How Does 'The North Wind' End?

⚠️ WARNING! * 18+ Mature audience only* Dreg watched as she walked over to the fireplace to get warmth. “You cower away from my presence, tell me Ilena do you not want this marriage?” “It is my duty as a princess of Thane to serve as your tribute.” She stated softly. It was an answer but not the answer that Dreg was expecting. Her statement only meant that she was willing to be married to him just to fulfil her duty as a tribute and that irks him. He raised her chin up to face him. “Then don’t cower away from my touch, you are my wife now not the princess of Thanes.” ****** The Northern beast king of Sulcar requests a tribute from the Eastern kingdom of Thanes and what better tribute than Ilena, the wretched princess of Thanes. Through a sudden marriage to the Northern beast king, Ilena is thrust into a whole new world that she could never have fathom. She discovers the hidden secrets buried in the blood of the Sulcarns and is faced with hurdles of being a worthy queen and a worthy mate for the ruthless beast king. Join Ilena through the roller coaster of adventures, betrayals, thriller and not to forget, the steamy romance that brews between her and the Northern King.

The story is about Erina Saul, the daughter of a wolf hunter who is captured by werewolves and sold to the feared werewolf king, Magnus the Lycan. Despite mistreatment by the pack, Magnus desires Erina because of an ancient prophecy. At first, he fights this attraction to her, knowing that if he gave in, it might mean his death. Erina's father orchestrated her capture to fulfill the prophecy of an unspoiled maid conquering the Lycan. However, Erina, who never wanted to harm anyone, eventually stood up to her bullies with the Lycan's support. She eventually lets Magnus turn her into a werewolf and falls in love with him, only to be betrayed by both him and her father. Erina leaves the pack, raises her pup in France, while Magnus realizes his mistake and searches for her. The story questions whether Erina will forgive Magnus for his actions or will she live as a rogue forever.

For our graduation trip, the three of us traveled to Iceland to watch the aurora borealis. During the trek, my best friend Chloe Bennett’s scarf was swept away by the howling wind. Without a second thought, my boyfriend Valen Vance stripped off his own heavy scarf and wrapped her up tight in it. Turning to me, he said, “Hurry up and help Chloe fetch it. You know that’s her favorite scarf.” I braved the biting, freezing wind alone, chasing it for a long time. By the time I finally retrieved the scarf and turned around, the northern lights had already vanished from the sky—and Valen and Chloe were no longer where I left them. My phone buzzed with a text from him: “You were taking too long. Chloe is afraid of the cold, so I brought her back to the hotel first.” Stranded in a foreign country, I stood at the crossroad for six grueling hours, waving down over twenty passing cars. Finally, someone took pity on me and gave me a ride. When I stumbled back into the hotel well past midnight, shivering and entirely frozen to the bone, I found them curled up under a thick blanket, huddled close together as they looked over the photos they had taken that day. They were laughing and chatting about photography and the northern lights—a conversation I was permanently locked out of. Noticing me, Valen merely frowned. “What took you so long? I made a mug of hot tea for you over there. Go warm yourself up.” I wrapped my numb fingers around the mug. The tea inside had gone ice-cold hours ago. At that moment, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion settled deep into my chest. Fine, then. I booked the earliest flight out, canceled the rest of our hotel reservations, and decided right then to leave. The northern lights I spent a lifetime chasing were never meant for me. There was no need to chase them anymore.

Before the world turned to ice, her family came knocking, ready to negotiate the terms of our marriage. They wanted more than commitment. They wanted three million dollars and three luxury homes. My parents shut them down immediately. It was ridiculous. Then, the storm hit. The blizzard sealed us inside the house. With numbers on their side and no mercy to spare, her family took control of everything. The food. The heat. Our chances. When we fought back, we lost. They dragged us outside and left us in the snow. We froze. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back to before it all began.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝 In which a mysterious disappearance of a girl forces a group of individuals, friends and foes, to come together and untangle her mysterious disappearance.

On the road, I met a woman unlike anyone I had ever seen before. Her name was Janet Smith. She seemed slow and almost childlike, yet she had been wandering alone for two years without ever going home. Even with one leg crippled, she had forced herself to climb the Highveil Mountains. This time, however, she was caught in a blizzard. Injured and stranded, she could no longer make her way down. As her vision blurred and her strength slipped away, tears covered her face. She placed a pair of small handmade clay dolls in my hands. "I'm probably going to die here," she murmured. "Please give these to my adoptive brother, Chester Graham." She was clearly at death's door, yet her smile was soft and unexpectedly serene. "Tell him I've seen enough of the world. I don't love him anymore. And tell him he doesn't need to worry. I'm not so foolish now. I won't cause trouble for anyone again." Chester? At the sound of his name, I stood rooted to the spot. In Riverton City, everyone who worked at the harbor knew him, the so-called Ship King. Right before I left for the mountains, news of his engagement had been everywhere.