Layla woke up early the next morning to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. She opened her heavy eyelids and yawned, staring around the room that was still dark. She could hear the chirping of birds and she knew it was daylight already. The room remained dark because Riven left the curtains down so her sleep wouldn't be disturbed.She was still wrapped in the warm blanket and the last thing she remembered was cuddling with the big golden wolf the previous night. It turned out Riven had been jealous of the way she cuddled the kitten and he wanted her to do the same with him.She let out a soft chuckle. Riven could be unbelievably childish sometimes. She didn't mind cuddling with him though. His fur was more comfortable than the bed and she couldn't wait to ask him to shift into his wolf form again so she could cuddle with him.Soon Riven emerged from the bathroom dressed in dark pants and a matching shirt. His hair was still damp from the shower and droplets of water fe
Layla's eyes widened in shock and she held her chest and stumbled back. She looked down at the spot where Ren stabbed her, expecting to see blood gushing out. She didn't know what it was and the only thing she saw was the bottom disappearing into her chest.Layla was even more shocked when she didn't feel any pain. Instead she felt warmth spread from her chest to the rest part of her body. She looked up Ren, waiting for an explanation of what happened. But Ren just stared at her indifferently, and the expression she had on meant she was waiting for something to happen."What did you just do?",Layla asked in a panicked voice. She touched the spot in her chest where Ren had stabbed her. She couldn't feel anything and she stared at the female shifter in horror. "What did you put into my body? Say something!"Ren rolled her eyes as if she was exhausted with Layla's overreaction."Relax",she said and grabbed Layla's hand again. "I wouldn't deliberately hurt you else Riven would kill me"La
Layla frowned. How could he tell she was a sorceress? Sorcerers and sorceresses had distinctive features, fiery purple hair and purple eyes. That was the only thing that would give away their true identity.How then did this man know she was one when her hair was actually...Layla gasped. She grabbed hold of a part of hair that spilled down her shoulder and stared at it astonishingly. Her dark hair was gone. Now her hair had the purple sheen, like her mother's. And she knew if she looked into a mirror, she would see that her eyes were purple too. When and how did that happen? Was it because if the horn of ascension?Ren didn't even look surprised when she saw the different colour of Layla's hair. It was as if she knew about it."Master Emrys we need your help"Emrys glared at Ren. "You are a shifter",he stated. "What is a sorceress and a shifter doing in the land of witches? And how do you know my name?"Ren sighed tiredly. This man wouldn't help her out unless she told him what he wa
Early the next morning, Ren shook Layla awake from her deep slumber. The room was still dark but the faint light of dawn appeared in the horizon and in another hour, the sun would be out.Layla slowly came awake and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She looked at the dark room and then up at Ren who was already dressed in a long black robe."You're dressed",she mumbled. "But it's not morning yet""Get up and put this on!",Ren snapped and threw a black dress to Layla. "Get up now. If you're late for breakfast, you won't get any",she said and walked out of the room.Layla stared at the pretty dress in the dim light before pushing herself up from the bed. Thinking about breakfast made her remember Riven and how she missed breakfast with him. She wondered if he would be searching everywhere for her after he found out that she disappeared again. She missed him so much.Ren knew Riven would be furious when he discovered that she was missing. She would have left a message or something to let him know.
