The document in hand read Chelsea shore: a coastal port known for constant oil spills by the rig at its heart; though the province is among the leading distributors of oil, the constant spills render it unfit for living; hence the once thriving merchant state remains reduced to a quiet coastal town for paupers and ruling middle class whom all work for the oil production in varying levels. At least, that is the letter’s summary. I have gone over it thrice in the helicopter that had yet to depart, and each time I did, the knots in my stomach only grew. How can I purify such a large area when merely a spring made me faint? I am grateful that the opportunity takes me away from the Lycan and the castle; it was growing hard to avoid him anyway, but what if I fail? The entire event is a publicity stunt to appease the kingdom, but…I have never intentionally trained for such a purpose. ‘It’s fine; I will guide you.’ Kaisa insists; this is her eighth time saying that. While I believe he
Marko N. I 'Return princess turns miraculous priestess; a tale of forbidden love.' Again, Marko’s gaze strayed to the heading’s subtitle. Return princess who discarded her title to be a priestess finds mate amid late-night purification rituals in the Chelsea slums.' "Scandal on her first mission! God, we should have sent more men to keep her still." An elder uttered furiously. "Doesn't she understand that such behaviour can spark a war?" Another responded. But again, his eyes strayed to the title. "But...are they really mates?" Elder Brenda asked. "If they are, we must consider a collaboration of sorts; you know how stupidly bound people behave if they are forced apart." "They are not mates." The answer came with more steadiness than he felt; for a second, he had not even realised that his voice rang across the room, silencing all commotion. "Can your majesty say that with certainty?” Elder Brenda responded. “I know she is your sister, but with the history between the t
The press conference was a disaster; when I failed to answer their last question, chaos ensued, as more questions I could not answer about the old queen and my mother were thrown my way. I froze because the alternative would be leaving the building, my fight or flight responses never favour fighting, or perhaps it is that I do not value the people enough to feel the need to come up with excuses. The goddess should have chosen a kinder soul to bless with such abilities. All in all, the Lycan King had to step in with the announcement of me being a potential Luna to the twenty-something Alphas in the territory following his command, so in a sense, he told them that I would be bound here. When more questions arose, he gave generic, non-committal answers; he controls the Ketrian media to some extent anyway, so damage would be minimised. Still, the king felt different today; he treated me like his subordinate rather than mate or hated stepsister. However, following the scandal, I may hav
My hand lifts the length of my dress to hide the Lycan’s hand; shoving it away will make its presence more pronounced, so I am forced to raise the garment inappropriately as a diversion. It does the job because the waiter turns his gaze sharply and politely in preference to root for the utensil blindly. After he finally gets it, he offers a slight but awkward bow and dashes off, not even asking if I need a replacement. Great, I all but flashed the waiter because of the Lycan’s inappropriateness. "What the hell does his majesty think he is doing? We are in-" "Marko." He responds, cutting me off. His darkening gaze holds my own warningly. "I cannot address you in such an intimate fashion when you returned to your partner last week-" "I had no choice." "Yes, because you are the king. It is not that you had no choice, but you were determined to make the right one because your people depend on you. So, your majesty, continue to make those ‘right’ choices and pull your hand out of
The Lycan's Hotel room was fancier than mine, go figure, but I hardly had enough time to gawk at it or even sip the fancy complimentary champagne."Strip."I want to protest at the unfairness of his opening words, but I do as he says, only slowly.I tug each strap with a teasing slowness from each shoulder before reaching for the zipper on my side; he does not protest, merely watches me.His silver eyes darken sinisterly as the dress pools to my feet, leaving me only in jewellery, heels and panties, everything he bought for me."Alba.""Yes,"I answer breathily as his hand strokes the gem on my chest.The whole room holds his scent, yet there is clarity in my haze, unlike the first time his mere presence induced it— as if it is slowly stabilising.I don’t want its stabilisation because what excuse will I use to feel this way in his presence? To give into my desire for him?There is a chill in the room from the air conditioning, or perhaps it is his gaze that erupts goosebumps from my
