Se connecterThree years ago, Annalise Sterling abandoned everything. Her family. Her name. Her future. She disappeared from the powerful Sterling family and built a quiet life for herself, believing she had finally found the one thing she always wanted—love. Then reality shattered. After losing her unborn child, Annalise discovers that the marriage she spent three years protecting was built on lies. The man she devoted herself to was never truly hers, and the life she sacrificed everything for was never real. This time, she walks away. But returning to her old life proves far more dangerous than leaving it. The family she abandoned wants her back. The empire she secretly helped build is on the verge of collapse. And the grandfather who once drove her away is determined to decide her future once again, Including forcing her into a marriage with the one man she swore never to face again. Andrew Hale. The man who knows exactly why she ran. The man tied to the darkest chapter of her past. And the only man capable of destroying the walls around her heart.
Voir plusMarianne’s POV
The day I had detested the most is here, though I hated to have it come, I couldn't do anything about it. The day I'd be resuming work at the Palace of Castlevania, located on the East Coast of our pack, the Ambersy Pack. Here, our powerful lycan king lives with his three devilish lycan sons. These are the mysterious triplets I had determined so deeply inside me upon resurfacing not to have any business doing with them because of what they did to me in my previous life.
Sometimes you wish but it doesn't goes the way you wanted it to be. I feel that the moon goddess has a different plan for me right now.
Many years back, I had made some rational personal decisions and one of those was to avoid the Triplets of Castlevania more than anyother humans on earth.
I had been a pack fairy in my previous life. Pack fairies are a part of the werewolf community who instead of using four legs like every other wolf, use wings. They are of the same structure as werewolves on wolf form, but considered superior because of their ability of flight and higher intelligence. It's unfortunate that we were very few in number.
I lived far away from the major cities in the kingdom, that's the nature of all pack fairies, they live faraway from werewolves and lycans, and they enjoy their solitude. Now, this place I lived was situated close to a lake where I always go out early in the morning and late in the evening when the atmosphere is cool to meditate, sometimes I would change to my wolf form, with wings and fly either near or far away to wherever I want to.
One evening, I was out on my usual meditation by the beach of the lake, with my eyes closed when I discovered some presence behind me. Normally no one ever came here, and being a fairy, I had the magical powers to survive all alone. I ate fresh fruits from the forest nearby and drank water from the other side of the lake. I was content and at peace not having anyone around.
I opened my eyes all of a sudden, which I hated to. I don't like getting interrupted while striking a conversation with the moon goddess, it's a sign of disrespect. When I saw that they were the lycan princes who ruled the kingdom with their father, Alpha Nico, delight shone through me. I was happy to have them in my residence and offered to give them a nice welcome although I didn't have pretty much to offer as food and drink.
After they drank and ate what I gave them, they winked at each other, then threw me a suspicious glance at me. I became confused as to what they meant, when they should be going. The next moment they grabbed me and took me to my bedroom, where I was brutally raped and murdered, I couldn't survive the gang rape. It was too much for me, so I gave up the ghost. I was one of the most beautiful pack fairies that ever lived.
For some time after my death, I roamed the entire packs in the kingdom as a spirit, seeking revenge. I never expected that my life would be cut short, I was living the most blissful natural life. Now that I was dead, the number of pack fairies dropped to four, we were accounted to be only five in the entire Kingdom of Castlevania.
The moon goddess later soothed me by promising to give me a second chance and telling me, I'd be born into the most loving family, with a caring mother as compensation, only on one condition. I wouldn't seek revenge any longer! It became a mystery to me why she asked me not to seek revenge any longer, I had to accept because I wanted a full life.
Wanting a full life, I therefore made this strong decision to stay away from anything and anyone who is capable of shattering this goal of mine, the top targets on the list were the Castlevania Triplets. Though this was a new life, I still had accurate memories from the previous life. I kept my story to myself, not even my mom knows about it.
****************
Being born as an Omega, I was never expected to have anything to do with the elite class, the royal lycan family which favored my resolve. Being an Omega with my mom, we were used to being around low class people like us, we worked our way through life and were satisfied as long as we weren't slaves. Some Omegas work as slaves to the high-ranking werewolves and lycans of the kingdom though, that's common in the Ambersy Pack, my pack.
