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CHAPTER 52: SHADOWS FROM THE PAST
Last Updated:
2025-02-27 12:55:12
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CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 53: SHADOWS OF DECEPTION
AARONI was on the edge of the woods, looking into the darkness, and the icy wind was nipping at my skin. Azure was hanging over all of it, trying to rule over all of it, and my dad was alive. All that had occurred in the past couple of days was all relived in my head like a broken record. Isaiah was a human being. My dad. My heart mourned hearing the epiphany. Selene had lied to me all these years, telling tales of a father who had left us and abandoned me to fight in this despicable and unforgiving world alone. But things were much uglier than that: my father withdrew to himself and struggled, no worse than Selene. I curled my fist up, hard as I dug nails into the palms of my hands. His peaceful, half-formed justification stoked the flames within me up the chimney even after speaking to him previously. Azure's plea for duty now towered above me like the weight of these choices. Isaiah had mentioned that he would like to speak with me once more. Part of me longed to shut him out, to
Last Updated : 2025-02-27CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 54: DESTINED BY FATE
LYNAAs I emerged from the darkness and entered the fading light of the street lamps, a subtle yet distinct odour of human blood permeated the air. The small human town had always been a very nice hunting area, but I had long ago sworn off hunting for sport. Since I had spent so many years living in self-control and just taking what I needed to survive, no one would ever know what was hiding in the shadows. But tonight I felt restless, like I had an itch I couldn't get rid of. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something was changing. My keen senses detected a figure travelling in the other direction as I turned a corner. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and exuded a commanding aura. He was a wolf. His scent was distinct, earthy and sharp, mixed with something darker—something that spoke of power and turmoil. Time seemed to stop for a moment, and I cocked my head to one side, curious. "I might ask you that." He said in a low, gravelly voice as if he weren't used to speaking softl
Last Updated : 2025-02-28CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 55: WHISPERS OF THE STORM
HAILEYA flurry of murmur filled the council room as voices were raised in contentious discussion. Around the large round table sat the representatives of the various species, including wolves, vampires, witches, and even fae, their expressions displaying a mixture of bullheadedness and fear. I sat at the top, my status as queen cemented by our tense alliances. "Enough," I yelled, my voice piercing the tense atmosphere like a blade. All eyes turned to me, and suddenly there was silence. "There will never be a solution with this squabbling. We are up against more dangers than we have ever encountered. We shall all fall if we do not stand together. Representative of the Fae leaned forward, his golden eyes gleaming. If I may speak freelý, Your Majesty, given that wolves like Thomas continue to roam free and create division, how can we have faith in these alliances? Unease shook the room as Thomas was brought up. In an attempt to avoid taking the bait and defending my type, I clenched my
Last Updated : 2025-02-28CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 56: WISDOM IN THE SHADOWS
HAILEY With the moonlight pouring in through the big windows and casting a gentle, silvery glow over the room, I sat cross-legged in my own space. My attention was focused inward, yet my reflection was caught in the shimmering elaborate mirror on the distant wall. I sought deep inside for Amenia, my wolf, the presence that has been my guiding light, my constant companion, and also my fiercest critic. "Amenia," I close my eyes. "I need you." The air became warmer and more energetic. The image of a great wolf came into clarity in her mind's eye: its impressive rich silver fur and its piercing gold eyes. I have been so stressed out lately with no time to relax or reflect on anything. The air became warmer, throbbing with vitality. The image of a great wolf flashed into focus in her mind's eye: the eyes of piercing gold, the gorgeous fur of deep silver. I feel both light and relieved as Amenia padded forward and appeared as a shadow before me, immediately enveloping me in her presence
Last Updated : 2025-03-01CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 57: HEALING MOON
LOGANMy mind was anything but calm, even if the moonlight streaming through the treetops overhead was serene. The woodland that loomed at the perimeter of our grounds caught my attention as I stood at the edge of the pack's area. The nocturnal sounds seemed so far as the trees gently swayed and arched in the fresh breeze. Marissa's unpredictable nature, witty remarks, and the fact that she had put everything on the line to save Alexia and the triplets consumed my thoughts. Trying to reconcile the villain I once thought she was with the woman she'd be as my mate. I had been trying to understand her for days. Her gaze was filled with love rather than merely protectiveness towards Alexia. It was full of love. I had never anticipated someone like Marissa to show the kind of affection I had assumed was only for partners or family. She was teaching my young daughter how to weave flowers into crowns when I discovered her in the garden with Alexia that day. Marissa struggled with a particul
Last Updated : 2025-03-01CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 58: THE CHAINS OF FATE
