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CHAPTER 107: SAFE PLACE
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2025-03-24 14:23:21
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CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 108: ATHENA'S ARRIVAL
HAILEY The air was thick with emotion, yet warm with the comfort of family. I sat with Alexia in the quiet sitting room, cherishing the rare moment of peace as I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face."You know you'll always have me, right?" I murmured, my fingers lingering against her cheek.She hesitated, her blue eyes searching mine as if trying to find the certainty she had once known. "I know," she whispered, though I could hear the uncertainty laced in her tone.It hurt, to see her so lost and burdened by a destiny she never chose. My whole life, I had fought for those I loved, yet here was my own goddaughter, embroiled in a fate I could not unravel. Thank the gods for Turtela; she has been the peace bridge existing in our midst and has been my steady emotional support, as she is always there to ease any tension we build up.As I was about to continue, the heavy doors creaked open, and I turned to see Jaden entering.But he wasn't alone.A woman was beside him, uncomfortab
Last Updated : 2025-03-24CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 109: UNDISPUTED QUEEN
JADENThe grand hall was tight with tension, the silence thick enough to cut with a blade. Dominance crackled in the air, oozing from my mother—Hailey, the Queen of all species.And yet before she stood the King of Bears, unbowing, arrogance rolling off him in waves. He was huge, certainly towering over most men, his muscles thick ropes beneath his fur-lined cloak. His dark, beady eyes gleamed with condescension as he crossed his arms over his chest."This is a farce," he rumbled, his voice carrying across the hall. "A Queen is to be decided by strength and not by some visionary rule. You may have the title, but I see nothing that earns my respect."The hall fell silent. Every Alpha, Lord, and Elder in that room sucked in a breath. I straightened, reaching instinctively for the dagger at my waist. How incredibly stupid one had to be to cross the Queen—our mother—and this fool was going to find that out. The stories around on the punishment my mother dealt are nothing short of terrifyi
Last Updated : 2025-03-25CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 110: THE KING OF BEARS
ATHENAThe scent of wet earth and old wood overwhelmed me as I stepped into the heart of the King of Bears's realm. It was savage and raw, unlike the wolves' disciplined power. Bears didn't believe in strict rules or grand castles. They lived by strength, by dominance, by sheer will.And Connor?He was the embodiment of all three.He sat on a huge stone throne, carved roughly from the mountain itself, his fingers drumming against the armrest. The flickering torches cast sharp shadows over his face, highlighting the cruel smirk tugging at his lips. He was powerful, larger than life, and undeniably dangerous but just like every other known male species, he is weak and his ability to underestimate female rulers will ultimately be his downfall right now he's still using so I'd simply use his greed and oversight to my own advantage and get the results I want.Which made him the perfect ally. He has no guard against me; he is gullible, and he believes I pose no threat since I willingly chos
Last Updated : 2025-03-25CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 111: WANTING HER
CONNORI watched as Athena's figure disappeared into the shadows of my hall, the scent of dark magic and deceit she carried on her like an intoxicating perfume. Witches. Always scheming. Always thinking they're the smartest in the room, believing every other person beneath them. Fools. If only she knew....but two can play the game. I'd keep acting a fool just to get what I need; there's no point pointing out her exaggerated assumptions, not now.She is wrong on so many levels but on one thing, she was right-I did want more.Hailey.She was more than a queen-the woman was a force of nature, raw and untamed. The way she had humiliated me in front of the council… the way she had made me kneel without lifting a single finger… it should have enraged me. Should have made me want to rip her apart.Instead, it had done something much worse.It had made me want her.Not to see her broken or defeated, but to others closer, take that untouchable power away and make her mine.A slow dark smirk sp
Last Updated : 2025-03-26CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 112: A MOTHER'S GUT
