[Nivera’s POV]I grovelled before him, wailing in immense sorrow. I couldn’t die just like that. I needed him to change his mind.“Please, Alpha Tyler. Please, spare my life,” I pleaded.He looked at me, with plain disgust written visibly on his face. “Spare your life? For what reason? You lied to me, you deserve nothing but death,” he said in a firm tone, and the people hailed him for that statement.“I didn’t lie to you. Okay, maybe I did, but trust me, I didn’t do it with a bad intention,” I said, as tears dropped from my eyes. “It is true that I did see Lucien, but that was just me bidding him farewell…”“It doesn’t matter if it was the last time you were seeing him. I was worried sick about you and went against my people to ensure you were searched for and brought back here. I thought you had been kidnapped according to that lying guard, Ryle, but you were perfectly safe in the arms of that lowlife called a vampire,” Tyler stated.I shook my head repeatedly, denying his allegatio
[Lucien’s POV]It was evening, and the sun had begun to set, slowly making the once blue sky turn red. The people were still at the Palace of their Alpha. As for me, I was walking through the empty streets of the Crescent Pack when something caught my attention.I walked towards it, and gave a small smirk. Tyler Jefferson had implemented his words already. It was a notice instructing members of the Pack to report either Celeste or I or even both of us if they came across us. According to the notice, we were great enemies of the Pack and the reward for reporting us was 500 pieces of silver, and the punishment for being associated with either of us was death.I was surprised that he had remembered my face and Celeste’s face very well for him to be able to give a detailed description of us to his painters as sketches of both of us had been placed next to the notice.“Are you Lucien O’Hara by any chance?” a husky voice asked.I looked beside me, and that was when I saw the guard, Ryle, wh
[Nivera’s POV]I had never felt so alive as I did presently. It was like I had been born all over again, but actually, that wasn’t a lie as I had indeed been reborn. I felt revived, strong and for the first time; free.At Lucien’s house, there were many sachets of blood which he had stored in the refrigerator, and I tore them up one after another, gulping them all down as soon as they touched my lips. They each tasted differently, but still had that ultimate satisfaction that probably only a hybrid could understand. As satisfied as I felt, I wanted more; I yearned for more. It was the only life I knew now after all.I looked at the corner where I had dumped all of the sachets earlier, and saw that I had finished them up.“No, no, no,” I muttered, rummaging through the refrigerator like a lunatic, looking for at least, a drop of blood to satisfy my hunger. I needed it badly.Lucien had said he was going to have a discussion with Celeste and he wasn’t home. He had told me to wait for hi
[Malia’s POV]Just a day ago, Nivera had been the one sitting in front of this mirror and admiring herself. Today, I was the one who sat down there, touching the crystal beaded necklace around my neck as a smile clung tightly to my lips.“You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen,” my father said as soon as he opened the door of the dressing room and saw me sitting all alone, as I had sent away the stylist, maids and makeup artist since my dad wanted to see me.“Of course, I am. I have all the beauty and elegance of a Luna,” I agreed.“The people are overjoyed. They can’t wait to see you by the side of the Alpha and bow down to you,” he said.“That’s how it should be. Why must anyone rule the people against their will? It’s a good thing we got rid of that peasant. She never once did fit in,” I said.“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Are you sure those maids can be trusted? I hope they won’t end up saying the truth about how we planned the whole thing,” my dad said.I
[Nivera’s POV]From outside, I could hear the jubilation going on. They all seemed so happy and excited that the Alpha King was getting married to Malia, whom they all desired to be the Luna. It was as if they didn’t even remember that just yesterday, an Omega called Nivera had almost been their Luna, but died. In fact, it didn’t even seem like anyone remembered me, and it was too soon for them to just move on happily with their lives like it was an animal they had slaughtered and not a werewolf like themselves.There were no posters of me in the streets, no one held a funeral ceremony in my honour, they didn’t even have the little decency of burying me in the sand at all, and there was no such thing as a one-minute silence to observe that someone had truly left the Pack.I was boiling with so much fury and it was erupting, but I didn’t even try to hold it back. Anyone in my shoes would have felt the same way as well; I wanted to rip their hearts out all at once, and I didn’t care if
[Nivera’s POV]“Celeste, what are you doing here? I was in the middle of something,” I said, walking down to meet her, brushing off the initial fear I had felt.“I know, but I won’t waste your time. I just want to speak with you. This magic doesn’t hold for long anyway,” she said.“You can even stop time? I’m jealous,” I said.She gave a small smile. “I’m not called the greatest witch to have ever lived for nothing. I was in the middle of a ritual when I found out what you were doing,” she said.“From the look on your face, I can tell that you do not approve,” I stated.“From the look on your face, I can tell you’re rethinking your actions,” she said to me.I heaved a sigh. “Well, maybe I am, but it is just because I’m beginning to feel weak again. They deserve to die, all of them, and if you came here to stop me, then you won’t succeed,”I told her.“Child, I am not here to stop you. I just came to tell you something I should have said the moment you were awakened as a hybrid. No one
