The bustling capital seemed never-ending. Everyone was busy exploring the stalls while checking the available items for sale. Layla joined the crowd in her complete ‘disguise’, putting in a man’s clothing which she thought was normal since she used to wear Zev’s clothes before. Wearing a shirt tucked inside the long pants- rolled up to her ankle, a pair of light and comfy boots, with her hair tied in a ponytail, Layla couldn’t be even more satisfied. Her lips were spread widely, holding a purse of silver in her hand as she walked along the streets with so many people bumping into each other. Her mind was set to complete the task as soon as she could, but the liveliness in the capital was hard to ignore. Furthermore, her chance to enjoy just like how normal people would do was hard to come by, thus, Layla decided to give herself a break.
“Candied fruits! Sweet and cheap!”Layla beamed when her nose caught a whiff of the fragrant smell of sugar melted on the ripeni“Your Majesty, the prisoner is still alive,” Lucian said, bowing his head as he awaited Zev’s response.The alpha was sitting on the couch in the living room for the entire day, reading books with his eyes, isolating himself from the rest of the people in the mansion as he kept his thoughts to dive deeper into the words written on the paper. He refused to eat anything since the ship departed at dawn and hadn’t ordered Lucian anything else except to check the remaining vampire prisoner in the basement.“Hmm… That’s not surprising. He’s the vampire lord’s brother after all,” Zev replied, still reading the book in his hands. “Just let him starve for a little longer. He can be useful during the feast,” he added and frowned after recalling Layla’s request. There’s no guarantee that Zev could resist the urge of eating human flesh on a full moon. But to avoid disappointing his lover, he thought having vampire meat wouldn’t hurt.“Your Majesty, are you planning
The gritting sound of the door when Zev pushed it open resounded throughout the room. There was a torch burning on the side of the entryway as he stepped in, its light showing the silhouette of a man tied on the post standing in the middle. The view was bothersome as well as the groan coming from the person.“Still alive, huh? That’s nice,” Zev said, nearing the guy whose bloody face became clearer when observed closely. “How’s the Wisteria wood in your stomach? Should I remove it now? There’s still a lot of devices here for you to try,” he added, looking over at the table where a set of torture equipment could be seen carefully arranged.“Urgh… are you disappointed that I’m still alive?”Zev raised a brow, tilting his head to the side with a playful smile pasted on his face. “Disappointed? Didn’t I just compliment you for being alive? I said,” he mumbled, lean
The sorrowful melody of lute resounding in Layla’s ears made her regain consciousness, slowly. She opened her eyes carefully, looking forward to seeing who was playing such melody with longing and sadness. She could feel it…the tingling pain in her chest grew stronger the more she listened to the song.It took Layla a few seconds to completely open her eyes which soon after widened in surprise to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She abruptly got up from lying down on a soft yet uncomfortable bed... it wasn’t because of the texture but the thought of not knowing where exactly she was at that moment caused her to put all her guards up. Layla would even think it’s the safest to sleep on the ground in a familiar forest where she’s aware of the beast lurking in the shadows than a fancy room she hadn’t seen before.“You’re awake,” a gentle voice asked the same time as the song ended.Layla didn’t notice it earlier but when she turned to her right, a man wa
Layla's heart throbbed so fast as if drums were paying inside her chest, she sauntered towards the man who seemed not surprised to see her. Her emotions were a mess. Scared of getting rejected, Layla warned herself before calling out the name she had forgotten for years. And not to mention, the man was no ordinary. She even witnessed how he fought with Zev before.“Victor…” Layla mumbled, sweating coldly on the outside while something was burning inside her, she couldn’t explain. She hadn’t felt the same way when she saw him several weeks ago. After all, she had no idea who he was at that time. The current situation was different as the man’s presence reminded him of a friend who’s dear to her.“Brother, you know her?” The man who brought Layla in asked. She turned to look back at him, wondering why he called Victor his ‘brother’. But just like her, confusion was written on t
A joyous laugh filled the four corners of the room. Layla frowned at Victor’s reaction but made sure to keep herself calm. After playing dumb like it didn’t matter whether the man was the vampire lord, Layla still couldn’t put her guards down yet, and never ever unless she wished for death. However, as much as she hoped everything would be fine, getting laughed at after making up a lie while trying her hardest to act like nothing was the matter at all, made Layla felt wronged. And at some point, she noticed how Victor’s laughing tone changed, causing the atmosphere to grow eerie all of a sudden.It was undeniable that Zev, a werewolf Alpha, and Victor, the vampire lord wouldn’t get along no matter what. Layla had no idea why as she only got to know what the world was like a month ago but thinking about how those two reacted with each other in an encounter, she could feel the animosity in between. Perhaps, a werewolf was meant to hate a vampire and vice versa.
