Vlad It took me a moment to fully grasp my surroundings and realize that I was awake. I jolted, drenched in sweat from my head to foot. My breaths came in short gasps and I shivered on the cold, marble floor, my hand gripping the cage bars. The torment I'd felt these past weeks was enough to make a sane man run mad. The room was empty but I felt the lingering pain of the damn ghost, as if the sharpness had transferred from her to me. "Just a dream," I reminded myself, attempting to calm my racing heart. The cage walls closed in on me, this damn cage where I was dumped like a chicken, begging for life. I couldn't shut my eyes until the morning light filtered through the window. One of Dracula's guards rattled the keys and dumped a tray of soggy ramen and carrots. The look alone was enough to make me stay hungry for the whole day. My appetite had waned since the abduction and the thought of eating made me feel queasy. I pushed the tray aside and the guard rolled his eyes in a
Raven My feet hurried through the bustling school corridors and I was headed to the library. I had to do something to fix my grades, especially now that I was in senior high when it was a humiliation to flunk out. I had to maintain a good student persona and not get distracted by Vlad and the damn staff of authority. Vlad had his future set. He was great at sports and his dad was so influential that he had a spot in the best universities. My cred was already bad after returning from rehab. Knowing that if I didn't study enough, I could miss out on graduation fuelled my drive. It began drizzling as soon as I got to the library. The building was quiet as usual, with a few Lycans studying in groups and vampires reading on their own. I ducked my head at the sight of William who was browsing through the shelves. The last thing I wanted was to chitchat. After finding an empty table tucked away in a quiet corner away from prying eyes, I fished out my calculus textbook, determined to g
Dora's POV Darkness was seeping in through the cracks in the king's castle. The maids and I hid silently behind the thick curtains, watching the uproar unfold. The castle was in chaos and every occupant, from the king to the lowest servant was on edge. Servants whispered among themselves, sages and alchemists were frightened, and even the castle guards who were usually stoic and inexpressive feared for the loss of their jobs. At first, it seemed as a joke that the king's staff was missing and I wondered how it had left the building without the king's knowledge, but I also knew the truth. No other person could have done this. The king's unfaithful wife, Elvira, and the stupid head of security he trusted implicitly were the center of it all. It was sad that King Vladislav couldn't see the truth. One would have expected me to speak the truth by now, but I held my tongue because sometimes silence was golden. Also, the queen was powerful enough and filled with wickedness to turn
Raven Against my will, I glanced around the class, checking the vampire section for any sight of Vlad. He was nowhere in sight and my burden grew by the second, wondering what was up with him. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the lesson, my mind kept drifting back to his absence. My cheeks burned in shame for investing my feelings in that douchebag who couldn't care less about me. "Taylor, have you seen Vlad today?" I pulled her hair aside and whispered in her ear. Taylor gasped, turning slowly to face me with eyes wide like two boiled eggs. "What the fuck, Raven?" She glared at me, " Why are you asking me about that stupid boy?" I sighed, drawing doodles in my book. "It's nothing personal. I just... Well, we have to discuss our project." Taylor relaxed, shrugging nonchalantly. "I don't care about him or any bloodsucker. Maybe he caught some STD or something." Her chin geared back and she burst into loud laughter. I shook my head at her foolishness. "No, seriously.
Vlad With a wince, I gently brought down my leg, touching the fading bruises all over my body. My wounds were healing, and my strength was coming back gradually. Unhurriedly, I pushed myself up on the edge of the plain mattress and looked around the sparsely furnished room that was painted in an unpleasing color of sky blue and lemon. "Ugh... What a mess," I muttered to myself. I thought I was strong enough, but my head spun, and I had to lay back on the bed. These bastards had taken me away from Dracula's Castle and transported me to this unfamiliar place. From the hours we had spent on the road, I could tell that it was far from my dad's castle or even from anywhere I could remotely remember. They were separating me from my family and everyone I knew. And thanks to that imposter of a brother, my dad probably knew about my disappearance. I was so angry at how unfair life was. My dad was a kind king who'd helped Dracula and Dimitri, but what did they pay him back with? A damn
Vlad Dimitri walked in, bathed in sweat. My heart began pounding with raw fear and hatred for the swine. He rushed to me, throwing the untouched plate of beans on my face. I gasped in shock but got over it, relieved that it wasn't scalding hot. I wiped the gooey stuff off my face, breathing hard. Dimitri's eyes were wild, unfocused, bloodthirsty, and burning with an anger that didn't scare me. As far as I was concerned, he was a fucking coward. "I hate you so much," he spat. "I've never hated anyone in this world the way I hate you. And I can't wait to kill you. Give me the damn staff! He began squeezing my throat with both hands in anger, choking me and making it difficult to breathe. I could feel his hot breath on my face, and smell the bloodlust seeping through his pores like poison. The scent made my stomach churn. Dimitri always seemed to have some kind of smell, as if he had been bitten by some sort of bug. It smelled rotten and sickly. Although it hurt, I felt a
Lucian It was painful to watch King Vladislav deteriorate every day. I felt pity for him, like the gushing of a warm fountain. I was supposed to be wallowing in excitement considering the stories Dimitri had fed me with, especially because the king used my mum for his selfish gain. But my doubts grew after I began to see Dimitri's true colors. I began to think otherwise and now, felt pity for the king. He had no idea he was caught up in a web of deceit. He tried looking for answers everywhere and had become desperate. "Son, please think," he grabbed fistfuls of his hair and his voice shook with misery, asking me for the hundredth time that morning. "Did you take the staff out of the house or to school to show off? Remember the last time you took it to school and the principal had to call me." "No… no, Dad, I didn't take it," I stuttered, feeling pain at the back of my throat and trying to rid myself of any hint of guilt or involvement. I needed to play it cool and play my par
Raven I returned home for the weekend and was still not speaking to Nova. The tension in the house ran like a red-hot wire. Clarissa gave me strange looks and after muttering a greeting, I went straight upstairs to my bedroom. I dropped my bag on the floor and flopped onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, my mind racing in high gear. Vlad's interference in my life and my family had taken its toll on me and had turned our lives upside down. Lost in thoughts, I drifted into a deep sleep, and when I woke up, the darkness outside surprised me at how long I had slept. I made my way downstairs, and the maid informed me that dinner was ready. My heart skipped several beats when I heard my dad's voice booming through the house. The conversation at the dinner table was filled with forced pleasantries and strange smiles. I ate my meal in silence and excused myself from the table afterward. On my way upstairs, Clarissa stopped me at the staircase. "Can I speak with you outside?"
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