I loved him more than anything in the world. He was all I had since I moved to the new city. Hell! We were engaged, but he took my heart and shattered it like a broken glass. When I look into the mirror, all I see are hurt pieces of me, Now I am stuck dealing with the consequences for the rest of my life! I am a werewolf, a female werewolf. The only one under the sun that ever survived the changing. I struggle to keep my sanity while fighting my thirst for blood and breathing things. They kept me in a glorified prison which they call a filthy pack! I Can’t keep living like this! I can’t keep seeing the face of the one who destroyed my life every day. I don't care if I become a lone wolf, nor do I care if I am hunted by them for the rest of my life as a stray, I have to get out of this place!
Lihat lebih banyakPROLOGUE
Inever once imagined that my life would play out the way that it did. To be fair, I guess I could say that life never really unfolds the way we expect it to.
I know my father’s didn’t, but I doubt there’s a teenager in the world who could expect her life to play out like mine.
I’d just turned seventeen when my life changed completely and irreversibly. It was only one night before that I was thinking of the future, of my dreams and aspirations.
I wanted to become a social worker or even a lawyer in hopes of helping others like me who were abandoned by their families. It was my birthday, and at my age, it felt like I had my whole life ahead of me.
Granted, I wasn’t so sure that it would be much of a great life, but at least I was certain that I was going to have a life.
That following evening, I wasn’t so sure any more. How could I have been when, within the span of twenty four hours, I’d gone from high school senior and certified wallflower to captive of the prince of the largest and most powerful coven of our time?
When I was nine years old, my mother, Camilla, was sent to a lunatic’s asylum. I’d always known that there was something strange about my mother, but I never expected her to completely lose her mind.
What happened to her really left its mark on me.
After this, my main goal in life was to survive without losing my mind and turning out like my mother.
Then, after it happened, on the evening of my seventeenth birthday, my only goal was to survive. Period. Never mind my fear of going insane. I was convinced that I’d already gone crazy anyway.
There was no way to predict what would happen to me after that night.
During her better days, my mother already warned me about this. She said that I should expect life to dish out my own fair share of surprises.
But Derek Novak was a surprise that was far from fair…
CHAPTER 1: SOFIA
I was taking an evening stroll along the shore, feeling the soft sand under my bare feet with every step.
The heavy waves were crashing against the shore, the sound coming as music to my ears.
My skin was tingling with every blow of the gentle summer breeze, the distinct scent of ocean salt filling my nostrils.
As I dabbed cherry-flavored Chapstick over my dry lips, they formed a bitter smile. The balm only served to add its sweet taste to the numerous sensations coming at me at that particular moment.
I’ve always found myself completely attuned to all five of my senses, but that night, I was attuned to all but one. My sight was blurred by the tears I was trying to hold back. I couldn’t appreciate the exotic scene around me.
All I could think about was the disappointed expression on my best friend’s handsome face.
Benjamin Hudson was the only person in the world who could make me feel the way I did that night.
Perhaps the sadness I felt was mostly due to the fact that I still held expectations – expectations I knew would only ever cause me pain.
I reasoned to myself that I had the right to be hurt. It was my birthday. He was my best friend. He shouldn’t have forgotten.
But he did. Again.
I knew the disappointment in his chiseled face was more toward himself than toward me. I knew he could beat himself up endlessly over his careless slip-ups, and do believe me when I say that he has many of those.
So, that night, I was wondering to myself whether I had just over-reacted.
I would find myself deciding that I did, in fact, over-react and that it was time to get the heavy weight off my chest. I’d turn back toward the villa the Hudsons rented for their family vacation, determined to just get back to having fun with the most important person in my life, and then I’d remember…
I’d remember what it felt like to see him with his arms over Tanya Wilson, the gorgeous blonde he’d had the hots for all summer long.
The image quickly threw all thoughts of kissing and making up with Ben out the window.
“Gosh, Sofia… I’m so sorry… I’m an awful best friend…” were the words that came out of his lips when he realized his mistake. I walked out on him and ended up at the beach, wanting to hit myself over the head for being so sensitive.
I debated against my actions, thinking that I was being unfair. After all, it wasn’t Ben’s fault that I fell for the biggest cliché of all time when I decided to grow non-best-friend-like feelings for my best friend.
That was why seeing him with Tanya hurt so much, especially realizing that I could never be like Tanya. I simply wasn’t the type of girl that a guy like Ben would go for. I knew that and yet I still allowed myself to fall for his charms. I hated myself for it, but it was what it was.
