The River: A Novel Novels & Stories

I stood alone in the torchlight, feeling the weight of the pack above me, the weight of the cell below me, the weight of a bond I had severed but could not escape. She would have loved you, the wolf said softly. If you had let her. But I hadn't let her. And now I was here. Alone. Angry. Hollowed out by choices I couldn't take back and a rejection I couldn't stomach. I touched my throat where her hands had never reached. Then I straightened my spine, fixed my mask, and went to see my father. Behind me, in the darkness, Lia’s breathing steadied. She was still alive. And somewhere in the ruins of my chest, my wolf was grateful. I hated us both for it.

It was like he didn't hear me enter the bedroom. River finished the paragraph he was on before he glanced up at me. “Reading,” he said. River looked down, but then his head snapped back up. The book dropped from his hands, and his lips parted. Even though he laid on his stomach with his ankles crossed, I saw his chest rise and fall. His breathing became erratic as his eyes explored me head to toe.

AQUA After River uttered those words, I drew in a deep breath, attempting to mask the rapid drumming of my heart. His gaze was filled with such sincerity and hope that, for a fleeting moment, I almost forgot all the reasons I was fighting him for. Guilt gnawed at my chest because I knew if it was under normal circumstances, I should have been over the moon for finding the man who was the perfect fit for my incomplete soul. Yet now, all I yearned for was to escape and never look back. I pushed down my wolf's protests and pressed firmly against his chest, channeling every ounce of strength I had, hoping he would relent. Surprisingly, River didn't resist my silent demand and shifted away from m

- "Finally!" River recites excitedly as he leans back on the couch, dropping the last of the merger files atop his new glass-top centre-table. His new apartment was serene, simple, and the living room in the large space gives him a certain kind of peace. A smile etches across his face, but it fades as he hears the loud blare of the doorbell, clamorously bellowing throughout the apartment. River's heart palpitates loudly as he is jolted back into reality. His eyebrows furrow as he rises from the large, beige, leather couch- staggering as he walks to the door. River turns the locks and twists the knob to swing the door open.

Its code had been simple. ‘The orchard blooms late this season.’ Translation: I am alive. Months later another arrived. ‘The river remains too high for crossing.’ Meaning: We are still moving. Years pass between messages. Sometimes two arrive in a single winter. Sometimes none come for so long that I convince myself the correspondence has ended forever. The world believes Nova's mother is dead. I never fully accept it. Because every so often another coded note appears in impossible places. Hidden beneath loose stones. Delivered by wandering merchants who have no idea what they carry. Tucked into books purchased from strangers.

It was soft and hoarse but real. “Kael.” It was small. Barely above a whisper. But it was my name. I turned so fast my head spun. There... standing by the doorway, one hand on the frame for balance... was River. His hair was a mess, his skin pale but flushed at the edges, a white bandage wrapped around his head. His bare feet were steady against the floor, but his eyes... those damn violet eyes... were open, alive, and staring right at him. For a moment, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. My chest felt too tight, my throat too full.

she trails off Alexander holds a hand up to her silencing her, he stands up and shakes his head “So you are telling me the girl I am in love with is going……..” He stops talking and I see the furious look on Kayla’s face “You WHAT!!!! she screamed at him I had to agree with her she was mated to him and he had just admitted he was in love with my mate. Kayla throws the book at him and storms out the room and Alexander chases after. There was so much I wanted to say to him but he had enough problems on his plate. Picking up the book and flicking through, there are pages on vampires, werewolves, witches even hunters and there was a whole section on Alpha-Lunas separate from the werewolf section.

I left Aaron for the meantime on the part where the fountain pens are to go to the novel section. Since I saw Sophie Lark's Brutal Prince on TikTok's recommendation, people who have read this say that it has a strong female lead. I enjoy books of that genre, therefore I may be interested in reading it. I looked at the shelves. I also picked up a book and read the synopsis on the back when Aaron came to me here. "You like reading books?" he asked. I turned my eyes on him, "Uh, sometimes. If I'm interested in the plot," I answered.

There was time for that; I just had to learn to be patient. Finally, I think her wolf was slightly tired and slowed. I know my wolf was. Her wolf cuddled up next to mine as we basked in the moonlight. I could hear the river flowing close by. We were called the Lost River pack for a reason, the river flows underground, and nobody knows where it flows out. It was one of the many mysteries of this land.

Long claws dig into the dry dirt. The three massive mystical wolves meet the astonished gazes of the villagers. Pearl sighed at the beautiful landscape to her right. The river appeared still, yet she flowed under the thinnest of ice, awaiting the gentle touch of the sun. Though the air bore only coldness and the ground was almost frozen once more, they glittered with the gift of each nascent ray.