C.K Hawks 的作品

The hall rose as one when the instruments began.Arlen walked beside his father, step by step down the long aisle. The purple and orange petals were unending. He felt Caesar’s hand tighten briefly around his own, then loosen, then slowly slip away the closer they came to the altar.He blinked hard.Rufus stood waiting. Arlen was impressed by how majestic and composed he looked. Every inch the future king consort any omega could dream of. But this was not the face that had visited Arlen’s dreams. Just like that reality hit.The ceremony began under the steady voice of the highest ranking mage. As prayers were said, Rufus could not look away.To the crowd, it was beautiful. To Arlen, it felt like a sentence being read aloud.The wedding band was soon brought forward on a plump velvet cushion.Rufus took it. He hesitated, staring at Arlen’s hand.“What is he waiting for?” Caesar muttered to Claude, who was just as concerned.Rufus smiled at Arlen. “Are you really not going to stop me?”A

Luca’s POV…Damaris had always prided itself on stability. Due to advanced research our fields never went barren. Our institutes never closed, they expanded. We have workshops that rang from dawn to dusk. ‘Progress without abandoning tradition’. That was what we boast of. It used to be enough for me.But now the courtyards felt wider than usual.I moved through the castle halls like someone visiting his own home for the first time. Servants bowed whenever I walked in. No one dared to speak unless spoken to. I preferred it that way.We had lost our standing among the greater kingdoms. Banned from gatherings. Informed last of alliances. It was a polite distance kept between us and the rest of Slora.As Crown Prince I accepted it.I apologized where apology was due. I signed what needed signing. I let Damaris bear my decisions, and I bore theirs.On the morning of my coronation, I stood before the mirror longer than necessary.The robes were fitted perfectly. Royal blue, trimmed in gold.

At nightfall, the banquet resumed in full splendor. Music swelled around them. Dancers filled the hall. Caesar laughed among his people, grateful. He was still missing half of himself. But he endured.In the middle of the celebration, Rufus felt fingers close around his wrist.He looked down. Arlen gave him the smallest tilt of his head. It was a silent request.Rufus hesitated only briefly, mindful of the King. But when Arlen rose from his seat, he followed.“Look at them,” Caesar murmured with pride as they disappeared into the crowd. “They’re already inseparable.”*****Outside the palace gates, the noise dimmed.“Where are we going?” Rufus asked. “Arlen.”“You wanted to see my favorite places,” Arlen replied lightly. “I remembered one more.”He glanced over his shoulder. “Race you?”Before Rufus could respond, Arlen shifted, feathers bursting outward, his form narrowing into a raven that cut cleanly into the night sky.Rufus stared upward. “How exactly do I compete with a bird?”

IngramIn honor of his son's recovery, Caesar threw a grand banquet. Three days of shared joy, of reassuring his people that they remained in steady hands.The Loughtys were honored for their service in protecting the Prince of Ingram. Caesar gleefully named cities after Claude and his children, vowing their loyalty would never be forgotten nor taken for granted.Throughout the celebration, Rufus walked on eggshells. His engagement to Arlen had been formally announced to the court, and he braced himself for hysteria from the omega in question.But Arlen said nothing.He did not weep. He did not threaten to return to the land of the dead.He was calm. Too calm offering subtle smiles where required. When he spoke, the room listened. The jester-like spark that once danced in his eyes had gone quiet. Now he nodded along with the elders like a well-crafted puppet.At breakfast they were made to sit side by side.“You are to be newlyweds. Take this time to grow familiar,” Caesar insisted pr

IngramWhen Arlen regained his speech, Caesar beseeched him to do away with Luca and start a new life with an alpha chosen by the council. This troubled Ari, who had little say in the matter.She approached with food, something Arlen often insisted he did not need. She dismissed the servants, helped him to the table, and took her time dishing out the meal. Her cousin was slow with the cutlery, tightening his face each time a morsel went down his throat, as if he were swallowing rocks.“Are you considering your father’s demands? Is that why you’re so withdrawn?” Ari asked gently.Arlen hesitated, thinking hard about his response. “Yes, I am,” he admitted.“But you love Luca,” Ari stressed.Arlen stretched his neck as if trying to release something heavy from his chest. “I saw him die. I can bear the thought of him being with someone else, even if it brings me pain, but I can’t stand the thought of him sacrificing himself for my sake.”Kraken crawled into the room, reacting to the rise

