Pintu Hollow

Raina Wycliffe pensait que les monstres du folklore local n'étaient que des histoires, jusqu'à ce qu'elle découvre le corps. Déchiqueté. Vidé de son sang. Désormais, les vampires arpentent à nouveau les rues de Windshade Hollow, et l'un d'eux semble la connaître. Il est rapide, terrifiant et étrangement familier. Mais lorsqu'il goûte à son sang et recule de douleur, Raina réalise qu'elle pourrait être tout autre chose — une créature que même les morts-vivants redoutent. Alors que de plus en plus de notables sont retrouvés morts et que sa ville s'enfonce dans les ténèbres, Raina se retrouve traquée par des créatures qui ne devraient pas exister, protégée par un vampire qui ne se fait pas confiance en sa présence, et hantée par un passé dont elle ne se souvient pas. Quoi qu'elle soit, c'est en train de s'éveiller. Et c'est affamé.

I fell for Don Lorenzo Moretti the second I saw him. Hard. As a mafia princess, I wasn't supposed to chase anyone. But for him, I swallowed my pride and made him my mission. A year later, he finally had me, pinning me to the bed as he moved inside me. His eyes were pure fire, and in that mo ment, they saw only me. For ten years, we were electric. We fucked in five-star hotels all over the world. We just fit. I was his lucky charm at the poker table. I took shots for him until I bled from my stomach. I even took a bullet for him. Then came our engagement party. Lorenzo left me standing there alone. Said something "came up." I went back to our apartment, only to find him kissing my stepsister, Juliana. That’s when I knew. He had always loved her. I was just a stand-in. He tried to explain, words tumbling out in a panicked rush, promising a bigger, better party to make up for it. A laugh, cold and hollow, died in my throat. I turned my back on him, pulled out my phone, and called my mother in Sicily. "I'll marry into the Romano family."

My cousin stole my fiancé's suppressant on the night of the full moon — just to test how much he loved her. Then she locked me in a room with him while he was out of his mind with pain. Watching Adrian writhe in agony, I wrapped my trembling arms around him and let him mark me. My cousin was devastated. She married the brutal Alpha of the neighboring pack in a fit of spite. When Adrian found out I was pregnant, he had no choice but to make me his Luna. But in five years of marriage, he never once came to see me or our son. After rogues kidnapped us, I thought he'd finally let us go. Instead, he shifted and fought to bring us back — only to die alongside those rogue wolves. I held his bloodied body and watched the light drain from his eyes. With his last breath, he gripped my hand: "Stop saving me! I regret everything… I never needed you to save me…" My heart shattered. Cold wind tore through the hollow in my chest until I couldn't stop shaking, and the world went dark. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that full moon night — five years in the past.

A lethal neurotoxin had taken hold of my lungs. My time is running out. My mother, Sofia, was the most connected lawyer in Palermo, excelling in burying crimes and twisting the law. When my brother Vincent mowed me down and shattered my leg, she called in every favor to clear his record. My father, Tommaso, the most feared private doctor in Sicily, faked my medical files, branding me unstable and delusional, all to mold me into the obedient son they needed. Then there was Lina, only daughter of Don Vitali, my wife. She said, “We let him out for Vincent’s liver. What if he says no?” Dad’s voice went cold. “He has two choices: lie quietly on that operating table… or waste away in the sanatorium for what’s left of his life.” I pushed the parlor door open, steady and slow. My voice was flat. “I’ll do it.” Every one of them let out a breath they’d been holding, showering me with hollow words. They didn’t know there was no life left to threaten. I had twenty-four hours. By sunrise, I would be dead either way. Funny… now that I’m in the ground, why are they all crying?

When I steal the cheer captain, Cora Knightley's, number one spot in our grade, her childhood sweetheart—an Alpha heir—confesses his love to me the next day. Flashing me a mesmerizing smile, Raymond Knox says, "Join my world and relish the ultimate freedom and recklessness, will you?" Of course, my answer is… yes. I agree, sealing his lips with a passionate kiss. My grades start dropping, until I eventually become one of his kind. At the same time, his body belongs to me. We can't keep our hands off each other. But despite the countless intimate moments we share, he never seems to enjoy kissing me—until the entrance exam for Lycanshire University is finally over. That's when he kisses me and seduces my wolf, luring me to go to Mangy Hollow Community College with him. So this has been his goal all along. But I'd known it since the start. Gently slapping my Lycanshire University admission letter against Raymond's face, I say, "Being with you this year has been fun. I'm very satisfied. "But my future matters more. Let's break up."

She belongs to a wolf. She's married to the hunter. To the world, Elira Malven is the villainess who stole a princess's betrothed. But her gilded marriage to the legendary war hero, Kael Rennar, is a cage, and her husband has a deadly secret: he is a Wolfhunter, the sworn enemy of her kind. “Why?” The word was a crack in her composure. “Why did you push for this marriage? What do you want from me?” He didn’t turn. A faint, hollow smile touched his lips. “I don’t know why I insisted,” his voice was barely a breath. “I don’t know why I didn’t kill you the moment I suspected what you are.” Her only hope seems to lie with Thane, her true mate, whose touch awakens a primal bond in a dusty library. But he is the one who shattered her heart. “Then why leave?” she asked, raw and painful. “After I begged you—” “Because I was protecting you!” The words tore from him. “You were nobility. The Wolfkiller's wife. And I— I was nobody.” Torn between a hunter haunted by his mercy and a mate haunted by his sacrifice, Elira must choose: remain in a marriage built on a tragic mystery, or risk a love that demands a price neither of them may survive.

