Alpha Draven's hand was almost twice the size as mine, yet he grabbed my hand gently as if he was holding something fragile. I smiled awkwardly at him and squeezed his hand harder, trying to prove that I wasn't made of porcelain. Once I did he immediately corrected his grip while dangerously locking his eyes on mine. We stood like that, wrapped in a strange silence that increased the density of the air around us. His thumb delicately rubbed the inner side of my palm, striking my skin with electricity as a wave of shivers flooded my body. I abruptly took my hand away, scratching the place he touched as if I wanted to wipe off the sensation of him. He smirked.
"So… Lady Lilith, do you wander around this garden often?" he chuckled.
"I have never been here before," I said, "It simply looked like a good place to clear my mind out of thinking…"
"Is something bothering you?" He sounded surprisingly concerned.
I responded with a faint smile.
Draven had one knee on the ground while holding me in his arms. He stroked my back, trying to soothe me until my body stopped trembling and I got back to my senses. As soon as I realized that I was in his embrace, I flinched, releasing myself from his grip. Panicking, I pushed myself away from his chest and my butt immediately landed hard on the ground. He looked at me in my pathetic state, barely holding his laugh. I clenched my teeth and quickly got myself up from the ground."Um… I'm sorry about that... And thank you," I mumbled while avoiding his gaze and dusting the dirt off my butt.He softly chuckled, "You're welcome," and then he quickly added, "Are you ok now?""Yes…" I said, still avoiding his gaze. "I'd better go now…" I mumbled, walking past him and heading the same way I came.My head was a mess. I didn't know how I felt or what I felt. I only knew that I needed to get as far away from Alpha Draven as possible."Wa
I was sitting on my bed, gaping at the unfolded pieces of paper from the box I found inside Elora's diary. I had been trying to read the coded notes, hoping for some kind of magical revelation, but none came. Then I started thinking that someone who gave me this diary clearly wanted to torture me. I found three different types of handwriting, yet none of them was Elora's. That made me almost certain that what I found were secret messages that Elora was receiving from some people she collaborated with. The more I examined those notes, the more similarities I found. They must have been all encrypted using the same method, but I was miles away from finding a clue how to decode them. Suddenly, someone knocked on my door. "Just a minute!" I called out, threw all the secret messages under my bedsheets, and then ran to open the door. "I came to check on you and ask how are you feeling," Kanan announced as he walked inside my chamber. I was relieved that it was him.
Martha seemed ecstatic while picking the right kind of outfit for me to wear. Unlike me, she wasn't bothered by the fact that no one knew who asked me to sit by the negotiation table. I was still bewildered by the news while Martha's colleague brought me breakfast, put it on the table while grinning and showing me the thumbs-up, and then left my room as quickly as she appeared in it. I felt as if she and Martha were cheeringfor me, as if I was about to save the world or something.I replied with a forced, smiley-grimace while trying to drag myself to the bathroom. Hurried by Martha, I took the shortest shower ever, which mainly consisted of draining cold water onto my body, hoping it would allow my brain to function as it should. After wrapping myself with a towel, I washed my face and applied every skincare product I had, praying that it would make me look less zombie-like."The food is getting cold." Martha clicked her tongue, observing my slow movements.
Sariel and Draven looked at each other intently, as if trying to measure each other's strength, while Draven's wolves were proving to be more than satisfied with Elora and the counselor leaving the room. The chuckling and muttering lasted for a while after they left. I guessed that the wolves from the Moon Hill Pack must have known something about Elora before coming here. Of course, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that she had managed to offend every wolf from the pack only during the ball, but I felt that their disdain for her had a deeper meaning. "The traitorous stink is out of the room. The air is finally clear," Beta Ari snorted, then leaned out from Alpha Draven's back and winked at me. With his dark skin, deep-set brown eyes, thick black eyebrows, and massive jawline, he looked even more intimidating than Alpha Draven. I flinched, surprised by his informal behavior, and shot him a nervous smile, which instantly made him grin like a little child. I tilte
"No…" I mumbled in panic, looking at Sariel and Draven.For a while, I could hear nothing but the sound of my overwhelmingly pounding heart. I kept staring at them, petrified. I think they argued… violently. Leo and Ari had to step in to separate them before their outburst escalated to an actual fight. I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of there. I had to get out of there now!I ran towards the door, struggling to push air into my lungs. Then I rushed towards the corridor, ignoring Patrick, who probably ran after me. I couldn't tell if he did or not. I kept running. I ran outside, and before I knew it, I found myself in the hedge maze, taking turn after turn as if I wished to get lost in there. I stopped when I found myself at a dead-end. I leaned my back against the green hedge walland slipped down to sit on the ground. I panted heavily. My whole body trembled. Did Draven just say that I was his mate? I loved to hear about the wolves finding thei
