[Xavier]
Xavier's boot-clad footsteps resonated in the corridor which was empty except for a few guards here and there. Everyone had already gathered in the Hall and was waiting for their Alpha King.
The University of Ravenwood, an institute that initially had been the residence of the Royals, the hauntingly beautiful castle that was built by his ancestors a millennium ago - a thousand years ago...
The corridors were decorated with paintings of his ancestors, Kings, and Queens, of brave knights. However, Xavier's eyes always wandered to that one empty spot among the line of paintings...
He wondered whose picture was supposed to be there. He always wished to ask his father, but never really remembered when talking to him.
Xavier stopped musing as his feet halted in front of the Hall - Rosamond Hall.
"Alpha," two burly men who were standing on either side of the entrance, greeted him and bowed their heads in respect. Xavier nodded grimly before entering.
Immediately the atmosphere in the room turned sombre. Every head turned his way. Everyone's gaze pinned on him. He swept his gaze across the hall - the ladies were all prepped up, except for a few. The young men had a mask of indifference on their faces.
Some would become warriors, some Alphas, Betas, or Gammas. The most prestigious position for any wolf present in this Hall was to become a part of the Royal Pack, either through mating or being appointed as a Royal warrior.
The Alpha King's aura emanated power and demanded respect. Beta Arnold and Gamma Vladimir were already present and standing near the stage.
The Royal family, his dad, mom, aunt Jade, uncle Roland and her sister Mathilda, were sitting in the front row and he also noticed Ava, his childhood friend, sitting next to Mathilda. He rested his gaze on her. Ava's mystical blue eyes sought his midnight blue ones, and her red lips formed a heart-warming smile. He reciprocated it with a small smile of his.
He saw his father, the previous king, Alpha Samuel give him a brief nod and his mother Luna Freida's honey-brown orbs fill with pride and happiness on seeing her son. His sister Mathilda too smiled at him. He felt a rush of gratitude and love for his family. Without stalling any further, he walked up to the stage and stood in front of the podium.
"Good evening everyone," his deep voice greeted.
"As you might know that the freshman students will start arriving on this Friday and also-" he paused, "-the humans."
He heard groans and grunts of displeasure and annoyance. He let them absorb the news before his voice hushed the agitated crowd.
"Enough." Immediately, silence prevailed in the room once again. He continued, "I do not want any kind of protest or opinion from anyone. I want you to trust me and have faith in me", his tone was gentle yet commanding.
There was another round of grunts, but this time it was that of agreement. He nodded, "Thank you. Now, I want you all to follow certain rules."
He glanced at everyone's serious posture before continuing, "As you know that Humans do not know that we or any other Supernatural being exists. Therefore, no one will do any kind of thing which might threaten our exposure to the world of Humans. If your wolf needs a run, then take permission from your mentor before doing so. If I see your wolf anywhere near the vicinity of this Castle, then you will be expelled. Next, I will not allow any of you to treat any human unacceptably. If I hear any complaint against any of you from a Human student, trust me you'd wish that you didn't exist. I won't spare anyone Alpha or Beta or Gamma or any warrior or any staff for that matter, anyone who breaks the rule will be facing the same kind of grave punishment. This rule is set because I do not want our Kind to be tainted by any kind of disgraceful act. Am I understood?" He bellowed. His voice ricocheting in the room.
"Yes, King," the students and the staff chorused.
"Now, Queen Jade has cast a manipulative spell on the places where we can freely go but will be forbidden to the Humans. However, if any of you befriend any of them, then be careful not to divulge this secret at any cost. Moreover, a Human can go to these places if one of us is present with them so make sure that when you go to these places like the woods for a run or the place for sparring and practising, make sure they aren't with you." He could feel their displeasure and disappointment for these restrictions, but they were very necessary.
"Alphas will be trained deep into the forest. The mentors will be given the direction and the trainees can only go when their mentors are with them," Xavier heard them groan again.
"That's all," he concluded, "I will see you all again on next Monday."
Every student and staff except the Royals bowed as Xavier walked out of the hall.
