"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
Layla walked as if in slow motion towards the altar where the six fearsome looking elders awaited her. Her throat closed up with tension and her chest was tight with fear as a thousand thought ran through her mind.Were they going to kill her now? Did Bazaar hear her little conversation with Xavier? This would be a good time for the older Xavier to bring her back from this past life, or whatever this was. She didn't want to die.As she walked down the aisle, she heard the vicious whispers coming from the other dark angels who glared at her with envy while the shadow warriors hoped one of them would be paired with her. She was right at the centre of all the attention.Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the raised altar with her hand clasped behind her. The altar was enormous and she felt like an ant being scrutinized by the six elders. Gulping nervously, she kept her eyes lowered, trembling and wondering why they just stared at her without a word.Then from somewhere behi
Elder Bazaar watched as Xavier pulled the strange girl from overseas with him. His dark eyes followed them until they disappeared through the doors and out of sight. He turned away and watched as his Chief, Cullen kept calling out the dark angels to choose a name so they could be paired with a shadow warrior. There was something about that girl, Bianca Delaville. Something he couldn't just put his finger on. She was strange, yes, and not just because she was from overseas. There was something dark about, something that didn't have to do with her being a dark angel.Something mysterious.He would be keeping a close eye on her as long as she remained in the village.Out of the blue, a shadow warrior that hadn't been paired yet appeared beside him. Bazaar turned his head slowly and frowned up at the young warrior. "Return to your seat Jacob, and wait to be paired",he said to him and looked away.The shadow warrior whose name was Jacob looked uneasy and he trembled under the strong inte
Layla froze up as the words registered in her mind.The Village was under attack by the lycanthropes.It couldn't be, she denied vehemently. It couldn't be Riven. He wouldn't attack a village just because he wanted to end the race of dark angels. She was sorely tempted to run outside and see for herself if it was really Riven. She had to know. But the loud screams and vicious roars coming from the distance was enough to discourage her. Xavier's words echoed in her ears... 'Do not come out no matter what happens'Layla was deathly terrified with the screams that kept resounding in her head. Sobbing softly, she crawled towards a corner of the room and balled up, her hands tight against her ears. She longed for Riven. She longed for Xavier to bring her out of this place he had brought her. She was lost in thought when she suddenly heard a loud scream right outside Xavier's home. Her palms clamped down on her mouth to stop the scream that threatened to escape. She closed her eyes tight
The beast was here!Layla realized it too late, with a sickening feeling in her guts. The time she had used in trying to figure out what occurred, she would have used it to escape the moment she realized that the future had been shown to her. Now it might really be too late and she would be killed again.She shook her head and her eyes opened determinedly. She wouldn't let the beast find her this time. It was obvious that Riven didn't recognize her because this was her past life. She thought back to when he hurt her;she could still feel the pain as his claws sank into her cheek, ripping the flesh out. No! She pushed the thought away from her mind. Riven didn't recognize her, because this wasn't her time. He would never hurt her, no matter what.'what about the other dark angels and shadow warriors? he would kill them brutally'The tiny voice inside her whispered to her and Layla closed her eyes. She didn't have time to think much about the voice because just then, she heard the sound
"NOOOOOOO!" Xavier screamed as he saw the knife driving deep into Layla's side. He dissolved the shadow weapon in his hand and began to run, wanting to get to his partner and hold her before her body dropped to the ground. Layla's mouth hung open in a silent scream as blood gushed out from her side, soaking her dress.However before Xavier could get to her, he was pulled back and held viciously by thick shadow bands wrapped around his body and legs. He looked up and followed the shadows to three of the elders. They were holding him back? Were the shadow warriors not supposed to protect the dark angels? Why did they all stand back watching Bazaar stab the knife again into Bianca's side? The questions filled his head, expanding until he let out a frustrated roar, struggling against the shadows holding him down."BAZAAR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!",he yelled to the elder who still held Layla's body with the knife still driven inside her. Tears filled his eyes and slowly crawled down his cheek
[Kill them all!]Lucian roared through the mind link at his fellow lycans and there was a stir in the air. The ground trembled violently as the entire pack of lycanthropes moved as one, racing towards the shadow warriors. Ferocious roars and vicious snarls filled the air and just as the shadow warriors prepared to defend themselves, the pack of lycanthropes split into two groups. One group kept advancing towards the shadow warriors while the other group raced towards the Village hall, where the remaining dark angels were hidden.Chief Cullen realized the intentions of the beast and he charged towards the Village hall with two other elders behind him."DEFEND THE VILLAGE!",one of the elders that stayed back roared at the shadow warriors. With a battle cry, he lunged from where he stood and tackled an advancing lycan to the ground, conjuring his shadow weapons and using it to attack like his life depended on it.The shadow warriors went into battle with the lycanthropes, fighting hard
The words of the female dragon shifter played back on Riven's mind as he arrived at the mansion in record time.'I see a shadow man with your mate... 'He didn't know how Seraphina knew, or if she had been telling the truth. All that mattered was his mate. He couldn't let a shadow warrior get close to his mate. He remembered the past centuries, the incident that occurred between the lycanthropes, the shadow warriors and the dark angels. The crime his kind had committed and how they had all been punished by the Moon Goddess. It wasn't a pretty memory and he wouldn't think about it now. He just had to make sure...The smell hit him first. The strange smell of something alien in the building. His eyes flickered to gold and he tore up the stairs in a state of blind fury, canines bared, ignoring the surprised shifters cowering back at the murderous aura he exuded and the rage in his eyes. One vicious kick from him sprang the door open and his rage intensified tenfold when he saw his mate
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