Chapter: CHAPTER 6 - FINDING OLIVIAThe transformation took three hours. Abel spent them in his study, pacing a trench into the rug.Stylists, makeup artists, and hairdressers had descended on the East Wing like a swarm of locusts. He had given them one instruction: to make her look like a billionaire's wife without making her look like Helen.But it was an impossible request. The stylists had no idea Olivia was Helen’s mirror image. And any attempt to beautify her would only sharpen the resemblance.At 6:30 PM, the swarm had departed, and the house went quiet again. Abel stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, letting his mind rail with thoughts. The gala started in thirty minutes. Maria would be there, waiting for him to somehow slip up. The Board would be there too, waiting to see the rumored new bride of Abel Lamb."Olivia!" he called out, his patience thinning. "We are leaving in five minutes.""I'm coming," a voice floated down from the top of the stairs.He looked up. And for the second time in twenty-four ho
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-07-04
Chapter: CHAPTER 5 - A NIGHT TO REMEMBERThe transformation took hours. Cain spent all of them in his study, pacing a trench into his rug. Stylists, makeup artists, and hairdressers had descended on the East Wing like a swarm of locusts. He’d given them one instruction: to make her look like the wife of Cain Ashford. But without making her look like Vivienne.But it was an impossible request and he knew it even if the stylists didn't. Nora was Vivienne’s mirror image. Any attempt to beautify her would only sharpen her resemblance.At 6:30 PM, the swarm had departed, and the house was quiet again.Cain stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, his mind railing with thoughts. The gala was in thirty minutes. Lydia would be there, waiting for him to somehow slip up. The Board would be there too, waiting to see the rumored new bride of Cain Ashford."Nora!" he called out, his patience thinning. "We are leaving in five.""I'm coming," a voice floated from the top of the stairs.He looked up. And for the second time in twenty-f
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 4 - FAMILY REUNIONMorning arrived for Cain with the cold and grey reality of a headache that whiskey couldn’t cure.He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, splashing freezing water on his face. The man staring back at him was a ruin. Hollow cheeks. Eyes rimmed red. He looked like grief personified, which was appropriate, because that was more or less what he wasHe could still hear Nora humming that lullaby in his head. He had watched her for what felt like hours last night before finally forcing himself to leave. He told himself it was the scotch getting to him. And somehow, a french lullaby he had only ever heard Vivienne sing was probably popular.He got dressed in a regal Italian grey suit cut like armor and sharp enough to draw blood. That was what he needed today. He barely walked out of his room when he heard voices drifting up from the dining area.Not the hushed tones of the staff. No. Trespassers.He clenched his jaw tight and checked his watch. “It's 7:01 AM,” he thought. “Why are they h
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 3 - PHANTOM PAINThe sweeping of the Phantom’s wipers did little to break the suffocating silence inside the car. Rain-streaked city lights bled across the windshield, painting the black leather interior in shifting colors. Cain kept his eyes on the road, but his head was constantly being tugged to the woman in his passenger seat.She hadn't said a word since he’d found her shivering on a bench in the park, her face pale and her clothes damp. Now she just sat still, staring out the window, and breathing so shallow.He tried hard to focus on the road, but his gaze kept sliding to Nora every chance they could, like a part of his brain needed to confirm she was still there, that she wouldn't dissolve into mist and memory like she was supposed to.“What were you doing at a place like that?” he finally asked, his voice a bit rough.He watched her profile, saw her throat move as she swallowed and her lips part, but her voice was so low, it got swallowed by the horn of a passing vehicle."What was that?"
