Sophia entered her room and shut the door. The next moment, she received a call. It was Aiden.She ignored it the first few times it rang till she finally picked up the call."What do you want?" Sophia asked."No need to be so angry. Regina called," Aiden said, and Sophia paused."About what?""She wanted her money back," Aiden said."I told her that I would pay in three months. I still have one month left, and why didn't she call me directly?" Sophia asked."Why should she? Are you not some big artist now? I let her know you have made a big deal, and she wants her money back," Aiden said, and Sophia cursed out loud."You are a big piece of rubbish, you know that?" Sophia said."She is my friend. Did you think you could pull that rubbish in the art gallery, and I will let it go?" Aiden chuckled."You will not mind how I react, right?" Sophia threatened."Go ahead, do your worst," Aiden said."I will call her myself and handle it," Sophia said."I have paid the money back on your behal
Sophia found herself in an odd place—a clearing in the middle of a forest. People were talking and looking at her weirdly. This confused her.Where was she?"Is that Reign?" Someone asked while pointing to her.Reign? Who was Reign? Sophia looked around the crowd in confusion."What is she doing here?" someone said."Does she think she will be picked?Reign could hear all the muttering all the muttering but just stood there. When she opened her mouth to ask where she was, no words came out."All those of age, step into the ring of fire," a man stepped forward and said. From the words others said, Sophia guessed that he was the pack leader. Her body moved on command, and she joined others and stepped into a large circle drawn of fire."There are fate stones on the other side of the forest. Get to your fate stone and bring it back. May the moon light your path," the pack leader said.The moment the gong went off, young werewolves rushed into the forest. Sophia too wasted no time.She fo
Sophia looked around in panic. Where was she? She looked around, panting. The pain from being tortured was still fresh in her mind."Breath Sophia," she heard Jonathan say and realized that she was being held in his arms.When she confirmed that it was him, she relaxed somewhat.Sophia leaned her head against Jonathan's chest as she took in deep breaths.Her entire body was still shaking, and this scared Jonathan greatly.Seeing that she was somewhat better, he carried her out of the tub and into her room.He noticed the staff look at Sophia's feet in worry. They had probably heard Sophia's screams and hurried over.He had her dressed and asked for a first aid box to be brought to him.Sophia was still in a daze, completely unaware that her feet were injured and she was being treated.Staff came over to tell Jonathan that they had called the doctor. He looked around the room to find things scattered and broken and decided to take Sophia downstairs.He instructed the staff to clean up
Jonathan drove over to his family home and parked at the front door before walking in.He ignored everyone and went straight to the meeting room, opened the door, and walked in.Jonathan's eyes remained cold and unfeeling as he surveyed the gathered clans. They were the Davenport family's vassals and have been so for generations.They had under them a cluster of smaller families that they had led for centuries. All these families under the four great clans looked to the Davenport family as their anchor.The current Davenport family is comprised of four generations. Two generations before him, comprised of his formidable grandmother and his late grandfather's two remaining brothers.This lineage trailed down to his father's generations, with his father, uncles, aunts, and cousins, and down to his own generations, where many of his siblings and cousins had already begun to add children to the bloodline.The Davenport family spanned four generations of werewolf lineage, each very importa
Sophia was getting restless. Her feet no longer hurt, but Jonathan had forbidden her from leaving home.After pacing a while, she walked around the house till she could not take it anymore and ordered a taxi. The taxi stopped her by a pub, and she went in for a drink. After a while, she stepped out, determined to get home before Jonathan did.She hugged her black coat tighter to herself and walked with more caution, her eyes wandering at every lizard that crossed paths with her. Suddenly her ears caught sounds approaching—growling of some sort. She could no longer stay calm as her steps quickened till she broke out in a full-blown run.She could feel cold air tearing through her lungs with every step, as well as the growls. It sounded like wolves. She had spent enough time with werewolves, even with her ears barely working. She could definitely recognize the growl of a wolf. She found it impossible that such wild animals would be out in the city. What if they were not wild animals but
The nurse seemed too busy to note her panic as he finished with her and moved on to the next person.By the time Sophia returned to the emergency room, she was notified that her 'husband' had been moved to a shared ward.She walked in to see other patients surrounded by family; she guessed it must have been visitation hour. She walked over to her 'husband's' designated bed and finally had the opportunity to see his face clearly. She only had one word to describe him: godly.Every inch of him, from the hair on his thick brown to his slightly pale lips, was perfection.Were werewolves all perfect-looking?"Now I can't call Jonathan," she muttered.Sophia had a feeling that if Jonathan heard that she had said Damien was her husband, he would lose it.The thought of it made her shiver."Nope. He is never hearing of this, so you better keep shut," she said to the unconscious Damien.She felt the urge to touch his face but paused when she recalled his sharp gaze. When they had locked eyes i