[Lucien’s POV]Before Celeste had left, she had handed over to me a towel filled with ice, which I now used in pressing against the back of my head which ached badly. The pain from falling hard on the ground should have gone by now, but it persisted.Ryle snickered as he turned up the volume of the television which had a wrestling program going on. Apparently, he had moved in with me on Celeste’s insistence against my wishes, and had been watching shows to build up his fighting skills so he could have revenge on Tyler.“Weren’t you supposed to be a powerful vampire? How is it that a newly born hybrid defeated you so easily?” he asked in a scornful manner.“For someone who just lost his family, shouldn’t you be grieving somewhere? How is it that you have the time to sit here and annoy me?” I retorted.A frown appeared on his face as I had reminded him of something he had been desperately trying to forget. He couldn’t even respond to me; he just wallowed in deep sadness, but no, I didn’
One month later[Lucien’s POV]I kissed her, gently at first , then with force, until she had no choice but to kiss me back. I held onto her tightly as if I might fly away into space and never see her again. My lips moved against hers, over and over in slow motion. And it was wonderful because, even though we had had sex many times since we had been together for a month, it was the first time that our love felt whole, solid, real, and not like a dream or an illusion.She knew it, too, and her hands were everywhere on me, holding onto my hips and shoulders, stroking my face, pushing my hair back from my eyes and pressing kisses all along my jaw, down my throat to my chest, which was pressed flat against hers. She didn't need me to tell her where to put her tongue. We both could feel each other's passion, so close yet so far away at once. My hands found their way under her shirt to touch skin that wasn't clothed, and she shivered in response.I ripped off the shirt, whispering to her th
[Nivera’s POV]Six months had passed since Tyler had died and our lives had taken a turn for the best. I no longer had nightmares because I knew he was never coming back, and I got to spend the rest of eternity with the only man that had ever shown me love, even when I didn’t deserve it.“You’re deserving of much more than my love,” Lucien said, planting a kiss on my lips as he rested his head on my thighs, as though he could read my thoughts.I smiled, running my fingers through his hair, as my eyes scanned the beach, wondering where the kids were.“Mum, dad, look what we found!” Luca and Lucille chorused, running towards us with their hands full of shells.Lucien sat up, and we both stared at Lucille in disbelief.“Mum? Dad?” Lucien asked, surprised, even though I nudged him not to say anything.She fiddled with her fingers nervously. “Is… is it okay if I call you guys that?” she asked, wide-eyed.“Of course, we’re your parents after all. We’re just… we’re just shocked becauseit’s
[Lucien’s POV]There was fury evident in my eyes, and even the ever-so courageous Tyler knew he was about to taste my wrath, as I charged towards him with my claws out and fangs bared, ready to tear him limb from limb before my rage could reignite.“Stay away from me,” Tyler barked, and nodded at his people who had been staring the whole time to come to his rescue.“For Alpha Tyler,” his most trusted warrior yelled, but the people looked away.“How many have died? How many more will die? We just managed to start getting our lives back together, but for some reason, our very own dear Alpha wants us to risk our lives for him. Hell no! I have children and I must stay alive to protect them,” the Gamma stated.The crowd murmured in agreement with her statement.“Once I get out of this, each one of you would die in the most painful manner, I promise you that!” Tyler raged.Elder Gaius laughed. “That won’t be possible. Thanks to the witch, Jocelyn, we now have our separate lives and identiti
[Lucien’s POV]It had always bothered me… how people asked who my son bore resemblance to even when Nivera and I walked down the streets together, but the fact that Luca wasn’t biologically my son hadn’t hurt me like the way it did today. It hurt worse to see the smirk on Tyler’s face and he seemed extremely excited. Why wouldn’t he? No matter what I do, he’ll always be Luca’s father.“Careful now, do you think Luca here would forgive you for getting rid of his true father?” I heard Jocelyn’s voice ask, and I looked up to see her holding Luca tightly by his hand.Instantly, I became numb and stopped dealing Tyler with blows, as I staggered towards where he was and ran my hands all over him to make sure he was okay.“What are you doing here, big guy? Are you fine?” I asked him.“Yeah. Mummy followed after you when you left and some ladies came to forcefully take Uncle Ryle and myself,” he explained.Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me, and before I could turn around, I was injected w