AARONThere was tension in the evening air as I paced the boundary of the estate. The bitter refrain of Lyna's beautiful rejection resonated in my head, each note driving a knife deeper into my chest. To deny someone who was as much a part of me as my soul was something I was not used to. I was ice, and she was fire; an incomprehensible chemistry that was bound to crash. I was drawn by the soft sound of rustling leaves as I turned to gaze at the house. Years of experience and intuition had sharpened my senses, and I detected the faint presence of something that didn't belong. Vampires. They were royal guards, not vampires. I had not anticipated her kind to react so quickly, but she had warned me that they would not appreciate my tenacity. As I walked into the forest and vanished into the darkness, my heart pounded. With cloaks glimmering like midnight spectres in the moonlight, the guards appeared. They walked with an authoritative stride, their eyes scanning the horizon. He called ou
Last Updated : 2025-03-03CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 59: CONFRONTING THE SHADOW
ISAIAHThere was a coldness in the air that crept into my bones. I stood in the clearing, the stone altar behind me throb with soft ancient power. It was empty in the forest as if the creatures had sensed the darkness coming and had run away. To keep myself grounded while I waited, my fingers touched the edge of the altar. And then he was there. Azure condensed into some sort of shape out of the shadows, his form ebbing in and out of the shadows that surrounded him. Beyond his heavy presence—a weighing down on the soul—his eyes blazed with supernatural light. "Isaiah," he blew, his voice rumbling low like some sort of quake from the earth itself. "You're quite good for a man who's spent centuries in defeat. I was able to look him in the eye and stood my ground."Azure," I said reasonably. "I should have known you'd slink out of the depths one day." He smiled, the altar light dimmed to emphasize the cut of his face. "Crawl? Don't think so. Isaiah, I climb. You know I'm here. I clenched
Last Updated : 2025-03-03CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 60: THE ROAD TO TRUTH
RYAN City lights twinkled against the windows as the car motor hummed in contentment. Undercurrents of unexpressed tension suffused the space between. Logan sat next to me, his lips pressed tightly together as he looked out at the landscape rushing past. Today's business meeting had been successful, but we were still burdened by the weight of our own lives. I finally spoke. "You knew, didn't you?" Logan hesitated to glance at me. "Knew what?" "Logan, don't play games. You knew that Selene was Isaiah's partner." He let out a sigh through his nose and shut his eyes for a moment. "Yes, I knew." I was enraged after hearing the confession. And you did not think that it was necessary to tell me? Logan, we are a team. Logan looked at me with a face of sadness and determination. "Ryan, it wasn't my secret to share.". I did not believe that I was in a position to share that information because Isaiah had trusted me. My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel. "Logan, this has nothi
Last Updated : 2025-03-03
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CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 126: MEMORY LANE
AARONThe past had a way of creeping back in, no matter how much I tried to hide it.I'd had a craving for power. No, that was too weak—I'd been obsessed with it. Power was my aim, my constant thought. And Hailey… Hailey had been my fixation, the crown treasure that I believed I ought to have claimed.I had spent years believing I deserved the throne, deserving of her love. If I had been Alpha King and not Ryan, I would be the one standing beside her, ruling alongside her. I had wanted it at any cost, so much so that I had lost myself in its longing.Time had taken away the illusions from me, forcing me to face reality. Then, meeting my mate and having my beautiful Aurora finally subdued my person, and all my unnecessary cravings disappeared. Hailey wasn't ever going to be my own. And power? Power was a momentary flash, a burden that could destroy the very person that held it. I had seen what it did to others, seen how the burden of it had nearly shattered Hailey.And now I was watch
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 125: EXHAUSTION
TURTELAThe second I entered my chambers, the weight of it all came crashing upon me.I had held on in that room, standing before my family, as I watched the breaking of a man I had known my entire life. Logan—the hard-as-nails warrior, the father figure who had always stridden so fearlessly—became something raw and broken.And David…That smug, condescending grin. The ring of his laughter echoing, taunting us after his devastation.I clung to the doorframe, shaking hand. I was gasping for breath, constricted chest, scorched throat. I had fought so hard to have some kind of strength in that room, not to break down. But now, here in the privacy of my own chambers, I could finally release it all.A sob of shuddering tore from my throat as I dropped to knees.It was too much.The lying and the betrayal and the war roiling outside our walls. Feeling powerless gnawed at me like a sickness. I was always the bright one, the warm one, the one with the smile that could find humor even in dire
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 124: FRACTURED VISION
ISAIAHThe air was thick with heaviness. Magic clung like a heavy fog, the stench of incense and old shadows poisoning every breath I took. My flesh itched as the remnant of David's black magic clung to the packhouse walls, a harbinger of what was to come.All of that was nothing compared to the devastation in Logan's eyes before he shifted and vanished into the shadows.I had seen so much sorrow, could foresee so many losses to come. And yet even my gift—the visions the divine had given me—the visions could not prepare me for the bare, suffocating despair that consumed Logan.Flora had been his everything. His salvation for a lifetime of pain. And to discover that she was never his to begin with? That their bond was an illusion of magic?It shattered something inside him that might never heal.Hailey was where Logan had just left, her jaw set, her fists clenched. Her words echoed in my mind."We have to kill him."And she was right.David had grown beyond what I had foreseen. He had
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 123: SHATTERED