[Erica]The moment had arrived. That moment when the line between dream and reality blurred, and it became one.'This feels surreal,' Erica thought as she sat in the passenger seat of the Range Rover.Earlier it was decided that they will leave the next day, but suddenly her dad had informed her that the departure had to be postponed till Sunday. Someone from the university had called him to inform him that the students weren't expected until Sunday She found the rules a bit odd. It was different from other Universities; she reckoned.She had also received an email from them, the acceptance letter was attached to it. She thought she would explode with happiness. When Nessa and Meghan had heard about it they were shocked at first for some reason, but then they were elated. They even went shopping, and she gave them a treat at their favourite diner.Erica saw her father talking to the guard near the entrance gate of the city. Yes, this one, unlike other cities, had a gate- a huge one wit
[Erica]"...and the senior's hostel is on the other side," Drake concluded, giving Erica a mental picture of the campus."So I need to walk for 10 minutes if I want to meet you?" Erica asked with a frown. She thought she could meet her brother more often now that they would be in the same university.Drake gave her a wry grin, "I am just a call away now. Though during classes we are not allowed to call. Only after 4."Erica huffed, "And here I thought I was out of high school. But, no. This feels like high school reloaded, heck even at high school we had more freedom," Drake chuckled at her annoyance, ruffling her hair."This Uni is different from others, so if you think you will do whatever you want then you've got another thing coming," Drake teased, placing down the suitcases as they came to a stop in front of the building where the freshers and juniors were staying."We have arrived your highness," Drake mock curtseyed making Erica giggle."Thank you kind sir," Erica played along.
[Erica]The long corridor was lit with white fluorescent light bulbs that were covered with frosted glass. Erica knew there were hidden cameras as well, but she didn't need to worry. She wasn't doing anything wrong.But she felt eerie about the surroundings. There was a slight chill in the air. She hugged herself as she hurried along.Drake had said that if she took the corridor instead of taking the outer path, she would reach early. He was still lost as to why she wanted to give him the gift so urgently. She suppressed a grin as she thought about the surprise waiting inside. Not a pleasant one for Drake, though.She frowned as she thought of the possibility of Drake having a hunch about her plan. He always did. But not this time. She giggled silently.Though the castle had been renovated to accommodate all the modern facilities, its old grandeur and charm could still be felt. A beautiful blend of modernity and ancientness.As Erica walked, lost in thoughts about the probable history
[Al]"Successfully entered the Uni, Al?", a gruff voice muttered."Hm," Al answered, his lips forming a thin line."Good job. Now do not fuck up the rest of the job. Or you know the consequences," the gruff voice from the other end of the line warned. Al gritted his teeth, trying to hold back a sneer."Yes. I am very much aware." he ground out. You never let me forget, he thought."That's good then. I will mail you the next task as it's not safe to tell over the phone"."Alright."With that, the line fell dead. He looked at the screen for a long moment until it went black. His grip on the gadget tightened.He didn't want to be the pawn. He didn't want any of this. But he knew if he didn't do this he might have to stay as a human, forever. The gaping hole inside his mind and heart was gnawing at him, taunting him and making it impossible for him to stay calm.He took a deep breath before keeping the phone on the side table. He looked out of the window. The dark shadows of the looming tr
[Erica]Erica couldn't look away. This was happening again. Why was this happening? she questioned herself. As she looked at him everything else felt secondary, every other thought receded back in her mind, it was only his eyes that she could concentrate upon. "Uh..." she thought of saying,"Let's go back, I will visit him some other time." But before she could, she heard her brother hollering, "Rica," she tore her gaze away from the man in front of him and saw her brother jogging towards them. Drake came to a halt and greeted, "Good evening, Al- Mr.Ravenwood," Erica's eyes widened in shock, she turned her head to look at the man standing beside her. He was not only the trustee but also the owner of this University? She felt mortified now. On the very first day, she had successfully ruined her reputation. She wanted to melt into a puddle and evaporate. Drake's eyes moved from Erica to Mr.Ravenwood and back to her, throwing a mildly disapproving look at her he asked, "Did my sister cau
[Erica]The alarm's chime roused Erica from her fitful sleep. She groggily groped for the phone, then snoozed it after finding the gadget. Her muscles felt stiff and her eyes did not want to see the morning light. She sluggishly got out of the bed and padded to the ensuite. She noticed two things, number one, she looked ghastly and number two, for some reason, the cuts and scratches she had seen last night had vanished. However, the second thing worried her more.'Maybe I was imagining,' she tried to reason, but she knew very well that it was not so, she was wide awake after being woken up by the nightmare and the scratches were still there. She shoved these thoughts at the back of her mind, concentrating instead on appearing presentable and reach class on time. No sooner did she exit the washroom than her phone started ringing. She groaned, guessing who might the person be, and she was right."Hey Drako," she muttered while shoving essential stuff into the backpack. "Good morning to
