For over a hundred years, the human town has provided the next mate for the reigning beasts and this year, a bride is required. Paisley and Nevaeh are from the family mandated to provide the next bride for the reigning beast. Nevaeh has been selected as the eldest daughter while Paisley is engaged to a man she loves. What happens when Nevaeh runs away the night before her collection and Paisley is asked to go in place of her sister to be the bride of the beast.
A shrill scream filled the silent night. It was nothing to Waylen at this point. The forest was filled with thousands of screams almost every second. At every minute, there was a fallen hero. The grasses were wet and not from the rains. The blood of the fallen coated every inch of the ground.
Waylen jumped over a body as he ran. He had no care for his life again. The singular thought in his head was to get to his wife. He left her behind when he heard the enemy was in the village, he dropped all and went for his wife. She was his world and he could not continue living if something happened to her.
The village looked even worse than the forest. Bodies were scattered everywhere. The houses were burning and the little children who had been spared were crying. He should stop and console them. Get them to safety. Assure them that everything was going to be alright but he just couldn't.
He saw his home come into sight and he pushed himself further. He ignored the burn in his ribs as he stopped at the front door. The doors were open but no sound came from within.
"Salma... my love where are you" there was no response from her. At this point, he wished he was one of the beasts. Her scent would have led him to her but unfortunately, he was human and he had to keep searching until he was able to find her.
His bedroom was the first place he checked. It was empty. He ran down the corridor and checked his children's room. They were all empty.
Where could she be? He was panicking at this point. Praying silently that the beasts didn't take her.
He heard a soft cry and followed it. The sight he met in the kitchen will forever haunt him. His wife lay lifeless, a giant hole in her stomach. Their four-year-old daughter sitting and staring in the distance. The word mama fell continuously from her lips.
"Salma" his voice broke. He fell to his knees taking her bloody hands in his. He was too late. His wife was gone. The tears fell freely from his eyes. He was supposed to protect her and take care of her.
Their little girl was unmoving. Her head kept replaying the images of her mother's death. She was hidden behind the cupboard and could do nothing but stare as her mother was murdered.
It was only after the men were gone that she crawled out of her hiding place and sat beside her mother.
After sitting beside her corpse for a long hour, he grabbed his daughter and kept her locked in a room. He went for his sword immediately after. The beasts will feel his wrath. He stormed out of the house. Tearing through any beast on his part. He had a single goal. Kill Gael. The leader of the beasts.
He came upon their dwelling and stopped at the sight he met. The proud warrior beast held his dead mate in his arms. His cries were loud, heart-wracking sobs that shook his mighty frame. Something moved in Waylen's heart, his sword dropping from his hands making a loud clatter on the ground. Gael's eyes raised at the sound and met his.
The beast only stared at him. He had no desire to fight anymore.
"We've been so foolish," he said with a humorless chuckle.
"We've killed for nothing. Look at us now"
Waylen said nothing and just looked at the man. A few beasts came into the area. They paid no attention to Waylen. Either they didn't see him or their entire focus was on their leader who held his dead mate.
"I won't fight anymore. It's either we end this war today or you kill me now"
"I don't want to fight anymore," Waylen said and the beasts shifted their attention to him.
He had lost the most important person in his life because of the war. A lot of his people were gone too. The war won't bring about any change. Just stagnation and more deaths. It was time to put an end to it.
With that, Waylen turned his back on the beasts and walked away from their land.
The survivors in the village looked to him for direction.
"The war has come to an end. Let us bury our own and rebuild our village" the announcement was met with a lot of cheers.
And so the rebuilding began. The dead were buried and slowly, the villagers began to move on.
In the fourth month after the end of the war, Gael visited the small village. The humans watched him in surprise as he walked through the village and to their leader's house.
Waylen was even more surprised to see the man in his office. He reached for his small knife under the table but Gael stopped him.
"There is no need for that. I come in peace" he lifted his hands in surrender and Waylen relaxed.
"Why are you here?"
"I want us to draw up a treaty. Since our war has ended and we silently agreed to live in peace, I think it's only right that we have a treaty that protects our people"
Waylen nodded in agreement. "My people will no longer hurt your people and your people will not hurt mine"
"Agreed. You...."
"Papa?" A small voice called from the doorway interrupting Gael. He turned to look at the small girl with wide blue eyes. The little girl's eyes traveled from her father to the strange man.
