Riven snapped his eyes open and looked towards Henrietta who was holding hands with him. Her plan had worked;they were able to link a mind connection with Layla even with the distance of the ocean. But the connection had lasted for while, making him unable to tell Layla what he had in mind."The link is gone",he said to Henrietta with a deep frown. Worry was etched into the fine lines of his face and he was on the verge of losing his mind. His blood red eyes looked maddening and furious and his temper was held back on a tight leash.Henrietta opened her eyes as Riven's hands left hers. Her face was sheet white with the amount of energy she had used in linking the mind connection."Did...you tell her...?",she asked breathlessly."I couldn't. The link snapped",Riven turned towards the raging ocean. "I have to go in",he said in an emotionless voice that had no room for argument."No Riven you can't...""Don't try to stop me Henrietta!",Riven snapped angrily. "If Annabelle takes my mate t
The atmosphere around the large dining hall was tense and thick with malice. Furious eyes were trained on Annabelle who stood with her head high at the end of the table. Her hands were clasped behind her, her damp hair trailing down her back and she had changed into dry clothes. She looked towards Layla who sat beside Riven at the head of the table and her heart felt heavier with sadness.Ever since Layla arrived at the dining hall beside Riven, she hadn't raised her head to look towards her. Annabelle didn't blame her;right now she was sure that she was the worst person to Layla.After coming back to the mansion, Riven had taken Layla straight to his room to change her wet clothes and dry her hair. No words were spoken between them. Layla just let him take care of her while she basked in the warmth of his embrace. Even when Henrietta tried to bring up a conversation about Layla being a Tribrid, Riven cut her short with a crisp order."Not now Henrietta"Now he sat at the head of the
'And if love be madness, may I never find sanity again' -John Mark Green-"ANNABELLE!",Riven let out a deafening roar and shifted instantly into his golden beast. Golden fur bust out from his skin and his wolf took over, bones popping and reshaping as his shifting completed. He lunged at the sorceress but collided into the wall at the far side of the dining hall when Annabelle disappeared."I really don't want to do this Riven! But I have no choice. You have to understand me",her voice echoed in the dining hall."Sorcery!",Henrietta snapped angrily. "If you're so strong, why disappear like a coward? Show yourself!""This doesn't concern you witch",Annabelle snapped but didn't take off the invisibility cloak. She knew reasoning with Riven in his current state would be in vain. He was beyond reasoning.Cade, Caleb and Henrietta watched the golden lycan slam around the dining and his roars shook the entire mansion."You have to bring the Luna back",Caleb said in a panicked v
Sitting on a stool in one of the numerous abandoned houses on the island, a tall handsome man with his straight hair tied at his nape was sipping from a glass of blood while he reclined lazily against the counter behind him. The house, though abandoned, was classy enough and built like a bar. The roof and ceiling were still intact and the walls were peeling off, begging for a repaint. There was no furniture, apart from the stool the man sat on. He suddenly sensed the presence of another person in the room with him but he didn't bother to turn around."You're late!",he spoke in a lazy voice, as if the effort to talk was too much for him."Have you heard the latest news?",a sweet voice asked instead from the doorway as a young girl who looked sixteen, dressed in a pink knee-length tutu skirt waltzed into the room."Heard what?",the man asked lazily as he savoured the taste of fresh blood on his lips.The girl scoffed and smoothly leaped onto the counter, crossing her perfect long slim
The next few days at the mansion, Riven's love for Layla seemed as if it had tripled. He spent every single minute with her, having their breakfast, lunch and dinner sent up to his room. He took long walks with her around the mansion and she rode on his back when he shifted and took her on a run through the forest in his golden wolf form. The fact that she was a Tribrid and all the drama that occured with Annabelle had been forgotten for a while. Riven only wanted to be in the presence of his mate.One particular day, as they sat together at the terrace, gazing at the slow setting of the sun, Layla voiced out something that had been on her mind. "Riven...",she called softly. "Yes my love",Riven answered and looked down at her. His arms were wrapped gently around her slender frame and he kissed her hair that was resting on his shoulder.Layla's heart did a little somersault at the endearment. It didn't matter how much he always called her that;she never got used to it. And it caused
Riven rushed down the stairs with Layla in his arms, heading towards the chain room at the bottom of the mansion. Layla moaned and stretched in his arms as pain racked her body. Black fur covered her entire body and her silver claws glimmered in the dark stairway. "You will be fine my love. I promise",Riven whispered to her as he kicked open the door and began to descend the stairs that led to the chain room. It was pitch dark but Riven could see perfectly well as he navigated the numerous passages.[Cade!], he barked through the mind link. [On my way Alpha], Cade replied instantly and his voice sounded rushed. [Should I get Henrietta?][Just get to the chain room. Layla's shifting has begun]Riven closed the mind link as he got to the door that led to the chain room. Layla's human form was slowly melting away and her true wolf form was emerging as her shifting began."Riven...I'm so scared",she whispered in a strange deep voice. Gone was the soft whisper that he was used to. "It hu
"No... progress...",Lilith drawled in a bored voice and swung her legs while she sat on the counter. They were back in the island and at that same abandoned house. It was a cold night and the round disc of a full moon could be seen in the sky, sending its silver glow to the earth.Belphegor the sloth looked up at the succubus with a frown, an expression that rarely appeared on his face. "So impatient",he said to himself and yawned lazily."You think I'm impatient?",Lilith snapped at him and pouted her lips angrily. "Why don't you go back to Tartarus and take over the task from Hades?""No thanks",the laziness returned on Belphegor's face as he stretched his frame in the bed he had conjured up with the snap of his fingers. "I am not in talking terms with Hades right now""You don't even have a good relationship with the other six devils sloth",Lilith mocked him but the devil chose to ignore her scathing remark. He wasn't in the mood to get angry over her words."What do you think she
Riven was in his study room alone two nights later, standing behind the window and looking out to the distance. With his hands clasped behind him and his brows pulled together in thought, one could say he wasn't in a very nice mood. And he wasn't.Last two nights had been terrible for him. He had to do what he never planned on doing. And that was hurting Layla. After returning to the mansion that night, he had tried to use the platinum chains to hold her down, since it would hurt less. But Layla's wolf had been too powerful and she broke free again.Having no other choice, he restrained her with the silver chains and watched with his heart shattering as she howled in pain because of the burns from the silver chains. This time, the silver weakened her and she was unable to break free. Unable to look on, Riven left the chain room and shifted into his wolf, running away from the mansion and her howls of pain. It had been enough to make him go mad. To subject his mate to pain like that
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