This is a four book series about the Grey men and the battles they fight to keep peace in the supernatural world, the women they love, the price they pay for their actions and the losses they face. It is a tale of blood, intrigue, revenge and doing what they have to do to keep their loved ones safe.
For hundreds of years we have lived in secret. We no longer live in fear of humans or hunters, witches have magic that can hurt anyone, but like any supernatural being, we try to live in peace with all beings even when there's no threat, we still don't relish revealing ourselves to everyone.
At the age of seventeen your beast awakens, on the first blood moon after your birthday a ceremony is held and only the Elders are present to witness which beast chooses you. It is a sacred ceremony that we all look forward to. Our senses awaken from the age of fourteen with enhanced hearing, eyesight, smell, healing and strength.
Up until the age of seventeen we are all equal and depending on the beast you get your rank within the lair will determine your future. Sires usually get an indigo beast and rarely a violet one. A violet beast is the strongest one and you are feared and revered when you are blessed with one.
Blue beasts are usually a sign that you will be a good second commander or just second in command of the liar, like the co-captain. Green beasts are specialized, they become doctors, trackers, investigators and so forth.
Yellow beasts are soldiers or warriors. They protect the lair and the members that live within that community. They will be in charge of the territory, training and even personalized protection for certain members of a higher ranking.
Orange and red beasts are the workers of the community and the weakest of our kind. They are usually the cooks, cleaners, butlers, drivers and so forth. Every person has a place within a lair and the happiness and wealth of your lair depends on your Sire. If you have a good Sire then your lair will prosper.
Every species has their rotten fruit, the bad apples of the group and we are no exception to that. The Elders decide everything, they make the laws, visit different lairs, all crimes are reported to them, and everything is decided by them.
Their word is the law and no matter what rank you have, they have the power to make you bend to their will. They are strong and fierce and they have no friends. They have allies and sometimes just sometimes the bad apple is an Elder. They are rarely put down even if they are bad.
Like all species we have bonded halves, it doesn't really matter and many of us have been bonded to humans over the years. My mother was half-human and that makes me a halfling. Basically we are all halflings as our ancestors were also bonded with other species. We weren't prejudiced when it came to a bonded half because your other half makes you better.
The bond works the same for all of us. It starts with a smell, your other half's smell is something only you can smell. Usually you complete the bond ceremony by mixing your blood. This bond is for life or rather until death separates you. You can complete the bond or you can choose not to complete the bond, it doesn't really matter.
Although, why would you not want to complete the bond? That person is your other half, the best fit for you, the person that will make you happier than anybody else can. By choosing a partner rather than sticking with the one fate gifted you, you'll be happy, but you won't be as strong or as complete as you should be.
Any beast can be bonded. Bonds are aware of ranks although some beasts reject a bond with a beast that is of a lower rank than they are, but that's just ridiculous. Every person has his own strengths and weaknesses no matter what your rank. You could be a Sire and be a total dickhead or a worker with a heart of gold.
When the bonding ceremony is completed the female will bear a mark on the left side of her neck which is a replica of the male's beast. It can only be seen by those that are born with the blood of the beast and it will also change the woman's rank to that of the man.
It sounds sexist, I know, but within our species men are stronger, the providers and protectors. Women are the caregivers and nurturers. Most men tend to become warriors while most women train to be nurses and doctors, it is just within our nature to be this way.
Yes, there are female warriors, good ones too, we're not prejudiced and any beast can attain any rank except that of Sire and Second Commander. Your beast will change in color as your rank changes within your lair and we do this by ceremony.
We don't follow conventional human laws although we are respectful of their laws and every year we hold ceremonies for unbonded beasts to attend in the hopes of meeting their other halves. Only unbonded youths attend until you reach the age of twenty-three. If you haven't met your other half by then you are free to choose your own half but not before then unless you reject your bonded half.
Our house was situated on a slight hill overlooking the houses of our lair's members that scattered through half the town below us. My family controlled the upper side of Aurora and Joseph McIntyre controlled the lower side.