The studio apartment was filled with the acidic smell of turpentine and sorrow. Sophia Bennett stared vacantly at the blank white canvas on her easel, a brush hovering in midair, a tool designed to conjure beauty from emptiness—a chore she had done countless times before.Today, however, the painting remained blank, matching the vacancy in her bank account. Frustrated, she threw the brush across the room. It clattered against the stern walls, leaving a crimson trail in its path."Get it together, Soph," she muttered, running her shaking fingers through her raven hair. Without money for a proper meal in days, the dizziness and lethargy weren't helping her tap into her dwindling creative spark.Her phone rang, displaying Aiden's name. With a sigh, she answered the call."You know what day it is, sweetheart?" His voice was calm but carried an undertone of expectation. Sophia, after five years with Aiden, found herself questioning the future of their relationship. She had been preoccupied
The beast rumbled a guttural warning, jaws snapping mere inches from the immaculately dressed man's face. Yet he didn't so much as flinch."Down," Jonathan commanded with a soul-shaking timbre.To Sophia's shock, her monstrous protector withdrew his raised fist and slowly lowered his other boot from the fallen creature's skull.With visible reluctance, he backed away, allowing the shredded beast to stagger upright.Jonathan's authoritative presence seemed to smother the very air as he zeroed in on Sophia."You. Step forward, now," he said, his tone brooking no argument.Trembling, she shook her head and pressed back against the door. "W- Who are you? What's going on?" she asked.A muscle ticked in Jonathan's chiseled jaw, eyes flashing with condensed impatience. "I am Jonathan Davenport, Alpha of the Manhattan Pack. And you—" He whirled around her, sniffing in her scent.But rather than getting annoyed at the act, her breath hitched, and her body was almost responsive to him. A feelin
The nurse seemed too busy to note her panic as he finished with her and moved on to the next person.By the time Sophia returned to the emergency room, she was notified that her 'husband' had been moved to a shared ward.She walked in to see other patients surrounded by family; she guessed it must have been visitation hour. She walked over to her 'husband's' designated bed and finally had the opportunity to see his face clearly. She only had one word to describe him: godly.Every inch of him, from the hair on his thick brown to his slightly pale lips, was perfection.Were werewolves all perfect-looking?"Now I can't call Jonathan," she muttered.Sophia had a feeling that if Jonathan heard that she had said Damien was her husband, he would lose it.The thought of it made her shiver."Nope. He is never hearing of this, so you better keep shut," she said to the unconscious Damien.She felt the urge to touch his face but paused when she recalled his sharp gaze. When they had locked eyes i
Sophia was getting restless. Her feet no longer hurt, but Jonathan had forbidden her from leaving home.After pacing a while, she walked around the house till she could not take it anymore and ordered a taxi. The taxi stopped her by a pub, and she went in for a drink. After a while, she stepped out, determined to get home before Jonathan did.She hugged her black coat tighter to herself and walked with more caution, her eyes wandering at every lizard that crossed paths with her. Suddenly her ears caught sounds approaching—growling of some sort. She could no longer stay calm as her steps quickened till she broke out in a full-blown run.She could feel cold air tearing through her lungs with every step, as well as the growls. It sounded like wolves. She had spent enough time with werewolves, even with her ears barely working. She could definitely recognize the growl of a wolf. She found it impossible that such wild animals would be out in the city. What if they were not wild animals but
Jonathan drove over to his family home and parked at the front door before walking in.He ignored everyone and went straight to the meeting room, opened the door, and walked in.Jonathan's eyes remained cold and unfeeling as he surveyed the gathered clans. They were the Davenport family's vassals and have been so for generations.They had under them a cluster of smaller families that they had led for centuries. All these families under the four great clans looked to the Davenport family as their anchor.The current Davenport family is comprised of four generations. Two generations before him, comprised of his formidable grandmother and his late grandfather's two remaining brothers.This lineage trailed down to his father's generations, with his father, uncles, aunts, and cousins, and down to his own generations, where many of his siblings and cousins had already begun to add children to the bloodline.The Davenport family spanned four generations of werewolf lineage, each very importa
