Novels by Celestine S

The chaos slowly sank into silence as Lyra was dragged away, while Rowan stayed where he was, surrounded by guards on alert.Sharp anxiety crept through Selina as she watched Rowan. His face was cold, stripped of all emotion, while two guards held Lyra tight. Lyra screamed hysterically, begging to be let go. Tears streamed down her face as her nails clawed at the guards gripping her arms.“Let me go!” Lyra screamed in desperation.Alaric ran toward her, trying to help, but before he could reach Lyra, three more guards grabbed him. He struggled hard, throwing all his strength into getting closer to her, but it was useless.“Alaric, help me, Alaric!” Lyra cried, reaching for him.“Kill her!” someone in the crowd shouted. Within seconds, the cry spread, and everyone was yelling the same thing.Lyra’s face drained of color. She staggered back two steps, terror filling her eyes, but the guards held her in place.“No!” Alaric shouted. “Raven, save her. I’m begging you!” he wailed, his voice

Thorne’s friends suddenly fell silent when they noticed someone behind them. Selina did not get the chance to turn around and see who it was before a very familiar voice spoke. It was Dorian.“The party’s already started,” Dorian said casually as he walked toward Thorne.Selina stepped away from Thorne and moved to stand beside Raven, letting out a quiet breath of relief. In front of them, Dorian hugged his father and wished him a happy birthday. Thorne returned the hug and murmured his thanks, while Dorian began greeting the other guests, including Raven and Selina.Dorian’s gaze lingered on Selina a little longer than it should have. Almost on reflex, Raven wrapped an arm around Selina’s waist and pulled her closer in a possessive gesture. Dorian only gave a thin smile before looking away.The interaction unsettled Selina, but she kept herself composed.“I’ve heard a lot about the pack members and how much Raven contributed during the virus crisis,” one of Alpha Thorne’s friends sai

On the day of Alpha Thorne’s birthday party, the house felt warm and thick with anticipation.“You look stunning,” Raven said, wrapping his arms around Selina from behind and brushing a kiss against her ear.Selina smiled. “You’re such a charmer, handsome,” she replied, giving him a playful wink.Whether it was the pregnancy or her overflowing love for Raven, Selina felt more flirtatious than ever. And Raven clearly enjoyed it.Raven turned her around in his arms. Those blue eyes slowly traced her from head to toe, darkening as they lingered.“You’re so beautiful. I want to devour you,” he murmured, sending Selina back to memories that made her cheeks warm.She shook her head and slipped out of his embrace. “We’re almost late,” she said, fixing her hair one last time before grabbing her bag.When she turned, she caught Raven staring at her back with far too much focus.“Raven,” Selina cleared her throat. His dark blue eyes widened slightly.“What? You’re mine. I have every right to en

The baby clothing brand was clearly visible inside the shopping bag. There was no way Alaric missed it. His face remained blank, but the look in his eyes betrayed shock and a deep, buried pain.A sudden wave of fear seized Selina’s chest. She instinctively wanted to step back, but Raven quickly placed his hand on her lower back, holding her in place.Selina swallowed and lowered her gaze. Her mind dragged her back to that horrific night, the night Alaric killed her child. He had not stopped, no matter how desperately she begged. She had told him she was pregnant, that she could lose the baby, but Alaric had not cared at all.Raven gave a short nod when Alaric approached them.“Congratulations,” Alaric said. He stopped at a cautious distance, his eyes fixed on Selina. That stare sent anxiety creeping all the way into her bones.Fear and unease wrapped tightly around Selina. She did not know why, but a strong instinct told her this man could harm her baby. The past had left a scar far d

Selina kissed Raven’s cheek while he helped her fasten her seat belt. The car eased out of the parking lot, leaving a warm, comfortable silence between them.“You look happy,” Raven said with an easy smile, his voice relaxed.Selina nodded, her face bright. She caught the smile on Raven’s lips, and it made her wonder about his meeting with her father.“I am. What about you? Are you okay?” she asked softly. Her hand slid over his on the gear shift.Raven squeezed her fingers, brushed a quick kiss over the back of her hand, then rested it on her thigh.“I’m fine,” he said, his voice rough.“Was he angry?” Selina asked quietly. Her chest ached at the thought that the grandfather of their baby might already be upset before the child was even born. In her mind, a familiar fear surfaced, that Raven’s relationship with their child might one day mirror what she had seen between Alaric and his own family.“He has no right to be angry,” Raven said firmly. “Don’t worry about him, sweetheart. For

A few days passed, and Raven kept taking care of Selina as if she were a child who might trip at any second.Selina did not blame him. Raven was just too worried about her. He did not want Selina or their baby to get hurt. Everything felt sweet and warm, but when they were on campus, Raven could not get close to her in front of everyone. So he watched from a distance, checking on her through their mental bond whenever he could.Strong hands suddenly grabbed Selina’s waist, and a pair of arms wrapped around her. Raven rested his face in the curve of her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin.“What are you doing?” he asked.“Making chicken pasta,” Selina replied. A soft moan slipped from her lips when Raven licked her neck.“I’m hungry,” Raven murmured, kissing her skin.“Two more minutes. It’s almost done. Can you set the table? Ahh, Raven, I’m not food,” Selina scolded, glancing sideways when he suddenly bit her.Raven just smiled like an idiot. “You are my food. After dinner, I’ll