Joseph McIntyre and my father had been friends up until their own Sire Ceremony when my father was gifted with a violet beast and Joseph with an indigo beast. He was jealous and he had also been in love with my mother.
He had rejected his bonded half and waited for my mother to turn eighteen. He'd planned to claim her when she recognized the bond with my father and a new power couple was recognized. They were happy and in love, they loved each other fiercely and us. He was a good man and I wanted to be exactly like him.
Life doesn't always work out as you plan it and after their deaths I shied away from my normal social circle and Jax and I stuck with Rev and Preston, two new families that joined our lair from the North three years earlier and we all bonded instantly. I knew they would each die for me, loyal to a fault and they were my best friends.
Most people call us a gang but for us it was a lifestyle. On my eighteenth birthday I'll step up and ascend the seat that my father left behind and take control of everything. My top priority though are my sisters and I would protect them with my life.
I was sixteen when my parents died, Christina or Chris as she preferred to be called had been fifteen and Hannah had been nine. My sisters were my everything and I loved them completely and I was very protective over them.
The door to my bedroom opened slowly, creaking softly but I kept my eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. I heard the soft footsteps as they crept closer to my bed and I fought the urge to open my eyes. I felt the mattress dip slightly as a weight pressed down on it.
"Happy birthday, Lucas!" she screamed as she jumped on me.
I grabbed her in a bear hug as she knocked the wind out of me and started tickling her. She was laughing and squealing as she tried to pry my arms loose from around her. I pinned her down on the bed and hovered above her.
"What's the first rule?" I asked her as she caught her breath.
"Never enter your bedroom without knocking," she said in between her laughs.
"And what's the punishment for breaking my rules?"I asked her.
"To be your slave for a week!"she yelled as I started tickling her again. "But it's your birthday!"
"You have a point there, kiddo,"I said as I released her and she jumped off my bed quickly.
"Martha's already announced breakfast,"she squealed as she ran away.
I groaned as I got out of bed and made my way into the bathroom to shower and change. I was seventeen today. I looked at myself in the mirror as I got out of the shower and noticed the faint black and blue around my eye. My lip was still split open from yesterday's training session and my ribs were cracked.
I'd be healed by tomorrow if I didn't get a good pounding after school today. Every day for the last year, my uncle, Jesse Sterling, has been training me for one thing only, taking over as Sire of our lair. Jesse was my father's Second in Command and like my second father. One year ago to the day my parents died and I had to grow up pretty quickly. My sisters needed me and my own mourning was pushed aside to be there for them.
Jesse had taken guardianship of us and we remained living in our house with all the privileges we were accustomed to. My father had many business interests that Jesse still controlled and we each had a trust fund. I trusted Jesse with my life and his son, Jax Sterling, was the brother I never had.
I wasn't the greatest person, but I was me. I was the future Sire of this lair and I would do everything within my power to protect my people, all of my people. I had no qualms about killing or shedding blood, it was part of my being, as much as I was.
We were the Grey children and I had every intention of fulfilling my father's legacy. My own destiny called out to me too and it's intertwined with the legacy he left me. Everything I do, every decision I make is to keep our family together and the lair safe. I realized that my parents death was not accidental as I started reading his journals.
I'm Lucas Grey and I vowed to avenge my parents' murder.
Three years ago, Cecilia was left battered and alone by the man she loved most, Alston, yet she bravely completed the wedding ceremony while pregnant. Three years later, although they were married, they grew apart over time. Cecilia focused on her career, no longer foolishly believing in love. But her transformation instantly threw Alston into a panic... And what is the secret from 11 years ago that Cecilia has always been reluctant to reveal? *** "She went to a law firm, met with a lawyer..." A lawyer? Is Cecilia suing someone? Who? Is there any recent litigation against the company? Alston suddenly chuckled coldly, "Who could she sue? I'm the CEO of this company. How come such a matter doesn't come to me first?" The assistant swallowed nervously, speaking softly, "Sir, there's no litigation against the company. She met with... a divorce lawyer."
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?