HAILEY I'd never felt what it's like to carry the weight of the crown until then. I was standing on the balcony of my room, looking down and over the expanse beyond the walls. It was quiet that night but not peaceful. Something was off; there was something in the air. How the trees seemed to whisper in the wind, the freak mist obscuring the moon, my gut telling me of the impending danger. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to still myself, but nothing seemed to still the growing unease in my chest. A Voice in the Dark A voice inside me whispered, "You feel it too," "Amenia." "My wolf." my very best friend, My most fierce protector. Her words, "Something stirs in the dark," she said, her voice heightened with uncertainty. "The air reeks of betrayal." I wrapped my fingers over the chilly stone railing and nodded. "I feel it. Yet it's like a hurricane in wait. There was a low rumble deep in my head. "That storm is close, and even now, as it is, many conspire against you." I
Last Updated : 2025-03-26CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 113: UNINVITED GUEST
RYANEVENING TIMEThe moment Jaden left Hailey alone in the gardens, I knew something had changed. I had watched from the shadows, giving them the space they needed, even though every instinct in me had screamed to step in, protect her, protect them both. My mate and my son are two forces of nature, too proud to give in. But tonight, something in Jaden had cracked-just a little. And Hailey had let him.The night air was thick with an unspoken promise of war as I stepped forward. And I didn't need Isaiah's visions or the sharp instincts of Hailey to tell me the danger was drawing in a circle. I knew it in my bones.Still seated on the stone bench, her fingers absently traced the cold surface,, lost in thought, till she looked up when she sensed me, catching the moonlight in her gold eyes."How long have you been lurking?" she asked, her voice amused but weary.I sat down beside her, extending my legs before me. "Long enough to know that he's starting to come around."She hummed in resp
Last Updated : 2025-03-27CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 114: THE VISION
ISAIAHAt Dusk My chambers were illuminated by a low flame that threw the stone walls into writhing shadow. Purifying sacrifices, smoke curled in languid tendrils, bearing the faintest whisper of rosemary and sage. Tonight, however, clarity eluded me. I looked down at the relics strewn across the entire floor as I stood before the huge oak table with my hands spread against its surfaces. A basin of fetid water polluted by the ink of prophecy, bones carved with ancient symbols, and loose runes—each inscribed with a message that I strained to interpret. Something was amiss. It had been days since I first felt the unease that coiled like a snake in my stomach. Some invisible force caused the air to vibrate, a turbulence that whispered betrayal and hidden threats. Hailey had sensed it. Ryan had felt it. Logan had even said it. But the complete vision remained obscured, like a cloudy mirror that refused to clear. I closed my eyes and blew out a breath through my nose. "Show me." The room v
Last Updated : 2025-03-27CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 115: A NEW GAME BEGINS
ATHENAMy body was still hurting from my run-in with that mongrel, Marissa. I had underestimated the speed of that nasty mongrel. But I am smarter than I let on. However, I had fared worse. And the only thing that mattered was survival. With the castle lights flickering behind me, I fled into the shadows of the thick woodland. They had dismissed me as if I were unimportant. Me. Athena. This is my generation's strongest witch. I suppressed the anger and allowed it to boil beneath my skin, even though the insult was more painful than the injuries on my body. Since I had a strategy. They believed they had triumphed. They believed I had lost. However, they were unaware of my abilities. Now, I had a new ally. The trees grew thicker as I moved deeper into the forest, the scent of damp earth and night-blooming flowers filling the air. I mumbled an incantation beneath my breath and felt the energy race through my veins. A tiny glimmer flared in the darkness ahead. He waited. David. Azure's s
Last Updated : 2025-03-28
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CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 194: CHAOS
AUDACUS The council chamber stank of old magic and old pride. It clung to the stones, bleeding into the mortar like the blood of all fools who'd ever sat upon high thrones and imagined that they were invulnerable.I was in the center, hands clasped behind my back, the gravity of a century measured in the loose bend of my shoulders. Ten wizard elders stood around me, faces etched with lines made of centuries, eyes filmed over by complacency. The robes flowed over the marble floor as they shifted to stand nearer, as if attitude itself might distort fate in their direction."Audacus," the oldest, Master Callum, said, his voice husky with a challenge never breached in all his years. "Your arrogance does not belong here. You are not welcome."A smile flared at the edge of my lips. "Arrogance is the right of the already triumphant. You just haven't quite caught up with reality."Whispers circulated around the circle, soft, trembling shivers from tired old gods in mortal flesh. I could near