At that time, I was so sure that he was indeed the love of my life.
But could anyone really blame me for thinking like that?
Ben was as dreamy as dreamy gets. He was tall, well-built, smart and had that dashing smile that would put to shame those of the models gracing the covers of any magazine. He was fun, confident and popular. He was also sweet and kind whenever he wanted to be. More than any of that, he saw me.
He gave me the time of day when no one else – not even my own parents – would. It was with Ben that I never felt invisible…except when Tanya was around.
As I took that evening stroll, I knew I was fooling myself. There was no way I could stay mad at Ben for too long. I liked to think of myself as strong and independent, but truth be told, I couldn’t imagine a life without Ben in it. My dependence on him scared me. It was frightening realizing that I needed another person as much as I needed him.
I’d been walking along the sea shore for about an hour when I suddenly sensed that I wasn’t alone. Someone was approaching me from behind. My heart leapt. I was so sure it was Ben, that when a stranger showed up beside me, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
He must have noticed, because a smirk formed on his lips. “Were you expecting someone else, love?”
I eyed him suspiciously, remembering how many times my father told me not to talk to strangers. I looked him over from head to foot, taking in his appearance. I held my breath. I couldn’t find words to describe how fine a man he was.
He was almost beautiful. The first thing I took notice of was how his blue eyes were about three shades brighter than any I’d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to his pale – almost white – skin and his dark hair.
I next noted how he was easily more than half a foot taller than I was. His height, broad shoulders and lean build reminded me of Ben, but he had a presence that was far more imposing than my best friend’s.
SOFIAThe moment our eyes met, he looked away, almost as if he were embarrassed over something. It was actually… cute – a word I never thought I’d use to describe Derek Novak.As we walked back to the Pavilion, he remained silent, deep in thought, never even looking my way.“You said that you wanted to teach me how to defend myself…” I eventually said, breaking the silence, detesting the wall that seemed to be building up between us.“Yes,” he nodded. He then paused as if to catch himself. “But if you don’t want to…”I frowned. Since when does he care what I want? I decided not to make a fuss over it.“I want to.”The heaviness in our conversation was weighing on me. I wanted to go back to how comfortable and light and casual our interactions were before things took a turn for the worse. Before Lucas happened. I was still shaken, still afraid of what Lucas was capable of, but dwelling on woes really wasn’t one of my strong suits. It was one of Ben’s major influences on me. He never
DEREKI rose to my feet the moment the door swung open. I breathed out a sigh of relief when Sofia’s lovely form stepped out of the room, a tentative smile forming on her face at the sight of me. If only out of sheer relief, I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her right then and there, but I fought the urge to do it in fear of scaring her. So I held back and allowed her to set the pace. I doubt she was aware of the effect she had on me when she walked toward me, grabbed my hand, her thin, dainty fingers intertwining with mine before she lifted my hand and placed a soft kiss over the back of it.I didn’t fully understand why she did it, but I took it as assurance that she still felt safe around me, that she was choosing to trust me.I was both humbled and pressured by the gesture. I stared at her for a moment, taking in the sight of the splash of freckles on her cheeks and the natural red blush on her cheekbones.I let my eyes feast on the delicateness of her facial features, ad
“If you need me, I’ll be at the Pavilion seeing to the investigations. We’ll find out who did this, Derek.”I crossed my arms over my chest. I felt the guilt and shame come over me as Vivienne left me there to brood alone. I couldn’t think of anyone who could be capable of doing this to Sofia other than Lucas. But I had no proof and even if I did, I wasn’t sure that I could do anything about it. Lucas was my brother and no matter how important Sofia had become to me, blood runs thicker than water. SOFIACorrine took her time with me. She tried to make me comfortable, giving me a drink of water, which I truly appreciated, considering how the taste of Derek’s blood was still fresh on my mouth.She took great care in making sure that I wanted to do what she was asking me to do – never pushing or ordering or commanding, which I was certain was exactly what Derek would’ve done had I been left under his care.She gave me a fresh set of clothes to wear. I was so relieved to see that she ha
“What’s going on? What did you do to her?” Corrine eyed me suspiciously, making it rather clear that she didn’t trust me the way her ancestor, Cora, did.“I didn’t do anything to her,” I replied indignantly, saying the words through gritted teeth. “I found her this way when I checked on her this morning.”“One of the other girls in his harem was found murdered – bled dry – inside her bathroom,” Vivienne added.Corrine kept up her suspicious perusal of me. “And you didn’t do this?”I glared at her, trying to maintain my patience. “Did you not hear me the first time, witch?”“Can you blame me for thinking that you had something to do with this? You took one look at her when you woke up and threw her up a pillar, more than ready to devour her. Who knows what sick things you have in mind to do to her?”“Corrine, he didn’t do this,” Vivienne spoke up knowing that if she didn’t, I might not be able to keep myself from maiming the witch for her insolence.“Well then, who did?” Corrine raised