True to her word, Zariah snuck Luca into the court, passing him off as one of her men in disguise.After instructing the soldiers at Arlen’s door to stand guard elsewhere, she freely walked in.“Fifteen minutes - just like we agreed.” Luca was reminded of that cruel clause. Yet he did not let the dissatisfaction swallow him as he inched closer to Arlen’s bed.Suddenly, a long neck snapped at him. Luca leaped back, remembering that foul beast he and Arlen had encountered in the caves at No-man’s-land.“Woah there… he’s with me.” Zariah had forgotten to include that detail when planning this visit.Kraken continued to thrust its head toward Luca, standing on all fours.“Why is it acting so difficult? It’s not like you would harm Arlen.” Zariah tried hard to keep Luca from getting eaten.Just then, the doors slid open. They froze.“Luca Beaumont?” Ari touched her mouth, eyes wide.She hurried in, telling Kraken to quiet down. Her gentle touches did calm the beast, but then she turned to

Abigail was just about to beat Larry for the fifth time in a row when Jake’s call came through. “You cheated,” Larry said, staring at the racing screen in horror. “I absolutely did not.” Abi laughed, gripping the controller tighter. “You button mashed with criminal intent.” “Sounds like a skill issue to me.” Abi giggled. Larry gasped dramatically as he pressed the phone on his ear. But then the excitement died down when Jake said to meet at the carpark. Abi glanced at him. “Did something happen?” “We’re going home.” Larry scratched his brow. Meeting Iris and Jake, it was easy to tell that something happened. The ride back was painfully quiet. Abi sat in the backseat beside Iris, occasionally stealing glances at her sister. Iris looked completely unbothered, calmly scrolling through her phone. Jake’s hands tightened around the steering wheel every few minutes. Larry noticed it. So did Abigail. The moment they stepped into the house, an arguement unfolded. “D

Abigail wandered ahead of Larry, an ice cream cone in one hand. It was her idea to feed her sweet tooth while her sister wasn’t watching. Maybe it was the noise. Maybe it was Larry’s company slowly melting away her introverted nature. She turned a corner too quickly and walked straight into someone.“Oh!” He caught her before she stumbled.Then she froze. “Noah…”He blinked down at her, surprised. “Abigail?”Her heart raced for no reason she could explain. Up close, he looked the same as always. Calm and put together.“I didn’t see you,” she said quickly.“Clearly.” A faint smile tugged at his lips. His eyes shifted past her. “Didn't bet on meeting you here. Are you alone?”Larry stepped forward casually. “She rarely is.”Noah looked between them. “Oh... Is this your friend?”"My...my." Abi’s brain short circuited. “My boy-friend,” she blurted.Larry nearly choked on his food.Noah went still for half a second. “I see,” he said quietly.Larry recovered first. “Its a very recent develo

The mall was louder than Iris expected. Voices overlapped, music spilled from open stores. It felt alive in a way her world rarely did. Her face was calm but her eyes moved more than usual, quietly taking everything in. Abigail stayed closer to Larry, pointing at random things. It didn’t take much for her to ditch her sister to explore the place with him. For Jake this was the perfect chance to show Iris a glimpse of normalcy. To impress her with simple gestures. And he saw just the place to start. Jake stopped in front of a boutique with a glass front and soft gold lettering. “Veloure?” Iris glanced at it, then at him. Jake scratched the back of his neck. “You need clothes. Comfier ones. Not just…what you’ve been rotating.” “Whats the point? I could have my stylist send over twenty options before dark,” Iris replied plainly. “I know,” he said quickly. “But… I wanted to pick them myself.” There was something disarmingly simple in the way he said it. No pride, j