When Ren stepped through the portal, she felt a strong force pushing her backwards, like the realm they were about to enter didn't want them. She fought hard against it, hoping Layla was close behind her as she led the way.She emerged from the other side of the portal standing beside Emrys. Her eyes widened as she took in the realm.It was grey. Like a storm cloud settled on the atmosphere and refused to leave. The wind was bitingly cold and she tightened the cloak around her body for warmth. There were mountains, large jagged mountains as far as her eyes could reach. The trees were also grey in colour and the entire scenery appeared bleak to the eyes."This is no man's land",she said softly but her voice echoed through the mountains and returned."The home of the soul suckers",Emrys said as he moved his eyes over the mountains. "I wish I didn't have to take the Grimoire away from here. It is the only safe place","I understand",Ren told him. "But we really need to find out about the
Ren didn't know what Emrys did but the next thing she felt was a jolt. The ground caved in and they both fell through. She tried to yell but her mouth was sealed shut.Suddenly they reached the bottom and landed on their feet. Ren's eyes opened and she saw the crowd of people gathered at the front of a familiar looking mansion. "The hidden island",she gasped. "This is where Layla appeared?"Emrys nodded and looked around nervously. This was the last place he wanted to be. In a festival like this, bounty hunters would be in every corner, waiting for a moment to strike. He just hoped they would find the young girl quickly and leave as soon as possible."I shouldn't be here",he muttered but Ren heard it clearly with her remarkable hearing abilities."Why is that?",Ren asked, eyes still glued on the crowd and searching for any sign of Layla."There is a bounty placed on wizards",Emrys explained while his eyes never left the surroundings. "And in a festival like this, bounty hunters are a
"Ambushed?",Layla whispered and her eyes moved round the dark shop fearfully. She exchanged terrified looks with Nisha and the two moved behind Ren, using her as a shield to protect themselves.Ren swept her eyes through the shop, trying to see through the sudden darkness. Suddenly the room turned bright again, revealing the six people that stood at the entrance of the door.They were all women. And from their smell, Ren could tell instantly that they were witches.The six women smiled viciously at Ren and the two girls behind her."Who are you?",Ren asked arrogantly. One of the women sniffed and took a careful step backwards. "She's not a wizard",she said to her fellow witches. "I can tell",the other woman said, eyeing Ren for a while before her gaze rested on Layla. "The one on the red cloak is the wizard. You can tell by her strange coloured hair""Step aside shifters",the third woman said to Ren and Nisha, and moved forward boldly. "We don't want you. We only want the wizard""R
Layla caught sight of the wizard hunter just before he noticed her. She ducked quickly, retreating back into the shop."Layla...",Nisha called again."Shhh",Layla shushed her and grabbed her hand. She pulled the dark girl with her and they quickly hid at a dark corner of the room, behind a display of leather materials and bearskin robes."What's going on?",Nisha whispered, her eyes round with fear."The wizard hunter",Layla whispered back and placed a finger on her lip. The two girls held their breaths as the sound of footsteps stopped inside the room. From where she hid, Layla could see that there was more than one person now. They were about nine people in the room, with three of them being men."Where are they?",one of the men growled menacingly."Th... they were just here",a woman stammered and Layla recognized her voice as one of the six witches. She was the one that cursed at Ren. "Maybe they left....b...but I swear they were here"There was a loud thud that was repeated severa
The human realm, Kingdom Of Northville....The sun slowly rose from the eastern horizon and brightened the magnificent city of Northville, welcoming its citizens to a brand new day.At the edge of the kingdom, hidden among the wild flowers and surrounded by the forest of the willows was a fancy cottage.The front door of the cottage swung open and a white haired young woman stepped outside, holding a basket of grains."Kalista, don't forget to feed the chickens",a female voice called from within the cottage."Yes, mother",Kalista responded and twirled her way towards the metal cage behind the cottage. She hummed to herself along the way, holding up her dress and skipping lightly."Good morning, my little feathered friends",she smiled warmly as she got to the cage and crouched before it. The chickens squawked in anticipation for their morning meal, and Kalista carefully tipped the basket she held and poured out the grains into the feeder."Don't rush, there's enough for everyone",she
Six years later....Riven's mansion was filled with the sound of celebration and decorated with Christmas lights. Outside, it was blazing cold and snowing hard but inside the house, it was warm and cozy as a low fire burned in the chimney.There was a large Christmas tree in the middle of the living room, decorative lights twinkling like a thousand jewels. Beneath the tree, there were dozens of presents, boxes wrapped in fancy wrappings.It was Christmas.Six year old Xavier and Cade raced around the large living room, laughing happily as they were being chased my Clarissa, Caleb's three year old daughter. The boys totally adored her and they protected her from the bullying of the other shifter's kids. Clarissa had bright blonde hair like her father, but had her mother's sky blue eyes. Her smile was enchanting, the deep dimples on her cheeks giving her an adorable look.As the children raced around the living room, Layla watched them from the top of the stairs with a smile. She had
Three years later....Riven sprinted through the large halls of his huge mansion, racing towards his room at the top floor with a woman behind him.She was a doctor, a shifter who didn't want to belong to any pack, and prefered to live on her own. She had volunteered to help Layla in her delivery for a handsome fee.She was just a young werewolf, only two hundred years old with no sign of her mate yet."Alpha slow down",she chuckled behind him as she rushed towards the room where the Luna was waiting. "We still have a few more hours before the baby comes""The contractions are getting unbearable",Riven said over his shoulder but didn't reduce his hurried steps. In a panicked mode, he sent a mind link to his mate.[My love, hold on. The doctor is on her way to you][Oh Riven, hurry. I'm so terrified], Layla's reply made the beast in him more frantic and he flew up the remaining flight of stairs.He shoved the door open and hurried to the side of the bed where Layla was.Layla was sitt
