Romans de Dark Pen

DEVIN.A week passes and it doesn’t soften anything. It just stretches the pain thinner until it’s everywhere, like I’ve been skinned and forced to live anyway. Every hour feels the same. I don’t wake up refreshed, I just surface from one kind of numb into another. I keep thinking there should be a moment where my body realizes Aiden is gone and adjusts. It never does. It just keeps waiting, stupid and hopeful, like I trained it wrong.I stop eating first. Not deliberately. I sit in front of plates and stare at them until the smell turns my stomach. When I try to force it down, my throat closes. My body rejects it like it’s foreign. Like it doesn’t deserve to be fed when the person who mattered most to it isn’t here anymore. I tell myself I’ll eat later. Later never comes.Sleep goes next. Or maybe it goes first and I just don’t notice. I lie in bed for hours, eyes open, staring at ceilings, at corners, at nothing. My mind loops relentlessly—what I said, what he said, what I should’ve

AIDENI haven’t stopped moving since I got here. That’s the first thing that hits me every time I become aware of myself again. Not where I am. Not what I’ve done. Just the fact that my body refuses to settle, like if I stop, something worse will catch up to me. The room feels wrong in a Foreign hotel. Neutral colors meant to offend no one, comfort everyone, and somehow they do the opposite.Thick curtains pulled shut even though it’s still daytime. My suitcase is open on the bed, clothes half unpacked, folded and unfolded again without purpose, like my hands needed something to do so they wouldn’t reach for my phone.I pace from the window to the desk to the bed and back. Over and over. The same steps, the same path, like if I repeat it enough times it will start to make sense. My fingers twitch. My jaw aches from being clenched too long. My chest feels tight, heavy, like something is pressing inward, something that won’t let me take a full breath. I keep thinking if I inhale deeply

DEVINS POV.I swore I’d never step foot in Festus’s house again.I said it years ago, out loud, drunk and furious and bleeding from a fight that never should’ve happened. I remember pointing at the place like it was cursed ground, telling Timone if he ever dragged me back here it’d be because I was dead or desperate. Turns out desperation counts.The door closes behind me and the sound lands wrong in my chest. Too final. Too quiet. The house smells like coffee and wood polish and something citrusy that doesn’t belong to me. Festus’s place has always felt like a territory line I wasn’t supposed to cross. Clean. Controlled. Everything I’m not right now.I stand there longer than necessary, hands shoved in my pockets, jaw tight, trying not to think about how I don’t actually have anywhere else to go.Timone notices. Of course he does. He always notices.“I’m sorry,” he says, low, careful. “I know you hate this place. I know you said you never wanted to come back here.”I let out a breath

DEVINS POV.“I love Aiden,” I say, and I don’t pause, don’t soften it, don’t give her time to brace because I’ve been bracing for years and I’m done carrying that weight alone.“I don’t love you, Stella. I never did. I tried to convince myself I could, that it would come with time, that marriage would fix something that was already broken in me, but it didn’t. It just made the lie heavier. If you need the truth stripped bare, then here it is: I've been gay my entire life. This didn’t start with him. It didn’t start last year or last month or whenever the rumors decided to crawl out of the gutter. I was born this way, and I buried it because it was easier to be the son, the husband, the partner everyone expected than to be honest.”She doesn't move at first. Just stares. Like she’s watching something collapse in slow motion and can’t look away. Her lips part, then press together again, like she’s tasting every word, weighing how much damage they’ve already done. I can see the anger bu

DEVIN.I woke up to noise, I didn’t open my eyes at first because my head was pounding and my body felt pinned, heavy, wrong, the whispers kept going anyway.“—that’s him.”“I know.”“I thought he died.”“Well obviously not.”I opened my eyes. I saw White ceiling. Hospital lights. Curtains half pulled. Two nurses standing just outside my room, angled toward each other, heads close. One of them noticed my eyes were open and stopped talking mid-word. They both looked at me like I’d caught them doing something dirty.I swallowed. My throat burned. “Morning.”Neither answered. They exchanged a look. One nodded. They walked off together and started whispering again the second they were a few steps away. My heart started racing. I lay there staring at the doorway, jaw tight, chest feeling too small.Another nurse passed by. I tried again. “Hey.”She smiled without stopping. “Morning.” Already gone. They were avoiding me. All of them. Talking around me. Like I wasn’t supposed to be consciou