[Xavier]He sat there frozen for a few moments. taking in the information. Human girl? Could it be... No, it couldn't be, he tried to reassure himself. Erica could not be a spy. He tried to shake off his suspicion. He was still baffled as to how this human could achieve the impossible. No human has ever been able to break a magical barrier. How could this person infiltrate it so easily?He looked at Sebastian, who immediately understood his silent order and left the office to inform Arnold and Vladimir. "Okay aunt, I will see to it," Xavier responded before hanging up and rushing out of the office. ~~~The library was almost empty except for a few students. When they saw him and others flanked on his either side, they immediately scurried away. Despite humans not knowing about werewolves or other supernatural beings, they subconsciously submitted to an Alpha male or female. He glanced around to locate his mate. Maybe she was not here. But his conscience and his wolf were telling him
[Xavier]Jade's bluntness and idiocy earned her a long-suffering look from her nephew. 'How did she manage to become such a powerful queen is beyond me,' Leikos rumbled and Xavier couldn't help but silently agree. He noticed Erica's frown at Jade's question. He could almost see the cogs in her brain whirring and trying to find logic in them. She opened her mouth to answer when Sebastian cut in, "Now, now madame, she might have a very good reason behind it but let's not make her nervous."Erica was ushered in and Jade scowled. Xavier could understand where she was coming from. Jade was the most powerful witch and she had never had to face failure when it came to magic. Supernaturals, especially royals were touchy about this subject. But blurting out something so essential, something that could bring their existence in jeopardy was what irked him the most. "Aunt. calm down. she is a human, remember?" Xavier muttered under his breath as soon as he was near her. Jade was still glaring at
Follow Xavier and Erica’s youngest daughter Valerie Ravenwood’s story in The Last Dragon’s MageSynopsis:[Book 3 in Mage's Mate series, can be read as a stand-alone or as a part of the series] Valerie Ravenwood, the youngest daughter of Erica and Xavier Ravenwood has led an inferior life for the past 18 years what with being a wolfless and a namesake mage. Desperate to prove her worth, she runs away from home after being denied to join the Medeis Challenge, an annual competition held exclusively for mages, and judged by dragons. She follows her elder sister, who has been chosen to take part in the aforementioned competition but manages to lose her way and stumbles, literally, into the territory of the last Dragon King, Clyde Basilisk.
[Erica]A few months later..."They have done an amazing job," Erica sighs as she admires the portrait of Queen Rosamond and King Merek, adorning the wall outside Rosamond Hall. She leans back into Xavier's chest. Her mate hums in approval, encircling his arms loosely around her waist. "You know, I always wondered why this spot was left empty. Now I know," he murmured against her neck. Erica felt a pang in her chest as she looked at the couple who didn't get their happy ending. She gazed at the smiling face in the portrait and hoped that wherever she was now, that she would continue to look after all of them. 'I hope you are finally happy now,' she thought ruefully. Erica turned around and facing him. Xavier looked at her lovingly, his grasp tightening slightly. Her lips quirked up. she wound her arms around his neck and went on her tip-ties to press her lips on his. The kiss started slow but wasn't devoid of the heat and passion that they shared. Xavier pulled her closer, nipping li
[Erica]She twiddled her thumbs nervously as she sat on the high-back chair, facing 20 other people excluding her mate and family. It had been two days since the incident. Xavier had taken her into his arms as soon as he had returned, kissing her and murmuring words of reassurance. Both of them had been left alone for some time before the whole family had had a discussion and Erica had disclosed almost everything to them. Them being Alpha Samuel. Alpha Tristan, Ava, and Mathilda. Arnold and Vladimir had also been there. To her relief and great surprise, none of them blamed her as she had expected. As Aldred had said. Instead, she saw a grim satisfaction in Tristan's eyes, she had received a tight hug from Ava, and Mathilda and Arnold had only been supportive and so had Vladimir. Alpha Samuel had grumbled, more shocked at knowing his mate's real identity than Erica's. He had been silent throughout which had heightened the tension. She broke down at the way her family had accepted her s
