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43 Getting Ready
Last Updated:
2025-05-07 00:40:47
Karima Sa'ad UsmanI hope you all enjoyed the book trailer on Inst\_Grm—I had so much fun creating it! 🎬✨ It looks like everyone will be attending the ball, so let’s see how our favorite characters navigate the drama and excitement in the next update. 💃🏽🎭 Thank you so much for your support and all the amazing comments—I truly enjoy reading them! 💖📝 You all make this journey even more special.
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Fated In Darkness 44 The Ball
Natalie“Behave,” Uncle Mike muttered the moment we stepped into the grand hall, his voice low but sharp enough to slice through my nerves. I straightened beside him, forcing a polite smile that barely masked the storm twisting inside me.If only they knew.If only they could see how every polished tile, every glittering chandelier made me want to disappear.The hall was extravagant—an architectural performance meant to impress—but it only made me feel trapped. I didn’t want to be here. Not in this sea of suits, strained smiles, and unspoken judgments. I wanted to be anywhere else—preferably with Adrian, already planning an escape into tomorrow.First-year students were scattered everywhere, each tethered to a parent or relative like reluctant satellites. It was strange. Like we were all being paraded, dressed up dreams standing beside the people who were betting on us.I caught sight of Lisa. She stood near a tall man whose features mirrored hers—had to be her father. There was somet
Last Updated : 2025-05-08Fated In Darkness 45 The Ball 2
Natalie“Be on your best behavior,” Uncle Mike said under his breath, releasing my arm like I was a marionette he no longer needed to control.Without another word, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd with the ease of someone who belonged here—who thrived in these quiet, manipulative circles.I stayed where I was, watching the people who lingered in the hall. They weren’t students. Their eyes were too calculating, their smiles too strategic. Prospective families, maybe.Scoping out Cainebrielle, weighing its prestige against their ambition. This—this glittering room full of artifice and half-truths—was where futures were brokered.I couldn’t help but wonder if Uncle Mike had once stood in a place like this for me. Had he shaken hands with the right devils? Made promises I didn’t know I’d be paying for?But it wasn’t Mr. Graham’s bitterness that haunted me—it was that one sentence. “Wished my great-grandfather…” Then silence. Cut off deliberately. Regret tangled in h
Last Updated : 2025-05-08Fated In Darkness Prologue
NatalieI stood under the flimsy canopy Lisa had set up, handing out animal cruelty campaign fliers.It was a sweet little setup—messy, mismatched, but hers. I liked that about her. And in a town like Hawkshire, where boredom wrapped around you like a heavy coat, helping her felt like a lifeline.I didn’t want to be here. Cainebrielle University wasn’t my choice—it was my uncle’s dream, not mine.I was just playing along, stuck in a place that felt too polished, too fake, and miles away from anything that felt like home.My old life—my friends, my city, the pulse of it all—was behind me now. All I had was this quiet town and a school filled with kids who had never had to fight for anything.Lisa was the one good surprise.We met during orientation—two misfits orbiting the same chaos. She didn’t care about Greek life or social clout. She just wanted to laugh and talk about weird documentaries and help animals. That was enough for me.Cainebrielle might’ve been built for the ultra-rich,
Last Updated : 2025-04-14Fated In Darkness 01 You Have A Visitor
NatalieI sat through Professor Isaac’s lecture, but my mind was nowhere near the gazebo.I couldn’t focus—couldn’t pretend everything was fine. The image of that wolf, those eyes, the sheer size of it—it replayed over and over like a loop I couldn’t escape. Every sound around me was muffled under the weight of what I’d seen.Was it even real?Yes. It had to be. I wasn’t imagining things. Someone else had been there. He had been there.And that was the other part I couldn’t shake. The stranger.His voice still echoed in my head—calm, steady, like it had reached into the panic and pressed pause. And those eyes. Not just green—alive, like something ancient was staring out from behind them.Who was he?A student? A professor? Someone passing through? I hadn’t seen him around before, and the campus wasn’t that big.He hadn’t stayed long enough for me to find my words, let alone ask questions. Just appeared, said enough to haunt me, and vanished.Part of me wanted to believe I’d dreamed th
