CeliaAfter everybody had left me to my thoughts, I got up from the chair and marveled at my reflection.I had never known I could look so beautiful or elegant.All my life, I had just trained hard, wearing soil stained and sweat soaked clothes to fight. But when my own mother had taken a hit, I had not been strong enough to fight the werewolf.The memory made me curl my hands into fists. I was not going to be weak…ever again.So, I painted my lips the color of murder and planned my next move.A soft knock on the door made me turn around.It was yet another maid.“My lady, your presence has been requested at the feast.”My lady?I raised an eyebrow in suspicion but she stood with her head bent low, waiting for me to walk toward her.“I am not your lady. I…I don’t know what you are supposed to address me with. Probably the prince’s personal slave…”I added carefully, waiting for her reaction.But she only pursed her lips nervously. “The prince had asked all of us to address you like t
CeliaI was reeling due to the rage boiling inside me. And I saw Borivin’s jaw twitch as he looked at me with an ice-cold gaze.I had openly wounded him despite being a nobody. I wore no royal emblem nor was I marked by any of the Prince which must have given him the boldness to act like that with me.But royal or not, I would not let anybody openly insult me.Borivin had begun saying, “Oh a particular part of my body is extra dark but it is not the heart, sadly. I will probably show you if-”However, the doors through which I had entered flew open as a pin-drop silence blanketed the large hall.Striding in through the hall without a care in the world was Prince Jasper.While all others were dressed in robes and heavy dresses including the King and his brothers, Jasper strutted in just wearing black pants and a white button down shirt.The two top buttons of his shirt were open and his hair looked a bit messy.But the way he walked in left no room for doubt that a deadly and vicious b
CeliaI heard gasps around me once again as Jasper’s voice echoed through the hall, stunning everybody.In a room full of courtiers, jam packed with highly ranked nobles and elites, in a room that had his father and brothers, he had addressed me as a dignified member of the court.But, I was not so startled by the declaration but more so by his gaze.His silver eyes were looking away from me, fixated on something at the other end of the table.His hand came up and brushed my knuckles as he reached for the button and undid it, freeing my lock of hair.He did not look at me, allowing me to admire him from up close. The way his hands gently brushed my skin left me begging for more.I was merely an inch or so away from his face and if I leaned forward, my lips would brush his cheek.I could feign losing my balance but that would be too much. And as if knowing what was going on in my mind, Jasper breathed,“Still gawking?”This time his voice was low, barely a whisper but loud enough to re
Celia Borivin looked utterly ost and seemed to have developed a stutter all of a sudden. Jasper’s chalice was empty but his fingers gently tapped on my waist, making me look away from Borivin. I looked down and saw his chalice and promptly filled it with whatever thing he was drinking. Poison wine was it? I hoped it was not made of poison because I saw Borivin begin to foam around his mouth. He brought the handkerchief to his mouth and wiped it away as he stuttered. “Yo- your majesty, I am truly sorry. Wh-what should I do instead to appease you?” Borivin asked and I smiled wickedly. Only if I was the prince, I would make Borivin eat up his words. I would humiliate him in front of the others, in front of the entire court as he had done. Sadly, I wasn’t. So, I just waited for the prince to deliver his judgment. “Perhaps, continue whatever conversation you were having before I entered, I feel bored here.” Jasper said, much to the dismay of his brothers and the King. They all
CeliaAs Borivin ran away from the court, the rest of the courtiers followed suit, worried that they would be the next mouse and a plaything for the prince to toy with.They all bowed to the princes and the King politely before getting up and bolting for the doors as well.Jasper had a grin on his face as everybody left the feast rather abruptly, scurrying away like mice. Violet wanted to talk to me, it seemed, but she was whisked away by her prince before she could even open her mouth.And, I watched the way both the princes had taken them away, forcefully.I gulped nervously.Jasper’s hand on my waist had suggested a primal ownership of not just my body but my soul as well.I wondered what it would be like to really warm his bed. Earlier I had been planning on running away from this palace, from this wicked prince.But now he had given me a taste of power.And, I loved that power.I loved the fact that the prince could make any grown up man sweat buckets just by looking at him.Coul
CeliaIt was late at night and somebody had guided me to the room, Jasper had assigned to me.A silky nightdress was waiting for me, laid on the bed along with a few other essentials.But I was still in the same red dress I had worn at the feast.I kept pacing through the room nervously, a thousand thoughts bombarding my head.I had been at the palace for almost half a day now yet the prince had not even touched me.Well, he had but not like the other princes who had fucked the women they had more than a couple of times already.Just what insane stamina did they have?But then they were lycans. They were stronger and superior to ordinary wolves so obviously, they had to have a greater sex drive.I imagined how high Jasper’s sex drive was and immediately blushed.Ever since I had seen Edriel make the girl moan, I had that scene etched into my mind. Only that it was Jasper, doing everything he did to me.Why the hell was I imagining my captor doing dirty things to me?Pacing up and down
