Nobela ni Caia Clearwood

He extended his hand, before everyone important to us, to join him. I searched for Kade. Understanding what I’m asking, Kade appeared beside me, to walk me through the aisle.When I reached Raphael, he joined our hands together and turned us to the pastor. We both looked into each other’s eyes ignoring the pastor, until the time he asked Raphael, ‘do you Raphael Jacob Sinclair take Erica Anderson as your wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, keeping yourself solely unto her for as long as you both shall live?’Raphael said ‘I do’ while looking into my eyes.Then the pastor turned towards me and asked ‘Do you Erica Anderson, take Raphael Jacob Sinclair, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, to love, honor and obey, in good times and woe, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself solely unto him fo

Two days have passed since I cut our ties.Despite telling him no, I was suffering from a lassitude, a vagueness, that prevented me from doing anything more energetic and profitable than wandering the streets of New York listlessly. A strenuous exercise may help, but my body was not obeying my commands. What I need is, I decided fretfully, something to take my mind off Raphael Sinclair.Remind me why are we doing this again? Asked my inner diva.Self-respect, I gritted out.It must be nice sleeping with that self-respect, my inner self said sarcasm dripping from her voice.Decide which side you are before sprouting your nonsense.Can I say, peace? My inner b queried.There was nothing dramatically changing in my life once I said no. No light pointed out whether I have done the right thing or not. No mini-Raphael’s asking, ‘Why did you leave daddy, mommy?’ In the dreams. All the same, I felt lonely. Sometimes I questi

‘That’s the point. You never considered how I may feel! Normally, when a girlfriend says she is pregnant, her boyfriend asks-how does she feel? Is she happy? Does she want this baby?... you know the basic things. But do not place surveillance on her as if she is a fugitive. Who does that? You always canter to what I may want without consulting me, yet never wait and think what I may need, Raphael?’‘You are being unreasonable Erica. I explained to you the circumstances and the delicacy the situation warranted’‘No! You had your turn, now you listen to me. This relationship’, I swallowed the lump that formed on what I was about to say, ‘this...whatever we are having is not how a relationship works. There must be a give and take. There must be dates, talking...not soulful silences, sharing each other’s feelings, emotions, fear’s, hobbies, musical tastes, not to forget the past(like have any more surprise family

‘Before I speak any further, why don’t you go change while I order something for you?’ He pointed towards his wardrobe that has his second set of clothes.‘Are you going to charge this one too?’ I joked, reminiscing his demand to pay for the clothes he bought.‘Consider this my investment’, he countered.Once I changed into his shirt and ate a sandwich that no doubt one of his possums provided, I asked relaxing on the couch, ‘so, what do you want to talk about?’‘Do you love me?’‘Just go to the jugular, why don’t you? You don’t have the right to ask that question. I’m not here to listen to this’, I tried to get up.‘Sit down Erica. Trust me, I will explain later. Just answer my question’I snorted at him demanding my trust. ‘Why?’‘Because I want to know how you feel about me before I say anything&rsquo

It didn’t help to improve my mood either when I stepped outside the subway to encounter the rain. The way my life is going I really ought to have known better than to think the weather would cooperate. A wry glance at the dense cloud-packed sky confirmed that the rain wasn't likely to let up. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. I had no alternative but to get soaked in the rain as I walked. By the time I reached my former office, I’m drenched wet to the bone, my cream shirt and black skirt, no doubt liberally splattered with dirty rainwater spots. I don’t know what I’m going to accomplish once I meet Raphael, however, in my current mindset I would probably stab him with his pen that’s always neatly placed on his desk.Once I entered his floor, my eyes landed on none other than the woman who was cast alongside Raphael in the picture. She was lounging casually on the couch outside his office, doing her touch-up. Why, oh why? Can this day get any

All I’m saying is he is human... treat him as such. Don’t condemn him without listening to his side, Raphael’s new friend aka my inner b advised me.That’s not true. We talked about what happened, I mulled.No, you dissected, and he listened patiently, my inner b was on a roll.Yet, not once did he object, I countered.At this, my inner diva started counting his virtues while pacing the imaginary floor. ‘Did you give him the chance? You were the one to build an impossible castle of dreams on an insecure foundation. You were the one to abandon a relationship that has leavening magic which lacked in this generation. You may reason yourself with whatever you think is right, but just think... he was the guy who held you when you cried. He was the guy who listened to your blabbering and didn’t blanch at your imagination. He was the guy who rescued you when you are in danger, not once but twice. He was the guy who wanted to a

Harlan's POVI typed back something easy, something that made her laugh from two miles away if the read receipt and the three dots that followed right after meant what I hoped they meant, and I was still smiling at my phone when my father's voice carried down the hallway, summoning me to the study in the particular tone that meant whatever came next wasn't going to be easy.Declan was already there when I arrived, maps of the sacred grounds spread across my father's desk alongside a stack of papers I didn't recognize, and something about the careful way both men straightened when I walked in told me this conversation had been happening without me for longer than either wanted to admit."Sit down," my father said, and I did, old instinct still automatic even now that I was old enough to argue back if I wanted to. "We need to talk about what the circle actually allows.""I thought we already knew the plan. Enforcers on the perimeter, eyes on every entrance, Wes assigned to her directly.