Last Updated : 2025-04-14Fated In Darkness 02 Tradition
NatalieUncle Michael drew in a long breath, his smile appearing like clockwork—polished, polite, and practiced. But it stopped short of his eyes, where something colder lingered."I'm glad you're settling in," he said, voice smooth as glass. "Hawkshire’s a fine place. The right kind of people. The kind who matter. You won’t miss the city at all."As if that alone could wipe away everything we’d left behind.I looked down, jaw tightening. My chest felt like it was folding in on itself.You won’t miss the city at all.But I did. God, I did."I miss my friends," I said, barely more than a whisper. The words floated between us like something fragile. Then, like always, Alison's name surfaced in my mind. Her laugh. Her letters. Her dream. The guilt twisted, low and sharp."And Alison? When will she come to Cainebrielle? She always talked about it like it was magic." I asked.For the first time, Uncle Michael’s composure cracked. The smile slipped. His throat clicked as he swallowed, shift
Last Updated : 2025-04-14Fated In Darkness 03 You Must Obey
NatalieUncle Michael looked at me, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. It wasn’t warmth—it was control dressed as calm.“It would be wise for you to act responsibly,” he said, his voice smooth but heavy. “Like your mother. A lot depends on this family’s money. Even your father couldn’t cut himself off completely. He might’ve lived outside the family estate, but he was still a Pierce.”He leaned back slightly, as if laying out facts in a courtroom.“Every business he started? Funded by the inheritance he got from our father. Your grandfather. Most of those ventures were just extensions of what we already owned. You see, our business moves in circles. And we’re smart enough to stay within them.”Then he looked straight at me, voice colder now.“If you refuse to follow the rules, then you and your mother can say goodbye to my support—and to your father's estate.”I stared at him, stunned.“You’re blackmailing us,” I whispered. “I won’t marry a stranger just to please you. A
Last Updated : 2025-04-14Fated In Darkness 04 It’s Final
NatalieUncle Michael sighed, the sound sharp in the silence. Irritation flickered across his face as he set his cup down with a pointed clink.“Brian didn’t want a lot of things, Nicole,” he said, voice clipped. “But he’s gone now.”His tone was flat, too steady, like he was trying not to show just how close he was to losing control.“I need to know Natalie will be protected if something happens to me. That Brian’s bloodline doesn’t end in silence. That a Pierce doesn’t grow up poor or unguarded in a world like this.”He glanced briefly at me, then back to my mother.“You’re still young. You could remarry, start a new life. But Natalie? She’s my responsibility now. She always will be. So stop painting me as the villain.”My mother went rigid beside me. Her fingers twisted in her lap, knuckles white.“I would never betray Brian,” she whispered. Her voice trembled, but she held her head high.“I loved him. I still do. And the way he died—the way his body was so broken, I couldn’t even
Last Updated : 2025-04-22Fated In Darkness 05 Beautiful Stranger
NatalieThe moment the door clicked shut behind Uncle Michael, I felt like I could finally breathe. But the pressure in my chest didn’t lift. It sat there—heavy, unmovable—like something had cracked inside me and hadn’t quite healed right.I spent the rest of the day packing in silence. Folding clothes, stacking books, zipping up my life with mechanical precision. I didn’t cry. I didn’t speak. I just moved.It wasn’t until dusk draped the room in amber and shadow that my phone buzzed from the nightstand.Lisa.Relief bloomed in my chest at the sight of her name.“Come out with me,” she said as soon as I picked up. Her voice was light, teasing—but with an undertow of concern. “There’s a club in town. You need a night out, and I need my favorite partner-in-crime.”I hesitated. My heart was still raw. The last thing I wanted was a blur of flashing lights and fake smiles. But another part of me—tired, reckless, aching for escape—was already reaching for my closet.“I’ll be there,” I said,
Last Updated : 2025-04-22
Latest chapter
Fated In Darkness 45 The Ball 2