CeliaMy hand was still vibrating from the force with which I had slapped Borivin, the imprints of my hand blotching his cheek red.I spat at him and said venomously, “If you dare speak one more word against me, I will claw your ribs out”Borivin ground his teeth as he looked around the guards who he had been talking to earlier.They were too stunned to speak, taken aback by my abrupt move. But my midn was still reeling.Though it felt good to slap him.I had wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.I glared at him as he raised his hand to rub his cheek with a disbelieving look. A few guards scattered away, afraid that I might complain to the prince about their involvement in belittling me.But Borivin was too prideful to follow suit.Thus he looked at me with that same sneer and took a step forward,“Quite strong are you? Let me see your strength”The moment he said that his hand was around me and he pulled me towards him, making me collide hard with him.“I have to make you pay for t
CeliaI was not sure if I heard one bone crack in my rib along with my ankle that sprained horribly and my head that felt as if it had been just squashed like a watermelon.I felt dizzy and stars swam before my eyes. My breathing grew labored and it took me a lot of effort to concentrate on who was in front of me.And to say that it was the most magnificent beast I had ever cast my eyes upon was an understatement.The beast was standing on two legs, its giant paws twice the size of my face, not to mention its broad and massive body.A Lycan.But somehow the Lycan who stood in front of me, looking at me curiously did not appear to stare at me murderously.His broad body was covered in fur and he was as tall as some of the small, short trees. But his strength seemed impressive.If just running into him accidentally crushed my rib, I did not want to wonder what would happen if that beast raised his claws to attack me.And that thought automatically made me stare at his hands.Only now di
To all my lovely readers, I cannot thank you enough for staying with me on this wild roller coaster of emotions until the end. You cannot pick a favorite child but writing this book was magical, simply because, I got so many of you who were invested to read. I sincerely hope I've improved as a writer when compared to my old books and continue to write stories that touch your hearts. Last year was especially tough for me with fighting depression and a few other issues that I do not want to make public. Some of you loved the story, others not so much. But I want to thank every single one of you for giving this story and this author a chance. If my story managed to provide a temporary escape from reality or simply added a sprinkle of joy to your day, then my mission as a writer is complete. And to those who patiently endured the plot twists – I promise, I only did it because I love you all. Okay, maybe that is not the complete truth. Perhaps there was a hint of mischief in the twis
Jasper I turned my head to look at her from a distance. I could see the nervousness in her gaze, in her body language. My gaze flicked to the guests, all of whom were looking at her. She cleared her throat, “Today is going to be a big day of my life. But before I take that step…I…I wanted to tell you all something.” Her gaze found mine and I only smiled at her. Before she could speak another word, one of the many people in the crowd placed a hand on his chest and bowed down to her. Celia was stunned and watched him In surprise. Behind her, Nymeria, Xenos, and Vasil were slowly descending the stairs too. Following the first person, a few more did the same- place a hand on their chest, their heart to be precise, and bowed to her, going down on one knee. “What is going on?” She asked In a low voice. Soon, everybody followed suit. In a matter of minutes, the entire crowd was on its knees, bowing to her. Her eyes flicked to me and I too did the same gesture. Placing my hand on my
JasperI cleared my throat and looked down at the crowd of people who had come to witness the wedding. There had been no happy event or celebration in the palace after my birth.That day had been a day of celebration but Isadora had turned it into a nightmare. And after all those years, finally, we were having a moment to rejoice.But as I watched the hopeful eyes of the people surrounding me, I could not shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at me.I had to get rid of it. And the only way to do that was to be honest.For a confused moment, I stood on the stairs, looking at the excited faces of the people around me.My gaze flicked to my father and brothers, all of whom were smiling proudly at me.“Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?” I asked in a loud voice, turning even those heads that had been momentarily distracted while looking at the grandeur of the palace.“First of all, I would like to thank you all for being present today. Frankly, I did not expect so many of
