All Chapters of Entwined With Them: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

"You're doing it again, sweetheart."I looked up from my plate, my brows furrowed. "Doing what?""Picking out all the vegetables.""I don't consider onions as real food," I defended.Mum gave me an amused smile, shaking her head. "You loved them when you were young.""I've changed my mind."She slid her plate over to me. "Give them to me, then. I won't let you waste it."I scraped the onions onto her plate, and she happily took them, just as we had done countless dinners before.My father sat across us, his eyes stuck on a pile of papers, food untouched. Mum looked at him, her expression softening."Honey, you should join Wren and I for tennis tomorrow."He didn't respond for a few seconds. "You're both terrible at it.""We've been practising," she nudged me. "Isn't that right?"I smiled. "We have."He didn't respond to us, nor did he look up from his papers.My eyes drifted back to my food, and next to my plate, I could see Mum's fist clench. I knew what was coming after that. It was

The feeling of a cool, flat surface on my feet was the biggest relief of the night.I slowly stepped into the biggest house I had ever seen, immediately being engulfed by the warmth of a roaring fireplace across a living room. Dark, elegant furniture decorated the house, giving it a woody yet modern feel.I froze as the massive body of the lion drifted past me, his paws silent against the wooden floors. His ears were pointed up in alert, despite his expression being calm.As calm as a lion could look, I suppose.I stood by the door, unsure what to do. I was at the verge of collapsing from how tired I was, but I had no idea if stepping into a lion's den was better than dealing with a hoard of hyenas outside.God, that sounded so ridiculous. I ran my dirty hands over my face, still clinging onto the necklace. Hyenas, lions, and wolves. What would I find out about next? A snake?I hoped not."Are you hurt anywhere?" A deep voice snapped me from my thoughts. I looked where I last saw the

Eren was a tiger.A literal tiger.I was in a room with two of the deadliest predators in the world.Thane looked away from Eren, his eyes hard. "You're asking the last member of the Lion Clan to join your clan, and what, allow mine to officially go dead?"My lips curled into a frown. Right. Technically, if Thane left his clan, it would basically be extinct. It was an unfair request."On top of that," he added. "Being your clan member means I'll have to abandon this house. My family home. Then after that, I'll have to submit to you."Thane watched Eren with hard eyes. "I submit to no one."Eren's smile faded, but he remained calm. "I'm not asking you to abandon anything or submit to me.""Then what are you hoping to achieve from making me a part of your clan?""Certainty," Eren blatantly said. "It's like how humans force their children into arranged marriages. A business agreement isn't enough sometimes. It's just a piece of paper, after all, but a bond? That's hard to break."I looke

I couldn't believe I was actually doing this.Why would I even consider it?This is absolute madness.Have I truly lost my mind?I nervously chewed on my fingernails as I paced around the kitchen. I had taken the nap I had asked for and managed to sleep through the entire day. The air had gotten cooler as the sun set, with crickets chirping and owls hooting.Just go back to bed. Take some more time to think about it."Wren", Thane appeared in the kitchen. He had a towel wrapped around his neck, catching the droplets of his wet hair. I watched as a drop of water slid down his neck and over his bare chest, following the crevices of his body. It ran in between six firm abs, tracing a beautiful V-line that—"Wren?"I looked up from where I was staring, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment. God, what was wrong with me? Why was I staring at him like that?'Some of us believe in love too, you know.'His words echoed in my mind. Earlier, I was certain about my decision. I was sure that I wante