Novels by Creative inks

CHAPTER FIVE.The rest of the night passed in a blur and by dawn, the servants were already assigned to their duties. By the time the morning bell rang for breakfast, Lyra was already exhausted. She stood on a queue in the staff hall, waiting for her bowl of porridge.The other servants consciously kept away from her, still not willing to associate. Lyra finally held out her tray as the cook ladled out her portion. Before she could step away, a hand slammed violently into her tray.It flew from her grip and clattered across the floor, causing her porridge to spill all over her uniform. "Look at you," her voice dripped maliciously.Lyra looked up. Evelyn stood in front of the queue, draped in a white fur shawl, her red lips curved into an expression of unadulterated disgust."Trying to play the innocent servant by day, and crawling into my mate's bed by night?" Evelyn raised her voice so everyone would hear. The chatter died down instantly. Every eye in the room turned toward them

CHAPTER FOURAlpha Killian’s return had transformed the estate into an outpost on high alert. Guards doubled their patrols, sentries stood at every stand, and even Mrs. Gable continuously walked through the servant quarters to make sure everything was perfect. All were terrified of drawing the Senior Alpha’s wrath.Lyra spent the remaining time of the night on a cot in the servant basement, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep a wink.. When dawn broke, the call came down from the main tower.Alpha Killian had summoned the Heir to his private council room to review the pack’s activities, defenses, and yearly grain distributions.Lyra was sent by Mrs Gable to clean the side halls near the main study wing.The other maids still avoided her. The rejection had stripped her of whatever status she once carried, and no one was willing to risk being seen speaking to the discarded mate of the heir.She set to work. From the open doors of the council chamber she could hear voices.Keon

CHAPTER THREELyra arrived at the estate before the sun fully rose. The two guards nodded at the worn bag she still held and pointed a finger to the ground.“Leave it. Heir’s orders. Nothing comes inside with you.” She set the bag down without a word and she was let in. The estate looked the same as it had three years ago, when she used to wait here for a boy who was always too busy with “pack matters” to come be with her. She should have seen the truth then. The head housekeeper was already waiting. She looked Lyra over once and turned to lead. “This way.”Lyra followed.She was given a gray uniform to match with the other servants. The other maids watched in silence as she changed. These were ladies who used to step aside for her in the corridors, who used to lower their eyes with respect when she walked past as the heir’s mate. Now they looked through her. Conversations died when she entered a room. No one offered to speak to her. The head housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, suddenl

CHAPTER 2Lyra woke to cold that had sunk all the way into her bones.Snow still fell in light flakes. She had walked farther into the woods than she meant to after leaving the ceremony, and at some point her legs had simply given out. Now her wolf was too drained from the broken bond to keep the frostbite at bay. Every breath she took felt like a struggle. The place behind her ribs where the mate bond used to live throbbed with a deep ache. She pushed herself up on trembling arms and for a long moment she just sat there in the snow, staring at nothing, trying to remember how to want anything at all.She had no money. No plan. Nowhere that felt safe.Only home.The walk back through pack territory was worse than she expected.Word had already spread like wildfire. She felt her skin prickled with awareness as neighbors stopped to watch and murmur as she stumbled past. In this pack, a rejected mate was the easiest wolf to discard and blame. Lyra kept her head down. She focused on

CHAPTER 1BLOODMOON PACKA proud smile touched Lyra’s lips as her bruised fingers carefully smoothed Keon’s black tie. She studied him again, the way she always did, searching for even the slightest imperfection. Making him look perfect had become second nature and tonight, after everything, it was finally worth it.She stepped back half a pace and studied him in the mirror, searching for anything out of place.“You’re doing it again,” Keon said, watching her reflection.Lyra’s smile grew wide enough to show the dimples he used to tease her about. “Doing what?”“Fussing.”She shrugged, still watching him. “I know. You get restless before these things. Just breathe. You’ve got this… and I’m so proud of you, Keon.”He gave a short sound that might have been a laugh and stepped out of her reach to get a better look at himself. The mirror showed a man who looked every inch the future Alpha. Something she had made possible. “I’m grateful,” he said after a moment. The words came out stra

