I guess you never know that you might miss someone until you are far away from that person. Martha and I had grown to be friends. It had happened unknowingly, and, at that moment, I wanted to hug her. Even though I couldn't, just hearing her voice was comforting and heartwarming. I kept smiling at the phone, feeling less alone in this new place where I was supposed to live from now on.
"Do you know how unbearable this day was?" She whined, obviously putting all the blame for her terrible day on me.
I chuckled, "I know you'll tell me whether I want it or not."
"You're damn right I will!" She let out an adorable roar, which made me grin even wider. "The corridor was so loud from the gossip about your leaving that it woke me up. Every servant was buzzing around that you had broken the blood bond to leave with the Alpha from the Moon Hill Pack. Do you have any idea how devastated I was hearing something like that?"
"It wasn't like I'd planned this to ha
I couldn't recall the last time I had such a peaceful sleep. I felt as if all the anxieties around me had decided to go on vacation. My mind was clear, and all the burning emotions were locked away, leaving my heart at ease. I needed that. It was the first time that I woke up at dawn completely regenerated and filled with energy. I was burdenless, although I didn't know where that carefree state came from.Since I had a lot of time before my appointed training, I used it on something I hadn't done for at least a year: I meditated. I slowly began to put all the tiny blocks of thoughts in order, fixing what was broken and healing my pain in the depths of my mind. Once I opened my eyes, I felt different, focused, as if I had entered some space that had been locked for years but was now open.As I was sitting on the floor by the bed, I looked through the window and suddenly saw the details my eyes only yesterday couldn't reach. I could see the different colors of the feath
The roaring monster stood right in front of me with his shredded human clothes lying around on the floor. While being on his four massive paws, he was still a whole head higher than me. His dark grey fur emanated savageness, and combined with the excessive rage overflowing his pupils, his aura screamed horrifying danger. The crowd went wild, supporting Brick's beast and encouraging him to attack me. I swallowed hard and glanced at Draven and Ari. "Alpha?" Ari stepped forward, expecting Alpha to interfere, but he was stopped by his Alpha's raised palm. Draven looked at me calmly without saying a word, and I could see a faint smirk appearing on his face. "You have to be kidding me!" I hissed, wondering if Alpha was trying to kill me. I glanced at my opponent. He was about to attack. I quickly calculated my chances, and a second later, I already knew that inside this building he could rip me to pieces in no time. This beast was way too close to me, and t
I had a slight taste of déjà vu once I opened my eyes and saw drops of drip flowing in a plastic tube. I instantly remembered when I woke up in Argent Investment Bank's medical center. It felt similar yet different… What felt similar was the hospital bed, but once I turned my head to the side, I saw a large window and a sunset over a beautiful forest outside. When I turned to the other side, I saw Draven sitting next to my bed. He was asleep. His head was lying on the bed with his cheek near my right hand that he was holding. His grip was tight with a hint of possessiveness in it. Staring at his calm, sleeping face, I started recalling every second of my fight with Brick. Once my mind captured the image of my ripped shoulder, I turned my eyes, trying to check how bad it looked.The whole area around my left collarbone and arm was patched with thick bandages and some stinking, herbal ointment underneath the layers of gauze. I tried to move my arm a bit and
Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on me as every corner of the training grounds became silent. My heart began to race, and my brain was slowly getting closer to a state of panic. Alpha Draven glanced at me briefly, letting me know that the next move was up to me, but what the hell was I supposed to do?!"Lilith, think for God's sake!" My mind activated the logical mode. "While they were sent here to join the pack on the battlefield, the vampire army kneels before YOU. If you don't do something quickly, there might be no peace treaty, and you will be forced to choose whether you want to be with the vampires or the werewolves!"The silence extended, and it forced an awkward smile on my face. I could see Draven clenching his teeth. It didn't look like the Royal Army would acknowledge him as their leader merely because the legions were sent there. I knew that I was going to regret what I was about to do, but I felt as if I had no other choice…"Thank you…
The party was supposed to be held in the large field near the forest. It was just outside the mansion's grounds. Beta Ari took me there. I was grateful for his company. I didn't want to spoil my mood by walking there with Draven. I was still pissed at him for what he had put me through, and I was additionally pissed at myself for doing something to his advantage after all of that. I couldn't evaluate where the limit of his arrogance was, and if I wasn't going to hear a sincere apology from him the next time we talked, I was going to punch him in the face. I deliberately delayed the moment we'd have this talk. I was looking forward to having some fun, drinking, and meeting people. Punching the Alpha of their pack in the middle of the party might have complicated a few things for me…When we reached the spot, I saw multiple long tables. They were already set up with plates and glasses for the drinks. There was a huge fire set in the middle of that field, giving just the
I truly hoped that my regeneration abilities would deal with the alcohol detoxication because I lost count of how many glasses of wine I had drunk. Nonetheless, I was sober enough to refuse Draven's proposal to carry me to my bedroom, and I swayed my way all by myself, although it took extra focus to climb the stairs. Once I closed the door and walked to the bed, I thought that I could finally rest. Suddenly, my eyes landed on the bedside cabinet and… my phone, the one I had completely forgotten about and hadn't even glanced at for two days!I swallowed hard before taking it into my nervously trembling hand. I already knew that I screwed up. The screen displayed thirty unanswered calls and seven text messages. I took a deep breath and took a closer look at the details. The calls were mostly from Martha, Kanan called me three times. The sense of guilt swallowed me entirely. In my defense, I could only say that I didn't usually carry a cell phone with me since I had neve
The knocking on the door woke me up. It wasn't an aggressive bang, but because I had learned to sleep on constant alert, the sound made me open my eyes right away. "Who is it?" I asked with a hoarse, sleepy voice. "It's me… Draven." I heard through the door. His voice sounded strangely soft, with a hint of nervousness. I crawled out of bed while abruptly combing the strands of my hair with my fingers. I walked to the door and opened it. "Do you want something?" I muttered, trying to focus my attention on Draven's face. The first thing my eyes noted was his fitted tank top, exposing his wide shoulders and beautiful, massive collarbones. His face was slightly unshaved, leaving a delicate black shade on his cheeks, jaw, and chin. The strands of his hair were a little messy and wavy, giving him a savage and sexy vibe. He gave me an amused look, then his gaze slowly moved down my shape, revealing that I was barefoot and wearing nothing but a black
My heart still pounded restlessly as my mind slowly processed everything that happened in the kitchen with Draven. I couldn't blame him for acting the way he did. According to him, I was his mate, and I was the one who triggered him, unintentionally but still. What scared me the most was that I couldn't push him away. At that time, what I saw in his eyes seemed uncomplicated; it was pure passion, desire, lust… Merely recalling the picture made me aroused. I was hungry for him, and that feeling terrified me.I knew that my flight out of the kitchen was probably the dumbest thing I had ever done in my life. The immaturity of that deed was unexplainable, and I knew that it was my turn to apologize and tell Draven exactly how I felt. However, confessing to him seemed more terrifying than anything else. I also knew that I had to put my love life aside if I wanted to deal with my demons, who have haunted me since I was a child, especially with the main one named Randall D'Ap
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