I never felt like something was missing in my life, not until the only friend I had left to start a journey in which she wanted to discover her own essence and history. It had become clear in the ugliest way that she had relied too much on her company over the years. She needed to go my own way, create my own story and find myself. But then, unknowingly, one call changed my life completely, and I was brutally thrown into a virgin and detailed world where creatures that had only been in fiction and movies were now in front of me and it felt very real. And one of them was coming after me. A werewolf, Lycanthrope, from myth and folklore of old. He said that I was his. He said he was coming for me. A lifetime pact from which he could not escape. So there was only one thing left for me to do. Run. Ciran said that he would not stop until he found me, until he left his mark on my neck, and more than that. He said that he would go to the ends of the world to make me his companion in every way. He would have a big chase on his hands, because he wasn't going to make this easy for him. That was my plan until everything changed and someone else was after us.
Ciran
I was not a man. Not even close to being a human, but something else, more powerful than that. Deadly. The strongest creature from Otherworld known to walk the planet.
Mine.
The distorted growl of my inner Lycanthrope reverberated through my skull, my body energized with force, my focus sharper than ever in the more than two and a half centuries I'd walked this world.
It was his voice that made my inner beast rise up in a way I had never felt or experienced before, causing pain I couldn't have imagined. I thought she was strong before, but hearing her voice made it exponentially, like I harbored a hundred thousand werewolves inside of me, and would destroy anything or anyone who thought to push her away or get in my way.
My hand would go up by itself as it grabbed my shirt, right over my heart. The organ was revving up, hitting something painful and fierce as I got closer to the source of the most enchanting and beautiful sound I had ever heard.
And then I was standing there, looking at Blaine's partner as I held up a cell phone and walked around the interior, showing off the wealth and luxury of the Scottish Lycanthrope King's estate.
My inner animal pushed and clawed forward. I felt my eyes sparkle as he took over.
She was ours, we had found her.
Enid
"For the record, this is a fucking stupid idea." The words came out of me and Daira started to laugh, but I could tell that she was going through just as difficult a time as I was.
My best friend. My sister by choice, not by blood. We had always supported each other. We had to, because as orphans that we were, we had had to face this ugly and unpleasant world alone from the beginning.
Having been pushed into the foster system at a young age, I had to learn early on that either you got stronger or you would always be seen as weak. And I would never be like that. I would never let my circumstances dictate who and what she was or how she would shape my future.
And so, even though I was heartbroken that Daira was going to Scotland and trying to figure out her future and her past, I wanted her to succeed just as much as if I were the one embarking on a new adventure.
So I stayed there and said goodbye, but it wasn't forever. It was to make life better for her, to find her way...to make sense of it. A part of me wished that I had something to find, search for, connect with.
So even though I didn't have an amazing journey to go on, one where I knew Daira would succeed, where she would find that future she desperately wanted, I told myself that she too would get what she always wanted.
One day, somehow, I would get my own happily ever after. She didn't know when, why, or how...but she was going to make it, no matter what, if it was the last thing she did.
One day. Twenty four hours. A little over fourteen hundred minutes.
That is the time that Daira had gone on the greatest adventure of her life. And what was I doing meanwhile? Lying in bed and listening to the life of the city that should have woken up after a long night, but the truth was that this stupid damned city never slept, never did. There was no downtime, no silence. It was always chaotic and stormy.
But lying here in my semi-darkened bedroom looking up at the stained and chipped ceiling of my apartment one step above a shack solidified the feeling that I was truly alone for the first time since Daira had entered my house. I felt that feeling of: yes, that's life.
I felt this gnawing hole in the center of my chest and a cold hard slap of the inescapable truth hit me on the head as I realized that I could have been using Daira as some kind of crutch, an anchor, a life jacket. ...heck, the foundation of the house that supported my whole fucking life.
I tried to block out the sounds of early morning city life right outside my apartment window, but to no avail. It was incredibly noisy because the cheap windows were paper thin. But I couldn't complain too much. It had a good view, even if it was just a side street and a bunch of professional buildings. I knew the tenants on the other side of the building had a shitty view, one that spanned the entire width of the complex and blocked all those windows. Bad for them.
"It could be worse, so stop complaining. It's been worse,'' I complained. I closed my eyes and rubbed them with the palms of my hands. She was tired to the bone, but she couldn't sleep at all. After coming home late from work, I managed for a few hours, but I had broken down, restless, and now I couldn't even pray for any sleep.
I had been having sleepless bouts for the past few nights, as if there was something inside me brewing, ready to explode out. I couldn't describe it, couldn't even mention the precise problem that might be troubling me. Maybe it was just all those nerves and anxiety about Daira's departure on her trip that they had that way.
Or maybe it was a message from my body finally telling me that I needed a big change in my life.
She had worked in the service industry since she was very early sixteen years old and had been saving every penny she could ever since, for the last seven years, to go to school and get a degree in history. But the classes here and there that I had been able to take made it very clear that this dream, my specific dream, would take more time than I ever wanted.
But it would happen. I would make sure of that.
I opened my eyes and felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Daira in Scotland; then I quickly hated myself for being a mean bitch and feeling anything but pure happiness for her. She deserved it more than anyone. And I also. And one day I would have that adventure too.
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"