More than sixteen years ago.Rye and her friends were skipping in the backyard of her house. Rye reached the thousand mark faster than her friends, and so she won the bet and took the tamarind candy from everyone.The concept of a monetary system didn’t exist in the wolf clan. People just shared things with each other out of goodwill, as overseen by the elders and the city council.So, there was a limit to how much candy the kids could get their hands on. Naturally, the girls didn’t feel good after losing out so much candy to Rye. They drooled as she sucked on the candy.Seeing their pitiful expressions, she shared some of the candy with them. And they all happily sucked on the sour-and-sweet tamarind candy.“Rye has the qualities to become a good lord,” Ryan said. He was drinking grape juice with Rye’s father, Erwin, who was a tall man with a long face. “She’s strong and kind.”“Well, your son is there for that role.”“He’ll be the next sovereign, and your daughter can be the next lo
“Beat his ass to the ground!”“Break his front teeth! Make him cry!”“No. Tear his loincloth and humiliate him!”Rye’s friends yelled as Rye leaped at Benjamin. Before she could reach him, Neel flashed in her path and slashed his claws at her. But he missed.Neel was startled. (Ducked so fast in midair?)The moment Rye’s left foot landed on the ground, she swiveled and kicked at Neel’s waist. He was too close to dodge in time, but someone else caught her foot and stopped it.To Rye’s surprise, it was Benjamin who effortlessly stopped her kick. (He completely canceled my momentum? Not by blocking but by grabbing?) That explained why there was barely any sound when he stopped her foot.“So soft…” Benjamin kept staring at her foot. “I see no cracks.”Neel also stepped back and took a look. “You’re right. How rare.” Neel went a step further and poked the sole of her feet. “It won’t bleed if we poke it too hard, right?”Rye’s face turned into a ripe tomato at this point because one of her
“You should enter the med bed and get your knee treated, Rye,” Erwin told his daughter from outside the room. “I’m going out, so take care of yourself.”The sound of Erwin’s footsteps soon faded away.“I’ve been doing that for a very long time,” Rye mumbled and then got up from the bed. “I don’t need the med bed. I slept a few hours, so I’m already fully healed.” She cracked her knuckles. “Now, I just have to find that brat and defeat him, so that I’ll become the Sovereign! As long as I don’t beat him senseless, I think Uncle Ryan wouldn’t get mad at me.”She heard cries from her backyard.“What’s going on?” she swiftly opened the door and rushed out. To her utter bafflement, all of her friends were swooning over Benjamin who looked extremely cute now that his hair was neatly cut. Even Dahlia was pinching his cheeks.Rye’s stomach twisted.“Dahlia!” Rye cried out.But nobody cared.“Dahlia!” she cried out again.This time, Dahlia heard her and hurriedly made her way to Rye who was cle
After Benjamin and Neel let their scents be taken in through the noses of the two girls, they went into hiding.Rye and Dahlia then covered their eyes with three layers of a black cloth. They told their friends to leave, and then they hit the streets and employed their sense of smell.“Those idiots think they can hide from us,” Dahlia snickered. “I can clearly track them by their scent. It makes me wonder what they did in the sacred forest. Maybe they slept most of the time?”“Stop talking and focus,” Rye said.When the clansmen saw Rye and Dahlia, they stopped doing their work so that silence took over the surroundings. It was their way of making things a little easier for the seekers to find those that were in hiding.A few minutes passed.Rye and Dahlia were still roaming in the streets. “Strange… Why isn’t the strength of their scent increasing? It’s as if they’re keeping a constant distance from us.”“Let’s increase speed,” Rye started jogging. Dahlia followed the sound of her fo
Benjamin and Neel were scooping poop from the farms. Cleaning every farm in the city with just the two of them was not practical, so Rye allotted them ten each. Ten was still a back-breaking number. To make things worse for them, Dahlia was taking pictures of them with her dad’s camera, to humiliate them even more.“I wanted to spend some time with my parents. I can’t believe we’re doing this all day. How did you get caught?” Neel felt utterly frustrated.Benjamin didn’t yet tell how he got caught, so it only added to Neel’s frustration.Just after Neel collected poop from a buffalo, it excreted again. Neel got angry and kicked it in the rear.Dahlia captured that on camera and showed it to the owner, making sure Neel received plenty of scoldings.Day after day, Benjamin and Neel visited the same farms again and again and repeated the same work like it was a ritual.Meanwhile, Rye challenged the boys that had come out of the sacred forest and defeated them one by one.However, one of
One day, Erwin came to the farms to check if his daughter was really doing the cleaning or not. To nobody’s surprise, she wasn’t even there. Only Benjamin and Neel were there.“Where’s Rye?” Erwin asked.“How would I know?” Neel shrugged his shoulders. “She hasn’t come to work even a single day.”“I told her I will work in her place,” Benjamin quickly said.“Oh…” Erwin was surprised. “So you’re doing twenty instead of ten, then?”“Yeah, we both handle the thirty farms,” Benjamin replied.Erwin didn’t look too happy. “I gave the punishment to discipline her, so what makes you think you can take her punishment on yourself?”“She was struggling to even breathe,” Benjamin explained. “She didn’t like this place.”“So? If she works here a few days, she’ll automatically get used to it,” Erwin said. “Did she at least thank you for your help, and take care of your meals?”Benjamin pursed his lips, whereas Neel quickly shook his head.Rye had been listening to their whole conversation from a n
