Novels by Rhea Matthews

"Stabbing yourself was a very bad idea, Sera.Is that how badly you don't want to help your dear Uncle?Remember how I took care of you."As my eyes struggled to come back to focus, memories assaulted me. How much I clung to him after losing my parents, how he defended me from Mirabel and the rest of the pack.The nights when I stayed up late weeping and he was there–offering a kind word, a smile and a glass of milk that lulled me back to sleep.I pressed my eyes shut and winced from the ache in my heart."You're nothing but a two faced conniving bastard who took advantage of a young girl who had just lost her parents!”"Conserve your strength darling, you're headed to your new home.I had to personally escort you to make sure you didn't pull any more stunts.Thankfully, the dagger missed the vital organs.”It was then I became fully aware of my surroundings, aware of the stabbing pain that threatened to swallow me up again, to my hands and feet bound my stone cuffs that tightened wit

“What?” I breathed, unable to believe my ears,still unable to comprehend the sight before me.I must have misheard him.“Four days ago, I was crowned the new king of Ravencourt pack by the elders.” He repeated, a smile hanging at the corner of his lips.I loosened my hold on my chair, too stunned to even blink.My lips parted and closed while my eyes moved to the elders.Their silence was a confirmation of my Uncle's words.“You can't be serious, Uncle! Yo..you promised me, you promised to make sure my claim to the throne wasn't contested by anyone, that the elders wouldn't stand in my way!I have earned my place!I have worked tirelessly for the good of the pack! This is unfair! You can’t do this to me!” I screamed, advancing towards them.Uncle stood from his seat, his smile dim but the light in his eyes seemed brighter.“I don't think anyone here understands you, Sera. The only thing you've earned is the dingy stall in town where you sell your flowers.”I blinked, a disbelieved sig

I clutched the hospital files the doctor handed to me as I departed the area and refused to glance at my numb legs.The scenery blurred into each other as the car sped down the road and tears filled my eyes.I sniffed and blinked them off before they had a chance to fall down.I wasn't going to wallow in grief over my lost legs.Not until after I had the chance to see the elders and explain my absence.I gritted my teeth as the frustration of losing my cell phone gnawed at me.The hospital lines to the palace barely got through and when one eventually did it was brutally silenced.Uncle would be so worried and even more shocked when he sees the state I was in.I pressed the ball of my hands against my eyes and stifled another stream of tears from coming out.The doctor said there was a thirty percent chance I was able to recover my legs.Thirty percent was too little to hold on to but I clung tightly to that h]ope.And if I didn't regain my legs, I was just going to make do with life

Screams.For the longest time they seemed to be all I heard whenever I shut my eyes. Screams that haunted me since that dreadful night, screams that seemed to be trapped in the walls of my bedroom and the corners of the palace.I had come to see screams as a constant part of my life but these ones were different from my faithful companion.I cracked my eyes open, wincing as a distant ringing pounded in my head.My vision seemed to be coated in a layer of dust– blinding red dust.I tried to blink but my muscles refused to obey me; not even as I felt something warm drip down my face and almost find its way into my eyes.The screams were getting louder. Not just from people this time but the cacophony of honks and sirens that joined them.I parted my crusty lips and gritted my teeth.I was stuck.The sirens got closer just as panic began to seep into my bones.I couldn't be stuck. Not today. Not when the most important event of my life was happening right now.I sent commands to my brai

**Zara/Reika**I held the paper between my fingers as my body began to tremble.My eyes remained glued to it, re reading the words like I missed something.The time for the meeting plus the location kept echoing in my head.My sight went blurry, my mouth dry and I suddenly felt a fever coming up.I squeezed the card in my hand and threw my head against the pillow, exhaling slow breaths through my lips to keep my heart from exploding.It's okay Reika. Just calm down. You'll figure this out.No, I couldn't figure this one out.I couldn't sneak out from the palace right under Stephan’s nose and go to a club I hardly knew.Why was the location changed?Was I going to be killed this time and he wanted to do it off the palace?Sweat dropped from my forehead down my neck.I curled and uncurled my palm, staring at the ceiling like the answer would appear there.The bathroom door opened and Stephan stepped out accompanied by the rushing of water.I sat upright and threw a scathing glare in his