Trixie's POVSix days until the gathering, and somehow I was starting my morning with a stranger parked outside my building instead of coffee.My father was already at the window when I came downstairs, coffee cooling forgotten in his hand while he watched the street with the kind of attention that used to be reserved for storm warnings. He didn't say anything when he saw me looking, just nodded toward the car parked across from our building, like the sight of an armed stranger keeping watch over his daughter was simply the world we lived in now."He's one of Harlan's father's best," he said finally, something in his voice carrying both relief and a grief he'd probably carry for the rest of his life, the particular ache of a man who'd learned the hard way that love alone had never been enough to keep his family safe. "Let him do his job, Trixie.""I will," I said, and meant it, even if every instinct I owned still bristled at the idea of being watched.He introduced himself as Wes onc

Harlan's POVI spent the evening in the garden with Declan's folder open on the stone bench beside me, the photographs weighed down against the breeze with a rock I'd grabbed off the path, needing to look at the evidence again even though nothing about it had changed since that morning. My wolf paced under my skin the whole time, restless in a way sleep wasn't going to fix, not with enforcers now walking the estate's perimeter and a folder full of proof that Hugo intended to take the one person I couldn't stand to lose.I caught her scent before I heard her footsteps on the gravel, familiar and warm even threaded through with the cold edge of evening air, and something in my chest loosened the way it always did the moment I confirmed with my own senses that she was still safe, still here, still choosing to walk toward me instead of away."You weren't at your building," I said, closing the folder before she got close enough to see the photographs again, not wanting her carrying that i

Trixie's POVI found Elder Corwin at the small shrine near the edge of pack territory, the same place Harlan mentioned he sometimes went to think when the weight of being an Alpha's heir got heavier than usual.The shrine itself was smaller than I expected, weathered stone worn smooth by decades of quiet visitors, tucked into a clearing surrounded by trees old enough to have watched generations of this pack come and go. I hesitated at the edge of it, unsure whether I was welcome in a space that clearly meant something sacred to people who'd grown up understanding its significance."I wondered when you'd come find me yourself," he said, without turning around, his pale eyes fixed on the modest stone altar in front of him. "Harlan told you what I shared with him. I assumed you'd have questions of your own eventually.""I have a lot of questions." I stepped closer, careful of the reverence the space seemed to demand even from someone who didn't fully understand its significance yet, boot

Harlan's POV My father called an early morning meeting at the estate, security detail assembled in the study before I'd even finished my coffee, and I knew from the set of his jaw that whatever they'd found wasn't going to make the next seven days any easier for any of us. Something in me went on alert the moment I walked into the room, old instinct reading the tension in the gathered enforcers before a single word had been spoken, every posture in that room tight with a seriousness I hadn't seen from our security staff in years. "Show him," my father said to the enforcer standing nearest the desk, a broad shouldered man named Declan who'd served our family longer than I'd been alive. Declan slid a folder across the desk toward me, photographs and printed documents spilling slightly from the edges, edges worn from handling by multiple careful hands over the past several days. "We got eyes on a financial transfer three days ago. Hugo, routed through two shell accounts, straight to a

Trixie's POVWe told our parents on a Thursday evening, the four of us gathered around the kitchen table like we were about to discuss something as ordinary as a school schedule instead of a plot that might get someone killed before it was over.The apartment felt smaller than usual with all of us crowded around that same worn table, mugs of tea going cold as the conversation stretched longer than any of us had expected. Outside, the evening had settled into full darkness, streetlights flickering on one by one down our block. Yasmine started, steadier than I expected given how much of this had originated with her own mistake in trusting Hugo in the first place. She'd rehearsed her opening line in the mirror that afternoon, she'd told me quietly beforehand, terrified of breaking down before she even finished explaining the danger we were all walking toward together."There's something you need to know about the gathering next week," she said, hands folded tightly in her lap. "About Hug

