Dark brown eyes stared down at Talia(FL), his scent a burning crimson, mixed with a vile smell of ashwood. His fist clenched as it revealed a streamline of veins. One could see the dark red blood coursing through it. His face beamed red with bloodlust, veins appearing at the top of his head. Rage had gotten hold of him, but rage towards who? Jarek Ashenpaw(Father of FL), leader and alpha of the Wildwood Coven, father of Talia, and mate to the beautiful Freya, whose eyes shone with a soft silver-blue colour that could calm the tempest of the sea- who had no doubt passed down her physical attributes unto her daughter Talia. Lord Ashenpaw had come down with a fury. Never had it been known for a werewolf of eighteen to not have had a transformation, but this was the fate of Talia. A failed prodigy, a disgrace to the coven, a weak seed. These were the words resounding in the ears of the Alpha. He cursed the goddess for giving him a weakling, one who could not transform. Who would take reign of his kingdom when he was no longer there troubled his mind.
Talia's POV
I could feel the layers of my skin being ripped part by part; I screeched at the top of my voice at the agonising pain; I could feel my ribs crack as the he-wolf sunk his teeth right down my ribs.
The crack had sent signals down my body as I lost breath down my right ribs.
I had stopped screaming and started gasping. I swung my hands through midair like one buried underwater.
The little breath I had left was used to call my father, but there he stood motionless as I lost consciousness.
I was five years old when this gruesome event took place, and its memory-a glue on my mind.
**Five years later.**
"Dad, where are we going?" I asked.
It was foolish of me to expect a reply and more foolish still to ask such a question. It was now a normal routine every year for the last five years.
Dad took my hands with a firm grip as he led me through the forest.
I had known of the fate awaiting me in the dungeon in the forest. A fully transformed wolf was waiting, ready to pounce on me.
What father had the moon goddess bestowed upon me? I still held the scars from years ago. The pain had become a companion of mine.
My dad had thought that me in the paws of another wolf would trigger my wolf form, and I would transform; little did he know that made me more distant from my other side.
****
"Talia, wake up, it's your eighteenth birthday." Lyra, my younger sister called out.
What was the point of a birthday, I thought to myself. A reject in the family and Coven. What's worse was that I was the daughter of an alpha and supposed future leader of the pack.
Who would accept a leader who has no contact with her wolf form? A jest I was. Scorned throughout the realm, and my mate.
Nothing was more painful than constantly being dismissive in front of my mate. Immediately, I fell off my bed.
"Damn the goddess I hate that pull." I jerked.
It's like one's body moving against one's will while one is conscious. The muscle of my hair follicle had been aroused and all hairs on my body were on full alert.
Dorian was outside. He had come from HighGarden; the territory of the Silver Moon Pack. He was their leader and Alpha, that is, until when my father fought his father on the night of the Lunar Uprising, reducing his Alpha status to an Omega.
"Had he come to see his mate?" my mind raced.
Immediately my legs took me on a quick pace. I was surprised to see how quickly I could get dressed and down the stairs I flew.
On getting there, I had seen him conversing strongly with my father. If only I had my wolf hearing, I could tell of what had brought him kilometres away to CastlyRock.
All the goddess had blessed me with was a bond so fierce the base of my soul had felt another's.
There he was, in a black tuxedo. A 6'3 with broad shoulders and strong masculine features.
His long black hair rested on his shoulders, a jawline face with a protruding nose, and his lips red as blood.
His eyes were dark as the night his stares would send fear down the spine of those who were bold enough to look at him.
I cursed the goddess again for giving me such a mate and cursed her still for giving me one who was that dismissive.
Not that I would blame him for avoiding me. Who would want a mate unable to access her wolf form?
His side eyes caught mine before leaving. He gave a nod to my father as he turned his back, shoulders on high as he took a walk of pride down his car escort.
"Goddess, what a man," I said to myself, unaware of my little sister lurking behind me.