**Zara/Reika**I had enough to worry about.The fact that my sweet interval for revenge had been abruptly cut short, a mysterious note on my bathroom mirror, meeting the stranger again and getting more ridiculous tasks.I was worried my head would explode with how many issues filled it but at least, I didn't worry about them while I slept.I tapped my feet against the floor, my jaws clenched so hard I could feel them grind and watched with narrowed eyes as a team of maids filed into my room and began to take down the clothes in my closet.For a minute I thought Stephan had found out everything, I was about to be thrown out of the palace or even worse thrown into jail.My confusion was glaring in my face when one of the maids informed me that I would now be sharing a room with the Alpha.The Alpha? Stephan?For the past twenty minutes that they've been at their task I was still yet to comprehend why and how I was moving into Stephan's room.It was a bit of a stretch but my mind couldn'

**STEPHAN**I woke up to her scent that filled up the entire inch of my bedroom but found the space next to me empty.I dragged a finger across my eyes to get rid of the sleep and sat up in bed.I must have been so knocked out not to notice when she left.I looked around my bedroom, specifically the cupboards and the way to my closet. All was still intact.Well, she didn't mess up my room this time. That was a win.I stretched a little, grateful to be back in Ravenclaw and in my bed but as my thoughts wandered to the unpleasant meeting I had planned today, I suddenly wished I didn't contact Kyren as soon as I did.Speaking of returning, my mind wandered to Zara’s bedroom, to the note I found on her bathroom mirror when I took her in.Her bedroom was the first place I stopped, hoping to place her in bed.I wanted to retrieve a towel to wipe sweat off her body when the writing on the mirror stumped me.I wisely held back the urge to call for guards and studied it, even took a picture w

**Zara/Reika**My body still shook from the after effects of the revelation I just had.My skin tingled like it was brushed by the translucent flowers of the garden, while the new ultimatum I had been given echoed in my ears like a judgement.I blinked my eyes open, squinting at the gentle glow of light that cut through my sight from the overhead light, listened to the soft groan of the wind against window panes and mechanical ticking of the wall clock.A sigh left my lips. I turned to the side and was immediately hit by a cool minty breath against my face.All traces of the fatigue I felt earlier disappeared in a moment.Yes, we were back in Raven Claw. Finally!I dragged a finger across my eyes to be sure I was seeing properly.I was indeed seeing well.I lifted my eyes to the ceiling, looked past the bed to the familiar cupboards which I remembered turning inside out.Why was I in Stephan's bedroom?“This pervert!” I mused under my breath and dragged his hand that was resting on my

**Zara/Reika**The ecstasy I felt from the noodle shop continued to course through my body from the time we departed till we arrived at the inn.Stephan's expression was a bit more relaxed, his face bore a faint smile and the worry lines around his eyes had eased.I patted my round stomach as we strolled down the street that led to the inn.The houses around still had their lights on and the smell of dinner wafting through the window.If I wasn't knocked out earlier, I would have asked Darren why the occupants lived like they were scared of something.It all didn't add up. But as Stephan had rung into my brain times without a number, it was none of my business.The inn woman was back in her seat, waving a silver fan around herself while she sipped a glass of cola.She nodded at us as we stepped in then moved her gaze towards the cushions in the reception.Stephan and I followed her gaze and our eyes landed on a nest of dusty silver hair.Kyren was here.“Kyren.” Stephan echoed in a ch

**Zara/Reika**A soft groan left my lips. I pressed my eyes shut, my eyebrows furrowed and the sharp scent of musk and almonds drifted into my nose.I curled my fingers around the blanket draped over my body and forced my eyes open.A brown ceiling with streaks of dried up rain water patches and a fan that barely offered any breeze greeted my eyes.I sniffed, looked sideways to see a glass of water resting on the dresser. I looked to the other side and found the windows slightly opened, the sky dark and devoid of stars.Where was I? I rose from the bed, dragged a finger through my eyes to get rid of the sleep and pushed my hair from my face.My memory was a bit foggy.I took the glass of water resting on the dresser and downed it immediately.As I placed the glass down, I became aware of a pair of eyes staring intently at me.Stephan.The fog in my head cleared up at once.Darren. He was the leader of the rogue werewolves.Wait…I looked around the room, ignoring the scathing look S