RavenI stood by the window, fixated on the bustling street below as people hurried back and forth. Vlad's desperation to retrieve the staff was becoming more evident, evident in his suppressed anger and edgy behavior.Small things would annoy him now, and our conversations would often turn into arguments. The staff had consumed his thoughts, and the abduction had left him on edge. It was clear that his life was at stake, aside from his father's.One day, when I tried to discuss telling my dad about our situation, he snapped at me, and I couldn't take it anymore."Listen, blood," he said, trying to control his temper. "I know how important finding the staff is to you, but it's not easy for me either. You have to understand. This situation is tearing us apart. Look at where we are now, separated from our families. I can't even tell my dad where I am. I should be in school right now, preparing for my aptitude test."His gaze softened, and he reached out to cup my chin. "I'm sorry, baby,
Raven My legs scrambled into motion, fighting to maintain speed with Vlad. We continued our journey on foot, and I felt a shakiness in my limbs, paralyzed with fear. Everywhere looked more sinister now that my dad wasn't with me. Knowing how smart my dad was, he was probably going to suspect foul play and find a way to get the staff before me. Vlad wasn't helping matters; he was so irritated and impatient, with his eyes like flint stones and a dark scowl playing on his face. I needed to do this for him before he loses his shit. We kept moving, with Vlad waiting for my direction. I was so tired and needed a break but I didn't dare tell him. My heartbeat raced with a fluttery feeling in my belly when I recognized a sun-baked road that we had driven past when my dad and I came here. Then I recognized the colored huts, the tall flagpole, and the wooden benches scattered throughout the place. "Vlad, I think this is the place," I pointed out the road. His face lit like a sunburst
Vlad Raven and I put on a burst of speed as we raced away from the old bastard. I made sure not to lose sight of her, and my heart raced with overwhelming happiness. Joy bubbled in my heart that even though I was running for my life, my steps had a cheerful sunfulness. Everything felt like a dream and I couldn't believe my luck. I was blissfully happy, with my heart inflating with thoughts of saving my dad. After all, if I hadn't taken the stuff away from the secret room, none of this would have happened. Raven clutched the staff, hiding it under her hoodie, with her eyes glittering like a wildcat's. She was uncomfortable and the old man and his wife who were screaming at the top of their lungs, calling us thieves and trying to catch up with us, haunted her. "Catch them!" the old man yelled. "They are thieves!" "Faster, Vlad," she said and we dashed among people, running past several stops. "Don't stop running, baby. Don't look back," I yelled. We kept on running until
Raven We were cooped in the hotel for three days, and even though we were now with the staff, I was restless. I had a feeling of dread looming over my head and tried hard to quell my feelings, but I was putting my family in danger and heartless to have not informed my dad or anyone else of my whereabouts. Nova was recently involved in an accident and the tension in the family was high, and I was worsening it by going AWOL. My dad must be worried sick, calling everyone and putting up a search party for me. Vlad and I weren't safe because there was a huge chance of us getting busted by Dimitri or whatever he was called. As the days went by, my resolve to call my dad became stronger. I had to tell him the truth, but the thought of his unbridled anger lashing at me filled me with so much anxiety. We were boxed indoors. Vlad divided his time between watching TV and strategizing his next move against Dimitri, while I kept myself busy reading novels. All we did was wake up, eat,
Lucian The land was in chaos, with King Vladislav overthrown and tyrants Dimitri and Dracula running things. Everything had turned upside down, and crime had become rampant - robbing, raping, and killing. No one dared to question them because their word was law. Unfortunately, the helpless children and elderly suffered the most. King Vladislav and I were thrown into the dungeon of the castle . The powerful vampire king was now reduced to a caricature. The king crumbled, shrinking from powerlessness. I sat on the hard, bare floor, staring up at the low ceiling. The dungeon was dark and cursed with joylessness, with dim lighting coming in through the thick stone walls. All they offered us was water and a slice of bread. My father was devastated, and I blamed myself for it all. If only I had come clean and told him the truth, none of this would have taken place, or at least he would have averted a lot from happening. The previous day, one of Dimitri's guards insulted the king, c
Raven Vlad and I were so confused and didn't know the next step to take. Dora had warned Vlad to be very careful and lay low because Dimitri had informants everywhere. It was even dangerous for us to call her, as Dimitri could trace the call and hurt her. Vlad couldn't sleep and kept thinking the worst. Zarek and I stared helplessly at him. And as for me, my thoughts were filled with self-loathing and the nagging urge to ask for my dad's help tugged in my heartstrings. But it was very unlikely that my dad, a Lycan, would help Vlad and the vampire king. The possibility was almost impossible. He was never going to take me seriously. And the thought made my belly knot nervously. I could sense the frustration in Vlad's eyes. He was like a locked-up bull, searching for a means of escape. He had stopped smiling, answering questions with minimal responses, and kept sighing constantly. He seemed to prefer talking to Zarek more than me, and that infuriated me because he made me feel lik