~~LUCAS WILDER~~The fight started over something stupid. At least, that’s what I told myself later.It was Friday evening. The whole house smelled like mum’s favorite roast chicken with fries. Elara and I were supposed to be helping set the table, but things had felt off between us all day. Ever since the debate hall and Kai’s invitation, she had been distant. Short replies to my texts. Avoiding my eyes in the cafeteria. I finally caught her alone in the hallway near the dining room while Mom and Dad were still busy in the kitchen.“You’re actually thinking about going to Kai’s party, aren’t you?” I asked, keeping my voice low.Elara crossed her arms. That stubborn look I knew so well settled on her face. “Maybe. Why? It’s not like I have anything better to do this weekend.”Her words hit me hard. I stepped closer. “Because we said we’d be careful. Because every time you smile at him, it feels like you’re rubbing it in my face that I can’t do the same thing.”She gave a sharp little

~~Lucas Wilder~~The thing about hiding something huge is that the world keeps throwing little reminders at you, daring you to slip up.It was Thursday afternoon, and the debate hall was packed for the inter-house competition. I was supposed to be focused on my notes, but my eyes kept drifting to the front row where Elara sat. She had her legs crossed, scribbling something in her notebook, looking unfairly good in the school uniform. Our eyes met for half a second. She gave me that tiny, secret smile that made my chest do stupid things.Then Kai Lennox walked in.Tall, loud, and always dressed like he was about to shoot a music video instead of attend classes. Captain of the basketball team, rich parents, and a smile that made half the girls in school giggle. He dropped into the seat right next to Elara like he belonged there.“Johnson-Wilder,” he said, loud enough for me to hear from the back. “You look like you’re ready to destroy someone today. Save some energy for me after this, y

~~LICAS WILDER~~I hated how much I noticed her.Elara Johnson-Wilder walked through the world like she was daring it to try her. Head high, shoulders back, that sharp tongue ready to cut anyone who looked at her wrong. Especially me. We’d been at each other’s throats since we were kids, but lately.. it felt different. Dangerous.Tonight was one of those nights where the house felt too small.. Mom and Dad had gone to bed. Elara had disappeared into the garden after dinner like she always did when her head was loud. I told myself I was just checking on her. That was all.I found her sitting on the old stone bench under the oak tree, knees pulled to her chest, fairy lights glowing soft above her. She looked small there. Not the fierce girl who argued with me in the hallways every day. Just… Elara.I walked over without thinking. My heart was already hammering like I’d run sprints.“You’re going to freeze out here,” I said, stopping a few feet away.She didn’t look up. “Then go back

SIXTEEN YEARS LATER~~ELARA JOHNSON~~Elara Johnson hated Lucas Wilder more than she hated Monday mornings.That was the thought running through her head as she slammed her locker shut on a random Tuesday afternoon. The hallway at New York International Academy was loud with the usual after school chaos; kids shouting about football practice, someone blasting music from a phone speaker, the smell of cheap cafeteria fries hanging in the air. She adjusted the strap of her backpack and tried to ignore the way her heart was already racing.Because there he was.Lucas leaned against the wall opposite her locker like he owned the place. Tall, messy dark hair that always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, and that stupid half smirk he wore whenever he saw her coming. He was in the same year as her. same grade, same hallway, same everything, even though she was five months older. Their mother had told them she hadn’t known she was pregnant with Lucas until she was four months gone.

~~ALINA WILDER~~Weeks had passed since Sarah showed up at our gate with that tiny bundle in her arms. Life had slowly started to feel… normal. Or at least, our version of it.I was in the nursery, humming softly as I rocked Elara to sleep. She was such a quiet baby, barely fussing even when she was hungry. Her little fingers curled around my thumb as I fed her, and every time she looked up at me with those wide, trusting eyes, my heart squeezed. I changed her, bathed her, sang the silly lullabies my father used to sing to me. Ethan had gone to the office for the first time in days ; something about finalizing the dissolution of the last Phoenix holdings. He hated leaving us, but I’d practically pushed him out the door.“Mommy’s got you,” I whispered to Elara as I laid her down in the crib. The word slipped out so naturally now. We hadn’t officially adopted her yet, but in every way that mattered, she was ours. Sarah’s promise to come back for her felt further away with each passing