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 2 - DOUBTThe whiskey burned a familiar path down Cain’s throat, but it did nothing to quiet the roaring in his head. He sat at the darkest corner of a private club he hadn’t visited in months, the low thrum of the bass a poor substitute for a heartbeat. He’d driven here on pure instinct, needing noise and shadows to swallow the image of her face .But it didn't work. He could still see those wide, terrified hazel eyes.He signaled for another drink, his third. Or was it his fourth? The glass was slammed down on the coaster, and a voice cut through his haze.“If it isn't Mr. Ashford Tech Industries himself. I thought I’d find you here.”Cain didn’t have to look up to know who it was. Eli, his best friend since college, and the only man who could call him out on his bullshit. He slid into the seat next to him, wearing a regal suit, and a half-smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.“Shouldn’t you be halfway to Tokyo?” Cain rasped, swirling the liquid in his glass.“Transfer got canceled this m
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-05-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 1 - THE INTERVIEWCAIN"Um, no,” she whispered, her voice soft, a little musical, and so painfully familiar to him. "I'm Nora." She extended a wet hand toward him. "Nora Delaney. I'm here for the interview." Cain looked at her hand, at her face, then at her hand again. How could this be!? He saw the flames eat her with his own eyes. Held the urn that contained her ashes. And yet here she stood, looking at him with those hazel eyes that still haunt his dreams every night."Nora?" Cain repeated the name like it was the wrong answer, furrowing his brows tight. "Is that what you were told to say?"Nora blinked and took a nervous step back, her hand tightening around her umbrella."I... I don't understand," she stammered, her voice trembling. “I’m here for a contract job your agency listed."Cain stepped in closer, invading her personal space and towering over her. "Is this a joke?" His voice cracked. He glanced around the room as if expecting to find hidden cameras. "Who sent you? Was it Lydia? How muc
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-05-25
Camelot's Secret Heir: Bound to the Lycan King
"Love doesn't protect the border," he said, rejecting her while she carried his secret heir.
Five years later, she is the fake fiancée of his deadliest enemy... and she’s hiding a child with the Golden Eyes of a King.
"I reject you, Elara Vance."
Five years ago, Alpha Kael of Camelot chose power over love.
Believing the lies of his corrupt Oracle and Elara’s own foster sister, he publicly banished his fated mate on his ascension day, leaving her with nothing but a broken heart—and a secret growing inside her.
Now, Elara is a rogue herbalist living in the shadows, her life revolving around her five-year-old son, Leo.
But Leo carries a deadly curse.
To save him, Elara must venture into uncharted territory to steal a legendary Orchid from the most dangerous man on the continent: King Darius of the Lycans.
She infiltrates the Palace, but the Ruthless King catches her red-handed.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't snap your neck right now," Darius growls.
"Because," Elara gasps, "I'm the only one who can wake your guards up."
Intrigued by her skills and cornered by the Council into a forced marriage, Darius offers Elara a devil’s bargain:
The Orchid for her life.
"Marry me for one year. Convince the world you are mine, and I will save your son."
Elara accepts, dyeing her son’s hair black to hide his identity.
But deception is fragile.
When a Peace Summit brings her vengeful Ex to the palace, Elara’s secrets are one washed-out hair dye away from being revealed.
With a Lycan King stealing her heart and an Alpha hunting her son, Elara must decide:
Keep running, or unleash the wolf within.
Baca
Chapter: Chapter 7: Even Heaven demands death.-ELARA-The sun was just beginning to bleed over the horizon as we reached the ridge overlooking Rogue City. From up here, the sprawling slums looked peaceful– a grey scab on the landscape below us. But I knew better. Down there, desperation had teeth.Marcus pulled back on the reins, bringing the horse to a halt. The beast huffed, stomping at the ground as if unhappy about being so close to the stench of the lower city."We ride down," Marcus said, shifting his weight in the saddle. "We grab the boy, and we leave.""No," I said. I slid off the back of the horse before he could protest, my boots hitting the mud with a wet slap. "We can't go down there.""It wasn't a request," Marcus said, his voice cold. He pulled on the reins, turning the horse’s head to begin the descent."And I'm telling you it's a mistake," I countered sharply, stepping in front of the beast. "You can't ride a Lycan warhorse down there! If you ride that beast into the slums, you'll paint a target on our backs. A
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-15