Neel kept cleaning the farms alone for half of the day because Benjamin was going out with Rye for the other half of the day. She would take him to different places in the city and show him around. Whenever possible, she would fight him and then suffer a loss. Everytime she lost, she offered him more tamarind candy than usual.She won against every boy her age time and again, but Neel and Benjamin were the only two people she didn’t win against. She didn’t fight Neel even once yet, and she didn’t even think of fighting him because she didn’t like him. And she had no idea Benjamin was secretly sharing some of the candy with Neel, either.Whenever Rye’s friends met Benjamin, they asked Rye if she ever pulled his pants down. She pulled the hair of anyone who asked her such questions.Because Rye was spending more time with Benjamin than her other friends, they chose Dahlia as their new leader.Once her friends started avoiding her, Rye didn’t try to change their mind because she believed
Benjamin instantly turned into a silver werewolf and pounced on Edward like an angry beast. Edward was one of the strongest and most ferocious members of the clan, and his strength was no joke. Yet, Benjamin almost matched Edward in strength.The small house just couldn’t hold them inside for long. As they wrestled like wretched cats, they broke through the rooftop, startling the crap out of Roost and his family, making them skedaddle into the nearest bush.Benjamin and Edward viciously clawed at each other and crafted a melee Rye had never seen before. They were moving so fast she could barely keep up with her eyes. She knew the adults could move faster than her, but how could Benjamin keep up with such speed?They were bleeding from the wounds they gave each other, but that didn’t stop them. It was clearly not a match but a fight for survival. A fight Rye had never fought, not once in the past. She wished she could join and help Benjamin, but she knew about fighting enough that she’
George came to Rebecca who was sitting in front of a piano she hadn’t played in a long time.“Will you help me with learning the piano?” George asked her politely.“I myself am relearning it, so, no,” Rebecca replied, “uncle.”George laughed. “I’m your brother-in-law, not your uncle.”“Both are fitting,” she retorted, “in this case.”George found it embarrassing and frustrating that she wasn’t giving him any face even though he was just trying to be friendly, albeit with hidden intentions. “Do you know what happened to your sister’s husband?”“Akash left, it seems,” Rebecca said.“Yeah. But the shocking thing is that Veronica isn’t crying,” George opined. “Even enemies will shed tears as they’re parting, but… how come your sister isn’t shedding a tear? I didn’t know her heart was so cold.”“It is good that she’s not faking her crying like some others do,” Rebecca replied, startling George.“I-Is that what you think? Now that you put it that way, I don’t disagree.”Just then, Fiona arr
“Haha, did Veronica’s husband really go back to his country?” Fiona laughed excitedly as she privately talked with her daughter Riley in a guest room. “I didn’t think things would happen so smoothly. Now, we just need to introduce one of our rich allies to Veronica, and the rest will take care of itself. I should also deal with Rebecca’s husband, too.”“Mom, I need to tell you something,” Riley said.“Go on,” Fiona was eating sweet bread which Delle had made.“I…” Riley hesitantly said. “I think I’m in love with Benjamin.”Fiona choked on her bread.Riley quickly gave water.It was only after drinking the water, Fiona was able to breathe again. She took a few deep breaths and looked at her daughter in shock. “Are you fucking kidding me? You have a wedding soon, and you’re saying you fell in love with Rebecca’s husband? A pizza-delivery guy?”“No, mom. Rebecca’s husband is Benyamin, the guy with the wolf haircut, but the one I fell in love with is Benjamin,” Riley clarified, “the guy w
“It’s obvious that your sister has come here with a goal,” Selena was talking to Jacob in his room. “Fiona is a snake through and through. We can’t let her stay here for long, or she’ll cause our family to split up. If we give our daughters to the billionaires she refers to, then they will try to have control over our family. You do realize that, don’t you?”“So you want me to send my sister and her family away when they came to our house after so many years?” Jacob asked her back in an annoyed voice.“Yeah. You can’t hesitate with a snake, or it will bite you when you’re most vulnerable,” Selena added. “If you don’t send her away, she will stick in this house for a while and make a mess out of our family.”Jacob thought about it. “I can’t do it myself, but I know someone who can.”“Who?” Selena curiously asked.“Your eldest daughter,” Jacob smiled.“Rebecca?” Selena was surprised for a second. “I see. If Fiona confronts Rebecca about her marriage, then Rebecca wouldn’t just watch. If