Our daughter, Luna Woods, developed a high fever. Her body was burning hot. I immediately dialed 911 for help. The dispatcher on the other end kept repeating his questions. He spoke slowly, as if deliberately stalling for time. By the time I finally heard the ambulance siren, Luna was already turning cold in my arms. In less than a year, my wife and I separated. We were consumed by endless grief and blamed for each other. Afterward, I merely existed for the sake of it. I was a hollow shell of a man. Then, one day, I received a wedding invitation from my ex-wife. The moment I played the audio invitation, a chill ran down my spine. The groom’s voice was identical to that of the slow, dawdling dispatcher from that year! I rushed out, utterly distraught, only to be hit by a roaring train. When I opened my eyes again, I heard Luna crying in the next room. Her forehead was burning hot. My wife hurriedly handed me the phone. “Quick, call 911! I’ll get a wet towel.” My hands trembled as I took the phone. When it was answered, I heard a familiar male voice through the receiver. “911, what’s your emergency?”

Sudah cukup lama aku dan pacarku tinggal bersama. Suatu sore, adik pacarku tiba-tiba mengetuk pintu rumahku dan mengatakan ingin tinggal sementara bersama kami. Adik pacarku ini meski lebih muda belasan tahun dari pacarku, namun tubuhnya sudah sangat sintal, wajahnya cantik, matanya yang bening membuatnya tampak seperti seekor kelinci kecil yang polos dan belum mengenal dunia. Saat ia menatapku, bibir mungilnya sedikit terbuka, kemudian dia memanggil dengan pelan, nyaris seperti bisikan, “Kakak ipar…” Entah mengapa, sebuah perasaan asing merambat dari hatiku ke perut bagian bawahku, membuat napasku terasa lebih berat. Malam itu aku dan pacarku terus melakukan hubungan intim, kali ini terasa lebih panas dari biasanya. Namun di tengah keasyikan itu, aku sekilas menoleh ke arah pintu. Di sana berdiri adik pacarku, dia melihat kami berdua dengan pipi merah dan napas yang tidak teratur. Tangannya berada di antara kedua kakinya, terus bergerak di area itu…

Aku setuju untuk menemani teman masa kecilku, yang mengaku menjadi korban perundungan, untuk pindah sekolah bersama. Namun, tepat sehari sebelum berkas kepindahan disahkan, dia menarik kembali ucapannya. Sahabatnya mencemooh. "Hebat juga kamu. Berpura-pura dirundung sekian lama hanya demi menyingkirkan Deandra." "Tapi dia itu teman masa kecilmu, apa kamu benar-benar tega membiarkannya pergi sendirian ke sekolah asing?" Samanta menjawab dengan nada datar, "Ini cuma sekolah lain di kota yang sama, memangnya sejauh apa sih?" "Lagi pula, aku sudah bosan ditempel terus olehnya setiap hari. Begini lebih baik." Hari itu, aku berdiri di depan pintu untuk waktu yang lama, sebelum akhirnya memutuskan untuk berbalik dan pergi. Hanya saja, pada formulir permohonan pindah sekolah itu, aku mengubah tujuannya. Dari SMA 3 Kota Hakan menjadi sekolah menengah atas di luar negeri, sesuai keinginan orang tuaku. Semua orang lupa bahwa antara aku dan dia, sedari awal memang ibarat awan dan tanah, terpaut jarak yang tak tergapai.

Sampai suatu hari ia berada pada pucak lelahnya. Hari dimana seharusnya kami merayakan hari jadi pernikahan kami. Hari dimana pertama kali aku melihatnya marah besar. Karena aku yang meninggalkannya begitu saja di restoran. Pulang kerumah dengan membanting pintu, ia menurunkan kopernya dan berkemas seolah akan benar-benar pergi meninggalkanku. Detik itu juga aku merasa, aku sudah melewati batas. Hingga kesabaran yang tersisa padanya sudah habis karena perlakuanku padanya. Hari-hari setelahnya pun terasa begitu sulit, sebab hanya tersisa kebencian yang ada dalam tatapan matanya padaku. Disaat itu aku mulai merasa takut, aku akan benar-benar kehilangannya dirinya tak lama lagi. Aku coba segala cara untuk mengembalikan semuanya. Kuturuti setiap permintaannya, memohon maaf padanya, sampai berusaha meyakinkan kalau aku masih Bayu yang sama. Bayu yang mencintainya, sangat mencintainya seperti dulu saat pertama kali kami bertemu. Namun semua hal itu rasanya tak cukup. Aku ketahui setelahnya, Diana mengetahui semua kesalahanku, keburukan, dan kelemahanku, satu per satu.