DEVINS P.O.VI woke up before my eyes opened.There was a tightness in my chest, like the kind that didn't come from a bad dream but from something real and waiting. My body felt coiled, restless, the way it feels when it's been bracing itself all night for impact. When the phone on the nightstand started vibrating again, I didn't jump. I already knew it was there. I already knew it wasn't going to stop.I cracked my eyes open and stared at the ceiling for a second, breathing slow, trying to convince myself I was still half-asleep. The early morning light barely filtered through the curtains, soft and pale; the world outside was still quiet. Inside my chest, though, everything was loud.I reached for the phone.The screen flickered on, and my stomach dropped so hard it felt like I might actually be sick.My father had called a lot.Not one missed call. Not two. A long list, stacked on top of each other, like he'd been calling all night and only stopped when exhaustion or rage finally wo

ADRIAN I couldn't sleep that night. I kept pacing. Luckily, Eli was off partying somewhere, so he wasn't there to witness my turmoil.Every time I closed my eyes, I swear I could see him and hear him in my head. My wolf prowled inside me, restless, angry that I’d let Lucas walk away. The bond had sunk its claws in, and I was losing my grip on control.By morning, I looked like hell.“Rough night?” Eli asked as I took the seat he had reserved for me at breakfast.“Yeah. You can say that,” I said, moving my food about on my plate.“Too much birthday champagne?”“Something like that.”I wasn’t about to tell him the truth—that my sworn rival, Lucas Rayne ne, was my fated mate. The idea was ridiculous, even to me. My parents would lose their minds. The pack would see me as weak, maybe even unfit to lead. And Lucas? He’d probably rather rip his own throat out than claim me.“Hey,” Eli said, snapping his fingers in front of me. “You good? You’re zoning out.”“Yeah. Just tired.”He

ADRIAN The birthday party ended yesterday, but Lucas had asked to see me today after dinner. Now here I was on my way to the stairway, because it would be emptied out.It was past 10pm now, so everyone would either be in bed or at the parties that are held every night around here, so there was no chance that someone would overhear our conversation.Before I got down to the stairway, I could already see Lucas down there pacing. He looked battered, and even if it was hard for me to accept it, it was not troubling me as much as it was him.“Adrian, please tell me the truth. You were trying to mess with me so that I'll stay away from you. It's fine. I'm pissed now and I'll stay away from you, so stop this. Please.” The pleading tone in his voice broke me a little, but I couldn't change a thing.“You know I'm not messing with you. You felt it too.” I didn't even know how to explain it anymore at this point.He paused for a moment, then scoffed out a laugh. “No. No way

ADRIAN I hated birthdays.Every year since I could remember, my family threw a ridiculous celebration to remind me I was the heir to the Nightfang Pack. This year, though, it felt different—heavier. Eighteen. The age wolves came of age, the age you could feel the bond if your mate was near.With all this, I was supposed to feel a bit excited, but as I adjusted the collar of my dress shirt, I felt nothing but absolute dread.Maybe because I knew that I was on a fraying thread now. My father knew of some others who met their mates before eighteen, and he's been putting pressure on me ever since. Now that I'm eighteen, I should find one today, but what if I don't?I mean, that was the only reason my dad was throwing a big party and inviting every werewolf's kids and grandkids.If this wasn't a load of pressure, then I have no idea what is. In fact, I don't think there's any amount of pressure higher than this.“Looking good, Alpha,” Eli teased from the doorway.

ADRIAN The cafeteria smelled of coffee and super greasy foods. The smell made me feel nauseous, but I grabbed a tray anyway. I picked some bacon, eggs and toast, because not eating made my wolf super cranky.“Hey, I saved you a seat.” Eli called me over to a corner table.I was walking there when Eli placed his laptop on the table. He always had his laptop with him.“Morning, Alpha Heir,” he teased as I took a seat.“Shut up,man. It's not funny anymore.” I huffed as I sat down.He laughed loudly. “Relax, Kane. You’ve been wound tight since yesterday. What happened? Lucas, look at you funny again?”“I don’t get why he’s here, Eli. The Rayne heir doesn’t just… show up at a rival pack’s college for fun. He’s planning something.” I said and shoved eggs into my mouth.Eli arched a brow. “Or he’s just here for an education like everyone else.”I snorted. “Right. Lucas Rayne in an ethics class. That’s very believable.”Eli was smiling but the smile quickly f