Sophia looked around in panic. Where was she? She looked around, panting. The pain from being tortured was still fresh in her mind."Breath Sophia," she heard Jonathan say and realized that she was being held in his arms.When she confirmed that it was him, she relaxed somewhat.Sophia leaned her head against Jonathan's chest as she took in deep breaths.Her entire body was still shaking, and this scared Jonathan greatly.Seeing that she was somewhat better, he carried her out of the tub and into her room.He noticed the staff look at Sophia's feet in worry. They had probably heard Sophia's screams and hurried over.He had her dressed and asked for a first aid box to be brought to him.Sophia was still in a daze, completely unaware that her feet were injured and she was being treated.Staff came over to tell Jonathan that they had called the doctor. He looked around the room to find things scattered and broken and decided to take Sophia downstairs.He instructed the staff to clean up
Sophia found herself in an odd place—a clearing in the middle of a forest. People were talking and looking at her weirdly. This confused her.Where was she?"Is that Reign?" Someone asked while pointing to her.Reign? Who was Reign? Sophia looked around the crowd in confusion."What is she doing here?" someone said."Does she think she will be picked?Reign could hear all the muttering all the muttering but just stood there. When she opened her mouth to ask where she was, no words came out."All those of age, step into the ring of fire," a man stepped forward and said. From the words others said, Sophia guessed that he was the pack leader. Her body moved on command, and she joined others and stepped into a large circle drawn of fire."There are fate stones on the other side of the forest. Get to your fate stone and bring it back. May the moon light your path," the pack leader said.The moment the gong went off, young werewolves rushed into the forest. Sophia too wasted no time.She fo
Sophia entered her room and shut the door. The next moment, she received a call. It was Aiden.She ignored it the first few times it rang till she finally picked up the call."What do you want?" Sophia asked."No need to be so angry. Regina called," Aiden said, and Sophia paused."About what?""She wanted her money back," Aiden said."I told her that I would pay in three months. I still have one month left, and why didn't she call me directly?" Sophia asked."Why should she? Are you not some big artist now? I let her know you have made a big deal, and she wants her money back," Aiden said, and Sophia cursed out loud."You are a big piece of rubbish, you know that?" Sophia said."She is my friend. Did you think you could pull that rubbish in the art gallery, and I will let it go?" Aiden chuckled."You will not mind how I react, right?" Sophia threatened."Go ahead, do your worst," Aiden said."I will call her myself and handle it," Sophia said."I have paid the money back on your behal
Jonathan stormed into his office, took a small bottle of whisky off a side table, and poured himself a drink. His emotions were boiling out of control.Jonathan just took a swing of his drink when Damien walked in after him. Closing the door of his office shut, Damien started at him and raised a brow."You touched her again, didn't you? You are only going to get more obsessed, you know. How you are dealing with this is not the way," Damien said just as Jonathan took a seat on the couch in the office."You had looked like you wanted to say something. I noticed you were holding back when you checked her. What is wrong?" Jonathan asked, ignoring his statement."Well, all these while, we have been assuming that she had forcefully created a bond with you or that she is forcefully trying to subdue you, but we were wrong," Damien said. Jonathan's eyes narrowed at his words."You were wrong. It was you who said I was forcefully being subdued by her," Jonathan corrected him."Well, it seems th
Sophia turned red when he said this and tried to turn away. Jonathan found that at this moment, his mind was getting hazy. His emotions were getting turbulent.Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to let go of her. The next moment, he was lying there, his back looking away."Damien is coming to check on you tomorrow," Jonathan said."Damien? Why? What is wrong with me?" Sophia asked."He is a seer, you know," Jonathan said."A Seer? What's that?""Every being has an energy. But the children of the night can access their core. Sometimes seers would emerge. A seer is like a doctor or a scientist but for the study of energy. Their understanding of the other side is better than others," Jonathan said."That snake—the Oracle—she had said something about children of the night before. Does this include only werewolves?" Sophia asked."No, witches are children of the night too," he answered."So, why would a seer need to check me? Is something wrong with me?" Sophia asked. Jonathan finally t
"My energy starts becoming turbulent when she is near," Jonathan said, and Damien raised a brow."How turbulent? Did you notice anything else?" Damien asked."When it happens, I can barely respond. I want to do something else, but my body has a mind of its own," he explained."If your energy wasn't dangerously turbulent, I would have said you just fell in love," Damien commented, and Jonathan threw him a look of warning, so he cleared his throat and continued, "So, what after she left?" he asked."After that, I got agitated. I got agitated because I did not know where she was," he explained."That is oddly specific," Damien said. "It is as though she has control over you.""Yes," Jonathan nodded. "The moment I am near her, I can hear her heartbeat. It is as though I am locked onto her. It becomes even harder to reign in my energy when she is close."Jonathan explained his experience with Sophia, and Damien descended into deep thought. He had never heard of this combination of symptoms