Natalie“Be on your best behavior,” Uncle Mike said under his breath, releasing my arm like I was a marionette he no longer needed to control.Without another word, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd with the ease of someone who belonged here—who thrived in these quiet, manipulative circles.I stayed where I was, watching the people who lingered in the hall. They weren’t students. Their eyes were too calculating, their smiles too strategic. Prospective families, maybe.Scoping out Cainebrielle, weighing its prestige against their ambition. This—this glittering room full of artifice and half-truths—was where futures were brokered.I couldn’t help but wonder if Uncle Mike had once stood in a place like this for me. Had he shaken hands with the right devils? Made promises I didn’t know I’d be paying for?But it wasn’t Mr. Graham’s bitterness that haunted me—it was that one sentence. “Wished my great-grandfather…” Then silence. Cut off deliberately. Regret tangled in h
Fated In Darkness 44 The Ball
Natalie“Behave,” Uncle Mike muttered the moment we stepped into the grand hall, his voice low but sharp enough to slice through my nerves. I straightened beside him, forcing a polite smile that barely masked the storm twisting inside me.If only they knew.If only they could see how every polished tile, every glittering chandelier made me want to disappear.The hall was extravagant—an architectural performance meant to impress—but it only made me feel trapped. I didn’t want to be here. Not in this sea of suits, strained smiles, and unspoken judgments. I wanted to be anywhere else—preferably with Adrian, already planning an escape into tomorrow.First-year students were scattered everywhere, each tethered to a parent or relative like reluctant satellites. It was strange. Like we were all being paraded, dressed up dreams standing beside the people who were betting on us.I caught sight of Lisa. She stood near a tall man whose features mirrored hers—had to be her father. There was somet
Fated In Darkness 43 Getting Ready
Natalie I didn’t need to stop by my apartment—everything was already in place. My weekend bag was packed. I'd arranged everything with the quiet hope that Adrian would pick me up from my mother’s house tomorrow, just like he’d promised. When I got home, the sky was already beginning to shift into dusk. Two hours left before the ball. My mother greeted me with her usual calm, and without needing to ask, she helped me get ready—fixing my hair, touching up my makeup. I hadn’t planned to make a statement tonight, but with the chance Adrian might be there, I couldn’t help myself. Even if I wouldn’t say it out loud—I wanted to look good. Not just because of him, but maybe… because of what he made me feel. My gown was cream, soft as breath and stitched with tiny pearls that caught the light when I moved. It flowed around me, elegant and silent, with a slit running high up my right thigh—subtle, but bold. It showed more skin than a short dress ever could, and I wasn’t used to that. My ha
Fated In Darkness 42 It’s Thursday
Natalie“Friday after lectures,” I said, my voice softer than I intended.“No interruptions,” he promised.I sighed and then hung up. He’d called me twice since the last time we saw each other, and on both calls, I ended things quickly. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe I just didn’t want the conversations to feel finished. Hanging up meant there was still something lingering. It felt better that way—like we weren’t done.“Was that Adrian?” Lisa asked, dropping down beside me on the bench. We were at the campus park, under one of those old trees that always dropped leaves no matter the season.I smiled in her direction but didn’t say anything right away.“So, it’s official?” she pressed, eyes watching me closely.I hesitated.He had said things that day at his getaway home—things that hinted at something real. But I couldn’t tell if it had just been the heat of the moment, or if he’d truly meant it. And then there was the issue with my uncle, always looming in the background like a shadow I co
Fated In Darkness 41 Kappa Lunaris House 3
CarsonI stood the moment he walked in. My father’s presence always commanded respect, and I wasn’t about to break tradition. Grant and Willis greeted him formally, then quickly excused themselves, sensing the shift in the air.As soon as the door shut behind them, my father’s expression darkened.“Do you mind telling me why Adrian Balshov is asking for an apology?” he snapped, wasting no time with pleasantries.I exhaled through my nose, cursing silently. Of course this would be the first thing he brought up.“I didn’t get there in time,” I admitted. “It was a questioning gone wrong.”He nodded slowly, but it wasn’t approval—it was disappointment settling in.“He isn’t even part of the Strigoi clan,” he said. “So why take the fight to his doorstep? Why drag him into it?”“It was a mistake,” I said, standing my ground. “And I plan to apologise to him personally to make it right—”“You will do no such thing,” he growled, cutting me off.I tensed but stayed silent.“I’m tired of those th