SOFIAEverything happened in a blur. I was aware of it all, and yet, I wasn’t. It was almost like everything was happening to another person, and yet it was me. I felt Derek’s strong arms beneath me, carrying me.I heard his conversation with Vivienne before they both decided to take me to see Corrine the witch at the Sanctuary. I saw the agitation on Derek’s face, the intoxicating scent of his natural musk filling my nostrils as I snuggled against him.I was conscious of it all, and yet at the same time, I was stuck in a memory, still reliving every sickening sensation it induced.I was lured to sleep by an enchanting melody and awakened from it by a horrific nightmare.His hand was clamped over my mouth and his full weight was rested on top of me, constricting my breathing. I felt his free hand hike up my thigh and when I flinched, he chuckled vehemently, amused by my weakness.“I will have you someday, Sofia,” he whispered against my ear. “You will bring me so much pleasure and onc
DEREKShe looked so peaceful, so serene, so innocent as I carried her to her bedroom and laid her on her bed. No other woman – and believe me when I say that I’d been with many – had the same effect that Sofia Claremont had on me. She was fragile and vulnerable, and yet strong and resilient at the same time. She’d only recently entered my life, yet it felt like I’d known her for ages.It was strange the way I felt about how she listened to me and tried to ease my mind after my tempestuous outburst. I was grateful, but at the same time, I was mad at her. Inside the music room, she listened to me give in to my passion for music. She listened until exhaustion and sleep stole her attention away from me. Lying on the cushioned wooden bench inside the music room, she was a feast to behold, with her dress hiking up those long, milky white legs of hers, her locks of red hair cascading down the edge of the bench and her pink lips slightly parting as she breathed. My stomach clenched just looki
To that, I didn’t know how to respond. I missed Ben so much. There wasn’t a waking moment since I got there that he wasn’t at the back of my mind, that I wasn’t wondering what he was thinking about or how he was dealing with my disappearance. I wondered how many of the humans they took here were separated from loved ones. To my relief, Derek didn’t seem to be interested in a response.“My father was a farmer,” he began. “That’s what we did before we became this. We farmed wheat and grew vegetables. It was a humble existence, but we were happy. Then one night, my father and Lucas were out in the city to trade our goods. Vivienne and I went out for wood. When we returned, our mother was dead, her blood sucked dry.”I swallowed hard as I listened and imagined how that would’ve felt.“Vivienne swore it was a wild beast. They ridiculed me but I knew it was a vampire. I was just thirteen at the time, but I was so sure that a vampire murdered my mother, so I found a way to join the shadow hu
There was no hesitation on my part. The darkness in me took over. I was beside the woman, pulling her against me with my arms and sinking my teeth into her neck.The taste of fresh blood, pumping through her veins by a living beating heart, was invigorating. I drank, determined to bleed her dry.I kept on telling myself through all those years that I hated being a vampire, but it was who I was and as I drank from this woman, there was no escaping it.I sucked the blood out of my young victim and just as I was about to drink the last drop – the one that would cause her heart to stop beating, a moment of clarity came to me.For reasons I could not understand or even comprehend – and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to – I realized that the whole time I was holding this beautiful stranger in my arms, feeding on her, it felt like I was betraying Sofia.***SOFIAIt was impossible not to know that Derek had already arrived at the penthouse. I and the girls – Gwen, Ashley, Paige, and Rosa – were
“The prophecy was that your reign alone can provide our kind true sanctuary. The Blood Shade has been a sanctuary for a limited number of our kind, but it isn’t yet a true sanctuary until we either find all vampires a safe haven and manage a way to survive without the need of humans or…”“Or what?” I asked, casting a stern look at my sister.She said the blood-curdling words I knew she would say. “We have to end the shadow hunters once and for all.”“You’re talking about war and bloodshed that we can’t even imagine. How long has it even been since the Shade’s guards have been in actual battle?”All I got from both my brother and sister was silence.We continued our trek through the island, leaving the issue hanging in the air. It weighed heavily on me for the rest of the time I spent with them. To say that I wasn’t burdened by what I was told was a lie. I didn’t understand why I had to stand as the leader. I was younger than a lot of the men there. That they would look to me for guida
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