The next morning, Layla was feeling much better. Her neck still felt slightly sore because of the wound and also because she had been on bed for weeks. Annabelle helped her take a warm bath and the bandage on her neck was changed. The wound was almost closed now, but to everyone's surprise, it was totally different. Unlike the golden intricate designs that had taken form on her skin, this time the image of a golden lycan appeared beside it. It was unlike anything they had ever seen, and they knew without a doubt that it was Riven's beast. "I've never seen anything like it",Annabelle touched the mark slightly with awe. At the back of her mind, she thought back to a certain hybrid wolf whom she once fell in love with. Riftan must have marked his mate long ago, she thought.Her eyes refocused when she felt Layla's wet finger on her cheek."I'm fine darling",Annabelle smiled softly at her and gently washed Layla's body."Are you thinking of father?",Layla asked with a worried frown cre
"Andromeda fell in love with a lycan, but their love wasn't meant to be because she abused the powers she had",Layla continued. "She traveled to another era and that was where she met the lycan. Long story short, they fell in love with each other. But the Moon Goddess frowned at their relationship and told Andromeda to return to her own time. They couldn't be together because her presence in that realm would cause disaster for the realm"Layla swallowed before she continued. "Andromeda travelled back to her current time, but the lycan was dead in that era."Riven and the others all listened to her with rapt attention."Devastated at the death of the man she loved, Andromeda placed a curse on her lineage",Layla continued in a small voice. "She didn't want her kind to suffer the pain of falling in love with a lycan and not being able to be with him. So she placed a curse, that the next Time Sorceress would never cross paths with a lycan. And then she stored her powers in her Book Of Shad
It has been weeks since Henrietta handed Layla's blood to Hades, unknown to everyone else.Weeks since she disappeared with no trace, and even Riven's strongest warriors couldn't find her.The uneasy feeling remained with Riven and he tightened the security around Layla.Layla's Tribrid powers had become so enhanced that she could read the thoughts of the person standing before her. She could bend nature to her will, making it do whatever she desired.Along with her new powers as a Tribrid, her appetite increased. Though she still ate her normal diet, she also fed from Riven when she had the thirst for blood.Riven gradually proceeded with the plans he had against his enemies and the alphas that were rebelling against him, while he continued to hide his return.He would strike when they least expected it.Things remained uneventful until one early morning.Layla was awoken by Riven's lips on her cheek. He drew light circles on her shoulder and nuzzled her neck until she was fully awak
"What is she talking about?",Xerxes asked worriedly.The calm in the air was long gone as Layla spoke out what everyone of them dreaded.The devils escaping.Annabelle hurried over to where Layla sat, crying in Riven's arms. Her eyes met Riven's and the latter slowly nodded and let go of Layla.Annabelle pulled Layla close to her and tried to console her. "It's alright Layla",she repeated until Layla had grown calmer. "It's alright. Stop crying okay? Everything is going to be fine"Layla could feel the frenzied heartbeat of her mother and she knew Annabelle was just trying to be calm in the current situation. She was terrified."Tell us, what exactly did you see?",Annabelle whispered softly when Layla's tears were finally over.Layla sniffed and wiped her eyes. She was trembling all over as she opened her mouth to speak."When I touched the knife",she began in a shaky voice. "I had a vision. I was in the woods, and I saw Henrietta. She had a dark cloak covering her face, but somehow
The next morning, the horses were saddled and waiting outside the mansion. The sky was still a bit dark when Layla emerged with Riven, dressed in a thick sweater and jeans. There was a lovely fur coat covering her shoulders, keeping her warm.Riven who didn't feel the bite of the cold was dressed in black with a matching black trench coat. They would ride towards the other packs on the horses with Cade, Caleb, Knox and the other lycan warriors. The rest would go ahead in their beast form.Ren and Xerxes stayed behind in Riven's absence while Annabelle decided to begin her search for Henrietta. Since the sorceress was stronger that the witch a hundred times, Riven had nothing to worry about. Only a fool would get into a fight with the last pure blooded sorceress.Layla was standing beside the mansion, watching as Riven gave orders to his pack members, when Annabelle walked up to her."Be careful mother",Layla voiced out worriedly. "Now that Henrietta betrayed us, she can't be trusted
Riven walked towards the old abandoned building and carefully opened the front door.He strolled inside with his imposing aura, his brown eyes locked on the dark dusty corners. There was so much dirt and crumbled debris littering the floor, and the smell of old rotten rood was thick in the air.Ignoring the scenario around him, Riven stepped into a narrow passage and walked down to the end until he got to the metal door at the end of the passage.Being the Supreme Alpha, his abilities were a thousand times enhanced than all other lycanthropes, so even with the thickness of the metal door, Riven could clearly hear the sound of low voices, speaking in whispers.There was no need for him to open the door because he knew it would be locked. Nevertheless, he turned the knob to open it.As expected, the door was locked.The noises inside the room beyond the door suddenly died down when they heard the rattling sound of the door knob. The whispers subsided and all became eeriely quiet.In the
There were twelve alphas from different packs lying on the ground in front of Riven's feet.Riven's eyes slowly scanned them, the traitors from his pack and he let them see the fury behind his calm facade. This made the traitors tremble before him."Supreme Alpha",another one called out in feigned surprise. "You have returned. We were all so worried..."He thought Riven didn't know about their betrayal, thus he tried to appear innocent. While within him, he was puzzled. The devil, Adromalius told them that Riven had gone missing and would not come back for a long while. Had the devil been lying?Riven didn't bother to answer the alpha. His eyes were locked on six of the other alphas before him. Out of the twelve alphas, six were sincerely terrified of his return and the prospect of the punishment they would receive.The other six remained unfazed, hard expressions taking over their faces. They didn't want to show fear or back down from Riven's murderous aura thus they held their heads
"Alpha what's your next plan?",Cade asked politely as he hurried after Riven."Secure the twenty packs under those traitors",Riven ordered icily. "I will give my final order after I've dealt with Kai"Kai was the last alpha that Riven ordered to bring along with him."Yes Alpha",Cade nodded. Then after a while, he added. "What happened back there... with Zole...""A witch's black magic",Riven said before Cade could finish his inquiry. The moment Zole combusted into a puff of black smoke, Riven knew instantly that it was a witch's spell. Obviously Henrietta.The spell was placed on them to seal their lips. The moment Zole blurted out the plans of the devils, the spell took hold of him and destroyed him.The fact that Henrietta chose to betray him still sent waves of shock through him. He had trusted her completely, even leaving Layla in her care.What must have made her betray him?"Keep things in order Cade",he grounded out coldly. "Yes Alpha"Riven walked out of the building and st
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