The forest stretched out in an endless sea of green, but his path was clear. Each step he took felt heavier than the last like the weight of unseen chains dragging him back. The crisp scent of damp earth and pine needles filled his senses, but it wasn’t enough to quiet the storm in his mind.Liam Black — Alpha of the Black Panther Pack — moved with predatory grace, his golden eyes sharp as a blade in the dim twilight. His sleek black coat, faintly visible through the open flaps of his cloak, shone faintly under the dying red light of the setting sun. His muscles coiled and uncoiled with each step as his internal battle raged on.Every instinct told him to turn around. To go back. To keep his distance from her.Elizabeth.Her name lingered in his mind like a stubborn thorn. The half-sister he didn’t ask for. The girl who had everything he didn’t.“She had a mother,” he thought bitterly, his jaw tightening. “I had him.”His father's face flashed in his mind — sharp eyes, a voice like t
I groan, shifting on my bed, pulling my pillow on top of my head, covering my ears. The sound of an alarm is killing my head. With my left hand, I search for the source of the sound. When I get my hand on that, I turn it off. I was up till late-night to complete the assignment, and tomorrow was the last day to submit it to the professor. When I get down from the bed, The wood creeks under my foot. Stretching my body, I get up from the bed. It's still 5 in the morning. I could only get four hours of sleep. I need to do all the house chores before going to college. Otherwise, my aunt will kill me. My father and mother died in a car accident, and my custody fell in my aunt's hand. That's when my life became hell. I don't remember much about my mom and dad. I was too young to remember anything at that time. But I know for sure they loved me so much. My aunt Linda Martin is my mom's only sister. I don't know why she hates my mom to
I enter the college, it’s still too early for the college. I see no soul on the campus on my way. I feel grateful that I left early. I open my locker, where my bag and belongings are kept. My class schedule is stuck on the inside of the locker door. I look at my schedule; my first class is English literature. I searched for my assignment, which I worked all night to finish. Taking that, I go look for the professor’s offices. My luck office is open. I enter and place my assignment on the table, then move out of the office, closing the door. Students start to arrive, so I enter my class. I always sit at the back in my class at the corner seat so that nobody will notice me and pick on me. I make my way towards my seat, but someone doesn’t want me to have a peaceful life. “Hey, freak, did you do my assignment?” David comes my way. He is the son of one of the richest men in the city and Tina’s boyfriend. Both he and Tina nev
Christian's POV "Mr. Ford, it's a pleasure to meet you. I always admired you," a person approached me "you are a role model for the younger generations for being a successful businessman at a young age ." I Shift my eyes to the person talking, "Mr. Steel, I'm honed." Mr. Steel is one of the best friends of my grandfathers. He just nods his head. "Are u planning to shift to the city? Or you'll also stay there only in the woods". I get stiff at the question, shaking my head. "No, I'll stay with my family in the woods only." "I don't get your family sometimes. What's there in there that you guys never come and leave in the city". I just smile at him. "I'll come back in a few minutes" I go towards the balcony to get fresh air. It's the full moon today. I didn't take my medicine. Well, it slipped from my mind totally. What should I do? I'll just return to my mansion then take my medication. No, I can't leave now. Party is still half
Christian's Point of View, Her face was scarlet red, she was taking long breaths, her eyes were clouded; I think she couldn't focus on anything at this time. It looked like she was struggling to keep herself sane at this time. She looked like someone who was drugged. I don't know why anger well up in my stomach seeing her suffering like this. I think it's my people who did it. I'll definitely punish whoever did this to her. How could they drug someone to deliver a person to me? The thought it may not be my people who sent her here never came to my mind. Since she was at my door, I concluded that she was here for me. She stared at me for some time then started to struggle against my bare body. Did this girl know what she is doing now and how it affects me? It was the thought running in my head currently. I looked down at her when there was no movement. She had gone to sleep. She struggled for some time, then gone still i
Her blood tasted so sweet I had a feeling like I was drinking a glass of wine. Instead of taking a small amount of blood, I just drank without thinking. The girl's face was becoming pale with a loss of blood. When I thrust hard into her, she cried and bit my shoulder so hard. I could sense that my skin tore, and blood came out from there when she bit. When I spilled into her, she took a long breath and slumped on the bed, licking her lips with my blood on them. When I saw that, my eyes went wild. She tasted my blood, M-My blood… and I took her blood at that same time…Shit...We... We…we consumed blood from each other at the same time. We are mated now. What should I do? This wasn't supposed to happen. I screamed in my head. Now she is my mate. But she is human, and vamps only have one mate for their life, and because she took my blood and I took hers simultaneously, we got mated. We have bonded with each other al
