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.
Layla told Lucian everything. From when she arrived in the capital early in the morning until how she was able to escape from Victor. She didn’t forget to mention the vampire’s lord’s plan, her relationship with him before he became the vampire lord, and the enemy's plan which also involved her. Basically, Victor would probably do anything to achieve his goal and he seemed ready to start a war against Zev just to realize his dream. Lucian remained quiet, without saying any unnecessary comments about how she handled things her way.“And you think you’re going to fail this task?” He asked her when she finished telling him everything.‘Was he listening to me at all?’ Layla thought, glaring at Lucian who asked her something that should be very obvious. The guy raised his hands in the air, shaking his head as if he surrendered and didn’t want to pursue the matter of his question anymore.“He killed his brother when I was sent to the peninsula as the offering
The loud noises of people and horses from the main street filled Layla’s ears. She only slept like a couple of hours and was left with no choice but to wake up already. She could never go back to sleep again as the noises were only getting louder.“Argh! The sun hasn’t shown up yet! Can’t these people see the bright moon still hanging in the sky? There are stars, too. How can they be up so early?” Layla complained, hiding her face between the pillows. She tried covering her ears with her hands and even wrapped her head with a thick blanket, but it was no good, the random voices kept adding up, her head was about to explode.“AHHHHHHHH!” She screamed in frustration. Thankfully, her voice didn’t come out as loud as she imagined because of the pillows and blanket covering her face. Upon the sudden realization, she pulled herself up and sat on the bed before screaming for the second time.“AHHHHHHHH!!!” It was the loudest she could manage, letting out her f
“Don’t you dare!” was what came out of Layla’s mouth out of desperation. She thought she’d be done for when Lucian was all prepared to attack. His sharpened nails were only a few inches away from her face. In the depth of her mind, Layla didn’t want to get hurt even a bit and her wish came true when her voice came out, saying words that totally aligned with what she wanted to say.Lucian was startled when she yelled at his face that he fell on his knees. He glared at Layla who started rubbing her temple to ease the pain she’s feeling. “I thought you want me to kill you,” Lucian muttered, shaking his head in exasperation. “It was not easy but since you begged, I’d love to do it…and here you are, changing your mind at the last second.”“You’re insane! What if you really killed her? His Majesty wouldn’t just kill you but would probably take his time shredding your flesh and feed them to wild wolves,” Boris said, holding his chest while sweating heavily. “Come on! Th
Layla felt her body starting to numb. She tried to move but could barely do so as it seemed like her limbs were tied, she couldn’t feel her lower part where the numbness was concentrated. She opened her eyes in bewilderment to find herself in a strange yet familiar place. There was nothing much inside the room where she’s locked up other than the door in front of her and a small window guarded by rails on her right.‘The dungeon?’ she asked herself in horror. By simply thinking about the terrible place where she used to live, the old wounds she got were opened up. Fear crept into her system as an agonizing chill that even the numbest she felt couldn’t get rid of it crawled through her skin. ‘What happened? Why am I here?’ Layla pondered, racking her brain- recalling what exactly happened that led her to be grounded in such a dissolute place again.She was in deep thought while breathing heavily when the clattering sound from the outside was heard. Layla was too w
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