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
"If you promise not to scream, I'll release you",the strange man said to Layla, his voice flowing out like honey in her ears.Layla's eyes widened when she recognized the voice instantly. It was the man from her dreams. The man who would always appear and hold her intimately, whispering into her ears.It was him!The strange man smiled softly at her and took a careful step forward. "I see you recognize me, beautiful Layla"A look of pure confusion clouded Layla's eyes as she struggled against the shadow holding her immobile. He knew her name? How was it possible? Who was he? She longed for Riven to come back and save her from this strange man but strangely enough, she didn't feel threatened or endangered. Her inner creature didn't feel any threat from him and it made her confused all the more.The man must have noticed her confusion because he quickly reassured her."I know you Layla",he spoke softly, the words rolling off his tongue like butter. "I've known you for so long, and I'm i
"Alpha Riven!"A clear female voice stopped Riven as he was about to smash his boot against Zeke. Scowling at the interruption, he slowly turned and glared into one of the cells holding his prisoners. The voice was unmistakable.It was the voice of the female dragon that was captured weeks ago.When Riven kept glaring at her without saying a word, Seraphina struggled against the chains holding her captive and pushed herself up. Barefoot and dressed in a tattered robe, she looked quite stunning. She stepped towards the gate of her cell and stared back at Riven, her eyes glittery and her face held up in pride. She didn't cower under the Alpha's fearsome glare."Seraphina what are you doing?",Gara, one of the dragon shifters hissed at her while he kept a cautious eye on Riven. Was Seraphina trying to put them in deeper trouble? Plotting against the Alpha was enough reason for Riven to put them to death but openly challenging him? It would make everything worse.Seraphina ignored him and
"Where are you taking me to?",Layla asked in a voice hardly louder than a whisper."The past",Xavier said and snapped his fingers.Layla's eyes widened in surprise and before she could react to what Xavier just said, she felt the air sucked from her lungs and Riven's room disappeared. A dark blanket enveloped her and spun her around and Layla felt a feeling of deja Vu. This was how she felt when she unintentionally sent herself to the past, using her mother's book of shadows.She tried to scream but her entire body had gone limp and immobile. The next thing she knew, she was lying on a grassy lawn on her side, her left cheek resting on a bed of soft hay. The view before her eyes was entirely different. The last thing she remembered was being in Riven's room with Xavier and now here she was, lying on a field overlooking a fast flowing stream.Moving slowly like she just stepped out of a whirlwind, she pushed herself up and got to her feet. A surprised gasp left her lips when she took i
Layla felt all the colour drain from her face at Tiffany's words.This couldn't be happening, she thought. The last time she had travelled to the past, she had succeeded in stopping Riven from getting married off to someone else and at the risk of losing her life.Now she was going to be paired with someone else? How was this even possible? Confusion clouded her mind as she tried to figure out what was happening. If Xavier really brought her to the past, then where was he? What era was this? While she racked her brain to think of anything that would explain what was happening, Xavier watched her with a concerned expression. He was worried about her and he understood how she was feeling to an extent. He also didn't fancy the idea of pairing with a random dark angel he barely knew. He wanted to choose a partner because he loved her and not because someone chose her for him. But he had no choice. The shadow warriors had to be paired with the dark angels to strengthen their bond and mak
Xavier stared at Layla with horrified eyes, wondering why she suddenly shrieked out. He noticed the tears that gathered in her eyes and he thought maybe the story he was telling her was too horrible for her to hear and she wanted to hear no more of it. He had no idea that Layla was in denial because of what he said, and he had no idea that Layla was mated to the Alpha King.Moving slowly towards her, he drew her into his arms and hugged her, pushing her warm body into his and relishing the softness of her breast on his chest. Cursing himself internally for thinking of such things when Layla was distraught, he pulled her closer and tried to console her.Layla absentmindedly allowed him pull her closer to him while her heart slammed within her chest. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Did Riven really kill other creatures like that? Was that why Xavier told her he was a murderer?All the times Riven had killed in her presence, it had always been because the person plotted against
"What's going on here?!",a hard voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.Xavier and Layla whirled around in fright, and at the same time, Xavier promptly shut his mouth.A large heavily muscled man was standing behind them with a fearsome scowl on his face. The two had been so engrossed in their little chitchat that they didn't notice the man had been standing behind them. But for how long? Xavier didn't know how long he was there or if he had overheard their conversation.He gulped nervously and tugged Layla close to him."Elder Bazaar. Greetings to you",he greeted and bowed deeply. Layla's eyes widened when she realized this man was one of the elders of the Village. When Xavier told her about the elders, she had been thinking they were old wrinkled men who leaned on walking sticks for support. She never knew they were thick muscled men who looked menacing. She kept staring at him and quickly averted her eyes when Bazaar's sharp dark eyes landed on her. His hair was longer tha
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