Willow puked her guts out."Don't laugh, vampire. This is all your fault. I'm not letting you touch me. Ever again," Willow said vehemently before covering her mouth and beelining to the bathroom.It has been 2 months since Lothaire restored his powers and his throne.After the ritual that bound Christopher completely, they returned to the city dragging their feet. They don't speak about their relationship. No words are needed. They both know what they feel for each other, what they are willing to do for each other. It is inevitable.Willow called Azrian, her team leader on the way to the city. She related what the mage said about the she-wolf and a spell.Azrian is shocked and thanks to her for the information. She said it is the proof she needed to help the werewolf king.Lothaire and Willow set into the routine as king and queen as if they were born for it. There were minor hiccups in the kingdom but nothing that can't be ironed out with

Lothaire opened his mouth and uttered his secret, which he never told to a soul."I can manipulate darkness. The dark does my bidding. The shadows are my slaves," he said without even showing a hint of hesitation. He trusts her that much.Willow is blown away imagining the magnitude of his power. No one walking in the dark is safe from him. And now he can walk under the sun too.Willow realized she is looking at the most powerful vampire in this world. Not just a vampire but one of the powerful beings if any. No wonder he is a king."You can turn their own shadow against them""I can do pretty much anything I want""And no one knows it?""I keep it close to the heart but my council senses some of my power. They have to if I need to be a king. Everyone only knows that I kill people with a blink. They don't know how""And only I know how it is done?""Yes""That's heavy Bones. Then how come you got captured in the f

The land soon became crowded as werewolves and vampires came out of the vehicles. The vehicles alone exceeded 40.A chill slid down her spine in apprehension. Willow has no doubt in mind that she is not coming out of this harmless. She is brave, not stupid.She took a few shallow breaths, clamped her back teeth together, straightened her spine as she held a gun in each hand, and faced the enemy staring them straight in the eyes.From her peripheral vision, she couldn't locate the impersonator nor the mage. They must be watching from one of those vehicles. Enjoying the show, no doubt.Some laughed, some snickered looking at her all alone in the field. They jabbed each other with their elbows as if they couldn't believe a woman can stand alone before an army of over 100 hard-core mercenaries.Willow blanked her mind. There is no room for panic, for error. She has to believe in herself. Lothaire is counting on her.With her powers, she made arm

The terrain they stood on was rustic and beautiful. Upon high, Willow saw green and brown mountains folding into the horizon. So beautiful that they will soon see the ugliness of their world.Lothaire and Willow sat still inside the idle truck, both deep in their thoughts.Willow doesn't know what will happen next. Whether the mage will restore him or will the imposter's army catch up to them. They don't know even if an army remains but since he is imposing as a king, anything is possible.She looked at Lothaire next. Her emotions in turmoil. She doesn't know whether she will be alive by tomorrow or not. Whether he will be. It is so final.Willow wet her lips. "Lothaire I-," she tried to tell how important he became in her life, but couldn't."This isn't over Willow. Whatever you have to say, say it after. I won't let anything happen to you. You have to believe me Tinkerbell," Lothaire professed. He is in awe of her strength. Even knowing she has t

Henrietta, the king's mage is antsy. The men she had sent to capture the real king and his aid must have returned by now. But they haven't.It means something is wrong, terribly wrong. Are they too late already? Has he regained his powers?No. If so, then she wouldn't be standing here alive. It means that they are missing something vital about the aid.No matter. She has to capture them both. Just then the vampire enters the room she is locked in."You promised a captive Henrietta. Yet you failed. Tsk... tsk... tsk. That's so bad of you. Now, what shall we do?" He asked, staggering inside the room at a leisurely pace."My... my king, it's just a minor hitch. Nothing more. We will capture them soon""Is that so? Not according to my reports Mage""Wha... what does it say?""That they are going north. Farther from here. Why do you think they are traveling on that route?""I... I...""Let me tell you. Because they are

A snarl left her lips. She then lifted herself, standing straight, her back stiff, uncaring about the wounds that are still read and hurting on her skin. Her eyes wild, her teeth clenched, she looked like an Amazon ready to go into battle.With the daggers in her hands, her feet apart, she made the tree fold back into itself, giving a feet gap for her to go through.Cold air brushed her cheeks, riffling her tangled hair. Their eyes met- his worries and hers filled with hatred.A few seconds passed before Willow asked him with no emotion in her voice,"You come here and mock me that I couldn't kill you. Is that it?""What!! No. Hear me, Willow," Lothaire scoffed, taking a step back for her to pass through.Willow took two steps to the side giving him a wide berth and never showing him her back. When he repeated the same thing, a crack appeared in her mask. Her voice rough displaying her simpering anger she said,"NOO!!! I don't want to