so no one could see it from the road."This is it," he said pointing at the cabin in front of us.We went inside, and there was a kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms. Everything was simple but comfortable. It was beyond my expectations although I didn't know what I was expecting."You'll be safe here," Morrison said cutting me from my thoughts. "No one knows about this place except me and a few trusted people."I sat down on the couch. My body still felt weak from months in the hospital."How long do I have to stay here?" I asked."Until we build a strong enough case. Could be days, could be weeks."Morrison went to the kitchen and made coffee. The smell reminded me of mornings with Lilith."Tell me about the evidence you have on my family," I finally asked to distract my wandering th

~Lilith's POV~Uncle Thomas's house felt like heaven after the jail cell. The clean sheets, the warm food, the smell of coffee instead of dirty socks. It was a divine feeling.But my body still hurt everywhere. My face was swollen. My ribs ached when I breathed. There were purple bruises on my arms and legs.Mum had been fussing over me since we got home. She made me soup and tea. She put ice on my bruises. Said it was latino style since insisted on not going to the hospital. She almost used raw fish on my bruises. Thank God, uncle Thomas stopped her. Every two seconds she would come to ask if I was okay."I'm fine, Mum," I said for the tenth time."You're not fine," she said, sitting on the edge of my bed. "Those women nearly killed you.""But they didn't.""They could have. And it's my fault."I looked at her. "How is it your fault?""I should have protected you better. I should have seen this coming."Mum's eyes were red from crying. She looked tired and older than I remembered. A