JasperThe huge room suddenly felt too small and the air in the world did not seem enough to fill my lungs.Celia had spoken something, but I was too busy staring at her.My heartbeat was roaring in my ears as I took in her beauty that shone radiantly, nothing short of a thousand lanterns.Her face looked distraught and her eyes were red, her cheeks puffed up. Her makeup had smeared a little too.But despite that, she looked like an angel. A Goddess.I had only seen her in her usual gowns and training clothes, but this marvel…this was just for me.For a minute, I simply stood in front of her, drinking her features. How could she be so blissfully ignorant of what she was doing to me by just standing there in that beautiful dress?I took a step forward, and I saw a tear trickle down her eye.“Shh, don’t cry,” I said softly, reaching for her face and cupping it. And when I did, a surge of electricity rippled through me.My Lycan roared in my head, feeling exhilarated to see her all dolle
CeliaDread settled in my heart when Xenos and Nymeria revealed my life’s biggest secret. My whole life had been a lie?But then what about the people I grew up with thinking they were my parents?Nothing made sense anymore, and I only stared blankly at Xenos.“Is…is that true?”I asked, and he nodded. “There is a reason I never found the courage to tell you all of this earlier. And to be sure that I was not guessing it all wrong, I asked Nymeria to allow me to show her that memory, too. I touched her and with her permission, I looked through her memories…childhood memories, to be specific. There was no trace of me or Isadora in it.”My heart felt like it would break into a million pieces.“But then, how could I never do magic? I never sensed it and…and then why was I not able to fight her when she…she killed me?”I was sobbing hysterically and Nymeria’s face looked like she was cursing herself for ruining my day.She apologized over a thousand times that she did not want me to learn
Celia "Are you going to tell her, or should I?" Nymeria's question hung in the air like a storm cloud, casting a palpable tension in the room. I looked from Nymeria to Xenos, confusion and a growing sense of foreboding twisting in my chest. Their solemn expressions conveyed that something grave was afoot. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, my heart beginning to race. "Tell me what?" I pressed, my voice laced with unease. Xenos, usually a man of few words, hesitated for a moment. His eyes held mine for a second longer than I expected, and I could see a mix of guilt and apprehension in them. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, the weight of his unspoken words lingering in the room. Nymeria, her expression torn between sympathy and responsibility, finally broke the silence. "Celia, there's something you need to know." I felt a shiver crawl down my spine. The room, once filled with warmth and camaraderie, had now become suffocating with uncertainty. My thoughts raced as
CeliaThe grand lycan palace was alive with anticipation, every corner adorned with flowers and delicate decorations in celebration of our wedding day. Two weeks had passed in a blur since the night Jasper had proposed to me in front of my pack.And every day after that seemed like a dream to me. I would wake up and pinch myself, wondering if it was all my imagination.But it was true, every single moment of it…just like today.The air was thick with the sweet scent of blooming roses, and the palace echoed with laughter and the sound of joyous conversations.In my room, the one I used to live in before I moved in with Jasper, a sense of nervous excitement filled the room as I sat before a beautifully crafted vanity mirror, surrounded by my maids and my dear friend, Nymeria. Their skilled hands moved with grace, tending to every detail to transform me into the radiant bride I aspired to be.The maids began to braid my long, dark hair, weaving flowers and jewels into it.As their nimble
"Are you guys ever coming out?" Jasper called with a good-natured grin, standing a few paces away from the porch.He had his hands placed on the doorframe and looked at us with his eyes furrowed as he saw Vasil holding my hand which I gave a gentle squeeze.“Don’t forget what I told you. Think about it,” I added, looking at Vasil while getting up from the chair.Jasper folded his hands over his chest and asked, “What secret are you guys discussing?”Vasil too got up from his chair and gave my arm a light squeeze.“Of course. And just so you know, if he ever hurts you or makes you sad, you know where to find me.”“Ha ha ha, very funny, bloodsucker,” Jasper replied humorlessly and looked at me to indicate that he wanted me to come out of the room.Vasil outstretched his hand as if to say, “After you” and I looked at him with my eyes wide, “Why are you always mean to him?”Jasper grinned, “He tried to take you from me. Am I not great for letting him live?”Vasil, who was just behind me,
CeliaAs Jasper walked beside me, his very presence filled my being with warmth and comfort. His scent, a heady mixture of earthy woods and his own unique, intoxicating fragrance, enveloped me like a protective embrace. I observed him, my heart overflowing with gratitude for the incredible man who had become not just my love but my lifeline, my mate.Isadora had tricked me into believing Vasil was my mate but the true pull of the mate bond was poles apart from the confusion she had tried to insert in my head.It was as if whenever I saw Jasper, my heart filled with hope and the promise that if he was around, nothing would ever go wrong.Every time I recalled the way he had jumped up and down the floor when I called him my mate and the way he ran through the palace telling everyone excitedly that I was his mate, my eyes would grow moist.What had I ever done to deserve him? I barely tried to fight Isadora but he literally fought both the devil and the Goddess, just like he had promised