FlashbackIris was eight when she truly learned her siblings hated her.It began with Olivia’s usual mischief. She snuck into Iris’s room with a jug of water and poured it slowly onto the mattress, soaking the sheets. Then she raised her voice, calling for the others.“She wet the bed again!” Olivia’s song pierced the quiet hall. “I didn’t!” Iris protested, clutching the dripping fabric as she hopped down. “Look, it doesn’t even smell. It’s just water.”Charlotte arrived first, already smirking, already rehearsed on her blame game. “Ugh, she reeks. What do think Baron? She’s always making excuses.”Baron leaned lazily against the doorframe, his arms folded. “Pathetic. Father should send you to sleep in the stables. At least the horses won’t complain.”Their laughter invaded the air.“It’s not true!” Iris’ voice broke as she shook her head.Charlotte lurked forward, circling her. “Doesn’t matter what’s true. It matters what we say. And everyone listens to us, not you.”“Not Father. He

When they were done, Jake and Larry insisted on handling the cleanup. Iris didn’t argue. She simply rose, taking Abigail with her.“Come. Bath with me.” Iris said when they got to the guest room.Abi followed, dragging her feet but secretly pleased. In the wide tub, steam curled around them, Iris leaned back against the edge, her hair pinned up.Abi swirled her fingers through the bubbles. “You don’t have to look at me like that, you know. Like I’m going to break.”“You already did today,” Iris said flatly. Then, softer. “And you’ll break again, if you don’t learn to be stronger.”Abi pressed her lips together. “Easy for you to say. You’ve always had Apollo. Someone watching, guarding. He was your shield. I don’t have anyone like that.”Iris sighed once before speaking. “I can be strong for the both of us, but even I won’t be here forever Abi… If you want an Apollo, I can get you one. He’ll follow you like the air you breathe, grant your every whim, never let you trip on your own shad

Abigail was worried by the tone of her sister’s voice.“Are you alright?” she asked.Iris only lifted her hand in dismissal; her expression carved from stone. “Larry. Take Abi to your game room, would you? I need a moment.”Larry didn’t argue - he never did when Iris used that tone. He just gestured for Abigail to follow. “You like games?”“Some,” Abi said, her voice cautious.“Good. Ever played Deadlights IV?”Her eyes lit up immediately. “Wait, the zombie one? With the flamethrower glitches?”Larry grinned like a proud uncle. “The very same.”“No way! That game’s banned in three countries.”“Which makes it better,” Larry said, already leading her down the hall. They were laughing before they even reached the console. Within minutes, the two of them were yelling at the screen, cheering when they blew apart a horde and groaning when Abi accidentally torched herself with her own Molotov.By the time Iris rejoined them, the room echoed with the kind of chaotic joy she usually despised.

Derrick texted on her day off.‘Can I come by?’Valery stared at the screen for a long moment before answering yes.When he arrived, she let him in. She even offered him a drink to lighten the mood. They sat across from each other, silently.“You look well,” Derrick said finally. His voice was careful, measured.“I’m managing,” she replied, staring at her hands.“Valery…” His eyes searched her face. “Forgive me.”She shook her head. “No. I should be the one apologizing to you.”“Why would you say that?”“Because I pushed you too hard with my actions. Maybe I shouldn’t have let what we had drag on for this long.”He leaned forward, desperate. “No. Don’t do that. Don’t twist this into your fault. We’ve both suffered. But couples survive worse, don’t they? We can survive this.”Her throat felt tight, as if the words refused to come out. “You make it sound easy.”“I’m not saying it’s easy,” Derrick said quickly. “I’m saying it’s worth it. You and me - we’ve always been worth it.”Valery l