ADRIAN“Adrian, hey.” A girl called as she ran after me. “Hey.” I smiled, turning to face her.Her face looked a bit familiar and I was wondering where I had met her before.She wasn't a wolf though. I could tell that by her scent. But if she wasn't a wolf, what would she want from me?“I'm Chloe. We met at the football game.” She smiled at me as she played with her hair.“Oh Chloe.” I grinned. “Hi. It's nice to see you around.”Did I remember who she was? No.Was I going to let her know that?Definitely not.I saw a lot of ladies everyday. I'm sure no one expected me to keep a track of them, right?“Im hosting a party at my place tonight. Would you like to come?” She leaned in closer, closing the space between the both of us.“Shit.” I took two steps back and ran a hand through my hair. “I'm pretty busy tonight, I'm not so sure I'll be able to make it.”“Oh.” Her face fell. “Okay. That's fine. I'll see you around school though, right?”“Yeah of course.” I nodde

Emily's PovWhen I woke up, everything felt wrong. My body ached, my head pounded, and the weight in my chest pressed harder with each shallow breath. For a moment, I laid there, staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself that it had all been a nightmare, the office, her, Maxton… none of it was real.But it was real. The sheets next to me were cold. He wasn’t here.I pushed myself up, my limbs heavy as if they were betraying me. I needed to see him, to confront him again. Maybe there was some explanation, anything that could make the reality less unbearable. I stood on shaky legs and walked to our bedroom, clinging to the last fragments of hope that I didn’t want to lose.But then, the door opened, and all hope shattered.They were there, together in our bed, my bed, their bodies entwined, just like in his office. Maxton’s bare back moved in rhythm, and she, whoever she was, threw her head back in a moan, her dark hair cascading like some twisted crown.My breath caught in my

Emily's Pov Three years later. I continued to relentlessly fight the darkness that was taking over my head. The future of my father's hardwork lies in my palm, I cannot afford to disappoint him. The fight for dominance was brutal in my head. Maxton must succumb to my will…At last! I triumphed. I slowly became conscious of my environment, although my vision was still blurry. I sat up, yawning at the same time, and also waiting patiently for my sight to be recovered. My gaze rested on the wall, within a few seconds I was able to get a clear view of the clock on the wall.It was day time already, and it felt like seconds from last night…I moved my finger's to my bird nest of hair and began scratching it, trying to force out memories from last night. Immediately I was able to recall I turned to my side."Maxton you_" I was silenced by his disappearance. When did he get up from the bed? I highlighted from the bed and strolled down to the kitchen. To my surprise the food I had prepare

Emily's PovMy eyes were affixed on the television set in front of me, I was unconscious of my environment, my body was present but my soul had traveled far away from this planet, into a world of endless questions and thoughts.A sharp sound slipped suddenly into my ear making my heart skip, I turned to the direction of the sound. Lo and behold it was my father. He was dressed in a royal blue suit, lined with royalty, his hands were tucked into his trouser's pocket. My gaze traveled from his body down to the shopping bag on the floor.When did he step in? I must have been so intrigued by my own thoughts that my brain couldn't pick up the sound around me. "When did you step in?" I asked, adjusting the pajamas I was putting on.He took a deep breath and walked briskly to where I sat, and retired next to me. "You have been ignoring my calls," He responded, his eyes boring into mine.I smacked my lips and turned my gaze away from his. If it was possible I would bury him six feet beneath w

Micheal's PovI couldn't believe I married a child in an adult's body. It's really insulting. I'll be the heir soon and this childish lady is all I get? I just couldn't stand the fact that marriage has to be a criteria to be the heir of my father's empire."Aren't we supposed to be in the bedroom together?" Her voice interrupted my thoughts and that pissed me off even more. It was practically like I was thrown into hell and not a honeymoon. I wasn't feeling anything, I was numb and void of love towards her. At the altar, earlier, I just had to keep the role of a good son and marry the person I don't even know just to become the heir. I smiled, because I knew too well I'll be given that position over anyone else. Father has promised I only have to marry her, just for the world to know that I got married. "No, I will be sleeping on the couch in the sitting room. I've got a long day tomorrow, and the best thing you could do for me right now is to leave me alone and go to sleep." I pour

Emily's PovThe nice scents of the flowers that surrounded me, and the beautiful sight of the hall coupled with wonderful people. Gracious sights, dropping fountains in the middle of the room, the chandeliers were giving. I watched how the whole room was dignified with love and excitement, there, my friend, Sarah was with me. Smiling and giggling. "You're getting married, beautiful." Her eyes spoke excitement and her smile, I couldn't help but be grateful for having a good friend like her. "Thank you, Sarah." I hugged her after dressing me up, looked straight at the mirror and felt at ease."I should go call your mum?" She said cutting away from the hug,"And, that'll be for what?""To rate your dress up. You know I love compliments.""Well, don't you think the compliments should come from me?" "That's right, but your mum, she definitely knows how to give compliments better than you," I nodded and smiled."......a few minutes please." She dropped her small mirror and dashed out