In a world torn apart by a centuries-old feud between vampires and wolves, two heirs of opposing clans-Adrian, the enigmatic vampire prince, and Ethan, the fiery wolf alpha-in-waiting-find their lives forever changed when they meet Elena, a human girl with the power to unite or destroy them. As love and rivalry ignite, Elena must navigate her feelings for both Adrian and Ethan while facing the dark secrets of their world. But when her mysterious bloodline is revealed, she becomes the target of both clans' leaders. With war looming and betrayal at every turn, can love truly conquer all?
Chapter 1
The scent of freshly cut grass and the distant hum of laughter filled the air as Adrian stepped out of his sleek black sports car, his dark sunglasses reflecting the glimmering university campus before him. With a sharp tug, he adjusted his tailored leather jacket, his presence commanding attention from passersby. His pale, flawless skin seemed almost luminescent under the sun-a detail he'd have to monitor carefully.
From the corner of the parking lot, another figure approached, his boots crunching against the gravel with deliberate slowness. Ethan, tall and broad-shouldered, carried an air of raw power, his piercing green eyes scanning the crowd with the intensity of a predator. His gray t-shirt and worn jeans made him seem approachable, but the air around him crackled with tension.
The two men locked eyes.
"Surprised you made it here without combusting, leech," Ethan growled, his voice low but sharp enough to cut.
Adrian smirked, lowering his sunglasses to reveal crimson eyes that seemed to burn. "Surprised they let mutts roam freely on campus. Should I alert animal control?"
Ethan took a step forward, his muscles tensing, fists clenching. The animosity between them was palpable, the weight of centuries of war threatening to erupt right there in the parking lot.
But before either could strike, a bell rang from across the quad, signaling the start of orientation.
Adrian adjusted his sunglasses and stepped past Ethan, whispering, "Try not to embarrass yourself, dog. This is supposed to be a civilized place."
Ethan snarled under his breath, his wolf clawing at the surface. He forced himself to turn away, his focus shifting to the task at hand: surviving among humans without drawing attention.
The university auditorium was packed with students, their excitement buzzing like static in the air. Adrian leaned against the back wall, observing the crowd with mild disinterest. His group of friends-fellow vampires-flanked him, their aloof demeanors masking their predatory instincts.
"Do we really have to stay for this?" asked Marcus, one of Adrian's oldest friends. His blue eyes scanned the humans with disdain. "This place reeks of sweat and cheap cologne."
Adrian chuckled. "Think of it as a test of our self-control, Marcus. Besides, blending in is part of the deal."
Meanwhile, across the room, Ethan sat with his pack. Unlike Adrian's group, the wolves exuded an air of barely contained aggression. Their energy was raw, primal, and distinctly out of place in the sterile university setting.
"We don't belong here," muttered Lucas, Ethan's right-hand man, his voice a low growl. "This is a human playground."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "We're here to prove a point. If vampires can play nice, so can we. Just... try not to eat anyone."
Lucas snorted but said nothing more.
The tension between the two groups simmered as the orientation dragged on, but it wasn't until the end of the session that the catalyst for chaos appeared.
"Excuse me," came a soft, melodic voice.
Adrian turned first, his heightened senses picking up on the sound before anyone else. She stood a few feet away, holding a crumpled piece of paper and looking adorably out of place.
Her dark, wavy hair framed a delicate face, her hazel eyes sparkling with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness. She wore a simple dress that hinted at elegance without trying too hard.
"I'm sorry, but can you help me find the literature building?" she asked, her gaze darting between Adrian and Ethan, who had also turned at the sound of her voice.
Adrian smiled, his signature charm slipping into place effortlessly. "Of course. The literature building is on the east side of campus. I'd be happy to walk you there."
Before Elena could respond, Ethan stepped forward, his presence instantly commanding. "Ignore him. There's a shortcut through the courtyard. I'll show you."
Elena blinked, caught off guard by the sudden competition between the two strikingly handsome men. "Oh... thank you. Both of you."
For a moment, the air crackled with unspoken animosity as Adrian and Ethan exchanged glares.
"Ladies first," Adrian said, gesturing grandly, though his eyes never left Ethan.
Ethan didn't respond. Instead, he led Elena out of the auditorium, leaving Adrian to follow at a distance, his jaw clenched in frustration.
That evening, Adrian stood on the balcony of his rented apartment, a glass of red wine in hand. The moonlight bathed him in silver, highlighting his sharp features and the faint glow of his eyes.
"She's different," he murmured to himself, swirling the wine absentmindedly.
Behind him, Marcus lounged on the couch, flipping through a textbook he had no intention of reading. "Who? The human girl from earlier?"
Adrian nodded.
Marcus scoffed. "She's human. Fragile. You'd break her if you so much as kissed her."
Adrian's lips curled into a smirk. "That's what makes her interesting. She's not like the others. There's... something about her."
Meanwhile, Ethan paced the forest edge, the cool night air doing little to calm his restless thoughts.
"Why are you so worked up?" Lucas asked, leaning against a tree.
Ethan didn't answer immediately. He stopped, staring up at the full moon.
"She's human," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And yet... I can't stop thinking about her."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You know that's dangerous, right? Humans don't belong in our world."
Ethan turned, his green eyes glowing faintly. "She's already in it."
Back at the campus library, Elena sat at a corner table, flipping through her class schedule. The day had been overwhelming, but two faces kept flashing in her mind-Adrian's smooth charm and Ethan's raw intensity.
"What's wrong with me?" she muttered, shaking her head.
Unbeknownst to her, both Adrian and Ethan watched from separate corners of the room, their supernatural senses attuned to her every move.
For the first time in years, their rivalry extended beyond clan politics.
This was personal.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
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."
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!