MARISSAThe packhouse was eerily silent, as if the walls themselves grappled with making sense of what had happened. Smoke and the bitter taste of burned magic clung in the air, mingling with the raw emotion that radiated from all assembled. My own heart pounded in every beat as I took in the scene before me.Logan—our Logan—kneeling on the ground, broken.I had never witnessed him so broken. Never. This resilient man had never been so broken. Yet even I had no idea how to process all of these new information. Flora had been so devoted and loving to her mate and child so this revelation is simply too astounding. The man who had been a rock of fortitude, who had battled and fought and led wars and defended his daughter with a ferocity that shook the world—cried.Hailey sat next to him, her presence in itself a soothing balm of reassurance, but even she could not repair this. Some wounds cut too deep. Some truths dismantled everything. Flora was her best friend yet she seemed so lost r
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 122: HEART STOPPER
LOGANThe grounds groaned beneath me, the motor growled, but I hardly heard it. I was not unconscious of the cold, stinging night air whipping by. I was still unable to understand their words. "Flora was his mother." "His father was Azure." In my imagination, these phrases sounded like battle drums. Flora. My friend, my mate, the mother of my daughter and the angelic human I had loved with every fibre of my being is presently being linked to the one who almost destroyed us all? How is this even possible?. I tried to calm my beating heart, which had suddenly become unsteady, perspirations across my forehead as my knuckles repeatedly shook and the words I had heard settled and dawned on me. Years had passed since she died—gone from me, leaving only memories and an empty spot that I had never occupied. And now, suddenly, the truth was revealed. She had another living child. The son of Azure. I grind my teeth. It was an unpleasant betrayal. This information had dealt me a sudden blow, and
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 121: SHADOWS DEEPEN
JACKSONI felt like the wind had been punched out of my lungs.David was Alexia's half-brother?That wasn't some irrelevant piece of information we had overlooked—that changed everything.I turned to Jermaine, my fists tightening. "Are you sure?"Jermaine's expression was serious. He tapped the parchment again. "This record is old, Jackson. There's no mistake. Azure and Alexia's mother had a child before ever meeting Alexia's father. That child was David."I ran a hand through my hair, trying to get my head around it. "So that means." My jaw clenched. "That means he's been lying to Jaden the entire time."Jermaine nodded. "Not just Jaden. All of us."I sucked in a sharp breath. "We have to tell Hailey."Jermaine hesitated. "We have to be careful how we do that. Jaden is already wound up. If we push him too hard, he'll think we're trying to manipulate him."I growled. "I don't care if he gets mad at me. This doesn't involve Jaden anymore. Alexia's involved. And if David is anything lik
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 120: SHADOW GAMES
DAVIDI could feel the change in the air.Jaden was stepping back.Not sudden—not a drastic move. But I knew him too well. He lingered a little longer. His eyes lingered a little longer, searching for something he wasn't sure that he wanted to see.I had seen it before. Doubt. It was a powerful thing. A weapon.And I was a master at wielding it.I had to act quickly.I came across him near the training grounds, looking up into the branches of the trees as if in deep thought. Perfect."Deep in thought about something serious?" I joked, my tone light and cheerful.Jaden shifted restlessly, then shook his head once more. "A lot on my mind."I rested against the stone wall beside him. "Jackson and Jermaine, then?"His head whirled around. "How did you—I smiled. "Come on, Jaden. We've been friends for years. You think I don't know when something's wrong with you?"His shoulders relaxed a bit. He wanted to believe me.Good."Let me guess," I continued, looking at him. "They think I'm a thr
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 119: CRACKS IN THE SHADOWS
JADENI ran through the castle halls, my brothers' words ringing in my ears."David is not safe. You have to wake up, Jaden.""There's something not right with him. I don't trust him.""And you shouldn't either."It wasn't what they told me that unsettled me—it was the certainty in their voices. Jermaine was usually reserved, the sort who would weigh everything before he spoke, and Jackson, despite his arrogance at times, possessed a keen eye for spotting lies. But they were both wrong this time.David was okay.He had always been okay.Hadn't he?I suppressed the idea.Blending around the cutting corner, I bumped my shoulder into the chilly stone wall but barely registered.I needed air.Sliding the doors of the courtyard wide open, I entered the biting night. The sky stretched out endlessly overhead, and stars shone like lanterns in the distance. The stillness was a welcome change.Until I saw him.Waiting beside the far archway, David stood in the shadows. He wasn't pacing. He wasn
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 118: THE BROTHERS' WARNING
JACKSONThe minute I stepped into the castle, I knew something was off. The atmosphere here wasn't just charged—it was polluted. You could smell the hidden odour around here of great trouble brewing. It was silent, a tick below normal, but I'd been a part of the human world long enough not to miss the scent of deceptions when they hung thick in the air.Jermaine was already in the grand hall, arms folded, his face as sharp as ever."Do you feel it too?" he asked as I walked in.I nodded. "David?"Something was not right with him.It's not a suspicion, just intuition. A powerful, nagging feeling that twisted in my gut whenever I looked at him. He was too smooth, too controlled. Men like him couldn't be trusted.I'd run across my fair share of lying people in the human world—corporate vipers who grinned as they orchestrated your downfall, politicians who had spun deception into poetry. And David? The same vibe. The kind of person who took the long way around, who got you to believe him