Epilogue The garden at the Hale estate was filled with life and warmth, something that would have been impossible to imagine a year ago. Strings of colorful lights hung between the trees. A long table overflowed with simple but tempting food. At the center of it all stood a lion-shaped cake. It leaned a little to one side, but it had been made with love by Grandma Karen. At the heart of that small universe, on a soft blanket, lay Ethan, a six-month-old baby lion. He was dressed in a fuzzy costume with a hood and tiny ears, making him look like a cub ready to roar. He tried to crawl toward anything shiny, dragging his chubby body forward with a determination that filled Tessa’s chest with pride. Tessa looked around, taking it all in slowly. Karen sat in a garden chair, watching Ethan with open affection, a softness that even smoothed out the usually sharp lines of her face. Not far away, Tyler and Jack were busy with their own task. Tyler was trying to add another string of lights to

Nathan managed to get Ethan to sleep in just a few minutes. The small body went completely limp, warm and heavy against his shoulder. He let out a quiet breath of relief. At least one small mission had gone right tonight.Moving with extreme care, Nathan entered the bedroom. Every step was controlled, nearly silent, so he would not wake the baby sleeping on his shoulder or the woman who was supposed to be resting on the bed. He lowered Ethan gently into the crib, made sure he was positioned comfortably, then pulled the cotton blanket Tessa had chosen up to the baby’s chest.The exhaustion hit him the moment he straightened up. His bones felt heavy, but there was a quiet sense of satisfaction underneath it. The plan was simple. Get back into bed, slide under the covers, feel Tessa’s warmth, then sleep, even if it was only for a few hours.But when he turned around, his chest tightened.Tessa was not lying down.She was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her face was tense with pain, one h

Tessa was drifting in a dark, soothing layer of sleep when a cry pierced through her awareness. It was loud but fragile at the same time, like it was calling out and demanding attention all at once. Her brow furrowed, her breathing shifted slightly. She was not fully awake, but her heart recognized the sound instantly.It was Ethan crying. Her son.Even at just one week old, Tessa was already certain her baby had the strongest voice she had ever heard. Even half-asleep, her maternal instinct kicked in, urging her body to move.The room was dim. Moonlight slipped softly through the window, casting faint shadows along the walls. Tessa’s body felt heavy, exhaustion still clinging to every joint. The C-section incision made her hesitate to get up too quickly. She was just about to shift when she heard quiet movement beside the bed.She did not open her eyes. She only felt the mattress dip slightly, then the warmth next to her disappear. In her not-quite-conscious state, she knew exactly w

Tessa’s entire body felt light, as if it no longer had any weight. Darkness wrapped around her, but in the middle of that silence, one sound cut through clearly. A constant beeping that pierced her ears. She did not know what the sound was. She did not know where she was.With great effort, Tessa forced her eyes open. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy. The bright light in the room blinded her for a moment before her vision slowly came into focus.And that was when she saw him.Nathan was there.He sat in a chair beside her bed, his body leaning forward, his head resting against the edge of the mattress. His hand was gripping Tessa’s tightly. Nathan was asleep, yet even in sleep his face looked tense, etched with worry. The dark circles beneath his eyes were unmistakable, making him look as if he had aged ten years in just a few hours.Because it had only been a few hours, right?A dull, throbbing pain pulsed through Tessa’s lower abdomen. Her memories came back in broken fragments. Th

Minutes crawled by like centuries from Nathan’s point of view. Every second pressed down on his shoulders with a weight that felt crushing. The flat, steady beep of the machine still echoed in his head, a ghost that refused to leave even after the door had been tightly shut. He pushed himself away from the wall. His muscles were stiff, his body aching, the cold from the floor seeping straight into his bones.Nathan’s gaze dropped to the tiny human in Karen’s arms. The woman looked at the baby with a softness that felt foreign to him. His child. His and Tessa’s. Part of him, the part still thinking clearly and drowning in guilt, knew this was unfair. The baby had done nothing wrong. Tessa had loved and wanted this child with her whole heart. She would hate him if she knew he could barely bring himself to look at the baby’s face.With an effort that felt almost impossible, Nathan stepped forward. One step, then another. The hushed conversations around him stopped. Every pair of eyes tur

The flat, steady beeping kept drilling into Nathan’s ears, burning into his brain like the echo of the moment the world stopped. Tessa. His Tessa. Lying there, motionless. Pale. Eyes closed.He wanted her to open them, to look at him again with that green that always anchored him to reality.“Please do something.” His voice came out rough and cracked, so wrecked it barely sounded like his own.They tried to move him back. Blue-gloved hands grabbed his arm and pulled, but he fought them with the blind desperation of a cornered animal.“Mr. Hale, you need to step out. We need space to work.” The doctor’s voice was firm, but all Nathan saw were the eyes above the mask, and in them he read the same panic that was frying him from the inside.“No.” Nathan growled, still struggling. “I’m not leaving her. She doesn’t want to be alone.”He knew they were right. He knew he should go. His body refused. He had to stay. Protocol meant nothing. Nothing meant anything. If Tessa left, if he lost her,