Raven Snoozing my alarm for the fifth time that morning I threw myself on the bed and stared blankly at the wall. Today was Monday. I was expected to put on a happy face, pretend like all was well and head back to school. A pang of hurting sadness coursed through me. My energy level was damn low to get off the bed and left to me, I'd have stayed back for a week or two. My dad and Clarissa had tried to make my weekend memorable, giving me sympathetic looks, and assuring me that I was loved. Balderdash. Their words didn't change the fact that my dad never planned to have me. I was a product of rape and finding out about this in the worst way possible stung badly. No matter what my dad said or how he tried to twist the narrative, It didn't change the fact that my mum was so vicious enough to drug his drink, sleep with him and trap him with an unwanted pregnancy. And Vlad, damn him, whom I thought was everything good in my world ended up a terrific liar and manipulator.
Raven I headed to the homeroom and plopped down in my seat next to Taylor. As usual, she was arguing with William over some stupid game. "Raven!" Taylor's eyes sparkled with excitement while William waved at me but when I didn't return the energy, Taylor's smile toned down. "Is she okay?" William asked Taylor, concerned. "She is. Mind your damn business." My hand fidgeted with my pencil and my brows perched low. William eyed Taylor, warning her to stop being overly dramatic. Annoyed at their back and forth, I glanced up at the clock, hoping class would start soon. Our homeroom teacher hadn't resumed for the day. Taylor and William continued with their game. I stared off into the mid-distance when I noticed Vlad's gaze holding me captive. Like a child caught stealing, my breath rattled in my chest and I shrunk back from his gaze, preferring to endure Taylor and William's banter. "That's not fair! You always steal my character," Taylor hit William's back playfully causing
Vlad I sat uncomfortably in my seat, my jaw clenching and my mind engulfed in annoyance. Nova was getting on my nerves. She was so stubborn and didn't get the hint. She tried and failed to seduce me on countless occasions with her desperation rising to the high heavens. It was so distasteful that I felt pity for her. She inched closer to me, making sure to flash her cleavage in my direction. I pulled away, tapping my foot to a silent tune. "It's quite gloomy here. Can you open the curtains a bit?" "It's not too late to swap seats with someone sitting close to the window." "No, it's fine," she stretched like a cat and winked at me. "I like it here." Visibly recoiling, I hoped that my aloofness would send warning signals to her that I was not interested in her. Thorne and Xavier sat directly opposite us and could see everything that was happening. They exchanged amused glances and stifled their laughter. Nova tried hard to engage me in conversation, laughing a little too lou
Raven The sun set over Serenity Island, casting an orange glow over the sky. With half-lidded eyes and a deliberate attempt to not be disturbed by Nova's stunt, I stood at the edge of the beach. I felt out of sorts after putting her in her place. On one hand, I was satisfied that I shut her up because her excesses were becoming too much. On the other hand, I hated that my own sister and I could never stop fighting. A group of baby sea turtles made their way to the ocean and I watched them with a smile on my face. Taylor was learning to surf with William. The stubborn fools were always in each other's company, fighting. Sighing, I sat in the sun, remembering Vlad's shirtless body and how hot and flustered he made me feel. He was so good-looking, a beautiful male whose body radiated a raw and primal strength that drew me in. I groaned into my hand, needing to stop thinking about him and clear my mind of this stupid crush I had on him. I enjoyed the waves crashing against the
Raven Vlad's lips hovered over mine and he tried to kiss me again. I pulled away instead, and a comfortable silence passed between us. "Does this mean you've forgiven me?" He asked, staring into my eyes with tenderness and wrapping his arms around me. Biting my lip, I leaned close to him, resting my head on his shoulder. "Maybe, but we need to be realistic." His brows drew together in a frown. "What are you talking about?" "My eighteenth birthday is coming up next week, and I'm certain I'll find my Lycan mate. Unless you magically change into a Lycan, it can never be you." Vlad's eyes flashed with amusement and he stifled a laugh. "Why are you bothering your head over your mate? Our feelings for each other are natural. Perhaps the moon goddess has other plans for us. She knows we're meant to be together." A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Yeah right. " "Raven, we cannot deny what we feel towards one another. You want me. It's written all over you." I fell silent pressing m
Vlad Whenever I visited home, my nanny never failed to pumped me up with food, fruits and lots of greens. I didn't know if she was trying to kill me with food, but she made sure to dish out a sizeable amount of food and watch me finish it. "Eat up. You need all the iron you can get," she said, sitting opposite me and sipping her finger tea. I rolled my eyes, but I knew better than to argue. "Yes, captain. Just so you know, I'm not eating this because I want to, but because you're forcing me. That reminds me, my friends are coming over later in the evening. You need to cook up a storm." My nanny groaned. She wasn't a fan of my friends. To be fair, she wasn't a fan of anyone except me. While I was rounding up my lunch, I heard my nanny and Dimitri arguing as usual and headed to the living room to watch them because my nanny often used the most profane, old school rejoinders like lackey dog, wanker and baloney to insult the poor guy and in turn, Dimitri called her flannel mouth.
Raven My alarm beeped, waking me up from my sleep. It was midnight, meaning I'd become an official adult. Happiness fluttered in my belly and I rolled on my silky bed sheets. Now, I was free to stay away from my toxic mum and become independent. My ringtone broke the silence. Wondering who was calling at this hour, I checked my screen and broke into a broad smile as Vlad's face flashed across the screen. "Why are you calling on this ungodly hour?" I joked, hiding the joy that soared in my heart that Vlad cared about me. He began singing, his melodious voice filling every inch of my ear. A grin sprang across my face and my heart did several flips. "Happy birthday, darling Raven," he said in high spirits after singing. "Don't tell me you stayed awake to wish me happy birthday?" "Yup. I wanted to be the first to do so because you are very special to me and this is a significant age for you. Tell me how it feels to be eighteen." Heat radiated through my chest. I wish Vlad was
Raven Monday came in a hurry, and my dad took Nova and me to school. We maneuvered through the multi-lane traffic, trying to beat the rush hour. Sipping my coffee, I gazed out of the window while Nova remained engrossed in her phone. "Nova, I'm going to give your medication to the school nurse, and you must remember to take it every day. Don't expect me to heap out chunks of money for your modeling career if you won't take care of your health," my dad warned. "Dad, come on!" Nova protested. "I'm not a baby. And you don't have to threaten my modeling career just because I don't take my drugs." "Are you indirectly saying you can get help from someone else? That's your cup of tea, just don't neglect your health, so I don't treat you like a baby," Dad retorted. Nova and Dad continued their bickering until a call on his cell phone interrupted them. We smoothly glided along Stonecrest's driveway, and the distant sounds of students chattering filled my ears. The school bell had already
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