"Layla, what dark clouds did you see?",Ren asked with narrowed eyes. She looked back to the sky but the clouds were perfectly white and fluffy.Layla squinted hard at the sky before she turned to Ren."Far into the woods, I saw swirling dark clouds",she explained in a light whisper. "Like a storm was brewing. There were a few lightning flashes. But then, it disappeared"Ren had a grave look on her face when Layla finished. The fact that no one else saw the dark clouds didn't sit well with her. It was clearly a sign."I will report this to Riven",she said and turned around to leave.Suddenly the earth trembled violently. The mansion itself vibrated, sending tremors into the entire rooms and jolting everyone inside. The windows rattled and one shattered as the trembling increased. As quickly as it started, it stopped and the vibrations around the mansion ceased. "What was that?",Layla whispered.Caleb dropped the parchment he held and shot out of his seat. Taking long strides towards
Layla and Caleb stared at each other wide-eyed as none of them could figure out what the spirit beast was about to do.The expression on Riven's face remained stoic and unreadable.But not for long."Send a mind link and tell everyone to exit the mansion. Now!",Riven snapped. He swiftly carried Layla in his arms and raced out of the mansion with Ren following behind him.Caleb didn't hesitate in the slightest second. He sent the mind link, ordering everyone to evacuate the mansion immediately, and followed behind Riven in his wolf form.Riven didn't stop running until he was a long distance away from the mansion. He carefully dropped Layla, leaving his arms around her protectively while his red eyes remained trained on the mansion.Caleb arrived seconds later and shifted back to his human form.Before any of them could utter a word, another explosion blasted the earth, this time louder than the first.The magnificent mansion crumbled to the ground until it was flattened totally. Not
"They're all right",Riven assured Layla and pulled her close. "They won't die".Out of instinct, Layla turned around and stared at the collapsed mansion.Hundreds of lycans walked out of the debris with golden fire surrounding their body protectively.They trudged forward, moving towards their Alpha with Cade and Xerxes leading them. They all looked bloody and battered with their wounds healing slowly.Layla looked on in shock as they gathered around her and Riven and bowed. Relief coursed through her and she was glad to see that they were safe and undead."Can you help heal them quickly, my love?",Riven whispered to her."Okay",Layla nodded readily. Of course she would help them. They were her people, and she was their Luna.She hurried first to Cade and Xerxes and healed them with her ability, before moving on to the other shifters."I had no idea the Spirit Beast could do that",Ren uttered to Riven, her eyes trained on the collapsed mansion that kept burning even after it had been
Annabelle noticed the dark clouds rumbling in the sky seconds before it disappeared totally.A frown marred her delicate face. The dark clouds meant something ominous, and she knew instantly that it had something to do with the devils.Whispering an incantation beneath her breath, she teleported and appeared inside the woods.A few meters away from her, she saw three figures. She quickly hid behind a large oak tree before she could be spotted. One was dressed in a black cloak, and she knew instantly that it was Henrietta.The other was Hades.Then she saw someone else that made her eyes pop out. Emrys. The greatest wizard.The last she remembered was that the wizard was killed during the celebration of Riven's hundredth birthday. How on earth was he alive?"Henrietta what did you do?",she whispered as she watched the scene play out.Emrys looked confused, and then Henrietta threw herself into his arms. The couple held each other for a long while.This was when it dawned on Annabell
At a magnificent house in the human world, a man suddenly jerked awake from a deep slumber.He was totally drenched in perspiration and his grey eyes were wide and panicked. His long dark hair was plastered to his face with sweat, his heart beat slammed repeatedly against his chest."Not again",he muttered and got out of the bed.The dream he just had couldn't be overlooked anymore. It wasn't just a recurring dream; it was a premonition.And the fact that this same dream had plagued him for months meant something was happening in the hidden island.And Annabelle was in trouble.In the dream, Annabelle had died trying to rescue someone.The hidden island was a place he swore never to return to. Since the day his mate died, he made a vow never to step foot there and he began a new life in the human world.But now that it concerned Annabelle, the woman he once loved madly, he couldn't ignore the premonition.Making his way to the walk-in closet at the corner of the exquisite room, he pul
Minutes earlier...Annabelle jumped after Henrietta into the crevice in the earth and she screamed the moment the heat of the flames struck her.Even with the layer of protection she put around her, the flames felt like it would consume her totally.Right below her was Henrietta and the latter was unconscious. Fire licked the hem of her cloak and slowly climbed towards her body, intent on burning her whole.Moving quickly, Annabelle dropped beside her and pulled her into her arms. She extinguished the fire that had burned half of the black cloak and placed a thin shield of protection around her. They had to get out of that crevice before it crushed them within.With the flames bearing down on her and the thick cloud of smoke choking her, Annabelle began to feel faint and suffocated. She coughed out, her throat itchy and dry from the burning heat.She tried to conjure up a spell to pull them out of the crevice but she felt too weak. Her vision blurred and turned hazy, black dots appea
"My father?",Layla drew back in shock. She turned and stared at Annabelle unbelievably."Yes, Layla",Riftan nodded slightly. "I am your father... and... what can I say? I am as surprised as you. I never knew it was my daughter I saved back then.""You never knew mother was pregnant",Layla whispered.It wasn't a question, but Riftan shook his head. "I never knew. The day she left me, I went to her place. But she was gone, gone from the island"Annabelle shut her eyes as the painful memories flooded her mind. "Mother told me you found your mate",Layla voiced out. A look of pain flashed through Riftan's eyes. Deep rooted pain that couldn't be shielded. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly."I did find her",he said in a tight voice. "But she died, a few years after your mother left the island"Someone gasped and Annabelle slowly turned around. Her eyes met Riftan's and she could read the pain written in there. The agony he had gone through when he lost his mate."I fled from the
"TRAITOR!",Hades roared at Xavier. "You should have killed the shadow warrior when you had the chance",Asmodeus snarled next, her red eyes glued on Xavier holding hands with Layla."My patience has run out",Hades growled. "Kill them all"Xavier moved instantly. He pulled out a dagger and slashed Layla's wrist. Bright red blood brimmed out and Layla winced from the pain."YOU BASTARD!",Riven roared and charged towards him."Xavier what are you doing?",Layla demanded, holding her injured arm."Helping you escape",Xavier told her and held his dagger under the wound so her blood would fall on it. "We will meet again Layla. I promise""What do you mean?",Layla asked in a voice laced with panic and fear. Xavier was speaking as if he was about to do something dreadful.Instead of answering her, Xavier smiled warmly at her and turned away. He stepped aside as Riven appeared beside Layla and pulled her towards him.Saying a final goodbye, Xavier turned and raced swiftly towards Hades, while h
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