Father was furious, pacing up and down his study. I had seen the rage on his face and immediately recognised it.
The last time he was that furious was when I was fifteen years old when he had left me to the fate of the goddess.
But this was different, something had taken a grip on his mind. His fur was protruding out of his body as he struggled to maintain control.
Whatever message Dorian had relayed had caused an upset so deep he had thrown his gaze at me.
Immediately, I recoiled when his wolf eyes, yellowish in colour, had landed on me. By the goddess, what was it?
****
"Meet me at the Celestial Nexus. A vehicle is waiting for you at the crossroads."
"Don't waste my time." Dorian had called.
The bond given to us by the goddess had not only bound our souls but had also given us the ability to communicate with each other non-verbally.
Not that he had frequently made use of this only when he had a message to relay.
"Why on earth had he chosen the Celestial Nexus to meet me?" I questioned.
My mind had been racing as feelings of uneasiness had settled on me. His immediate call after he left our home had me confused as to what his intentions were.
Although I wanted to ignore his call I couldn't. His voice had run through my body, commanding every muscle in them.
The only thing I was left with was my emotions of fear and agitation. I found myself moving quickly at his command while my mind was in a state of stagnation, wondering what this could all be about.
His message, my father's fury, and his unexpected command. What in the heavens was going on?
A black Mercedes was waiting for me at the crossroads near my home.
"Evening Miss Ashenpaw, please get in." Said Derek.
Derek, Dorian's Beta and right-hand man. Unlike Dorian whose hair was black, Derek had Silvery hair.
His rolled-up sleeves revealed his muscular arms and detailed tattoos. His form was larger than that of Dorian one would assume him to be the Alpha.
He had similar features to Dorian. The jawline face and dark eyes that sunk to the back of his head revealed a terrifying yet distinguishable beautiful face.
Most times he was mistaken to be Dorian's big brother, though his attitude with that of Dorian's had differ.
He was gentle to me. One would take him for an easy man if only he wasn't Dorian's Beta.
"Evening Derek," I responded. Any idea what's going on? I asked.
Silent was his reply as he shut the door behind me and proceeded to drive off.
"Could you at least tell me why my mate has decided to call me up to God's eye?" I fumed.
Again, he ignored me.
My pulse was heating up as the car sped. My vision had gotten blurry as my mind was in an erratic state. The trees had slowed down as the green colour had seemed brighter than before.
Soon movements and figures began appearing before me. I knew I was hallucinating.
I hadn't eaten anything throughout the day. My stomach churned with great annoyance. I could feel a twist in my intestines as though they had become entangled with each other.
Hours upon hours, we drove, ascending the terrain and making our way towards the Celestial Nexus.
The closer we got towards God's eye, the closer I could feel the pull towards Dorian. Slowly life was reabsorbed into my body as the energy from him had brought me back to my senses.
And suddenly our vehicle came to a halt. The door had been opened by Derek, and I could feel the winds, strong and fierce.
Darkness was everywhere except the little light the moon goddess could give. Whatever this meeting was about, it wasn't so he could see his mate.
I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks, the fierce breath of the air was enough to send anyone flying through the sky.
Why on earth had he chosen this place of all places to meet? I questioned. The closer I got, and there I saw him standing close to the edges of the ridge.
Mixed with the blood of two sworn enemies, Astrid was born a half-wolf and half-vampire, with both types of blood remaining dormant. She had spent her life as an outcast, despised by her kind. But destiny had drawn her into the halls of Yormsborg, where a world of secrets and betrayal was unveiled before her. Fated to the Alpha King, her presence ignites chaos. Brooding war and conspiracies, she and Sebastian must stand together and fight the treachery within and from enemies beyond. But when the chaos and the bloodline are revealed, Astrid must embrace the blood in her before everything she loves is lost. Will she be able to overcome her adversity? And will love to defy fate?
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
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!”
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."