The heated-up atmosphere was interrupted when the door opened, revealing the pale-looking young man who went by the name Darius- as what Victor called him, holding a folded (clothes) while sweating a lot.“Here are your c-clothes,” Darius said, huffing. He was obviously having a hard time breathing but still forced a smile at Layla who was amused for a moment. “I’m s-sorry. The servants washed it earlier as it’s stained with mud, so it took some time drying it for you to wear. It’s totally clean now,” he added, hoping for a gratifying response instead of reading the situation inside the room.“Good. I’ll get dressed then,” Layla mumbled, making her way out of Victor’s hovering arms. “Excuse me,” she said when the man didn’t budge at all. However, Victor remained still and so Layla had to use force to leave the corner where she’s trapped.“How bold,” Victor muttered when she walked past him. She didn’t say anything and headed to Darius for her clothes. “
“Did you forget I told you to watch over her? She’s dumb most of the time but would never try to run away! I believe she wouldn’t” Zev yelled, scolding the messenger who just arrived from the capital. He lost his wits the moment he heard the news. Zev knew that his plan was flawless, though whether it will work just fine should depend on the people doing it.“Your Majesty, Layla might be an airhead at times but would always find a way out of trouble. I assumed that by the time the messenger came here to report, she’d be running back to the mansion while thinking of an alibi for why she’s missing,” Levius said as he sat on the couch, trying to calm the Alpha who could do nothing but send someone to find his chosen mate. “Besides, Lucian would surely take care of it. In case Layla remains missing for a longer time, my brother would definitely find her for you,” he added, giving a signal to the messenger to leave.Zev didn't say anything and watched the poor guy left wi
Layla couldn’t sleep. She kept tossing on the bed, making herself dizzy to feel sleepy yet remained active instead. The night in the capital was different from when she’s in Zev's mansion in the peninsula. Fewer insects were buzzing outside in the trees, but the chattering of people in the nearby stalls and stores which were still open for business even at the late hour filled her ears. Without a doubt, the capital was a more lively place and this fact annoyed Layla.She wished to sleep to recuperate after exerting herself too much just to escape from Victor. Not to mention that she’d been feeling weak ever since she accidentally met the vampire lord like he’s absorbing all her strength when she’s within a certain distance around him. Layla thought it was just a coincidence, but thinking back when she encountered Victor’s siblings in the candy stall earlier that day, she seemed to faint because of the siblings’ presence.
A Hundred years had passed, and the world remained the same, except for a fact that humans learned to accept other races. The evolution of man went steadfast as new species kept increasing, adding up to the mass number of population on earth. Humans were never be on the top of society neither on the bottom. They continued living a fair life just in the past. However, other races excelled in different fields, contributing their knowledge and skills towards the greater future. Those with powers stood atop, and those with the lowest contribution remained below, though they kept a fair share of respect that everyone deserved to have.The society was composed of three major casts that dominated the world after coexisting for centuries:Shifters were known to be highly skilled and intelligent. Since their body and mind functioned a little more advance than humans, they led the society, holding the most power among the races. There were three sub-races among shifters
“NO!”Zev cried as he watched Layla end her life. Her beautiful yet sad smile remained on her face as she chose to end everything with her. Zev’s world seemed to stop when he saw her lifeless body fell on the ground. He couldn’t move an inch, but he knew once he gave up, it would be really over.“Layla!” Victor cried and rushed towards Layla’s dead body. He cradled her in his lap with tears in his eyes, flowing endlessly like the stream. “Don’t die, please. Don’t die! I’ll listen to whatever you say, just don’t die, please.” It was a rare sight to see the vampire lord crying for someone else’s life.It was only a few minutes ago when Zev was still fighting against Victor and Layla’s sudden decision to stop their battle by taking her life brought them back to senses. She had already decided to do it beforehand, Zev could tell she had other reasons. Judging by how she chose the right time to take action and caught both of their attack
“Awoooo~!”Layla snapped back to reality when she heard Zev’s howling. She was certain it was him. No one but Zev could make sure intimidating howl. She turned to face the direction where the alpha kept fighting the vampire lord. They were both filled with bruises and cuts which healed immediately anyway. Knowing how both vampires and werewolves could heal themselves during the battle, knocking either of them would be challenging.“I should do something,” Layla said, determined to stop the battle. Even after what Darius said, she couldn’t just let her sacrifice be in vain. She hoped that Zev would keep his words, and she trusted him, however, she couldn’t be too certain about Victor. The latter might do something that could lead the alpha to kill him. Besides, Darius also mentioned Victor’s plan. It wasn’t like he was still into taking her away from Zev, but what Victor said when he chall
The chaos continued.Layla stood in the middle while everyone around her fought until their last breath. Her mind was telling her to do something to stop them, but she couldn’t even take a step. After using up most of her life force in that one spell, she expected to get weak. It was her negligence to think about the consequences once those who already died in battle come back alive. Layla certainly didn’t expect them to continue the battle which already costed them their lives. And just when she was willing to sacrifice and take all the blame, they all started to waste the second chance she gave.‘No, this is not good. If this continues, the forest will fall ruined again.’ Layla wandered her eyes around to find anyone who could help her stop the battle. But to no avail, everyone seemed busy throwing their lives away. “Don’t… Zev, you promise… Don’t fight,” she whispered while reaching out her hand towards Zev’s direction.“Layla!”