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 193: AUDACUS
AUDACUSBeen out again in the mortal world feels so surreal but good, it's been so long, too long really but the night tasted sweet. Sweeter than a vow. More bitter than deceit.I stood beneath the crooked arm of a dying oak, one hand leather-gloved, the other bare, tracing my finger along the cold curve of my ring. The dark stone pulsed softly beneath my fingers, full of the quiet, slow hunger I always kept just beneath my skin.The world was still tonight. Even the wind had enough sense to whisper not when I heard it. I could sense the earth beneath my feet, the shift of shadow as it crawled towards me, drawn like a moth battering itself around its own funeral place.The shifter was late.It was always so with beasts bound by fear and not by love. Still, I was impressed by its cunning. Its guile. The art of slinking in and out of hides like leaves from a book.Finally, the beast emerged out of the woods.A distorted shape, wrapped in the stolen form of a man — the fifth, I think, si
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 192: HE'S COMING
LOGANThe air reeked of blood, pungent enough to slice through bone-deep exhaustion. I arrived too late for the battle, but just in time for the cleanup.Marissa stood with her arm raised over the shape-shifter's deformed body, which collapsed at her feet like a crumpled flower. Its body shook as if even death would not claim it cleanly. Her sword dripped with black, noxious ichor.I'd wanted to feel proud — darn it, I was proud — but my wolf howled inside my chest walls, screaming for vengeance."Are you alright?" I pressed forward, ready to catch her if her legs gave out under her.Marissa cleaned the knife on her hand, jutting chin as if the fighter I knew her to be was finally free of that cage she'd been holding herself in."It won't be the last."That solitary stark truth weighed between us like a boulder."Not if I have any say in it," I growled. And I meant every damn word.ISAIAH The scent of smoke still hung in the air, seeping into the stone walls like an unwelcome memory.
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 191: MOTHER'S CHOICES
TURTELA The castle had never been this still, not really. Even at midnight, its old bones vibrated with the thrum of wards and remembrances. But tonight, after the fight, after blood and smoke, the stillness was oppressive as ever. It lay on my chest like a heavy hand, smothering the wolf inside me who trotted in ceaseless circles, anxious and watchful.I should have stayed in my own chambers. Should have soothed myself with a hot bath or the echoing sound of dad's voice up and down the halls. Instead, my own feet led me out, past the marble pillars, to the garden where everything was bathed in moonlight.And she was there.Serenia.Sitting on the stone bench like it was her own, as if she had burst forth from the earth itself, dark hair falling like silk down her back. She was so still that I almost mistook her for another statue, some forgotten relic the old kings had left. I did not sneak up on her. I wanted her to hear me coming. I wanted her to know that I was not afraid."You'
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 190: A DAUGHTER'S VERDICT
ISAIAH The moment Hailey's call brushed my thoughts, I felt it — the shift in the air. There was no desperation in her tone, no panic, but resolve. And that scared me more than any battlefield ever managed.I arrived in the courtyard as the moon carved silver wounds in the stone. My steps faltered as my gaze met hers.Serenia.The last time I'd ever seen her was under other skies — when I'd lost all hope of having a mate. When fate woke me up, I'd never expected that she would be bound to me again, or in this manner.She was now by Hailey's side. Not as an enemy. Not even as a stranger.Her eyes settled on me, hard and unflickering."You came," she said.I cleared my throat, finding my balance. "Your mother summoned me."Her lips curled into a semblance of laughter, but there was no warmth behind it. "Oh, naturally she would. Always the Queen, always the commander."I started to open my mouth in defense of Hailey — habit — but Serenia raised a hand, stopping me. Her voice softened, a
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 189: CREDIBLE ALLIANCE?