An announcement came from the palace, that there was a need for two Omega staff who would be taking manual jobs in the palace of the lycan king. All Omegas were expected to apply, anyone belonging to the Omega rank not following this directive would be executed. This is the only thing that forced me into applying, I wouldn't want to have anything doing close to the palace.
This was a great trap!
If I don't apply, I would be killed and if I do, well….. I might not even be chosen. I hoped on this. When the result of the shortlisting came out, I was shocked to see those two names being mine and mom's own.
Come on! How can mother and daughter be chosen for a job applied for by over thirtu thousand Omegas?
I believed that there was a mystery attached to this!
It was like a dream I never wanted to be reality. In my present life, I have never lived in the palace nor close to elites, so I wondered how my stay there would be. My mom had worked as a contract worker in the palace for the past three years, so she would be familiar with this job but I wasn't.
"Well, we have to go. We applied for this!" She said to me after many complains from me about going to work in the palace. She doesn't knows what is going on, the reason behind my restlessness. She expects me to be happy. At some point, I thought of turning down the appointment but who was I to turn down a request from the lycan king, a powerful creature who doesn't stop at anything in conquering and destroying. I might be signing my own death warrant.
"Well, I have to go with you!" I finally made the decision. This was a road with two dead-ends, the first which is refusing to honor the appointment is certain but what would happen to me behind the four walls of the palace is uncertain.
Alpha Nico and his three sons, the lycan princes saw themselves as the most powerful of the lycan species, it wouldn't be an issue if they didn't see Omegas as one of the most irritating, inferior people in the kingdom, who need not come a meter close to them, except for domestic works which is what is taking us there.
I retain a worried facial expression as we continue to pack our belongings, while mom was singing gladly. We don't have much though, just some clothes, shoes and other accessories which we might need in the course of our work. No one has told us we will be provided with better versions of these things, so we can't go empty-handed.
I finished packing right before mom. I move close to her with the intention to help her out but then I notice a very wild smile on her lips.
“Why do you seem so happy, mom?” I ask her. I want to get a specific reason.
“It's a dream come true for me to be moving into the palace. I feel so lucky, I had never imagined that I would be this lucky to be picked by the king as his maid. To top it up, you were even allowed to come with me as an aide. Mother and daughter are going to the palace together.” she says.
I sigh. We will be selling our freedom for as long as we don't know. You can never resign on your own wish, the lycan king is the only one who can determine the number of years you would be serving him and discharge you whenever he feels like. You have no choice as a royal maid.
Royal staff aren't what they sound, more is meant. At first, my mom and I are going into that palace to work as cleaning staff. It sounds cool to the ears but in reality, we're gonna be slaves. No choice, no freedom.
Mom looks up after a while to notice that I'm still in my gloomy mood. She leaves the remaining stuff to pack, walks up to me and drapes her arms over my shoulders.
“If you are scared about the Lycans oppressing us, then trust me you have nothing to worry about,” she says in full confidence, like there was something she's gonna do to prevent this. This makes me feel greatly confused.
Where is her confidence coming from? Why is she so assured that no harm can come to us?
“Why do you say so? Besides, most of the awful stories about Lycans being in great unequal rivalry with the omegas are from you.” I ask her. She is the one that told me these stories when I was small, but now she is supporting the idea of going to work for the lycan king. I think she has forgotten about this, so I had to remind her.
“The king was the person that chose you and I, even when he knows that you and I are omegas, this is enough to guarantee our safety,” she answers.
How does the king getting to pick her, solve anything? It's no criteria for getting good treatment when we get there. It might even be a direct gateway to another hell of a life.
“I hope you are done with all of your unnecessary questions?” She asks as she finish packing, set and ready to go.
“Yes,” I mutter, with reluctance in my tone. If I had the power to extend time, I would just to see if something would come up and I wouldn't be required to still go and work in the palace.
“Very good then. Now get yourself properly d
ressed, we will be leaving any moment from now,” she orders.
“Okay mom.”
