*Thump*
Layla woke up to the pain she felt on her back. Her vision was blurry and she couldn’t see almost everything in the dark room she was in. The last time she was awake, she remembered having a drink with Zev.
“Ugh…” she groaned when sharp objects pierced through her skin. She felt her flesh ripping off. ‘What’s going on?’ Layla thought.
“Bitch, I’ll kill you.” Layla heard a familiar’s voice talking to her. He was just a few inches away as she could feel his breath on her face. There was a strong scent of blood coming from him as well.
“W-What do you want from me?” she asked. Her voice turned out hoarse. “Ack!” Layla attempted to cough out the thick substance in her throat she guessed was blood.
“Die,” the familiar voice whispered, and an instant, Layla was stabbed in her stomach. “I really wanted to drink your blood but before that, I would like to see you bathe on it. Just like that damn beas
The Wesley's was always proud and never letting anything trivial hinder their plans. Zev Wesley was the only one left in his clan as he was trapped in the Verte peninsula by the guardian deity, he spent decades within the invisible bounds while his kinsmen were helplessly slaughtered by the blood clan. He had a vague idea about what happened outside the peninsula until one of the guard wolves who served the upper ranked Weres came to his mansion and begged for his protection as he told him what happened to the others.With Layla beside him, Zev thought he could ruin the enemy’s plan. He was determined to use the young lady against the vampire lord who seemed to have a delicate affection towards his prey. Zev was always careful with his plans. He was born with a manipulative mind, beastly strength, and demonic powers. And he thought he could swallow everything within his reach. However, little did he expect, Layla’s devastated state would move his frozen heart. For t
The warm breath fanning her face and the gentle heartbeat she felt vibrating on her chest made Layla opened her eyes. She could barely remember anything that happened thus she took her time pondering. Her eyes automatically folded once again upon listening to the tender beats coming from the person who was hugging her. She tried to get away, but the grip was only getting tighter.“Um…” Layla her head away as she opened her eyes and saw a perfect v-shaped jawline with a dancing throat which made her swallow her saliva. She didn’t know why but looking at those features subconsciously made her open her mouth to drool. She was about to take a bite to mess with the alluring shape of the jaw when she realized something. No one in the house would spend a night sleeping with her but him. “M-Master,” she whispered. She didn’t want to wake him up and cause herself trouble early in the morning.Layla waited for him to say something but when he didn’t she quiet
Layla’s back was embedded in Zev’s head as he watched her leave. He was frozen on the spot when he heard what she said. Surprisingly, he thought what she said made sense. Sooner or later, Layla may betray him. However, as long as that day hadn’t come yet, he could still put her under his control. But she was not like any ordinary women served at his table, she was alive and had survived because of her greed. There was no way she would easily bow down to anyone and if she really did, it would be just a facade to hide her real intention. It was that possibility that made him careful around her. He was into her hidden strength at one point and then suddenly changed his mind after some time. After all, Zev still couldn’t control himself of his own volition. He tended to do some things against his will, Nah, it was better to call it his another personality, and it was because of the curse binding his soul. The curse that made him go beyond human and beast and probably more than just beco
The sound of wind pressure swiftly coming was clear enough for Layla to dodge before she could hear Zev’s voice warning her of the incoming trouble. She slid to the side avoiding the blow which towards her. Thanks to her incredible hearing ability which she acquired after spending years inside the underground cell she was locked in. Layla knew she could be stood a chance in a one-on-one fight if her reflexes were good enough which she just started to train. No one would have thought she would be tested the moment she came back to Zev’s mansion. Even though confused, Layla focused as she checked the person who was trying to hit her.‘Lucian?’ She wondered why the man only appeared after his disappearance the other day. Well, it wasn’t like Lucian would help her when she was about to get killed. The man was too loyal to betray Zev and by the looks of it, he might have thought she was trying to kill him thus he attacked her. Especially when Zev was too weak to say some
Growls and grunts brought Zev back to his senses. The pain he felt was gone although there was something in his chest which made him uncomfortable. He ignored the weird sensation and pulled himself up. There was no one beside him and the broken glass scattered around caught his attention.“Ugh…” He groaned when he felt dizzy. He was sure the symptoms were due to the poison in his body. It had been a few days since he was infected from Layla’s bite and so many things had happened which made him forget about extracting the poison out of his system. Not that he had some ways to do it, but trying should have lessened the pain.“Ah!” A guttural scream coming from outside alarmed Zev. To his surprise, it sounded like Lucian’s voice. He remembered giving the latter a task to complete and knowing that he’s back could mean that he either completed it or that he failed, so he returned to give him the details.‘What’s going on?’ Zev wondered a
Zev was looking forward to how Layla would turn him into minced meat with her blade. A hundred stab was something he could not underestimate, especially when the person stabbing him was mad. And Layla happened to be one, she seemed to enjoy what she was doing since he gave her permission to do what she wanted. Zev only hoped that she would be satisfied. After all, the deal should be in his favor. Sacrificing his body which going to heal anytime soon anyway would be worth it all once he got her on his side for as long as he wanted her to be.“97!” He heard Layla counted as she buried her dagger which already turned crimson due to his blood. On the contrary, Lucian’s screamed stopped before Layla could stab her twenty times. With his injury, Zev wondered if he was still alive or had finally met his end. But a guard wolf was not easy to deal with, it was just that Lucian angered a Were.Zev was tempted to see her for a bit, but he fought the urge to do
The sweet fragrance of various flowers filled Layla’s nostrils as she relaxed in the lukewarm water. She opened her eyes slowly and Zev’s pretty face was the first thing she saw. They were so close to each other and the good thing was that he was sleeping. She squinted her eyes for a bit to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She wasn’t satisfied until she felt the pain on her thigh when she pinched herself.There were no flowers around, only burning torches and dry clothes neatly placed on the table in the corner of the room, but the flowery scent was only getting stronger. It almost made her lose consciousness again. It was too fragrant that could make anyone feel dizzy after inhaling it in a short time.‘Where am I? Zev’s bathroom?’ She pondered as she checked the environment. Layla was surprised to find herself in a tub and that… she was bathing with the man. Her eyes narrowed as she moved away slowly from him, hoping he wouldn’t wake up. Or sh
Layla whimpered before fainting in Zev’s arms. He pulled away from her and looked at the mark he left. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips. ‘Now that you have my mark, I wonder how would the vampire lord react to this,’ Zev thought as he carried her out of the tub. He took a clean towel and wrapped her with it before leaving the bathroom without bothering wearing anything himself.“Oh,” he halted when he realized something. “Am I supposed to mark anyone other than my mate?” Zev asked himself. He pondered for a while and when the more he thought about it made his head ached, he shrugged the thought and went on to put Layla on the bed.“Have a good night, little thing,” he whispered after giving her a peck on her forehead. The light from the candles inside the room illuminated Layla’s face which made him hold his breath. Zev guided his hand to his chest when he felt something was beating fast inside. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ he thought as he locked
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