HAILEYThe moon hung low in the heavens, casting a silver glow across the courtyard. The air was thick with anticipation, a silence that reeked of danger waiting to happen. I stood alone, senses heightened, muscles bunched and prepared to move.I was startled by a sudden stir within the shadows. A figure emerged, veiled in the shadows, moving with lethal grace. I recognized her immediately—Serenia, daughter of Lilith. She was a storm, her eyes burning with a mix of rage and grief.She attacked silently, her sword flashing towards me. I parried, the sound of steel on steel ringing out like a thunderclap. Our battle was a dance of fire and ice, each strike a question, each parry an answer."Why?" I shouted, our blades intertwined. "Why attack me?"Her eyes twitched, agony clouding her features. "Because he wants you," she snarled. "The Serpent King wants you, and I need to know why."Comprehension dawned. This wasn't a straight-up attack—it was a test, a desperate search for information
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 188: SERENIA
LILITHThe mortal realm was a mess of senses—colors too bright, scents too acrid, voices too jarring. And yet I walked through it as if I was born to rule it. Perhaps I was. Smoke wreathed my robes, curling around my ankles like living vines. I let it. Let them look at me. Let them fear.I had but one objective.Serenia.My daughter.Foolish, sentimental kid that she'd been, she'd followed the Serpent King into this world, bound by some romantic fantasy. And now she was lost. Hidden. Maybe in danger. And that. would not do.The trail led me to a crooked little hut that cowered beneath trees that recoiled from me. Magic lingered at its edges—thin, muddled spells that reeked of deceit. I passed through the wards like silk through a blade.She was inside, pale as ashes, a witch not a hundred years old. Her eyes widened. She knew me."Lilith," she whispered."I'm looking for my daughter," I said to her calmly. "Her name is Serenia. She passed this way."The witch shook her head. "I cannot
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 187: QUEEN'S COMMAND
HAILEYThe throne room still smoldered with the ashes of war, the walls whispering with the ghosts of screams and fire. Ash streaked across my cheeks like war paint, my breath calm but flavored with fury. I stood at the room's center—queen, mother, warrior—with blood on my blade and power thrumming beneath my skin."To me," I bellowed, voice ripping through the quiet like thunder. I didn't need to say it twice. Every soul in the castle would hear me. And they would come.Because something else had passed beyond the veil. Something worse.The air reeked. Burnt sugar and spoiled wine. The veil had been pulled taut in our last battle, but now it was torn apart—and something was bleeding through.They came in bursts—Ryan first, low and tense, growling, Jaden on his flank. Aaron came in laughing and cautious, half, with Isaiah trailing behind him, haunted. The others came in after me—Turtela shining with moonlight in her eyes, Jackson still fixing his collar like they hadn't just battled a
CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 186: LILITH
ISAIAH The battlefield was chaos wrapped in fire.Ash rained from the skies like the skies themselves wept at what was happening within our sacred halls. The moment the shadow tore itself free from the ceiling, all went awry. Screams, growls, magic—fire erupted across the throne room, fighting jagged ice and howling streams of wind. The wards had held, barely.And yet, above it all, I could hear her.Hailey.Unyielding, authoritative, force of nature. Even when three of the dark minions charged her, she wheeled with dignity tempered by steel and blood. Her swords whirled. One, two—down they went.I fought with Ryan and Jaden, our movements choreographed as if fate itself had set us up for this moment. Kael changed in mid-air, scales flashing and wings brushing against the enchanted chandeliers as he dove."Behind you!" Turtela screamed, a beam of moonlight slicing across me.I spun and bisected a snarling shifter, its twisted form coughing up black smoke instead of blood.We were gai
