STRIKERA week. It had been a week full of confusion, hurt, anger, and then just…haziness. I didn’t know how I was getting by. I just knew that by the third day, I had become awfully calm. There was no raging storm, no signs of any destructive emotion, not even the crippling love that I had for Nora. Everything had been ruined by the constant night terror that came to haunt me whenever I dared to close my eyes.The same place—the cozy cottage in the forest that I would have loved to explore. But, the scene in my nightmare had tainted the perfect location, and the coziness of the place.In those nightmares, I always watched Nora with Dustin in fucked up positions. I had heard her tell me that she loved him and not me. Never me. She had screamed it, yelled it, and confessed her love for Dustin so many times that my ability to feel pain had become overwhelmed and everything had gone cold, numb, and dead. I had told myself over and over again that she had the right to choose, but I co
NORAMy first interaction with Eliana also known as the Queen of the East was not what I expected. Of course, I was anticipating a frying pan my way or at least, a heel thrown over my head in anger. But she was nothing like that.When Dad dragged the reluctant me to the so-called home that I was quite nervous to even see, I was expecting the worst of worst. I was not looking forward to a clean white-walled castle, that had high towers like Euthoria Fortress but adorned with flower veils. There were colors everywhere—blue, pink, Yellow, green…every other color I couldn’t even think of. Now, I knew what West lacked. Euthoria Fortress was built like a place that was supposed to be strong. It was supposed to withstand all attacks and threats. But, the Eastcairn Citadel—the castle of the East was built more like a spring home, filled with colors.I should have been ecstatic after seeing the Eastcairn Citadel which was never-ending and was more lively than Euthoria Fortress…but I missed t
NORA“ Or shall I ask… whom do you want to be with, Lenora? ” My heart skipped a beat as a pair of black eyes sparkling with a magenta hue flashed in my head. Magical, mysterious, Intense.“ I think it’s time you stop running and make a decision. Whom do you want to be with? Striker? Or Dustin? ” Tyson whispered. “ I will support you in all the decisions but you have to make one now. You can not keep running from one side to another. It’s going to break a heart or hearts. I can not stand that and I can not stand you getting hurt either. I care about you, Lenora, and I care about Dustin and Striker. ” He had never voiced out his care before, but now he was doing it…and it felt like the wrong time.“ Striker left me. ” I mumbled.That was the whole point. I had never held grudges but right now, I was carrying hot lava inside my chest. I was mad at Striker and didn’t want to see him ever again but secretly, I kept calling out to him.“ Dustin told me. ” Tyson sighed. “ Striker acted li
STRIKER I didn’t know what I was hoping for when I took down the whole patrol guard squad that tried to stop me. There was a legion of warriors following closely behind that was keeping those unconscious guards captive. The message was already sent to Fenric to come to see me and bring his daughter along. No doubt, Fenric was on his way, possibly bringing his Army my way but for the first time, I didn’t give a fuck. If he wanted war, he was going to get it and he was going to get it good. Whether he hands over Lenora on his own or I would have to snatch her out of his clutches…she was coming with me. I had a promise to fulfill. I was thinking about it while standing beside a tree waiting for the King to arrive. Anxiety was gnawing at my guts at the thought of seeing her again. What was I going to feel after meeting her? I had no idea. But I knew the haunting images from my nightmares were still lingering at the back of my mind, and there was lots of anger restrained inside me.