Days later…Valery stood her ground with Jennifer, insisting she could finally return home. Two weeks of being coddled and nursed had drained her spirit more than the wounds themselves.“I swear, Jen, I’m healed,” she said, adjusting the strap of her handbag as though to prove she was fit to carry it. “I can’t just sit and sleep the day away. I miss work. I miss being me.”Jennifer frowned, arms folded across her chest, studying her younger sister with suspicious eyes. “Your mouth says one thing, but your body says another. You still look pale.”“I’m fine.” Valery forced a small smile. “If I don’t go back to my normal life, I’ll start feeling like an invalid. You don’t want that for me.”Jennifer sighed, exasperated but helpless. “Stubborn, just like Father. Fine. But don’t make me regret this.”When Valery stepped into her own house, the air felt different - lighter, freer. She was ready to sink into the familiar silence when a loud cheer nearly startled her out of her skin.“There s

PRESENT DAY...Valery felt Ryan’s smile press against her forehead. His breath was warm, too close for her thoughts to escape.“What’s tickling your mind?” she whispered in a low hum.Ryan lowered his eyes, lips spreading wider, like he was savouring a secret. “Do you remember when my brother was accused of starting some party and using drugs?”Valery winced, her nose twitching as if the memory itself was vague. “…” She gave a slow nod.“He was so afraid you’d get in trouble, he accepted those lies,” Ryan murmured.Valery tilted her head, caught by the seriousness on his face. His voice didn’t break, but it shook with something heavier.“Had my mother not pestered the school and made donations, they would have kicked him out. At that time, all Riley could think of was you. He was willing to lose being able to see you every day, than do anything that might cause you to lose face.”“I remember,” Valery whispered. “He got suspended for three weeks the following term.”Ryan’s throat bobbe

Hecate didn’t know what to expect when she showed up at the school. She went in calm, but the moment the matter was laid before her, she nearly choked on her own breath.“So, you’re saying my son - who’s never even held a cigarette - managed to sneak marijuana into a resort?” she asked. “Are you even aware Riley has a condition?”“Yes, Madam Hecate,” the headmaster said, voice stiff, “but that doesn’t change the fact that the substances were found in his bag.”Her eyes sharpened. “He doesn’t know how that got there. My son isn’t some trained liar you can pin this crime on.”The headmaster leaned back. “We’re not accusing lightly. And for clarity, it’s because of your reputation that we didn’t involve the police. Riley has never caused trouble here, but consuming or dealing with drugs is not tolerated. It could mean suspension…or expulsion.” The man explained. “And there’s more – allegedly we he didn’t sleep in his room one of the nights.”Hecate turned to her son. “Is this true, Riley

The airport lounge was quieter than it should have been for a group of teenagers. Teachers whispered sternly among themselves, throwing glances toward Riley and Derrick like they were lepers. Nobody wanted to sit too close, not after the spectacle last night. The words ‘drugs’ and ‘fighting’ still hung heavy in everyone’s ears like flies around a wound.Valery trailed behind the others, clutching her bag. She had wanted to defend Riley, but what good would that have done when every adult looked at him like he was already guilty?The line shuffled forward, and soon she found herself stepping onto the plane. Her eyes darted immediately, searching. There he was, Riley, slumped in a seat by the window. Relief rushed through her until she saw who sat beside him. One of the teachers, posture stiff as a guard dog, keeping watch.Riley lifted his head as though he felt her eyes on him. His lips twitched into the faintest smile, tired, broken. She wanted to run down the aisle and throw herself

The teachers woke up hazy and confused. When they stepped outside, the place was silent - unsettlingly so. Not a speck of dirt on the ground, and not a single student in sight. To their amazement, the children were already gathered neatly outside, waiting for the bus.It was the final day of the workshop. Certificates were handed out; connections briefly encouraged with professionals across various fields. The evening would be crowned with a black-tie dinner party.For a prestigious school like Lady Sarah Memorial, each student dazzled. The boys crisp in tuxedos, the girls radiant in modest dresses.Derrick was at the lounge adjusting his sleeves when Riley walked in, waves gleaming in his trimmed hair, his look sharp enough to cut. Instead of buses, limos waited to carry them to the event."You look okay, old man," Derrick said with a smirk."Not so bad yourself, pip squeak," Riley shot back, wincing at his own joke.Then Margret arrived, blooming like a sunflower in her yellow dress