“Since you’ve already returned to the realm, I’m expecting you to come back once you settled everything on earth,” the king of deity told Layla. “In any case you changed your mind about something, you should come and let me know about it. You’ll never know, I might grant you a wish,” he added before sending her back to earth to complete what she had started.“Aw!” Layla groaned when she felt something hard hitting her head. She opened her eyes to see Levius glaring at her. “Levius?” The name naturally came out of her mouth as if she’d known its owner. ‘Where am I? I was just talking to the king…’ Layla rubbed her forehead and looked around. “I see… So, that’s what happened,” she mumbled to herself.“What are you even doing down there?” It was Lucian again. His voice couldn’t get any louder. “His Majesty is gravely wounded, and you’re just still in a daze! What kind of lover are you? Get up and do something usefu
“How stubborn. This young deity seems not satisfied with what you’ve arranged for her fate.”“Now, don’t start blaming me here. It took me a few decades to have them meet each other. I’m doing the best I can!”“Yeah? But you chose a hard path for our little deity. She was sincere with her feelings and the werewolf guy loves her. They deserve to be happy!”“Well, why don’t you leave them alone? Maybe they’ll find happiness when they no longer love each other. Sometimes, I think it’s all because you let them fall in love, that’s why they have to suffer.”“Nope, it's not my fault. They love each other and I love them too. I made sure to strengthen their bond no matter how difficult their life would be. Just like what I have said, you should be generous enough and let them be together as much as they want!&rdq
The dire situation they were in made Layla give up on questioning Zev’s sheepish grin. She wanted to hear the story behind his mischievousness while they were supposed to run for their life, chased by a tornado which came out of nowhere. Well, she guessed it was all Levius’ doing. And just like that, Zev glided in the air in his robe with her in his arms. They might be in a dangerous situation, but Layla couldn’t suppress the excitement she felt as they were running away.‘This feels so good. If only he carried me like this before when he sprinted back to the mansion after hunting wild boars, I might have fallen in love with him earlier,’ Layla thought with a wide smile spread on her face.“Go faster, Zev! Levius’ minion is getting closer!” Layla yelled and Zev did what he was told.They headed to the forest, which no longer looked like one. The trees were all burnt,
Layla’s scream was dissolved in the air. Time seemed to stop for her when she saw how Zev received the impact from Levius’ attack. Her heart stopped beating for a second before the basement blasted into smithereens, leaving her and Levius on the safe side while the others who were caught up with the explosion ended up severely injured.“Zev!” Layla shouted. The smoke was too thick, and she couldn’t see anything. “Levius! Let go of me! I said, let go of me!” She struggled in his hold, but her effort was pointless. Levius turned a deaf ear on her and continued shooting the same energy call, causing the earth to rumble because of its powerful impact.She tried to warn him, but failed. It seemed like Levius was using some spell that made them invisible somehow. Zev knew she was there but couldn’t hear her at all. And even with how loud she screamed, he didn’t show any reaction and was still c
“Just like I expected, the fire didn’t spread near the mansion. It would be the safest place to gather everyone and discuss the plan you proposed,” Zev said when they reached the estate. Layla just nodded her head as a response, even though she knew he wouldn’t see it.A loud crash on the door caught everyone’s attention in the living room. Layla didn’t miss the fierce glance in Lucian’s and the other’s eyes when Zev bolted inside the house by bumping, breaking the huge and thick wooden entrance.“Your Majesty,” everyone said in chorus as they bent down all at the same moment.Layla moved down from Zev’s back and awkwardly bowed her head. She was too embarrassed to look at anyone.“You just came back in time,” Lucian muttered as he stepped forward. He threw Layla a quick glance but ignored her when she tried to look back at