"Lucretia. I told you to stay in your room" her father scolded lightly.
"I had a bad dream," she said in a small voice.
"Go back to your room" he snapped at the little girl. She turned away but not before Gael saw the tears in her eyes.
The treaty was finalized and Gael returned to his land.
For six generations, the treaty remained in place. The two species lived together in harmony until the reigning human leader, Carwyn murdered the mate of the reigning beast.
The beast went on a rampage, killing everyone and everything in his path.
Tue treaty was destroyed and the beasts began to terrorize the humans. The humans now lived in fear of the beasts.
Pushed by his advisors, Carwyn tries to make amends. In a letter addressed to the beasts, he stated that;
'The human village will provide a female for the reigning beast'
The beasts accept their offer.
And so it began. The choosing of females. A family will be selected to provide for the female and when the girl comes of age, she would be sent to the Beasts as a mate.
The villagers were against this development but nothing could change it. The girls who refused to go were dragged forcefully by the human guards to the borders where the beasts would pick them up.
The girls taken were never seen again and the rumors started. It was whispered that the beasts killed the girls and disposed of the bodies.
Each family dreaded the choice. For they were scared to lose their daughters and even more scared of the consequences that would follow if they failed to provide a mate for the beast.
Anna loses her parents and brother to the greed of her uncle. She runs away and lives as a rogue until she stumbles upon the land of the King. She is brought to the king and kept in the castle as a slave for trespassing. While working as a maid, she plots an escape so she can go back for revenge on her uncle and those who took part in the murder of her parents. But then she finds out the king is her mate and does want to let her out of his sight or accept her. Throw in envious women and obsessed men, and Anna fights her way through a series of temptations and trials to finally get her revenge and be with her mate.
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
After a devastating divorce with the man she had been married to for over three years, Rachel thought her life was over. Her family disowned her, they wanted nothing to do with her anymore and she couldn't blame them. She had just divorced David Hart, one of the top successful bachelors in the country and heir to the Hart industries. But they would never understand that she didn't divorce him, he divorced her after she caught him cheating on her with her god-damned best friend! Rachel was just about to end everything by jumping off a bridge when she was saved by the most unexpected person. The boy she once bullied severally in highschool because he always wore ugly glass and was from a poor background, how come that glass make him so hot now? Why was he helping her get revenge on ex-husband who is trying to make her life even more miserable? And most important how did he get so handsome? What exactly does he want from her? ... No, you must want something, anything. If you can really help me get revenge on David and Lana, I can't just let you do it for free". Ethan went quiet for a while. I held my breath waiting for what his request might be. If it was something money could buy, I'll try my best to get it for him even though I was somehow broke right now. "You're right I do want something". He said after thinking for few minutes "What?" I asked slowly. " Until you get your revenge on David, Lana and every other person you want, you will live here". Live here as in...? " Wha... What are you saying? ". I stammered hoping he wasn't saying what I thought he was saying. I tried to step back but I missed a step and almost fell on the bed but Ethan caught me holding me in his muscular arms. Ethan moved his face closer to mine be was so close, our nose almost touched. " I want you to be with me! ".
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
Vanessa was about to get engaged when she discovered that her groom-to-be was cheating on her with her own sister. Instead of creating a scene, she went to the club and hired the most desirable gigolo she found. After a wild night of passion, she gave him a generous check. "Thanks. I may require your services in the future." The gigolo was mad at her for being heartless, but Vanessa dismissed his words as an attempt to get her attention. It was only later, when she had to seek out the renowned Mr. Fuller to help with her business, that she realized the man she had slept with was no gigolo at all.
"The entire wealthy circle in Seattle knew how much Stella Carlson loved Aaron Malone. People watched the childhood sweethearts grow from inexperience to maturity, finally getting married in a grand wedding ceremony. On the day of the wedding, despite the alliance between the Carlson and Malone families, the groom ran away. Stella knew that Aaron had rushed to L.A. to take care of his ex-girlfriend, who had attempted suicide. Unwilling to become the laughingstock of all Seattle, she gritted her teeth and dialed the number of her adversary, her tone almost commanding, "Ethan, come and marry me now. This is your only chance for revenge." On the other end, Ethan Powers raised an eyebrow as he gripped his phone, staring at the floor littered with cigarette butts. "Did the groom run away?" he asked. "My darling."