Elizabeth's POV When I get up, I look around to find myself in an unfamiliar bed. It's still a little dark outside, and I don't get it at first. I slowly start to move my body to get up. I yelp at the pain in my lower body. That's when it clicked. My eyes widen at the realization. I look down to my body to see if anything is wrong, Praying it's all a dream, but the reality is a b*tch. Last night Tina and her friends drugged me. WHY… covering my face with my hands, I cry. I don't know how long I sobbed. When I stop and braise myself, I lift my face to look at my surrounding. I see my body covered in bruises and bites, questioning my life. This room is quite large compared to other rooms you have been assigned to clean and check on. The large bed covers a large part of the room, leaving both sides to walk around freely. There is a couch just in the front of the room. The floor is covered with carpet. It's
I stare at the place for a few seconds as my eyes widen at what I see there. A beautiful mark of the full moon sits, half-covered with Gray clouds, and a bat is flying around it. Did I get a tattoo yesterday? It is the thought that crosses my mind. How did this mark come on my neck? I run my fingers on the mark shiver runs through my body. I kind of like it there. It feels like it belongs there on my body. With all the questions and debates running through my mind, I get ready for college. I try not to make any noise; I had enough of their bullshit yesterday night. I don't want to listen to the same today as well. So, I prepare a simple breakfast and arrange the table for the family. Without any concerns, I slip out of the house. When I reached the college, It was still early. I collected my things from the locker for the first class. I make my way to my classroom. It was empty, and because I came so early for the course and I
The forest stretched out in an endless sea of green, but his path was clear. Each step he took felt heavier than the last like the weight of unseen chains dragging him back. The crisp scent of damp earth and pine needles filled his senses, but it wasn’t enough to quiet the storm in his mind.Liam Black — Alpha of the Black Panther Pack — moved with predatory grace, his golden eyes sharp as a blade in the dim twilight. His sleek black coat, faintly visible through the open flaps of his cloak, shone faintly under the dying red light of the setting sun. His muscles coiled and uncoiled with each step as his internal battle raged on.Every instinct told him to turn around. To go back. To keep his distance from her.Elizabeth.Her name lingered in his mind like a stubborn thorn. The half-sister he didn’t ask for. The girl who had everything he didn’t.“She had a mother,” he thought bitterly, his jaw tightening. “I had him.”His father's face flashed in his mind — sharp eyes, a voice like t
The air hums with quiet tension as the group moves deeper into the heart of the forest. Shadows stretch long beneath the canopy, and the fading sunlight filters through in jagged beams, cutting through the mist that curls along the ground. Each step forward feels heavier than the last, as though the earth itself knows the gravity of what’s to come.The Ritual Stone stands at the center of a wide clearing, a massive slab of ancient rock with deep etchings carved by hands long gone. The sigils glow faintly as if they can already sense the magic in the air. It’s a sacred place — one that has seen countless rituals over the centuries. It will see another today.It is surrounded by small stone basins symbolizing different races of creatures. All the stone basins are connected to the Ritual Stone my magic.Elizabeth stands at the edge of the clearing, her fingers brushing the rough bark of a nearby tree. Her gaze is distant, eyes narrowed on the horizon where the sun slowly dips lower and l
The rhythmic thud of boots against the old wooden bridge echoes in the quiet night. Each step feels like a heartbeat, steady but loud, as if the entire world is holding its breath. Elizabeth's eyes remain half-closed, her head resting against Christian’s shoulder. She’s conscious, but barely. The chill of the night air bites at her wet clothes, but Christian’s warmth seeps into her, a living furnace of protection.Jenny walks just a step behind, her gaze flicking nervously over her shoulder. The forest behind them is a sea of shadowy figures and distant howls. None of the werewolves follow — not yet. But she knows better than to relax. “They’ll be back,” she mutters.“They’ll try,” Christian replies calmly, his eyes fixed on the far end of the bridge. His grip on Elizabeth tightens, just a fraction, as if the mere idea of someone threatening her again sends an unspoken fury through him. “But it won’t end well for them.”The other side of the bridge comes into view — a soft glow of lan
The icy river water clings to Elizabeth’s clothes, seeping into every fiber. She feels weightless but not in a good way. Her limbs are heavy, her body numb, and her vision blurs in and out like a flickering candle. But even through the haze, one thing remains clear — Christian's face.“Stay with me, Elizabeth,” Christian's voice is low, controlled, but there’s a crack of urgency beneath it. His crimson eyes burn with intensity, never once leaving hers as he cradles her like she’s the most fragile, precious thing in the world.Her lips twitch into a faint smile. “You look mad,” she whispers, her voice hoarse and barely audible. “Did I scare you?”“Terrified,” he admits, brushing a thumb over her cheek. His jaw tightens as he takes in the state she’s in — blood-soaked clothes, bruises along her neck, her breath uneven. His gaze shifts to Jenny, his eyes hardening into something colder. “Who did this to her?”Jenny, still panting and soaked from the river, glares back toward the forest.
