A painful moan sounded from Layla as her consciousness slowly returned. There was a roar in her ears, like the roar of an angry ocean. A consistent pounding in her head forced her awake and her eyes slowly opened. All she saw was darkness at first. Pitch darkness. Then her eyes slowly adjusted to her surrounding and she gasped and jerked upright. She was in a strange place, a place she has never seen before. It looked like an abandoned house and she could smell the dust in the air, a sign that the house was indeed old. She was in the middle of a room and the windows were blocked with some dark fabric to prevent the bright light from penetrating in.Her hands were tied, as were her feet. She tried to rip off the rope but whoever tied it did it cruelly. It was way too tight. The rope cut into her wrist and as the bloody cuts healed, more cuts were inflicted, making her wrist sore and peppery."You're finally awake",a familiar voice said behind her and Layla snapped her head around, a s
"She was just here",Caleb protested as he came back to his senses. What the hell happened to him? It seemed like he had been under a spell. How couldn't he know when Layla left the dining room? He looked around in panic and thrust his hands into his hair, pulling it in worry.Cade walked to the other shifters and shook them a little to break whatever hypnosis had been placed on them. With the help of Caleb, the shifters all came back to their right senses and were shocked to see that Layla was missing."Beta Cade",one said and quickly fell on his knees. "Forgive us...""There's no time for that",Caleb cut him short. "We need to find Luna now"At that moment, Ralph was brought down to the large living room by the other shifters who had gone up."Ralph?",Caleb called with clear confusion on his face. "What...?" "It seems the enemy is someone we all trusted",Cade said with an odd look on his face. Strangely enough, he didn't seem worried that Layla was missing. It was almost like he kne
In Riven's mansion, Caleb stood staring at Annabelle with a look of pure surprise on his face."How the hell did you get here?",he asked, curious to know how she got here. The last thing he remembered about the Sorceress was Riven ordering her to leave the island and never return."I summoned her Caleb. It's all part of my plan",Riven dismissed the question of his gamma and turned to the Sorceress. Summoning Annabelle had never been part of his plan but when it concerned his mate, he had no choice. Layla was more important than anything else."What plan do you have?",Annabelle asked him quietly. She had known something like this would happen, that was why she wanted to take Layla away. Now it might be too late and she might lose her only daughter. She was a terrible mother."Layla's next shifting will occur two nights from today",Riven began. "And right now, I don't know where she is. If I decide to search the entire island, it might be too late""What are you getting at?",Annabelle a
Annabelle was sweating hard with the effort she used in turning the day into night and conjuring the blood moon. Changing the weather phenomenon was no ordinary thing and she had to use her powers to freeze nature, thereby controlling nature her own way.Her hands shook with the effort and pulsating red light engulfed her body, humming with energy. Her eyes glowed purple and her hair was wild, glowing a bright purple."It's working",Caleb gasped as the bright afternoon turned to night and the moon traveled across the sky towards the sun, blocking it and turning red."Prepare the warriors Caleb",Riven ordered and watched as Caleb's eyes fogged as he mind linked the warrior shifters. Then he turned to Annabelle."You're doing great",he said gruffly."I warned you, didn't I?",Annabelle had her glowing eyes focused on the dark sky and the blood moon but her voice was directed to Riven. "I warned you about this. I told you Layla being in the island wasn't safe. I told you creatures would s
Riven's ship crashed through the portal surrounding the island and it appeared at the far end of the horizon. From the distance, it looked like a spec of dust that gradually grew larger as the ship sailed closer towards the shore. A young handsome man could be seen standing in the middle of the deck with a red haired woman beside him. A bevy of shifters moved around the ship, preparing to drop the anchor."Do you think we're late?",Henrietta asked with a worried look. Her eyes scanned the ocean and the shores of the island that was gradually getting closer to them. The island looked peaceful. Too peaceful."I hope not",Cade answered. "But the Alpha must have revealed himself by now and caught the betrayer""But it's so calm. Too calm",Henrietta said and moved closer to the edge of the ship."This is just the calm before the storm",Caleb said quietly with his eyes trained on the advancing shores. "We must be prepared for anything"..."I'm here my love. Rest now",Riven whispered to his
"Would you undress me and... and take me to the bathroom?" Riven stated at her silently, knowing fully well how hard it took her to say such. Which led him to wonder awhy she would ask him to undress her. He knew how extremely shy she was, even when she acted free around him, he knew she still felt bashful about many things. Or maybe it was because of the near death situation she just witnessed that made her insecure and clingy. Whatever it was, he didn't care. Rather he was glad that his mate wanted to take their relationship forward. To him, it was good progress."Anything for you, my sweet Layla",he whispered to her, speaking softly so he wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable. He noticed that the red stain on her cheeks spread farther until she was blushing furiously and he stifled a chuckle.Slowly, with his eyes never leaving hers, he took off the bloodstained dress she had on. The dress had gone stiff with dried blood and his brows met in annoyance, thinking back to how he almos
Inside Riven's bedroom, there was a comfortable silence between Riven and Layla. The setting sun cast its golden rays into the room, bathing it with its dying light. The sweet smell of honey and chocolate wafted in the air as Riven prepared a full mug of sweet tea for Layla. Layla was dressed in one of Riven's large tshirts and shorts, wrapped up in a blanket on top the bed. All her wounds from the previous day were already healed and her skin was back to being smooth and flawless. Her sleek midnight dark hair spilled down her shoulders, trailing down her back until it grazed the top of her waist. She left it free because Riven always loved to play with the silky strands.Her eyes were distant, lost in thoughts. Since she stepped into this supernatural island, she had experienced one danger after the other. It was like the island didn't want her there, like it was trying to get rid of her. This thought made Layla feel downcast the more. She remembered her mother's words;she was an ab
When Layla woke up the next morning, she found herself alone on the bed. Riven was gone and his side of the bed was cold, which meant he had been gone for a while. She sat up quickly, wondering where he must have gone to until she saw a note beside her on the bed.Apparently Riven needed to have a word with Ren, Xerxes and Annabelle. According to the note, he wanted to question the betrayer, Zeke with Xerxes beside him. Then afterwards he would talk with Ren and Annabelle about beginning her training before he would come back for her. He wanted her to have her breakfast and be ready before he came back. A warm blush spread across her cheeks at the last part of the note where Riven reminded her of how much he loved her. She hugged a pillow to her chest and squealed happily, feeling giddy with joy. It didn't matter how much Riven told her he loved her, she would never get tired of hearing him say it.A knock sounded on the door and her eyes flew upwards, nerves coiling at the pit of he
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