Novels by Celestine S

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,

Morning.Shouts from outside the house jolted Selina awake. She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding as she rushed to the window in a half-dazed state. The remnants of sleep vanished the moment her eyes widened at the sight of a crowd moving hurriedly down the street in the opposite direction.“Selina!”The door burst open as Raven rushed in. “Are you okay?” He immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly as if to make sure she was unharmed.“I’m fine. What’s going on out there?” Selina asked, her voice still trembling.“Dozens of our pack members were found dead at the end of the road,” Raven said. The words made Selina’s heart feel like it stopped beating.“What?” she whispered, shaking.“They were all killed the same way as the previous victims. At first, we thought it was the work of a serial killer. But this time, a note was left with the bodies. It’s been confirmed that the witches are behind it,” Raven explained.Selina’s head spun. Just when th

Selina frowned when Maya called and told her about what had just happened to their pack. Worry crept into her mind.“What do you mean?” Selina asked anxiously.“Three members of our pack were found dead near the border. The pack healer said the cause of death was magical. Rumors about witches attacking werewolves are spreading fast,” Maya said.Selina’s heart skipped, fear tightening her chest. “But the last witch of their kind is already dead. How could any of them still be alive?” she asked, her voice trembling.“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but the rumors are spreading like wildfire. I’m scared things will get out of control if we don’t act quickly,” Maya continued.Selina tried to calm her down. “Don’t panic, Maya. Everything will be fine. Raven said Alpha King Thorne is investigating this. A body was also found in the Kendall pack a week ago.”“I’m still scared. I don’t even dare take Oliver to the park because of those witches,” Maya said. They talked a bit longer, and Seli

Raven had warned Silas not to share this information with anyone. Jenna’s safety had to come first.Raven and Selina found an apartment for Jenna and rented it under their own names. It was very close to their house. Jenna initially refused when Selina offered to pay the deposit, but Selina convinced her not to worry about it. For Selina, as long as Jenna stayed safe and lived a happy life, that was more than enough repayment.Meanwhile, Raven contacted Rowan. Together, they began investigating the black market and the Scoundrels who controlled the illegal operations. The investigation was conducted quietly, but the deeper they dug, the clearer it became just how dangerous the network really was.A few days later, Selina bought some clothes for Jenna. After that, Jenna asked her to help find a job. Selina suggested that she rest for a few days first, but Jenna insisted on starting work as soon as possible. In the end, Selina accompanied her to look for a job.When Selina got home, she

Selina listened closely as the girl spoke. Her voice trembled, her eyes darting around nervously, like she expected someone to step out of the shadows at any moment.“I heard rumors about your blood, so I came here to find you,” Jenna said quietly, fear clear in her voice as she glanced around.Selina frowned. Is this girl running from someone? Her gaze dropped to the small canvas bag slung over Jenna’s shoulder, then to her clothes, worn and unkempt. She was clearly not in good shape.“Where are you staying?” Selina asked.The question made Jenna turn even paler.A sense of unease crept into Selina’s chest. Gently, she took Jenna’s arm and rolled up her sleeve. Selina froze. Those scars. The same scars she had on her own body. Her heart started pounding as her eyes traced every mark carved into Jenna’s skin.“By the Goddess,” she whispered.Jenna looked even more panicked now, her head constantly turning. Selina did not hesitate. She pulled her inside the house, shut the door quickly

“Drink. Drink. Drink!” Evan and Susan cheered beside Selina while she let out a long breath.That day marked their final exam, and everything was finally over. They had planned to celebrate after pushing through such a brutal exam period.“Alright, let’s go,” Selina said as the three of them headed to a bar to down a few drinks.Selina texted Raven to let him know where she was going, just in case all three of them got wasted and needed rescuing.They grabbed their drinks and quickly got into the mood. Half an hour later, Evan and Susan were completely drunk. Evan passed out after two bottles of beer, while Susan was gone after four. She kept rambling about how she was going to kill Rowan.Selina called Raven, and he came to pick them up. All four of them got into his car. He dropped Evan off first, then Susan, who almost threw up but thankfully didn’t. After that, the ride continued in silence, the night growing calmer and quieter.When they got home, Selina collapsed face-down on th

“Susan looked tense last night,” Selina said to Raven, who was driving as they headed toward Westbrook University.Raven only gave a low hum in response.“She stepped out for a bit, but when she came back her face looked strange, like she’d just seen a ghost. I tried talking to her, but she only told her mom she was leaving and then rushed off,” Selina continued, worry creeping into her voice.“Should I ask Rowan about it?” Raven asked, eyes still fixed on the road.“What? Why would you ask Rowan?”“Because he looked exactly the same last night before he suddenly left,” Raven replied.Selina frowned. Maybe there really was something going on between them, but she knew it was not their place to interfere.“No, don’t ask anything. They’re our friends. If they want to talk, they’ll do it on their own,” Selina said, even though unease about Susan kept gnawing at her. Susan had not even returned her calls last night.Not long after, Raven dropped her off by the roadside. Selina walked into