Chapter: Chapter 6: The King’s Watchdog.-ELARA-The heavy oak doors of the Throne Room groaned shut behind me, severing the connection to the chaos inside, the heavy silence of the corridor crashing down on me like a physical weight.Marcus didn't speak, and strode ahead without waiting or looking at me, his silk robes rustling in the bitter wind. I trailed behind him, clutching my empty satchel to my chest. My heart was still hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs as the adrenaline from the throne room began to fade, leaving only the icy terror of what I had just done.I had lied to a room full of apex predators. A council of the most dangerous people in the continent. And had bound my son to a throne built on blood.As we swept down the grand hallway, past alcoves and guard posts, servants flattened themselves against the walls, making way for us and lowering their heads. Well, for Marcus. But I could feel their gazes crawling over me. I heard the sharp intake of breath as they took in my muddy boots leaving tracks on
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-13
Chapter: Chapter 5: Two lies make a third.-ELARA-I didn't have time to wash the mud from my boots. I barely had time to wipe the dirt from my face with the hem of my dress before Darius was moving, and I was forced to move with him.He didn't drag me, but he didn't exactly wait for me either. His large, rough hand engulfed mine, his grip firm and possessive, pulling me down the long, torch-lit corridor.I was breathless, trying to keep up with his pace. Every step Darius took was heavy with purpose, his boots echoing like thunder against the stone floor. He towered over me, a mountain of black fabric and muscle, making me feel small beside him.As we swept down the hallway, the Lycan guards posted at intervals collapsed into bows, snapping their fists to their chests and lowering their heads as Darius passed, their eyes fixed on the floor, too terrified to meet his gaze.Behind us, Marcus trailed close. He walked with his arms folded tightly behind his back, his head bowed in a mixture of reverence and anxiety, like a man wa
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-12
Chapter: Chapter 4: The Devil's Contract.-ELERA-"A negotiation," Darius repeated, the word rolling off his tongue with dark amusement. "You are in no position to negotiate, little thief.I could summon a dozen guards to replace the ones you drugged. I could have you skinned and hung from the gates as a warning to the next rogue who thinks my sanctuary is a garden."I swallowed hard, chest burning as my mind panicked for what to say next."You could," I rasped, my voice returning. "But then you’d never know how I brewed a sedative strong enough to drop a Lycan in ten seconds without magic.”Darius tilted his head at me, his grip on my neck slowly easing. His fingers lingered on my pulse point for one terrifying second longer, then he released me.He took a step back, the cold aura of his power retracting just enough to let me gasp for air. I slumped against the stone dais, clutching my throat, heart still slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird but I forced myself to meet his gaze.His hand shot at me, stripped the satch
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-28
Chapter: Chapter 3: The Shadow in the Lion’s Den-ELERA-The Obsidian Palace looked nothing like a home. It looked like a weapon carved from black mountain stone.I crouched in the mud at the base of the perimeter wall, the rain plastering my hair to my skull. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird, but my hands were steady. Like the hands of a surgeon and a herbalist."Three," I whispered, watching the patrol pattern of the Lycan guards above. " Two… One."The guards turned the corner.I didn't have wolf speed nor Alpha strength. But I had desperation. And I had chemistry.I pulled a small, wax-sealed pouch from my belt. Inside was a blend of crushed Valerian root, concentrated Lavender oil, and a pinch of Midnight Moss. It was a potent, fast-acting sedative I had brewed myself.I didn't plan to kill anyone. Killing a Lycan guard would bring an army down on the Rogue City. I just needed them to sleep for a bit.I tossed the pouch over the wall, letting the wind carry the faint, sweet scent downward. And soon the soun
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-28
Chapter: Chapter 2: The Boy with the Burning Blood.-ELARA-(Five Years Later)Rogue City didn't smell like rain and pine like the forests of Camelot. It smelled of wet dog, desperate unwashed bodies, and the metallic tang of blood that never quite scrubbed out of the cobblestones."Hold still, Leo," I murmured, dipping a toothbrush into the tin cup mixture of charcoal dust and walnut oil.Leo sat impatiently on a crate at the corner of our cramped, one room apartment while I painted the thick, black sludge over his hair."I hate this black goop," he scrunched his nose. "It itches.”"I know, baby," I said, brushing a lock of his hair aside. Beneath the artificial black, his roots were glowing a bright, shimmering gold. A mark of his Camelot blood. The mark of the man who wanted us dead. "But we have to be invisible. Remember the game? We are shadows.""Shadows don't have gold hair," Leo recited the rule we lived by."Exactly.".At five years old, Leo was already too smart for his own good. He didn't look like me. He had his father’s sh
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-28
Masuk
