Novel-novel oleh Shakirah

“There are more portraits,” Titan said. “If you want answers about your father, you should see the rest of the gallery.”Maxine looked at him. “You could have shown me before.”“You were not ready to hear what they might reveal.” He turned without another word and led her deeper into the wing, past portraits so old the paint had cracked into spiderwebs, until they reached a final door tucked into an alcove she’d have walked straight past if he hadn’t stopped.“Titan?”“Forgive me. It’s been a long time since I’ve come this far in.” He pushed the door open.The room was smaller than the last, and a single portrait filled the far wall, gilded in a frame gone tarnished with age.“Lukan,” Titan said. “Your father.”Maxine approached the portrait. Lukan wore a dark military coat with silver stitching along the collar. A black ring rested on his right hand. Three thin lines crossed a crescent moon on its surface.She reached toward the painting, then lowered her hand. “Why do I suddenly rem

“His Majesty, Alpha King Titan.” Dalton’s voice cuts cleanly through the room, formal as ever, though Maxine catches the faint tightening at his jaw before he steps aside. “Thank you, Dalton.” Titan’s gaze sweeps the room, and Maxine has the sense — not for the first time — that he’s not simply looking, but assessing. “Ladies, forgive my interruption, but I wish to take my mate away.” Elara dips into a graceful bow. “Your Majesty. As you wish.” Titan crosses to Maxine, and the shift in him is immediate, the coldness she thought she caught earlier smoothed warmth and doting aimed towards her. He takes her hand. “I hope seeing your mother again has been everything you’d hoped.” Maxine hesitates. But the words come out more honest than she thought they would. “It’s not what I expected, to say the least. And I do have quite a number of questions.But it was good to know I have a mother.” Satisfaction flickers across Titan’s face, she takes it in. Then he smiles, slow and indulgent, a

Jeremiah sighs, dragging both hands down his face. “What’s there left to do?” “The work. The planning.” Drago rubs the back of her neck, staring at the stack of unread reports like it’s personally offended her and has no intention of apologizing. “Not forgetting running an entire pack, especially with him going off to the human libraries.” “Right. And who knows how long that’ll take.” Soren mutters. “Also, we do need a way not to make it too obvious.” “It’s your idea.” Jeremiah crosses his arms, leaning back against the desk, watching Soren pace the stretch of floor between the window and the bookshelf. “What do you plan on making of it and how do you plan on going about it without raising suspicion?”“I could go early in the morning, before dawn. Not many would be up by then.” “Or maybe the soldiers will get a glimpse of your form.” Jeremiah raises an eyebrow, tapping a finger against his crossed arm. “One sighting of a Gamma slipping the border at odd hours and the whole pack’s

Five days- that’s how long it has been since the Alpha of the Nightshade Pack has been in that painfully unconscious state. His sister had tried all medications she could think of, but none worked. The pack was being run by his second and third in command, but the two were heavily worried about him nonetheless. The days grew darker as the Alpha’s sleeping state didn’t improve any more than the pain depicted by his face did. A knock sounds at the door. Soren enters. “How is he? Any changes?” Drago sighs pitifully. “None so far; he’s been that way since I got here.” “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do…?” Jeremiah asks desperately. “I’ve tried all I could.” “I’ve gone through all the books I could find, but still, nothing.” Soren’s jaw ticks. “None of them says anything more other than the story I read.” “Does it say how he woke up?” “No.” “Do we know how long he’ll remain like this?” Jeremiah looks to Soren. “Unfortunately, still no.” His gaze moves to Drago. “I have no i

Maxine stares at the woman before her. The word continues echoing through her mind.Daughter. Not Your Highness. Not Future Luna. Not Maxine. Daughter.The room seems to disappear around her.For a moment, she isn’t sitting in the Northern Chambers of the Alpha King’s castle. She isn’t a wolf shifter. She isn’t a future queen.She’s just a little girl again—a little girl who spent years wondering why everyone else had parents to run to.A little girl who used to stare at families playing and running around outside as they walked through the city market with Kassy when restocking supplies and imagining what her mother’s voice might have sounded like.A little girl who had long since accepted that she would never know. “Daughter.”The word breaks through her thoughts again. And before she can stop herself, she’s moving. She crosses the room in what feels like a single heartbeat.The woman—Elara—opens her arms. Maxine throws herself into them. The embrace is warm. Too warm. She smells o

Maxine wakes to the sound of someone calling her name, or rather, her new title.“Your Highness?” A groan escapes her lips before she can stop it.The morning sun streams through the curtains, its golden rays piercing directly into her eyes. She throws an arm over her face and buries herself deeper beneath the warm, cozy blankets.“Oh, you are awake, Your Highness.” Eliza sounds entirely too cheerful for this hour of the morning. Inside her mind, a familiar voice grumbles. “Can I shut her up?”Maxine bites back a laugh. Thraen was not a morning wolf—at all. ‘No,’ Maxine replies silently. ‘You may not.’“Shame.” A yawn stretches through their shared consciousness. “I was having a wonderful dream. There was food. Lots of food.”Maxine cracks an eye open. “Why are we awake so early?” she asks, her voice thick with sleep. “It’s not like I have much to do around here.”Across the room, Eliza has already begun pulling back the heavy curtains one by one, flooding the chamber with even mor