“You can’t anymore?” Marko repeats my words as he slides from the mattress to stand and fiddle with the remaining toys as if prepping to use them. “But your body can react to others; that is why you kissed another man, isn’t it?” In the dream, he talked of running; it is different, yet some elements are the same. “Isn’t it only right for me to desensitise your lewd body? Let’s see, how many men have excited you beside me?’ I say nothing, not out of my will, but I cannot bring any words to my lips because I am wholly occupied with the spasms still firing periodically inside me. “Not going to answer? Fine Then maybe I can use a different criterion. Let’s see, you ran away from the castle, from your guardian—from me.” The intensity of his tone keeps rising as if he is rediscovering his anger, but his words’ familiarity is what grabs my attention. “Wait, wait…” I plead, but it comes off as a whisper. Don’t say it; please don’t- “For eighteen ho-” “One person.” I yell to halt h
Hello, a quick reminder of the disclaimer this chapter contains sensitive themes like dubious consent towards the end; the sections beginning and the end is marked by '++' ** Red. The letter peeking from one of the men’s jackets was red, the queen’s colour. I squeezed deeper into the cave’s darkness, hoping the three wolves would not see me. This is the third time the queen has sent assassins after mother and the third time I have managed to diverge their attention. Yet how much longer must I live this way? If not for the wolfsbane I consume regularly, I would have been dead due to the amount the queen sneaks into mother’s meals that I consume under the guise of teenage hunger. In her blissful ignorance, I clean her messes at the risk of my life. A thirteen-year-old’s life in the palace is supposed to be met with trials of forming friendships and dreams of a perfect debut, yet- A twig snaps, jolting my heart. Nothing came, no matter how long I waited, so my heart resumed it
The brightness of the morning burns my eyes as I struggle to open my heavy lids; I anticipate waking alone, so the warmth beside me is startling."Were...were you watching me?"The smile on his face is sinfully wicked, yet it induces nothing but worries in me.“I will not go another round; I feel sorer than when Gamma Brielle makes me work out!”“Fine, I can wait.”A frown knits my brows at his response.‘I can wait?’Why would he say that? Is it not better if we avoid discussion of our sins and hope our silence buries them?Is it not better if we behave like animals at night and regain our dignity during the day?Our mess requires no planning; what we are should never be scheduled.So why would he utter the word ‘wait’ to me?Without a word in response to his ‘wait’, I slide from the bed; even though my knees wobble at my feet’s contact with the ground, I manage to stand and tiptoe around the mess we made last night in search of clothes.“I think we should talk, Alba. Define this a l
And that’s a wrap. The book will be marked as complete soon; I hope you loved both stories, the bonus ( ̄y▽ ̄)╭ ohohoho….. and the main story. Now on the meat of the matter, my next work will be out in late June or Mid-July titled: The Alpha's Ruby Obsession (I think, but most likely.) It will be 18+, not just because of the smut but because it is a little darker than this one, discussing themes to do with suicidal ideations and consent-non-consent relations, but don’t worry, I will tag the concerning chapters. It can be read as a stand-alone, but there are benefits to reading this book first. Lastly, this concerns my other book: Your last lie—please do not purchase it until perhaps next year (Late next year); it was my first book and thus very clumsy, I want to work on it, and if you have it in your library, you can remove it and select it later, the changes should reflect. Thank you for reading and voting for ‘Bound to My Wicked Stepbrother’. I would love to hear more from you; whe
TRIGGER WARNING: CONSENT. The pounding in my head trembles my vision. Christ, I am never drinking again. My struggle to change my position and take advantage of the day is met with a familiar stiffness; only the rattling sounds binding me send my eyes wide open. An unfamiliar room, brightly lit with top wall windows that ensure I cannot see outside, but enough light enters that I can see thousands upon thousands of pictures of me lining the walls. Hah... what the hell? Panic sets in low in my belly as struggle finds my limbs. I do not wish to scream; who knows what I will alert, but the rattling of the cuffs binding my hands and feet to the bed must have awoken something because movement sounds from the other side, beyond the dark staired hallway. It would have been easy to sit upright had it only been my hands bound, but both my hands and feet were chained to the bed, holding me indecently in place and... My clothes are different. "You are up? Good, I brought you some food.