Raven A maddening rush of terror made my heart surge like a hamster on a wheel. I feared we were going to die and fixated on the worst-case scenario as we dived forward. "Don't stop running!" Vlad cried out at the top of his voice. "Keep your head down and run!" My vision went blurry with my sanity threatening to fly out like an escaping balloon. My thoughts were running all over the place. Tall, fiery vampires who must be Dimitri and his men raced after us so swiftly that I didn't see the gutter in front of me until Vlad grabbed my hand. We were trapped in a never-ending maze of darkness and death. Our bodies were covered with sweat and my lungs were burning from lack of air despite the salty sea breeze whipping against my face. We couldn't afford to slow down. "Keep running, Raven! Don't stop!" Vlad's urgent voice echoed in my ears as he ran beside me. His eyes were tormented and filled with worry, and he gripped the bag containing the staff. My breaths came in uneven gas
Lucian It was the fourth day of staying in this dreadful dungeon. The king kept to himself and his hatred for me burned off him in thick waves. He sat hunched on a wooden stool, his back turned towards me, clearly displaying his resentment and creating an emotional rift between us. I felt utterly foolish for not delving deeper into my father's true nature before condemning him. The king blamed me for everything, casting hostile glares that I could no longer bear to meet. Did I blame him? Hell no. This was entirely my fault. I had betrayed him, aligned with Dmitri, and now I was paying the price. It was unbearable to watch him glare at me and more painful that the guards had no respect for him. They'd come in, toss two bottles of water and measly bread, mock the king, and lock the door shut. Escaping was impossible as two guards were stationed outside. I didn't know how long I could stay in this horrible, dark room. The darkness was suffocating and it would be a miracle if we ha
JalenThe overpowering smell of old, musty leather filled my dad's beat-up sedan, and the sound of his angry voice rose above the roar of the engine as he scolded me for shifting into my beast form. Tension filled the car, and my anger radiated off me in waves."Is it such a difficult task to control yourself in public? Have you never seen a girl before that you had to shift into your beast form? Now everyone in the pack will yap about how my son was aroused by a stupid werewolf.""I wasn't aroused by her," I lied, trying to defend myself, but he was too far gone in his rage to listen."Griffin, please hear him out. There may be other reasons why he shifted, and besides, Jalen can't be attracted to that spoiled brat.""Oh, shut up," my dad barked at my mom, who had stepped in to try and calm the situation. "That's all you do, make fat and silly excuses for him. He never does anything right. I'll be retiring in a year, and I don't even know the future of our pack."She sat in silence,
Clarissa I fell to the stage, surrounded by flashing cameras and concerned faces, I couldn't believe what had just happened. My heart was racing and I was hyperventilating, trying to process the fact that a Lycan was my mate.All around me, my family rushed to my side, trying to help me up and calm me down. My mother's caked-on makeup was smudged with sweat, a proof to her concern and worry. And all around, people were talking and trying to make sense of what was happening. 'Breathe, Rissa,' I encouraged myself, breathing out of my nostrils.Why was the moon goddess doing this to me? My brain couldn't process this at all. I'd been mateless for twenty-three years only to become a forbidden Lycan's mate?Fucking great!My mum squeezed my hand to comfort me. She was going to keep blaming me for months for disgracing her. "Here, sip some water," she said. My brother, Bryon, held my head while my dad checked my temperature. I felt lightheaded and was breathing quickly, inhaling and exh
Dearest gentle readers, *wink. This book is a sequel to Bound By The Lycan's Curse, which is Raven's dad amd Stepmom's love story. Kindly support by reading and enjoying the rollercoaster of emotions and unwavering love between a werewolf and a Lycan after fifty years of rivalry between both factions. Below is an expert.Chapter 1 I gazed out at the bright sun through the tinted windows of my dad's limousine, and rhe diamonds on my dress seemed to mock me, reminding me of my failure.Growing up, I thought all the males would fall at my feet because I was the Alpha's daughter, and my dad was a billionaire. But now, at twenty-three, with a first-class degree from Harvard and all the money in the world, I had no mate.To crown it all, my longtime boyfriend had been cheating on me with my best friend for months before I found out, thanks to the moon goddess, who paired them as mates.Thinking about it now made my chest tight. The two people whom I loved and trusted betrayed me in the mo