[Tyler’s POV]It was an open arena, just within the estate. I paced around in full-blown panic. I didn’t mean to, but somehow, I was afraid. The vampire had been the first person to ever win me in a fight, and till date, I could never forget about how he had mercilessly tortured me and had only let me go because of Nivera.A whiff of her scent caught my nose, and I turned around. Malia was standing right behind me, wearing a flowing red dress, with a worried look written on her face.“Greetings, Alpha Tyler,” she said, with a small bow.“What do you want?” I retorted in a low growl.“I just… I just wanted to wish you good luck,” she said.“You’ve done that now. You may go,” I told her.She didn’t leave, but just kept staring at me. “Must you engage in this fight? It’s been several years and we just started having peace. Can’t you just not fight the vampire?” she asked.I knew it came from a place of concern, but I was infuriated by her words. “Why? Do you also think that I won’t be ab
[Lucien’s POV]I just got off the phone with one of the surgeons and was informed that the date of Celeste’s surgery had been fixed and all the preparations to ensure the surgery was successful had been put in place.A smile spread across my lips as I skipped up the stairs and knocked on her door gently, waiting for her to usher me in. I could perceive that she and Ryle were inside, and unless they were making out or something, they should have answered and opened the door already.“Hello, I know you’re in there. Can I come in?” I asked.What seemed like ages passed, and there was still no response, so I simply just opened the door and walked in.To my surprise, Celeste laid on the bed, looking like a completely different person. No, it wasn’t just the ugly third degree burn scars that still looked hideous despite all the treatments she had undergone, including steadily taking her potions. She looked older, and wrinkles were slowly starting to show on her face, particularly on her for
[Tyler’s POV]“How is my precious Carl Washington doing today?” Jocelyn asked as she stepped into the study room. I had been expecting her presence after seeing the terrestrial ball she called a portal dancing next to the door.I shrugged. “I’ll never get used to that name,” I said.“It’s okay. I can just call you Tyler if you’re more comfortable with that. It’s not like the authorities are always present to monitor everything we have to say,” she explained, then sat down on a stool beside me and eyed the map I had been working on.A month ago, all the documents had been processed and finalised, and I had been able to move to New Orleans with my family, as well as the other members of the Crescent Pack who had also acquired new identities.The estate I had been able to acquire was more than enough to house the remaining members of our Pack, and slowly, we had been adapting to the human way of life and maintaining our territory.In the near future, we were going to transform more human
[Nivera’s POV]“Let me fucking go. Do you even know who I am and what I can do? I’m a fucking hybrid, you psychopath,” I said, as the stranger with the familiar hand grabbed my arms and forced me to go with him.“Oh, shut up. You’re nothing without that useless vampire, and guess what? He’s no more. I’ve gotten rid of him, and you’re mine now,” he said.“Bold of you to assume that you can easily get rid of Lucien O’Hara. And I don’t belong to you. I am no one’s property,” I said to him.He pushed me to the ground, making me fall to my knees, so that I now knelt before him, after which he began to drag me by the hair and kick me for no reason. I didn’t know why, but at that point, I was unable to make use of any of my hybrid abilities despite how hard I tried to.“What did you do to me? Why am I so weak? Why can’t I use my abilities?” I asked, trying to break free from whatever was holding me back.Even in the dim light, I could see a smirk appear on his face. “You should stop trying s
[Tyler’s POV]Meeting with the witch, Celeste, had made me understand how I could save the lives of the people I had left. If the other werewolf communities could find a way to go through my Palace gates, it meant that we were not safe even in the Palace that was expected to be a safe haven.When she spoke about Lucien, the vampire whose face still haunted me in my dreams from time-to-time, I remembered the world I had gone to when I was in search of Nivera. It was a whole different world, beyond the knowledge of any of my werewolf counterparts, and it got me thinking. If I could get my people to that world, they would be safe.Since it appeared that they were mostly humans, nothing was stopping us from migrating there and pretending to be one of them, while we were werewolves in secret. I had no idea on how to go about it, but it seemed to be the only way out for all of us.I couldn’t just let the Crescent Pack go extinct like that. I needed to do something, anything at all, to save
[Lucien’s POV]I was stroking Luca’s hair as we watched an episode of his favourite cartoon while Nivera made Mac and cheese in the kitchen. All of a sudden, I began to perceive smoke; like something was burning.“Babe, are you on the phone? Check on the food. I think it’s getting burnt,” I yelled from the living room.“The food is all right, but I can also perceive…”“Lucien! Nivera! Help!” It was Ryle’s voice and it came up from his bedroom upstairs. Luca and I exchanged glances and Nivera dashed out of the kitchen, looking as confused as I was.“What’s wrong?” she asked.“I don’t know, but let’s find out,” I said, then told Luca to keep on watching the cartoon while his mum and I went upstairs to see what was going on.The door to Ryle’s room was wide open and the smell of smoke grew even stronger. Words cannot explain the horrid sight I met once we both stepped in, which registered a kind of shock in my brain, and I knew instantly that I would never get over the painful look on Ce