[Erica]There was fire everywhere. Someone was screaming. And then she saw him. His face had melted with heat, skin hanging from places as he stared pleadingly at her. His mouth was slack, he wanted to say something. Erica, on the other hand, was rooted to her spot. She wanted to back away but couldn't. Suddenly he stretched out his hand as if trying to grab her and pull her into the fire with him. She screamed, cried for help but no one was around. Not even Queen Rosamond. Distantly she could hear someone calling her name, she whirled around but the forest was too dark despite the flames. Was it Blackmist forest...no, she somehow knew it wasn't. But who was calling her? The voice grew louder and she noticed her vision turning blurrier. What was happening?...~~~~Her eyes flew open and she gasped awake. She sat up and realised that she was on a bed, in her and Xavier's room. "Erica?" she heard her mother's voice and snapped her gaze towards her. It was now that she saw luna Freida,
[Erica]She stood rooted to her spot as she saw the terror-filled scene unfold. Mouth agape, she could only watch as Aldred writhed and screamed in pain as he fruitlessly tried to save himself. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she took in the sight, unaware of the vigorously burning flames around her. She was oblivious of the fact that another spectre was beside her, watching a mage burning alive, the flames engulfing his body little by little. Erica was not aware that somehow the flames or the disobedient wind did not dare to touch her, that she was standing in a safe array created by someone. Tears streamed down her cheeks, unbidden as she stared with fearful eyes. Her lips trembled, a choked noise escaping her mouth. 'Did I do this?' the thought made her stumble back. She took a step forward, her limbs felt wobbly. 'But I didn't...' her voice echoed pitifully. As she tried again to walk unsteadily towards him, something stopped her. "Don't." The voice was familiar and authoritati
[Erica]"Aldred!" she thundered as stalked into the mansion, dragging two barely unconscious werewolves in her wake. She had been unknown of her capability, of her strength and of her fury. Her hand never faltered as she had continuously thrown Xander from one part of the study to another until the man had relented and grunted out Aldred's whereabouts. Her grandfather's demise had spurred something in her, snapped a thread that had been holding her to be civil to those who had done wrong, but then she had seen her grandfather falling limply on the ground, life sapped out within a few moments and that made her vow to herself that no more lives will be lost because of her, because of someone's misdeeds She felt a phantom ache in her chest, how will her mother react? She dismissed it as soon as it surfaced in her mind, filing away the thought for later. 'I will deal with it when the time comes,' she thought. She deposited the men haplessly on the ground and went to search the dilapida
[Xavier]It was good to let Leikos out for the first time in a long time. 'Only if Erica could see,' he thought wistfully. Forcing to keep his mate at the back of his mind, he weaved through the trees, his aunt and mother following closely behind. Tristan was by his side, in his human form but running equally fast. He skidded to a halt in front of the tree. Had he been in his human form, he would have widened his eyes in shock but Leikos stood very still as he saw Elias standing in front of the tree waiting for them. His eyes clouded with confusion. "Ah, sorry for having to keep you waiting," his aunt chirped and walked past him. "We contacted him when you and Erica were outside talking to them," his mother explained, her voice tight with concern and worry. He trotted behind the bushes that would give him some privacy. His joints cracked and relocated and when he finally stood up, he felt a dull pain and ache that he hadn't for quite a while. When he walked back, Tristan, aunt Jade
[Xavier]Ice coursed through his veins. Leikos growled threateningly in his mind. "No!" Before he knew it, the word was out of his mouth. Leikos continued roaring in his mind, restless and bloodthirsty. He wanted to rip off their heads for blatantly disrespecting him and his mate. Sir Leon shifted his gaze towards him. Raising an eyebrow, he reiterated, "No?" Beside him, Erica had stiffened, her palm had become sweaty. He could feel how she was holding on to her indifferent facade with every ounce of her will that was teetering. "What he means is that what if this concoction, whatever this is, turns out to be poisonous?" Queen Jade comes to his aid. Luna Freida hums in agreement, "It appears as if you wish to force your assumptions upon her." Xavier turned to look at his mother who had defiant look on her face. "I agree," Ava said. Xavier felt an amalgamation of emotions. He had earlier thought of his friend as envious and prejudiced but despite not knowing Erica properly she was su
[Erica]Her insides churned when she heard this. She stood rooted to her spot while Xavier asked in a menacing tone, "What?" Her ears were ringing as she knew that the visit wasn't a casual or a coincidental one. They had come for her. Her palm tingled all of sudden and her vision turned sharper. She had to go to that nook. Something told her that the nook had every answer she was looking for. A sharp intake of breath drew her out of her racing thoughts. She noticed Alpha Samuel stepping back, his eyes widened with ill-concealed horror. "What? Who are you?" Alpha Samuel asks, his voice barely audible. She furrows her eyebrows before she hears another gasp. "Erica, your eyes..." Queen Jade whispers and that's enough for her to understand the older man's sudden change in reaction. She whirls around and looks up at Xavier who does not react in any way. He rests his hand on the small of her back, a calming touch, a silent reassurance. Erica closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down