He isn’t coming. I repeat to myself as I splash some more warm water on my face. Ugh, what the hell was that sickly sweet champagne Magnolia guzzled down my throat in ‘celebration’? If she wants me to be drunk and embarrass myself, all she has to do is say that. A sigh escapes me at my tired expression in the bathroom mirror. My face is flushed, yet despite how tipsy I am, the hurt from seeing him arrive with his ‘ex-fiancée’ cut too deep to be blurred with liquor. Ever since the production ended, I woke up to sex dreams where Marko would bind me, trap me somewhere and have his way with me mercilessly. Of course, I would plead that he free me because, let’s face it, I would only plead that he does not touch me so that I could be regarded as sane. Because who in the hell would want to be bound and f*cked mercilessly by someone who all but regarded them as a slut? Guilt always devours me at the end of the vulgar dreams, I guess they are about to worsen now that he is with his ex-f
Marko "Cut”. The director's voice rang for what would be the last time, and applause followed. The moment was bittersweet, but the feel of Alba detaching from him as if he was plagued stung. "Alb-" "Don't...don't say anything, Marko. Let this end." "I don’t want-" "Don't want that?" Again, she interrupted him, finishing his sentence when he did not wish her to. "Marko, you called me a slut a few weeks ago, so let this 'slut' reform her ways, a safe distance from you.” “I never said you were a slut.” “No, you merely said that I spread my legs for anyone who gives me the time of day; if your argument is on semantics, try again." Alba uttered as she moved from him, but her dress, the same ivory gown that stole his chest as she walked down the Aisle, making him wish that for a moment the scene was real and she was his bride, made her curse as she moved. "God damn heels!" She muttered before leaving him...again. Should he manipulate her transport? No, she might not fall for
The ballroom echoed its commotion at Marko’s announcement of me as his future wife and Milos as his heir. I should cease wearing fitting gowns that limit my breathing during balls that I anticipate trouble. Still, his hand on my waist is more intense in this way, even as some show their distaste for our relationship vocally, despite our mention that we were mates chosen by the goddess. The tea party was brutal, but this, having to look in the eyes of hundreds of unsmiling faces as if our lives impacted them more than was appropriate, was a whole other thing. Despite all this, my proximity to Marko keeps me uncaring; but I cannot stop my chest’s clenching. Unlike me, he has cared how others viewed him since his youth, and he has always wanted to be a regal and dignified king framed by perfection. Am I not staining him? Please don't change your mind. Please want me still. Please- A tremble rocks through me at the thoughts chanting ceaselessly in my mind, so I step away from Mark
"Ahh...that hits the spot."Ruby utters as she places her pitcher of cider beer on the table with a thud. Without missing a beat, she turns to the table grill and turns the thinly sliced steaks before they burn.It was amusing watching her eat, actually more than amusing; I keep growing envious of her appetite.Still, how were the Clive illegitimate children treated for her to behave this similarly to Violet and me?While I like her playful maturity, we understand the scars that made us this way.After explaining my dream as the ‘sun’ to her (I am not sure if she believes me or thinks I am crazy), we settle and enjoy each other’s company at the eatery that offers each table a small grill and a wide selection of meats for one to fry up themselves if they do not wish for any item from the precooked menu.It took quite a bit of patience, but I finally finished the steak Violet made for me; it is hard to avoid eating when everything around me smells delicious; hell, even the smoke smelled
The woman’s voice holds remorse so deep that it stills me momentarily; it is only when tears stream down her face, ruining her perfect make-up, that I try my hardest to squat in the tightness of my dress and hold her in my arms, for God knows what reason.A feeling I had not felt since Red Graw dances in my chest."My Su-""I am sorry for the way it ended, my dearest misunderstood crimson moon."My lips utter with a voice that comes from deep within me before a smile tilts the corners of my lips upwards.Despite the smile playing on my face, a deep heaviness feels my chest.“It shall awaken soon; find your centre, my precious blood moon; only then will you find peace.” The moment her head slumps heavily on my shoulders, the ‘enchanted’ feeling dissipates from me before I feel her stiffen in my arms."Oh...oh, you must think I am insane."She whispers through my flesh before she peals away from me, hiding the crimson covering her face.“Help me up?”She asks her chauffeur, who assists
“That’s like saying I do not care for my skin.”The girl Violet converses with responds.“I am not responsible for how you choose to interpret my words.”Christ, Violet.I almost groan, but Georgia yells a question impolitely at me."Is that a ring? Are you engaged, priestess?" Silence follows the words; even the blonde, who almost responded to Violet’s taunt, turns her attention to me.“That’s right; you said you would discuss it inside,”Rebeca chimes.Hesitation echoes within me, I thought I would be amongst friends as I open up about this tender subject, but instead, I feel as if I am-"Yes, uh...I am getting married."I announce into the silence, and gasps follow from the majority of the lips but Rebecca’s."Oh! The Lycan King was carrying a baby in his arms in the papers, perhaps a week back. Was the baby yours? I mean, you did go missing for years after the whole Red Graw saga. Did they… I mean, is that why you are being removed from the royal line."Georgia asks; her brashnes
As opposed to an elegant parlour room, Rebecca escorts us outside to a greenhouse-like place that holds numerous colourful and bright plants that add to the bright aesthetic of the party, and despite being outside, the scent of pastries and tea hang deliciously in the air.My gaze turns to the nearby pond, and it is so clear that I can see my reflection in it, but more than that, I can see the tiredness in Rebecca’s build.I guess all the Clive relatives, regardless of association, had a tough time after Magnolia’s treason.The deeper we walk into the space, the more the sound of laughter and chatter calls to us only; it is not as inviting as she had once presented during the mate ball.“About Magnolia…”I begin, but she turns so suddenly on her track that I wind up trailing my words.“Oh, we are fine. Our relation is only from the maternal side.”What the hell is that supposed to mean?Does it matter from which side your cousins hail?“Anyway, I saw today’s papers; how are you holdin