Andrew’s POVFor the tenth time, I glanced at my wristwatch.It had been thirty minutes.The plane should have landed long ago.I drummed my fingers once against my knee.Jonas wasn’t incompetent. If he hadn’t returned yet, either he’d somehow missed her, or something else had delayed them.Neither possibility improved my mood.My patience wore thinner by the second.Just as I reached for the door handle, the revolving glass doors of the arrival terminal turned,And she walked out.My hand froze.She wore a simple ivory blouse tucked neatly into charcoal wide-leg trousers, the clean lines emphasizing her taller, leaner frame. Her long dark hair rested loosely over one shoulder, moving gently with each step. There was nothing extravagant about her outfit. Nothing that begged to be noticed.Yet, People noticed.Years ago, she’d been softer. A little rounder in the cheeks. Cute, in fact. The kind of girl who made people instinctively want to smile back.Now, The softness had sharpene
Annalise’s POVThe Next DayWe left the minister’s residence shortly after breakfast and headed for Nile Horizon Investment Group, one of Egypt’s leading investment and infrastructure firms.The ride was peaceful.Too peaceful.Outside the window, Cairo bustled with its usual energy. Cars flowed through broad avenues, street vendors arranged colorful displays beneath striped awnings, and the morning sun bathed the sandstone buildings in a warm golden glow. The Nile appeared every now and then between rows of palm trees, its waters glimmering beneath the clear sky.Inside the car…I could feel Linda’s eyes on me. Again. And again.She wasn’t trying to hide it anymore. Curiosity was practically written across her face.She lasted until we arrived.The company’s headquarters occupied an entire city block. The sleek glass building reflected the surrounding skyline, while polished granite pillars framed its revolving entrance. A row of national flags fluttered outside, and executives in ta
Andrew’s expression didn’t change, the empty space echoing his words.“If I were here to play,” he said evenly, “I would’ve stayed home.”His eyes never left mine. His voice remained calm, almost conversational. “I left an entire business empire behind and followed you across countries. Do you really think I came all this way for amusement?”Before I could answer, he took another step closer.The distance between us disappeared.Without warning, his fingers caught a loose strand of my hair that had escaped my veil.He slowly tucked it behind my ear.The gesture was so gentle that my body reacted before my mind did.I stiffened.“You remember the promise we made ten years ago.” His voice dropped lower, his fingers lingering for only a heartbeat before falling away. “I haven’t gone back on mine. And I won’t tolerate you going back on yours.”A promise?I searched my memory.There had been so many promises. Childish ones. Hopeful ones.The future had seemed so simple back then.Before I
At the dining hall.No…Calling it a dining hall was still an understatement.It resembled the banquet chamber of a royal palace.The room stretched so wide that the opposite end almost disappeared beneath towering arches. A magnificent crystal chandelier hung from a ceiling adorned with intricate Islamic geometric patterns and hand-painted gold details. Massive marble columns lined both sides of the hall, while floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked lush gardens where fountains shimmered beneath the afternoon sun.At the center stood a dining table long enough to accommodate several dozen guests.Only four seats, however, had been prepared.The moment I stepped inside, my eyes found him.Andrew Hale.He sat beside Amira’s husband with the same composed posture that always made him seem as though he belonged wherever he was.Across from him, the man who could only be Minister Omar El-Sharif was speaking warmly.“Our government has been very pleased with the progress of the upstream ener
I only glanced at the device once then went about my morning routine.After I was done, I picked up my phone to find several messages piled up.[Annalise, where are you? Why aren't you answering my calls?][Where did you sleep last night, Annalise?][What is going on between you and Alexander Sterl
My fingers instinctively tightened around the phone, hearing Tania’s words.I didn't hear her wrong, did I?“I checked your marriage certificate, Anna. It was fake!” Tania groaned. “Don’t tell me the scumbag tricked you!”Tricked me…Aiden himself asked me to marry him.Three years ago, he’d knocke
Cassandra pointed at me, her soft voice echoing in the hallway. That was when Aiden peeled his gaze from her, and the tender look on his face was instantly gone.But instead of appearing confused, only fear and frustration flashed in his eyes.He quickly let go of Cassandra, While Cassandra tremb
“We are sorry, Miss. We tried our best, but the fetus was gone. We had to evacuate it to prevent damage to your womb.”The word “it” echoed through my mind, cutting through my last strand of hope.Yet, the doctor’s words, along with the beeping of the heart’s monitor and every noise inside the hosp
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.