NORA“ When does this stop? ” I sighed and dropped my gaze to my scarred palms.“ Two more songs and it’s done. ” Ava whispered, leaning in towards me.I smiled before turning my back to the hall. She didn’t understand what I was talking about. She thought I was talking about the stupid piano and the shrill girl singing in the middle of the grand hall of the Wolveshire Citadel—The castle of the North.But, no. I was not asking about that. I was talking about the dull ache in my chest where the heart was supposed to beat. A week had passed since I rejected Striker, and I fainted from the pain but the ache refused to stop.It hurt more when I thought about Striker feeling the same pain. Maybe, he felt pain. Maybe, he didn’t. I was not sure.The only thing I could say for sure was that Striker left after I fainted, and Dad carried me back to the castle where I woke up with this constant tormenting throb. This time, I couldn’t blame Striker for leaving because I made him do it. Everythi
NORADad approached Striker sternly. He took his eyes off me and fixed them on the Former King who still held enough power to start wars.My ears perked up, desperate to listen to whatever they both were about to say. The silence in the hall, and the stares they both were receiving told me that everyone else was curious about the same thing.“ I am not here to fight. ” Striker spoke. “ I am here to call Truce. We are not supposed to fight among ourselves right now when the enemy is closer than ever to get what he wants for centuries. ” Dad closed his mouth. His glare intensified. My heart thumped inside my chest as my wide eyes peered at the two people whom I cared about. “ Don’t worry. ” Dustin whispered from beside me.I glanced his way and found him looking ahead. “ You want to call a truce after doing what you did? ” Dad’s jaw tightened.“ If I had done what you think I did, you would have never found her. ” Striker smirked, causing something to twist in my guts.“ Careful, Sk
NORAI didn’t come across Striker after that. The majority of the guests, and the important people all went to another room to discuss matters with the Kings and their families.I was roaming around the same hall though. This made the servants nervous because they thought I was inspecting their cleaning abilities.But in reality, I was eyeing the bottles of peaches drink with a hungry look. My restraint was dwindling and the thought of doing something eerie was the only thing holding me back from stepping into another world after drinking the yummy drink.What could go wrong?Everyone else was gone.I was alone.I wouldn’t hunt down Striker and kiss the hell out of him if I drank some of it.Well, that was another thought keeping me under control.Or things would be too awkward.The familiar scent spread around me and made me turn on my heels. My eyes widened comically as I spotted the blonde-haired and blue-eyed girl who was trying to sneak away undetected at the end of the hall.Lan
STRIKER“ All we can do is wait. ” Fenric drawled.“ Wait for them to come to hunt us down, Your Highness? ” One of the Alphas of North sighed.They had been on it for hours straight, discussing strategies and future plans for the vampire invasion that was inevitable. But the truth was…I had been monitoring the situation and nothing happened.Vampires and humans attacked us every week before, even if it was just a teasing match and not an all-out war but now, they were silent. Levian was silent—which was eerie.After murdering Margrette, Levian seemed to have achieved some personal agenda and now he was preparing for something we had no clue about.“ What’s your take on this? Your territory is going down first. ” Fenric turned to me.“ That must be happening every day in your imagination for you to believe it’s actually going to happen. ” I rested back in the chair, staring at his mocking face that turned sore at my reply.“ For someone who has both his feet in quicksand, you sure lik
Hey Sweet Readers! So, after some eight months (that's really a lot. I didn't know so much time had passed honestly), the story is complete. Nora and Striker's story was different from all the stories I ever wrote before. I didn't know what overcame me when I started writing this story and decided to make Nora a crackhead from the beginning *evil laugh*, but I guess, I wanted to try something unique for the first time. I was tired of the usual All Dark Romances with the FL getting tortured and the ML being an a-hole. It was really an experiment. I was nervous about it in the beginning because I doubted anyone would want to read this book, but you all my sweet readers proved me wrong. I can't thank you enough for the support you always show me and I will never stop saying it ❤️ Like all the books before, I unconsciously delayed writing the end of this story because I was too attached to the characters but I am glad I was able to finish it. Now what's next? I am sure you all are wo
NORA “ I went to look for him before any of you did. ” He whispered and pushed himself away from the railing. “ I always will. ” I was left speechless once again. He walked away from me and left his words hanging in the air. ‘ He fucked everything up. ’ Striker groaned down our link. ‘ Make sure Ryder doesn’t see any of it. ’ I sighed and decided to follow the rest of the crowd to see what was being done. People stepped aside to give me way when they noticed my aura and me. I exited the grand hall and approached the throne room. Everyone followed me closely, eager to witness the King of the East and his new shenanigan. I came to a slow halt as I noticed blood painting the floor outside the golden double doors of the throne room. I picked up my head and stared at the man in the distance. Tyson was sitting on the grey concrete seat that had golden engravings. He was only wearing his jeans, and the upper half of his body was bare. His legs were spread apart as he rested back on