EpilogueSix years later "Raven, my love, ever since I met you, I've fantasized about this moment," Vlad's voice trembled with emotion. "I can't imagine a world without you. We have everything we need – money, a loving family, and a future ahead. Please, baby, will you marry me?"Caught off guard by Vlad's proposal, I burst into tears, turning to mush and ruining my perfectly done makeup."You naughty boy! Why didn't you tell me about this," I blubbered, hitting his shoulder? His perfect dentition broke into a killer smile, as my head bobbed in a yes. "Of course, I'll marry you," my heart sang with delight. "you own me after all.""I owe you my life," he said and I threw myself at his arms. He wrapped them tight around me, the smell of his cologne and our mating bond engulfing me and sending shivers down my spine. Gently, he slipped a Tiffany style round cut engagement ring onto my third finger, and the diamondsglinted brightly against my skin. "So this is why that silly girl, Ta
Raven The Doctor and King Vladislav walked in slowly, with the king standing beside me.I sobbed uncontrollably to the point that I began seeing spots and my vision became blurred, and I could hardly see the people in front of me anymore. The king's eyes were clouded with sadness and regret. I could feel the pressure building in my throat, making my breathing feel constricted. "Raven, please don't cry. You have done enough. Let's just say goodbye to Vlad.""Goodbye?" I spat, and he took a step back. "How will I do that? How do you expect me to say goodbye to my mate? My partner for life!""Raven, Vlad is my son," King Vladislav said with a resigned tone. "I feel so hopeless right now. But we have to face reality. Hybrids are different from humans and werewolves. The earlier we accept the reality that Vlad can never regain consciousness, the better for everyone. False hopes and delusions will get us nowhere."The king's voice cracked. "Please understand, Raven." I stumbled forward,
Raven On the night of day six, I couldn't sleep. My mind was restless like a rolling stone and I kneeled by Vlad's bedside, begging him with everything in me.King Vladislav had begun preparing for Vlad's funeral. According to him, Vlad deserved a befitting burial. How could anyone be comfortable burying their child?My tongue felt swollen. I was helpless and needed a miracle for Vlad. He was the only thing that brought joy and light to my life.The king was broken. All he did was mope and answer questions with monosyllables. Reality had begun to hit him but matter how much I begged him to extend the date, he didn't budge."Raven, there's nothing we can do. This is pure torture," his voice choked. "Let him rest.""Vlad, my love," I gripped his hand. "Did you hear your father? Is this what you want, to be buried? Talk to me. Wake up before they turn off the life support. Come back to me. Don't leave me, please. Just come back!"The answer I got was the beep of the machine and Vlad's s
RavenI couldn't sleep all night, and all I kept thinking about was Vlad. It was so bad that when I finally managed to drift off to sleep, it was filled with nightmares of them burying Vlad and all our classmates placing flowers at his gravesite. I felt even worse when I woke up, rolling over to face the wall and pulling my knees tight against my chest. The darkness of the night wasn’t comforting enough for the pain in my heart. The silence didn’t help either. What if Vlad never makes it? What if he doesn't come back to life? And then the memories from my dreams replayed over and over again in vivid detail. Taylor never left my side and even shared my bed with me. She sat up, staring at me with sympathy in her green eyesMy head rested on her shoulder as she whispered soothing things into my ear while rubbing my arms and whispering ‘It's okay’ every few minutes.At one point, she had to go out and make me some hot chocolate because I had started shivering so badly. Early the nex
Raven On day three of my stay in the specialist hospital, I had to return to school to write an important test that couldn't be written online. It was the last screening part to get admitted to college."You need to go," King Vladislav pleaded with me. "You're young and have a full life ahead of you. Vlad wouldn't want you to waste your time here and spend a year doing nothing just because you missed your college entrance exam." He paused to let his words sink and sadly, he was right. It was a good thing that I had been accepted into the best college program on campus on a full scholarship. My dad was wealthy enough to train me but that didn't mean I should waste his money on tuition. I sighed and the King begged me to stop making excuses. "you've got to graduate, Raven. I'm here with Vlad and you can always come back whenever you wish.""I don't trust you enough," I muttered. I don't know what you'll end up doing the second I step my foot out the door. You have been looking for h
LucianI'd seen too much, witnessed too many painful scenes. I returned home, terrible regrets and guilt assailing me. Vlad's condition was my fault. I let out a choked, desperate laugh. The king was so mad at me that he couldn't stand my presence. He hated me so much. Blood pounded in my temples as I felt humiliated and deflated remembering the disgraceful way he sent me away from the hospital. Not that I blamed him anyway. I deserved to be ridiculed. Everything was all my fault. If I hadn't fallen for Dimitri's stupid antics, I would have exposed him instead and saved my brother.Now Vlad's blood was forever spilled on my hands. It made me want to cry like a baby.How could I have been so stupid? How was I so careless as not to recognize how evil Dimitri really was? When I returned home, that wicked bitch, Elvira, was nowhere to be found. She could run, but she was definitely not going to hide forever. She was the mastermind of all this calamity and the reason why my mother d