Sariel showered me with sweet kisses. He wasn't trying to arouse me; instead, I think he wanted to make me feel loved, and that was how I felt that night. We were lying naked in each other's embraces yet did nothing but gently caress each other. We kept smiling, as if we had found ourselves inside a magical bubble that kept us away from reality. My heart was at ease during those couple of hours, allowing me to sleep soundly. The sound of Sariel getting up from my bed woke me up. I slowly opened my eyes, trying to focus, and saw Sariel getting dressed. I looked through the window. It wasn't even dawning. "You are leaving already…?" I asked, and immediately all yesterday's pain came back. Sariel glanced at me while buttoning his shirt. "I cannot leave Elora alone for too long…" He suspended his voice as soon as the words sounded out. "Wow…" I laughed bitterly, "Now I really feel like the mistress…" My ribcage tightened, squeezing my lungs. I cou
I read the decrypted message once again, trying to extract the meaning of it. I remembered that Nura was Kanan's mother's name, and I remember Kanan telling me that Elora wanted to poison her while she was pregnant… However, the message proved something different. Elora must have wanted her dead before she could get pregnant, but for some reason, she had failed. One message was highly insufficient as evidence, but what if other notes created wider content?I took another note and looked at it closely. Considering the handwriting, it seemed to be written by the same person. This fact made me a little hopeful that using the same keyword to decode this message would work. I sighed in relief when it did. I truly prayed that this one would bring me something significant."Our spy became the King's concubine's maid. The spy's name is Aine. The King's concubine believed that Aine is a human. She will deliver the poison with the concubine's food."When I read tha
I wished I had never heard Sariel's words. I wished I had never come there and heard the sounds of him and Elora making out. It was nauseating. It was painful. It squeezed a long stream of tears from my eyes. I was hurt and angry, but the worst part of it was that I couldn't even barge in there to make a scene, because legally… Sariel belonged to Elora, not me.I kept my mouth covered, fearing that my cry would betray my presence. My heart hammered erratically, as if it was trembling, just as my whole body was, yet some masochistic whisper told me to keep standing there, by Sariel's chamber. Perhaps some part of me was waiting for Sariel to say something else…but truthfully, I didn't know what I was expecting him to say, and of course, he said nothing else. Instead of words, I could only hear Elora's soft giggles and moans.I felt my heart crack.My feet turned back by themselves, and, in some self-defense mechanism, I returned to my chamber. Just
Fucking Adragna! I could barely stand sitting in front of the Marquess or his sons, knowing that they were the ones who planned the attack on my parents. I should have squeezed my fingers around their necks and watched smug smiles disappear from their faces in agony, and yet, I was forced to keep calm, pretending I didn't know because I had no way to prove it. Those fuckers were good at killing witnesses. I hated them just as much as I hated those mongrels from the Southern Woods Pack. I was the Duke and a future king. I had the strength to crush those bastards to dust, but I had to sit there doing nothing. Why? Because King Mael said so! This old vampire thought that it would be refreshing if our annual meeting were held in his mansion in the Blue Valley, completely ignoring the fact that it was in the middle of fucking nowhere. I couldn't stay there a minute longer. I didn't care if King Mael would be pissed. I wouldn't lose his favor anyway. I was the strongest of all the
"My friend will finally wear the crown!" Martha's enthusiasm nearly made my eardrums explode. Truthfully, I couldn't care less about the crown. It was the wedding dress that was freaking me out. Who would have thought that the vows "till death do us part" would actually mean being together for at least a few centuries? I didn't doubt Sariel's love or mine for him, but still… I still hadn't sorted out the whole "vampire issue". After a month of living as a super-duper-commoner, I knew that I didn't need human blood; drinking Sariel's blood was enough for me. I was ecstatic to find out that he didn't need to drink any other blood than mine either. Will told us that it was a "mates' thing", and that this dependence would bind us forever as well as make us stronger. Yet, it didn't solve all the issues that made me anxious. Commoners lived forever, literally, and nobles had extended but limited lifespans. Would I be forced to live without Sariel? The thought of that formed a knot
"Good morning, my Queen."I would never get enough of hearing it. Sariel made it sound amazingly enticing. His smiling eyes were eating every piece of me. The intensity of his gaze made me flush. We were both naked, although I couldn't recall the moment I lost my silk nightgown. Sariel's arms were wrapping me tightly, and our legs were tangled. The air around us was saturated with arousal, so electrifying that the mere spark could cause an explosion. As my eyes roamed down from Sariel's eyes to his lips, I saw a smug grin. One breath later, his hands cupped my buttocks, lifting me slightly so I could feel his erection against my sex. I gasped."I see you're all healed," I chuckled nervously."Almost…" he smirked. "Now I need a different kind of therapy."His lips blocked mine before I could say anything else. He pinned my hands down on both sides of my head and deepened the kiss with passionate, lush licks. As I surrendered to his caresses, his han
