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CHAPTER 81: THE BIRTH OF TURTELA
Last Updated:
2025-03-11 13:58:49
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CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 82: END OF THOMAS
LOGANThe smell of pine and damp earth filled the forest, but underneath it was a more delectable aroma—Thomas. It pulled me deeper into the woods and was subtle but distinct, a mixture of rotting leaves and bitter smoke. My chest constricted with each step, anger seething just beneath the surface. Thomas had gone too far. His cowardice knew no bounds when he attacked Marissa, helpless and battered. This was a matter of justice, not vengeance. My wolf snarled in anger in my head in a gravelly voice. We'll get him to pay. Slowly. When I considered what Thomas had done to Marissa, my claws extended reflexively. She did have strength, but even strength could only go so far.Tonight, I would allow my anger to blaze like a wild fire.As the smell became more potent, I slowed, my senses becoming more acute. The moonlight struggled to penetrate the thick canopy overhead, casting shadows that crept across the forest floor. The stillness made me edgy, and it was very still. And that was when I
Last Updated : 2025-03-11CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 83: BOND UNVEILED
ADRIANThe forest around the packhouse was golden with tendrils of sunset light warming the trees. My mind swirled as did the mist rolling off the earth when I stood on the edge of the meadow. Hailey called me to tell me that tensions with Azure were growing. Despite so much fear all over, tonight's looming fight did not disturb me in any way. Turtela was the kid. Something impossibly awakened inside of me the second I laid eyes on her. I'd attributed it at first to my own instinct of caring for Hailey and her family. This was not, however, like the others. This was a pang, a tug, a connection that had nothing to do with reason. I shook my head and muttered to myself softly, "She's just a child." My footsteps clacked against the gleaming oak floors as I entered the packhouse. With a weary smile, Hailey welcomed me, her hand instinctively resting on her vast belly. "Adrian," she said warmly. "I'm glad you came." I nodded, maintaining a neutral face. "My queen, always. What's new?"The
Last Updated : 2025-03-12CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 84: SHADOWS OF FURY
AZURELike living beings, the shadows coiled around me, their whispers a never-ending symphony of promises and mayhem. I was standing in my fortress's great hall, a place built out of gloom and hopelessness. The flames lining the walls flickered with an unearthly green flame, and the air was thick with the stink of death. I had established my dominion here, a stronghold of power and terror. I was dreaded by both my allies and my adversaries. That was the situation. But I couldn't ignore the whispering in the shadows today. The chamber's doors flew open, and a person staggered in, his face and body shaking profusely and a pallid face. It was a wolf, one of my lower-level lieutenants, whose allegiance I had never doubted until now. He smelt of failure and panic, two things I hated. He knelt down and said, "My lord," his voice trembling. "I bring news." With icy, dark light shining in my eyes, I remained motionless on my throne. "Speak," I said, my voice piercing the atmosphere like a ra
Last Updated : 2025-03-12CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 85: LYNA'S RESILIENCE
LYNANerves frazzled, I paced back and forth in our little clearing while the sunshine seeped through the forest's dense canopy. Even the beauty of nature couldn't calm the storm that was building inside of me, even though the air was filled with the fresh smell of earth and pine. Hours had passed since Aaron left, and even though I trusted his judgement and strength, my chest constricted with anxiety. Aurora, our baby, was curled up in my arms, her small face a serene counterpoint to my own chaos. Being a vampire, I had thought I was immune to the dread of this magnitude, but motherhood had changed me. I was transformed by Aurora. I had never had a relationship like the one I had with her; it was stronger than blood and went beyond the immortal. "Why do you always pace when you're anxious?" My thoughts were interrupted by Aaron's words, and I looked back to see him enter the clearing with his dark hair blown slightly. I hurried over to him, feeling a wave of relief. I said, "You took
Last Updated : 2025-03-13CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 86: ISAIAH'S VISION
ISAIAH There was a heavy quiet to the night, the kind that filled your lungs with uneasiness and pressed against your chest. I was standing in the tiny space I had made my own in the packhouse, with the walls covered in antiquated manuscripts and artefacts I had brought with me throughout my many years of wandering. Though it was always there, the weight of my history felt particularly heavy tonight. Each vision had been more urgent than the last, and they had begun occurring more regularly. The flashes of a future so unclear that it felt like attempting to capture smoke with bare hands were pieces. The air was different tonight, though. I sensed that it was building like a storm that was about to hit. As I concentrated on my breathing, I sat cross-legged on the floor with my hands on my knees. Except for the slight crackle of the fire on the hearth, the room was quiet. I let my eyes close and allowed the earth's energies to ground me. It was like a tidal surge of vision. The planet
Last Updated : 2025-03-13CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 87: PAST SHADOWS
AZURE The torches' unsteady flames caused the shadows in my chamber to dance, creating lengthy, menacing figures on the stone walls. The smell of ancient power and burning sage filled the air, a mixture that lived on treachery and secrets. A smirk tugged at the edges of my lips as I sat on my obsidian throne. Everything was coming together, and the mayhem I wanted to unleash will soon blossom into reality. As usual, my adversaries had misjudged me, but this time, I was armed with a weapon that was far more lethal than any army: the truth. "Bring him in," I said, my voice cutting like a razor through the quiet. Two of my shadow guards dragged a body into the room as the huge iron doors cracked open. In a pitiful attempt at bravado, the man held his chin high despite his pale complexion and big, terrified eyes. "Ah, Xavier," I said, bending forward to welcome him. "You’ve served your purpose well, haven’t you?" My source, a renegade wolf named Xavier, shuddered. "Please, my lord, I—" I
Last Updated : 2025-03-14CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 88: COUNCIL'S ULTIMATUM
HAILEY The council hall was thick with tension. I stood at the room's center, which seemed to press in on me with its high-stone walls and carvings of old wolves. The councilors sat in a half-circle, their eyes sharp and merciless. Amenia's roar echoed soundlessly inside my head as my fingers danced at my sides. Do they have the nerve to call us thus? I grumbled under my breath, "I don't like it either." My gaze ran over the faces before me: elders who spoke for packs from all over the realm, all of them said to be impartial and clever. But their impartiality seemed questionable at best today. Elder Aldric began to speak, "Queen Hailey," his voice as cold and smooth as a diamond. "You have been summoned to discuss the future of our people. The present dispute with Azure must remain unresolved. I retained my composure by crossing my arms. "If this concerns challenging my decisions or actions—" I was interrupted when Elder Mirabel held out her hand. "Your Majesty, this is not a trial.
Last Updated : 2025-03-14CLAIMING HAILEY CHAPTER 89: SHADOWS OF BETRAYAL
HAILEYThe night storm was relentless. Wind howled like a lost wolf as rain sheets beat against packhouse windows. Anxiety curled around my stomach like a knife as I walked nervously around the living room. Turtela lay in her bassinet, interrupting silence every now and then with gentle coos. While his wolf fought to be free within him, Ryan hunched over the couch in locked jaw and staring away, my breathing as silent as could be, voice riding over rain's pounding drone to cut "I don't like this." My eyes flew at Ryan when his head shot round. He was on his feet. "We've closed up the defenses, but neither do I. There are two patrols. We'll see if Azure tries anything. Arms crossed over my chest, I said, "That's not enough."With arms crossed on my chest, I said. He is too cunning and too unstable. We should have— The tension was broken by the roar of a crash followed by the screaming shrieks of wolves outside. In an instant, Ryan jumped up, his stretched body prepared to defend. "Stay
Last Updated : 2025-03-15
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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