Jenny’s heart thunders in her chest, her breaths sharp and shallow. The moment Tina and Austin step out from the side path, her instincts scream danger. Her eyes dart to Elizabeth, who, despite her weakened state, narrows her gaze with pure hatred. Blood trickles down Elizabeth’s arm, her pallor more ashen than before, but her eyes — sharp, calculating eyes — are still full of fire.“Well, well, look at you two,” Tina’s voice is laced with smug satisfaction as she steps forward, her smile as sharp as a wolf’s grin. Her eyes, once so familiar, now seem foreign, darkened by envy and betrayal. “Running away like rats. Did you really think you could escape us, Elizabeth?”"Still acting like a queen, huh, Tina?" Elizabeth sneers, though her words are weaker than she would have liked. She grips Jenny's arm for support, her legs wobbling like a newborn fawn. "Guess betrayal suits you better than humility."Austin growls low in his throat, his eyes glowing amber. He cracks his neck, flexing h
And apparently, in that particular moment, each and every god seems to be on their side. Elizabeth's sure she’s run through every ounce of good luck she’s ever been given in her century-long life, because the footsteps don’t stop in front of their hiding place. In fact, they continue down the path, further and further deep into the forest until they fade into the distance.“Holy shit,” Jenny breathes out, voice trembling slightly. “Holy shit .”“Ok. Ok,” Elizabeth says almost deliriously. “Where do we have to go to get to the bank of the river?”Jenny runs a hand through her sweaty golden hair, pushing it back and off of her face. “Somewhere to the west, I think.”Elizabeth takes a deep breath and resists the urge to groan in frustration. “You think? We’re in a life-or-death, run-for-our-lives situation, and that’s the best you can come up with?”“I don’t walk around in this forest like it is my home!” Jenny exclaims. She fumes up momentarily in irritation. “I’ve only been to this for
A heartbeat of time passes; and then all at once, each of them-- Elizabeth, and Jenny-- come to the same decision at the exact same time, completely independent of one another.Adrenaline passes through Elizabeth, blazing hot and sparkling bright like lightning. Move, her brain tells her. Elizabeth doesn’t even have time to think about what she’s doing. One second, she’s standing stock still in shock, and in the next, Elizabeth grips Jenny’s hands, dips at the waist, and gets ready to sprint.Elizabeth doesn’t have a second to fully process that before Tina opens her mouth to say with a snort, “And where do you think y-”Jenny points out a determined finger, and a dagger comes booming out of her hand. It hits Austin square in the chest, sending him catapulting backward out of the door to smash into the tree on the opposite side of the door.In the millisecond of silence immediately after, Jenny screams. “Run!”And Elizabeth takes off.Her ankle shrieks at her to stop as she vaults ove
“Elizabeth…” Jenny says, clearly reading the determination in Elizabeth’s eyes. “I’m sorry. We need you back at the manor. We will try again, please bear with the pain.”Jenny steals her heart and forces herself to hurt Elizabeth again. Elizabeth looks over at her in shock, but a mask of determined resignation coats her face.A wave of nausea spills into Elizabeth’s chest. She can’t stop her voice from trembling as she asks, “Are… are you sure?”“We don’t have a choice right now…”It’s silent in the room for a moment, the drape of quiet only periodically interrupted by the slow drip drip drip of the water. “How are we going to do this?” Elizabeth asks after a second.Don’t think about it don’t think about it don’t think about it“I- “ Jenny darts around the room for anything that could help them remove the chain and something falls into her eyes. She moves to pick it up from the ground.“I- we have a knife.” Jenny swallows hard and palms an angry-looking blade where it rests in her ha
“Did Christian send you? Have you seen him recently? Is he alright?” Elizabeth asks the desperate curiosity tingeing her tone.Jenny is shocked as well, she stands still looking at Elizabeth with what looks like awe and disbelief. Elizabeth’s eyes glow in the dim room brightly like Panther’s. Her pitch-black hair is now turned into auricomous. Elizabeth’s questions snap her out of the trance.“I- No, I didn’t, I don’t know I think it’s bad,” Jenny says with a sigh. She clicks her fingers once more, and the chains tying Elizabeth’s ankles fall apart.Elizabeth winces in relief as the blood flows back into her swollen ankle and bruised wrists. “What do you mean?” she asks as soon as the tingling pain starts to subside.“He- It’s just been… bad since you left,” Jenny says quietly. She shakes her hair and looks over at Elizabeth, who bares her teeth at her. Jenny jumps instinctively, hands up in defense.On unsteady legs, Elizabeth pulls herself to her feet. She firmly ignores the way the