The misplaced HeiressBy the time the meeting finally ended, Lysandra felt like she had been sitting in that chair for an entire week. This is what the last three days have been like. She gathered the papers in front of her and exhaled. “That was exhausting, I’m starting to wonder whether I’m actually cut out for this or not.” Sylas, who was standing beside the table collecting his own documents, gave her a knowing look. “It’s only been three days, Lysa.” She picked up her purse and turned towards him. “Exactlyyyy! And I’m this beat up by it all already. What's it gonna be like in a week or even months?” “No, no.” He shook his head. “What I meant was, it’s only been a few days, you’re still new to it all. You’re going to get the hang of it all eventually.” “Errm, I wouldn’t say entirely new…” “Of course, but that was just one company. Now you’ve got more on your plate. Besides, tell me,” he walked towards the glass door of the conference room. “How’s Andra Luxe coming along?”“I

The misplaced HeiressHer phone buzzed against the table, she glanced at the lit-up screen and a slight frown appeared on her lips. The first call had come while she was reviewing the weekly reports from the first company she was meant to visit the morning of tomorrow. She had ignored it, but then it rang again a few minutes later. This was the third time but once she saw who it was, she let it go to voicemail, this was the same thing that had happened the day before. She stared at it contemplating whether she should call him back or not.“Focus, Lysa.” Sylas, standing beside her, brought her back to reality. “Hargreave’s renovation request. Tell me your thoughts on it.” “Right,” she exhaled and turned the phone face down, pulling the report closer. “Revenue per room is up twelve percent. He’s presenting that as proof the hotel is thriving. But repeat bookings fell by nearly a fifth.” She turned the page. “He raised prices, the new guests paid them, and the regulars quietly left. T

The returned Heir Alastair entered the car and got comfortable brooding at the back. Elliot glanced at him through the mirror but wisely said nothing. The drive was quiet. Halfway there, Alastair took out his phone. He stared at Lysandra’s name for a moment before pressing call. It rang four times before going to voicemail. He ended the call. Two minutes later he decided to try again, still went to voicemail. On the third attempt, his finger hovered over her name. He contemplated whether it would make him look too desperate or not. Then he decided he was her husband so he called again. “The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep.”He hung up before the beep and sighed deeply, tossing his phone aside. In the mirror, Elliot was watching the road with great dedication, of course, he’d seen what was going on.“Sir—”“Just drive, Elliot.” “Right away sir.” By the time they arrived back at the office Alastair’s mood could be felt a mile aw

The returned HeirThe Maybach pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared around the corner. Alastair watched it through the window until it cleared the intersection. Then he turned and stared at his food as if it was what caused his father to leave. For several seconds none of them spoke. “Well,” Hero eventually broke the silence. “That went south real quick.” Alastair lifted his glare to Hero, who lifted his hands in defence. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the one who drove him away.” “Of course you’re not. I’m pretty sure if your dad showed up to have lunch with you after you ignored him for weeks you wouldn’t be so hostile at first meeting.” Laird bit out spitefully. “I’d watch myself if I were you, Laird,” Alastair warned. Laird was silent for a moment and then a deep humourless chuckle echoed from his chest. “I should watch myself? That man came here to have some quality time with his son and his friends. But said son couldn’t even master the decency to be polite en

The returned Heir The private lounge was an elegant, secluded room within the restaurant, with plush seating, dim lighting, and a beautifully set dining table. It offered complete privacy away from the main dining area.“So tell me, son, who is this mysterious wife of yours?” Zayn slid into one of the chairs, opting to get right into it. “Actually, let’s start with this. How have you been, son?” Alastair took his seat beside Laird, across from Zayn while Hero took the one next to Zayn. He picked up one of the candy bars set out on the table. A waiter approached them. “Good afternoon gentlemen. May I please take your drink orders?” “I'll have the Hazelnut Mocha. Thank you.” “I second that.”“Passion Fruit Swizzle Mocktail for me please.” “And a Café affogato. And make it with vanilla bean gelato.” “Alright, gentlemen.”After the waiter left, Alastair looked out the window at the incoming clouds and looked back at his father. “That’s my car.” “I’m aware.”“I’m well, Father. Thou

The returned Heir Alastair got into the car.“That oblivious little man,” Laird said, sliding in after him. “I liked him better when he was still hoping we’d buy the glass pool.”Hero climbed in last, eyeing the mini fridge built into the door panel. “Please tell me lunch is happening soon, because I need a good meal after all that.”“Get in,” Alastair said, ignoring him fondly. “I’ll fill you all in properly on the way.”They’d barely cleared the gates when Hero, still mid-complaint about his stomach, glanced out the window and went quiet.“Wait, isn’t that—”“Yes,” Alastair said, before Hero could finish his query.Laird leaned across to get a better look. “And that’s your father driving it.”“I’m aware.”What Alastair found stranger than the car itself was who was driving it. Zayn never drove himself anywhere, hadn’t in years, and yet there he unmistakably was, alone behind the wheel, idling just far enough from Amsterdam & Co.’s gates to look casual about it.Elliot caught his ey