NORA Tyson couldn’t stay with us for long. He fulfilled his promise to me, gave Jack back to Striker, and then departed for the East. The little time he spent with me was enough for me to know something had changed in him. Maybe, everything had changed. His voice was no longer gentle. His eyes didn’t shine. He lost his genuine smile that used to touch the hearts. I wanted to know if it was because he was part vampire now. But, I didn’t get the chance as Striker was attached to his side first and then, it was Ryder who refused to leave him alone. Surprisingly, Ryder was able to pull the old Tyson out of him for a little while. When he smiled at him, it was real. And even for a small amount of time, Tyson’s eyes shone bright again. It was enough for me to sit back and just watch the first interaction between my son and my brother. There was still hope for Tyson. He was not all lost. And after two weeks of his return, I was proved right. I was sent an invitation from the East
NORA It was unexpected but people got used to the absence of the wall pretty fast. Levian could be credited for this perhaps. Because he didn’t attack us after the day he promised me the things he did. Vampires and humans were rarely seen. That was the case with Tyson too. He didn’t return even after two years passed. Dad went back to being the King in Tyson’s place while the three Kingdoms waited for the return of the King of the East. That’s what I liked to believe before I visited the East and realized the harsh truth. The people of the East were ecstatic that they didn’t have to deal with a rapist King anymore. They flourished during the reign of my Dad. I didn’t want to, but I felt bitter towards those people. Striker told me at that time. Tyson has to do a lot of work to make people believe in him again. But, I didn’t agree with him. People treated him harshly due to an accusation that was not even trialed or proven. They didn’t care what it made him feel or put him
STRIKER When I didn’t find her sleeping beside me earlier, I felt the worse fear of my life. Panic and anger became one, consuming my every thought, and hijacking my every move. I searched for her like a madman. In the castle. In my mind. And when I realized where she must be, all logic evaded me. I ran to save her, desperate to get to her before she ended up in danger. I was not terrified for one but two lives. My whole world, my family, my love was at risk…and there was nothing I wanted more than to have it all back. Nora made me go through all this. I could understand her desperation to find her brother but she didn’t need to do this to me. I would have gone to find Tyson anyway. I would have done everything to bring him back. For a moment, I was angry that she didn’t trust me, didn’t believe in me…and this thought drove me crazy. But it didn’t mean this anger would push me away from her. On the contrary, I found myself becoming more possessive. After what happened to
NORA“ It’s Lenora Skoldofr now. ” My voice echoed in the silent hall. “ I am the mate of Alpha King of the West. Do I need other reasons? ” “ Women are not…” Another started again but closed his mouth when I looked at him.Or maybe, because Striker looked at him at the same time.A little part of me found it infuriating but if I needed Striker’s shadow to get things done, I wouldn’t mind. I would never fight with him over this.“ I know you all were discussing the vampire threat. ” I started.All eyes were on me, judging and rejecting. Women were not supposed to take part in such activities.“ I want to be useful and suggest something to the Alpha King. ” If I needed to rely on him, so be it.“ What suggestion? ” Striker wondered, craning his neck to look at me.Instead of getting up and towering over me, he let me remain the taller one. Turning to me, and staying in this position didn’t affect him in front of all these people.“ We have a small army. ” I stated, as a matter of fact
NORAStriker didn’t ask me about Tyson again. We had come to a silent agreement that until his return, we wouldn’t discuss him. I was relieved. But, I couldn’t get Tyson out of my mind.When we came back, Granny was waiting for me. Instead of scolding me as she had done once before, she embraced me. I was given clothes to wear, and Striker was taken to the throne room by a warrior.Apparently, my adorable, violent mate had summoned the whole Kingdom and all the Alphas for any possible war. Now, he needed to send everyone back. Granny didn’t let me follow him when I tried to go. She pulled me to the sitting area, her hold firm on my wrist.She was scared.Everyone was scared.Except Amanah. She was scared and hurt.Right after she saw me sit in the sitting area, she turned and left me with Granny. My heart drowned, but then it went back inside my chest when I realized I could always talk to her.Amanah would never hate me, or remain angry at me forever.“ I was not expecting such an
NORA Levian was not a liar. When he said he wouldn’t fight, he stayed true to his words. He made all his people stand back. All I had to do was to go to my fuming Striker after that. He was still spitting fire, that burned the ground he walked on. When he saw me coming, his wolf stopped glowing like a stove and calmed down. His head dipped a little low, letting me step closer. ‘ We are not fighting today, Striker. ’ I whispered down the mind link. ‘ What makes you think I will leave him alone when I have him just in front of me? ’ He snarled. He was angry and barely holding that flaring fire back. It was clear that this was all now directed at me because I ran away from home. ‘ We will not provoke him like our ancestors, Striker. I—We need to do things differently. Repeating the same mistakes won’t make us win. ’ I sighed. ‘ And retreating like cowards will? ’ His wolf stepped forth, almost brushing against my shoulders. The heat of his body warmed my skin. I expected his fire
NORAI didn’t think it would be this easy to convince Levian to talk to me alone, and to let Striker really let me go. But, they both didn’t protest. I was stunned for a moment but then my gaze fell on Tyson who had turned his back to us. The surprise vanished. Worry took its place.What was he going through? There was no way of finding out. He wouldn’t tell anyone. He was the kind who liked to suffer alone.Sighing, I walked towards Levian. The crack in the ground still baffled me, but it was not as surprising as it was supposed to be. The ability felt natural and didn’t make me uncomfortable.Levian turned around when he saw me approaching. He led me towards the trees in the distance.‘ Careful. ’ Striker murmured in my head furiously.‘ Nothing will happen. You are right behind me. ’ I huffed.He grumbled but didn’t say anything.Levian stopped close to a tree and turned around all of a sudden. I paused, my brows lifting to my forehead.He raised his hand and waved it in the air.