“How are things with your family, brother?” Fiona asked.Selena raised an eyebrow. “You’re in a family that deals with real-estate, so you should already know how we’re doing.”“Haha, I do, but outside information can only be trusted so much,” Fiona responded. “Recently, we’ve worked hard on getting a marriage deal for Riley. Her fiance owns a reputed sports agency that deals with covering all the popular international sports. He earns hundreds of millions every year, but his father is a tycoon in the alcohol industry. Their net worth is in tens of billions.”“Good for you and your daughter,” Jacob smiled.“By the way, Brother,” Fiona glanced at Veronica and Akash. “What does Veronica’s husband do?”Jacob’s expression slightly changed.Veronica frowned and looked at her mother who was looking back at her with a rather poker face.“He is staying at home for now,” Veronica said openly.“Pfft, he’s jobless?” Riley snorted. “Your taste is so bad, Veronica, not just in terms of finding a pa
Benjamin went to the first floor and waited in the hall until Rebecca left her room.Then he went to her room. The door was locked, but he solidified his energy in the keyhole and opened the door.He entered the room quietly and saw the water bottle on the table next to her desk. It was half-full.Benjamin took out the vial and poured a drop of water into the bottle while saying ‘I love you, Rebecca.’He entered the bathroom and poured a couple of drops in the bathtub while once more uttering the three words ‘I love you, Rebecca.”He was about to come out of the room, but then he stopped and then ended up leaking another drop of water on the pillow, and another on the blanket. “I love you, Rebecca.”“Hopefully, this will help,” he thought.Benjamin then hurriedly left the room and then went to the rooftop. He mixed a few more drops in each of the four water tanks, while saying the words out, “I love you, Rebecca.”He looked at the vial.Three fourths of it was finished.He put the via
Despite Uzza, Rye, and Benjamin living in separate rooms, there were many guest rooms still available in the mighty Sterling villa, the best property on Rachel Hill.So, the families of Jacob’s siblings stayed in those rooms without any issue.But the problem was with the cousins, who were trying to show off. They acted arrogant and haughty with Veronica and even mocked Rebecca for the little hair she had on her head, not even bothering to wonder why exactly her hair was like that.Rebecca didn’t even bother talking to them, or sparing a word with them because she knew how selfish and self-centered these people were.Jacob and Shawn might have forgiven these people, but Rebecca couldn’t just act like nothing ever happened.She didn’t treat them badly, either. She just ignored them and minded her business.However, her cousin sisters got their eyes on Benyamin who was quite good-looking. Her cousin brothers were also unable to avert their eyes from Rye.Rye looked more like an exotic f
So many people started visiting Sterling villa ever since Selena herself had leaked the news of her buying a lot of land and buildings in Aurora Hills.Selena was sitting on the balcony, with Veronica next to her.“Why has the traffic increased so much?” Veronica said, “I’m seeing so many cars come and go recently.”Selena somewhat smiled and sipped on cream coffee. “I wasn’t born rich, Veronica. My relatives didn’t even let my parents into their homes or invite us to their functions because we were poor as church mice.”“Stop joking, Mom,” Veronica smirked with amusement. “You look like a million dollars. I’m sure our relatives’ sons back then would have wanted to marry you.”“You’re not entirely wrong, but they didn’t want to marry me as much as they wanted to mess with me,” Selena said. “I still remember one guy telling me, ‘I may look ugly as hell, but I can show you heaven in bed.’”Veronica went silent in shock. She didn’t think her mother’s beauty would have brought such terrib
Delle was bringing food, three varieties, on a big plate.Rye intercepted and took the plate from her. She brought it to Benjamin and sat by him under the tree.The grass was cool, even though the breeze was warm.“You think I haven’t noticed that you weren’t eating anything since you made that 40-day promise?” Rye said. “You were just acting like you’re eating.”She broke the bread mixed with fruit and brought it closer to his mouth.He didn’t open his mouth.“Do you want me to stop eating just like you are doing?” Rye said.Benjamin, who was staring into the distance, glanced at her. “Is it possible to love and hate at the same time?”Rye pursed her lips together, not quite understanding why he asked such a question. “I was angry with the things you did. I am still angry, but I don’t hate you. So, if you really love someone, I don’t think you can hate them.”“If there is no hatred in his heart, then how is Neel able to do this to me?” Benjamin asked, a hint of pain laced through his
Rebecca and Benyamin had breakfast together.This nearly made Selena’s eyes bleed. She didn’t think she’d live a day like this.Watching them eating happily was like injecting poison into her body.While she loved seeing her daughter happy, she couldn’t spare any mercy on the man who tricked her daughter into marrying him.Even now, she was thinking in her heart, devising plans on how to separate her daughter and her husband.Having lost the mood to eat breakfast, she came to the backyard.Amber was preparing the background setting needed for the interview.“Where’s Kathy?” Selena asked.“S-She’s with Samuel Sehla, ma’am,” Amber hesitantly said.Selena’s gaze turned a little icy, but then she smiled. “I knew Kathy had it in her, but I didn’t think she’d be able to grab the attention of someone like Samuel Sehla.” She looked at Amber. “What about you?”“I-I don’t plan on grabbing anybody’s attention,” Amber quickly replied.“Tsk, tsk,” Selena shook her head. “Try to grab Benyamin’s att