According to the legendWill found, the mate's blood had the greatest effect on the full moon. Well… no surprise there. Conveniently for us, the full moon was tomorrow. The problem was that the whole ritual was quite risky since it required unplugging Sariel from any monitoring equipment in order to grant us an intimate environment. The healing ritual should have been performed between the two mates alone, without any disturbances. I could actually agree with that last one. The moment when we exchanged blood last time, well... I wouldn't want anyone to be around when it happened. Still, I was restless. What if we unplugged Sariel because we believed the legend, and he would die because of this choice?I asked Will if I could read everything he found about that legend, and he agreed to bring me all the centuries-old books that had mentioned something like "mates" among vampires. The moment I began to read it, my heart started to pound. The words describing the bond
After coming back to the Palace, I was dragged away from Sariel. The King was unconscious, and the reign of the kingdom had to be settled immediately. I was led to the study, where I met Gabriel, a group of lawyers, and Leo. I had no idea what my role was in all of this, and I didn't care. I would rather sit by Sariel's bed until he woke up, yet Leo firmly held my hand, convincing me to stay. He told me that there was a certain protocol I, as the queen-to-be, should follow. Reluctantly, I gave up and decided to listen.One of the lawyers stepped forward. He held a sealed envelope. He showed everyone the unbroken seal, and then he opened the content. It was an emergency protocol. It was only supposed to be open if something happened to the King. Acknowledging the reason we were gathered in that room made my head spin. I was suffocating. I stumbled, taking a step back. It was too much. Sariel wasn't dead! I couldn't bear to do anything as if he had already died!"It's on
When I saw Jarred standing over Sariel, who was lying on the ground, my heart stopped beating. My King was bleeding heavily from multiple cuts on his chest, his shoulders, his arms… When I ran into the arena and stopped in the middle, everyone's eyes shifted to me. I struggled to take a breath as the tears flooded my cheeks. Jarred growled and gestured at two standing-by guards so they could take me out of there. Jarred should have known better than to send two rogue werewolves against me. As I roared warningly and pulled out my claws, the wolves stepped back, recognizing my strength.I knew that I couldn't interfere in Sariel's fight. I was no match for Jarred, nor did I want to take away Sariel's pride. The only thing I could do was to bring back his will and courage. I couldn't lose him when we had just gotten each other back. As he turned his head towards me, I met his eyes. Their fire was slowly dying. The view devastated me, but I was not allowed to give up.
I ran towards the screen, processing the situation. The arena was surrounded by a rising ring of metal constructions with wooden boards lying on them, creating a provisional place to stand or walk. A few seconds later, Sariel and Jarred were joined by the audience. They stood on each floor of the construction. They were Jarred's men: rogue wolves and commoner vampires, hiding their flesh under the thick hoods and robes. The outcasts. They were all chanting Jarred's name and spitting underneath Sariel's feet. I could hear their spiteful voices coming through the speakers. Hearing their hatred tore my heart apart, but Sariel seemed unmoved. My King stood proudly, glaring at his enemy while he enticed the crowd, fueling their furious shouts. "Where's Lilith?" Sariel clenched his fist, seeking my presence in the audience. Jarred raised his hand, silencing the crowd, before speaking, "My Sister is safe. She is resting in her room." He curved his lips into a smile, but his
I turned towards the door and observed the overly tall shape of a man emerging from the shadows of the corridor. As he passed the threshold of my cell, I stepped back, soaking my bare feet in the puddle of Ian's blood. My instincts forced me to keep the right distance despite the circumstances. His dangerous aura filled every corner of the room, making every breath more and more uncomfortable.A second later, I saw a man with wavy, naturally ruffled black hair. The irises of his eyes were green with light shades of gold, captivatingly glowing in his olive complexion. He had strongly underlined cheekbones and a sharp jawline, giving him a highly intimidating look. As he entered, his eyes were locked on me. He never spared a glance at Ian's bloodied corpse. He stepped forward, and I instantly stepped back. Once I did, his full faint-pink lips formed a wicked smirk. He walked my way until my steps back brought me against the wall.He easily towered over me, shutting me in
"Lilith." Someone cautiously called my name, pulling me back to awareness.Waking up was hard. It instantly brought me pain before I could even open my eyes. My mouth twisted in a silent scream as I felt my body burning from the inside. My senses were dull, and I could barely feel anything except the pain."Silver is still in your blood. Try not to move; it will be less painful that way," the low voice advised.As more of my consciousness came back, I found myself lying on the bed. I opened my eyes and saw my hands in shackles, restrained by chains on both sides of the bed. There was also a cold metallic collar on my neck. The advice I heard was accurate: the pain lessened as soon as I stooped to move, yet I needed to find out more to evaluate my situation. I slowly turned my head to the source of the voice and saw Ian standing beside my bed.I instantly frowned. "Traitor," I mumbled.He smiled wryly. "I merely chose to be someone better than a dri