Fated In Darkness 40 Kappa Lunaris House 2
CarsonI leaned forward slightly, voice lowering. “We might be supernatural, Grant… but we’re still closer to humans than you think. We’re just humans with superpowers.”Grant blinked, caught off-guard. “What are you trying to say?”“I’m saying that, unlike those blood-sucking creatures, we can die. And we do. They’re harder to kill. Much harder. Our parents told us about the war that led to the treaty—for a reason.”I paused, letting the memory settle between us.“All sides bled,” I said quietly. “But we bled the most.”Grant looked away, but I could tell the words had landed.“Yes, we can walk in the sun. Yes, we blend in better. That’s our edge. But don’t forget—Adrian’s clan has that ability too, and some of the strigoi offspring have adapted to a point. Some of them can tolerate sunlight now, even walk the streets in broad daylight. All it takes is one wrong move, and this whole campus turns into a battlefield.”“Needless to say,” I began, keeping my voice steady, “as much as I h
Fated In Darkness 39 Kappa Lunaris House
CarsonI couldn’t get her out of my head.From the moment our eyes met in the woods, she’d been lodged there—quietly, relentlessly. At first, I tried to shrug it off. Told myself it was nothing. A fleeting thought. A trick of adrenaline.But it wasn’t.Especially not after seeing him behind her. Adrian Balshov. The bloodsucker.Even that didn’t kill the feeling. If anything, it made it worse. Obsessive. Irrational. The pull I felt toward her was something I couldn’t explain—intense, magnetic, and entirely out of my control.I thought it would pass. I thought she'd be like every other girl—intrigued, flattered, maybe a little dazzled. But Natalie? She was different. She didn’t fall for smooth words or good looks. Or maybe she had… just not mine.Maybe it was his.Adrian Balshov—immortal, ancient, powerful. And if she knew the truth about what he was… how many lifetimes he’d lived… how unnatural his very existence was… would she still look at him the same way?Would she still want him?
Fated In Darkness 37 An Old Mistake
Adrian Arya walked in five minutes later, moving with that same graceful arrogance she always carried like a second skin. “Took you long enough,” I said, not bothering to hide the edge in my voice. “I wasn’t in the club,” she replied, tone sharp—just a little too forward for my liking. I let the silence hang between us for a beat longer than necessary. Her tone was bold, but I understood where it came from. That confidence wasn’t entirely hers. It was inherited—gifted, even—by my mother. Ever since I turned Arya, over two hundred years ago, my mother had made her position clear: Arya was to be kept close. The girl had been the daughter of one of my mother’s closest friends—a bloodline she didn’t want to see vanish. Arya had been dying from a rare illness, the same one that had taken her mother. There was no surviving it. My mother asked me to turn her. And I did. Not out of compassion. Not because I felt some stirring in my undead heart. I did it because of obligation—to my
Fated In Darkness 36 Show Some Respect
Adrian“I plan to report everything to Dimitri,” Phelix said carefully, “so he can decide whether we hand over the vampire who turned her… or Geoffery, for deceiving us.”I didn’t need to think long. Either way, someone was going to die.But I knew how this would play out. It wasn’t the fault of the vampire who attempted the turning—he couldn’t have known. And Volodymir? He’d never sacrifice Geoffery. The man was too valuable.A loyal servant, head of a bloodline tied too deeply into the old covenants. Volodymir would rather extract a lifetime’s worth of debt from him than offer him up as payment. That was his style—slow control, not clean endings.I wasn’t about to say any of that to Phelix.He was only telling me this much because the fight had happened on my doorstep—outside my club.Otherwise, I’d be hearing it thirdhand like everyone else. He knew that, and so did I.The real conversation would happen behind closed doors—with Dimitri. The decisions, the maneuvering, the blood—non
