ELOISE“Eloise. Is that you?”I squeezed my eyes shut for a second before opening them again. He had already caught me, so playing deaf was a total waste of time and effort. Sucking in a deep breath, I turned around to face him, pasting a small smile on my face.“Bradley. Hiii.”“Hey.” He returned my smile, squinting his eyes as if trying to read me. He slowly closed the gap between us, stopping right in front of me. His hands were tucked deep inside his pockets.“Why do I have this feeling that you’re avoiding me?”“I’m not.” I blurted. My cheeks turned red immediately.Shit.He smirked, amusingly. “You know, I wasn’t quite sure at first. But the way you suddenly became defensive just confirmed that my suspicions were true.”I sighed, my shoulders dropping. Of course, I had foolishly exposed myself because of my impulsive response. There was no use lying or hiding away anymore. “You’re right.” I replied, meeting his eyes again. “I am avoiding you, okay? And I have my reasons for t
ELOISE After dropping Nyx off at her aunt’s, I drove straight to a pastry shop where I planned to pick up cake for my father’s 55th birthday. Reaching the shop, the baker—Freya—a woman in her mid thirties, immediately rushed to meet me just as I stepped inside the small, cozy, picturesque shop. “One layer vanilla cake with caramel and nuts.” She greeted with a brightened face I laughed lightly. I had always shopped for birthday cakes for my father’s birthday every year at Freya’s pastry shop ever since I was like ten. So, of course, she would know the regular.“Don’t forget… whiskey infused.”She nodded, her smile stretching. “How can I forget? I remember it, like the lines at the back of my hand.”She moved towards one of the display cases in the shop, leaning to pick up the cake. Straightening up again, she held it out before me.“And as always, I baked it early this morning.”“You always make things super easy for me, Freya.” I smiled back, collecting the cake and kissing her c
CALANTHAMy heartbeat accelerated as panic rushed through me at once. I tried to adjust my eyes to the dark room, but all I could see was pitch black. Immediately, my body went into fight mode as I grabbed my abductor’s hand tight, trying to fight it off. Unsuccessful. I screamed beneath his hand but my voice was muffled. Which made me wonder…of all places to kidnap someone, it had to be in the gym room?“Shhh…” His whisper filled my ear, sending an odd, sweet heat through my body. His hard toned body pressed hard behind me. Why the hell was I reacting this way to a kidnapper?I tried to fight him off again but he held me steady. His sweet cooling cologne and scent of aftershave filled my nose, melting my body into his.Wait… what the fuck?“Stop struggling.”I froze, my eyes almost popping out of my sockets at the familiar voice.I heard his hand fumble for the switch in the dark, turning it on. He finally let me go and I immediately spun around to face him.“Kaiden?” His chest w
CALANTHAEveryone waited, holding their breaths as Ezra stepped forward with a small, golden tray that contained golden name plates. The name plates were turned upside down, hiding its contents from the eyes. Behind him, high priestess Hera instructed:“On this golden tray lie the fates of the four great houses, each named after a Lycan King whose strength shaped our history…”Those seated at the front row began to pick from the tray one after the other, some saying a quick prayer under their breaths before they picked a slate.“House Orion, the steadfast. House Kaelith, the fearless. House Thorne, the wise. And House Varyn, the cunning.” She continued. “Within each token lies one of these names, sealed until you reveal it. When the tray reaches you, take one, but do not turn it over until all have drawn.”Ezra continued to pass row by row, allowing everyone pick their slates.“No second draws. No switches. The house chooses the worthy.” Once Ezra reached Eloise and I, he lowered his
CALANTHA TWO DAYS LATERThe academy was finally reopened for the tournaments and today was orientation day. The grand academy halls were open and only those who qualified for the tournaments were allowed inside. While the males sat at the left row, the females sat at the right as we all waited for the tournament organizers and supervisors to show up. The hall hummed with whispers and excitement. “From what I’ve heard, the orientation is quite straightforward and doesn’t take much time.” Eloise was saying beside me, her head resting on my shoulder as she played with my fingers. “We will be briefed on the tournament rules, placed in our respective houses and our uniforms will be shared amongst us. The reward will also be finally today.”“Hmm.” I nodded, glancing around at the excited faces of everyone. Just as always, I was the polar opposite of the excited gathering. I didn’t want to be here. “How pompous.” Eloise said with a huff and I looked down at her face on my shoulder, a s
KAIDENMy head hurt like a heavy load was resting on it. My whole body ached like it had been run over by a thousand trucks. And my mouth was thirsty, I could drink a whole drum of water, and it still wouldn’t quench my insatiable thirst. Yet, despite the pain being the first thing that greeted me as I finally regained consciousness, the first thought that crossed my mind was of Calantha. I immediately recalled that she was the last person I had spent my last moment with, before I lost myself to that damned beast again.My heart pounded hard in my chest. Did I… did I hurt her?I have to find her.I grunted from the pain as I tried to push my body up from the bed, only to fall back as a result of my weak stamina and legs that felt like jelly. “Kaiden.” A relieved gasp came somewhere beside me, and I turned my head to see my mother getting up from the velvet couch at the far corner of my chamber. She rushed to me and sank beside me on the bed, her eyes darting wide and her hands ge