~~ETHAN WILDER~~The library beneath the old Wilder estate had been sealed for decades. Dust floated in the narrow beams of our flashlights as we descended the hidden stairs behind the fireplace. Alina walked beside me, her hand in mine, the new engagement ring catching faint light every few steps. Behind us, Damian and my father followed slowly, with Freckles guarding the entrance above.No one spoke much. After months of chaos, this final step felt heavier than any gunshot or chase.We reached the chamber at the bottom. The Ouroboros box sat on a stone pedestal in the center dark wood and tarnished silver, the serpent devouring its own tail wrapped around two phoenixes. One rising, one falling. My ring and the second key rested in my palm.Alina’s fingers tightened around mine. “This is it,” she whispered. “Everything your father warned about. The ledger that could burn the whole system down.”I nodded. The scar on her wrist caught the light, the living second key. “We don’t open

CHAPTER 4 ~~Matteo Rossi~~ The drive all the way to the cemetery was quiet. I appreciated that Marco didn’t try to involve me in any cliche discussion. “Just drop me at the main gate” I said to him when we were close enough to the funeral home. He did as told, pulled up to the wrought iron gates and halted the car right there. Raindrops were already beginning to speckle the windshield. “I’ll wait here, sir,” Marco said. “No. Go home. I’ll call a cab,” I lied. I wanted him gone. I needed this space to be truly alone Marco hesitated, concern etched around his mouth. “Mr. Rossi, with the weather turning… and your father…” “Go,” I ordered, flatly. The finality in my tone gave room for no argument. He nodded once, acknowledging the dismissal, and watched me until I stepped onto the wet pavement. Only then did the car pull away. I walked toward the marble mausoleum where Joe rested. I reached the stone bench facing the grave, the engraved name, Joseph Almonte, blur

Chapter 3 “He says you have to meet someone, Matteo,” my chauffeur pronounced, his persistence grated on my nerves. “It’s Eleanor Benett. Your arranged bride.” The words struck me. The name too familiar that I wish I'd heard nothing about it. “No,” I whispered "No. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not meeting anyone.” I started towards the double doors to the operating theatre, my legs moving on their own, by am instinct to go see him. To deny the surgeon’s brutal truth. My chauffeur moved faster. He stepped in front of the doors, blocking my path, his stance immovable. “Mr. Rossi. Please. Your father’s orders are absolute.” “My father can go to hell!” I roared, the pain finally exploding into fury. My hands balled into fists, trembling. “Joseph is dead, Marco! Dead! And you want me to go meet some… some bride? Get out of my way!” I lunged, not to fight him, but to push past, to force my way back into that sroom. Marco caught my arms, his grip firm but careful. He was trying to r

CHAPTER 2 The high pitched shriek of the ambulance was the first thing that welcomed me when we arrived the hospital. The car screeched to a halt. I didn't wait for the door to be opened. I flung it open myself, stumbling out into the hospital air. The air was thick with the sterile scent of antiseptic. I stood for a paralyzing moment, disoriented. I fell through the automatic doors and into a brightly lit reception area. My legs felt wobbly as I staggered to the main desk, gripping the counter so hard my knuckles turned white. A woman with tired eyes and a name badge reading ‘Brenda’ looked up, her gaze expectant “I’m here for Joseph Almonte,” I managed to say, my voice a hoarse croak. I barely recognized it as my own. “He… he was in an accident.” Brenda tapped a few keys on her keyboard, her eyes skimming the screen. “Yes, Mr. Almonte. You’re the emergency contact, Mr. Rossi?” I nodded, impatience making my whole body vibrate. “Where is he? Tell me where he is!” She r

PROLOGUE I had buried Joe. I had told my father no. I had chosen the cemetery over my arranged bride. I felt nothing. I’d lost everything that gave my life meaning in the span of a single night; the very night of my third anniversary. So, when that hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my protest, my instinct should have been to fight, to claw my way out of that grip. But I barely tried. When he called himself Rowan Hayes, when he spoke of my father and my arranged bride, it struck me: This man is Chaos, Hatred, and Ruin all in one. He wanted to destroy me. And in that moment, watching the sedative hiss toward my face, a shameful thought surfaced: Maybe I want to feel something. Something other than the silence. I let the darkness take me, yielding to the ruin he promised. I had nothing left to lose. Let him ruin me. I long to see what kind of darkness he intends to bring to my already wrecked life. CHAPTER 1 ~~MATTEO~~ I glanced around the restaurant, taking in every