Riven felt suddenly whole. He shut his eyes, forgetting everything else and focusing on the feeling of Layla's soft body close to him. His arms tightened around her, one hand reaching up to caress her hair. The scent of apples and roses, the scent he had grown so used to, flooded his senses and made him dizzy from relief. All of a sudden, everything seemed alright. All the years he had been wallowing in anguish and guilt sudden disappeared. It didn't matter anymore as long as his mate was in his arms."Layla",he whispered in her ear, burying his nose in the crook of her shoulder and breathing in her scent. The unique scent that belonged to only her. "Is it really you?""Yes, Riven",Layla whispered back to him, tears rolling down her cheeks when she answered him. "I came back to you, my love"The feeling was surreal and it still felt like a dream to him. Only the sparks of the mate bond and the softness of her body made him believe it was actual reality.He was really holding his ma
Years had passed since the last battle with the devils and the lycanthropes, and everything was finally back to normal.Riven didn't return to the hidden island, the only place he knew as his home. He decided it was time to start a new life somewhere else.He established a new territory in the human world, a city called DeVille . He built a much more magnificent mansion and the entire lycanthropes lived in peace just as they had been living in the hidden island.His business thrived, producing billions for him every year. Soon, Riven Qinn became the talk of the city. Men respected him, women adored and worshipped him, wishing they could catch the young handsome billionaire's attention.They had no way of knowing that Riven was centuries old, and he would never love another woman.Caleb was promoted to the position of Supreme Beta and Knox was the new Supreme Gamma.Over the years, majority of the lycanthropes were united with their mates and the Dark Creek Pack expanded as babies were
Xavier felt his breath bust out of his mouth. It was only then that he realized he had been holding it. Selene, the Moon Goddess was right in front of him?Without another word, he bowed his head to the ground, trembling from awe and immense respect. For the Moon Goddess herself to appear to him was something he couldn't fathom. He wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth to be in her presence.His lips trembled as he bowed his head repeatedly before Selene."Rise, Xavier",Selene continued in a soothing voice, the hint of an amused smile playing around her perfect lips.However, Xavier shook his head and remained on the ground before her."I know you're wondering why I have appeared to you",the Moon Goddess said. "You helped the lycanthropes defeat the war, even when you were part of the reason for the war in the first place"Xavier trembled from shame when he heard the goddess. He had indeed been a part of the cause. He had made a deal with the devil and deceived Layla just because he want
A week later...A week had flown by since the bloody battle with the devils and the demons of hell. The spot where the battle took place in Red River City was scorched and blackened badly and would forever be a reminder to people, both humans and supernatural creatures, of the day the devils almost took over the world.The desert creatures had exchanged polite words with Riven, congratulating each other for their victorious battle. And when the sultan tried to offer his condolences on Layla's death, Riven declined and wished them safely back to their realm.Left with nothing else to say, the sultan nodded respectfully to Riven and he disappeared with his surviving army. The surviving minotaurs returned to their realms while every other creature that had contributed to the victory of the war with the devils returned to their respective realms, leaving only the lycanthropes in Red River City.The City was in ruins. The dead bodies were piled in different sections and burned. The entire
Layla stepped out of the shield of energy into the burning red flames. She waved her hand and the shield thickened, keeping Riven and the other creatures within. The flames didn't harm her, as her magic was joined with the spirit beast.When Riven tried to hurry out after her, he felt his body bounce against the shield of energy. He was trapped within.His eyes widened as realization dawned on him."Layla",he called out to her through the shield. "Riven... it is time",Layla said in a sad tone. Tears slowly spilled down her eyes as she gazed lovingly at her mate. "I want to make this easy for you but I don't know how...""Please, my love. It can't end like this",Riven pleaded in a shaky voice. He didn't know when tears gathered in his eyes and spilled down his cheek. For the first time since he lost his sister, he cried. "Don't do this, please. Don't leave me. We can end this together"Layla felt her heart shatter all over again when she witnessed the way her mate begged her like his
Hades let out a terrifying scream and stumbled backwards. Black smoke seeped out from the cracks on his face as Layla's blood burned him. He swiped at his face, his sharp claws ripping the skin apart as he struggled to wipe the blood away from his face. This same pain also visited the other six devils as they wailed eeriely, their faces melting off from the contact of Layla's blood."I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!",Hades bellowed at Layla in a fit of scorching rage. The devil had wanted Layla's blood to curse her with blood magic but in the end, Layla had beaten him at his own game.The spell the devil had placed over the lycanthropes and the remaining creatures was broken and they could move again. They succeeded in destroying the remaining demons and pushing the rest into the crater of flames. It seemed the power of the devils greatly diminished after Layla's blood touched them because the creatures stopped crawling out from the crater. Seeing how distracted the devils were at that poin