The Painted Drum

Liziwe Matiwane is an odd one; a lady who has no interest in marriage, but all the interest in in learning the physician's trade- much to her mother's annoyance. But when she is forced into marriage with a mysterious stranger, her life takes a turn into the murky shadows...

Vivienne Kane has spent years forging her future in silence and shadow—her final thesis exhibition the only thing standing between her and the betrayal that once stole her voice, her art, and her trust. When a campus plumbing catastrophe forces her into a cramped off-campus apartment with Asher Donovan—the university's charismatic rugby captain whose life is all noise, team spirit, and golden-boy pressure—she braces for war. He's too loud, too present, too everything she avoids. Yet from the moment he catches her painting through a half-open door, Asher is hooked—not on her beauty, but on the storm she hides in every brushstroke. He starts small: quiet coffee deliveries, late-night silences in her studio, fierce defense against anyone who dares threaten her work. What begins as clashing egos and slammed doors spirals into something neither can ignore—raw vulnerability, protective fury, and a heat that scorches through every boundary she's built. In a world of late-night canvases and bruising practices, two guarded hearts collide: one learning to trust again, the other discovering what it means to fight for someone who finally sees you. Enemies at first sight. Roommates by disaster. Lovers by choice.

Verity Sinclair is a gifted contemporary painter trapped in a marriage that has been dying for a long time. But the final blow comes when she catches her husband in bed with her older sister—in their matrimonial home. Humiliated and heartbroken, Verity walks away from the life she once tried to save. Then she makes one reckless decision. She seduces Quentin Langford—her ex-husband’s older brother. The ruthless billionaire with a sinful reputation, a dangerous charm, and a world filled with secrets she never wanted to understand. Quentin was supposed to be nothing more than revenge. One night, no emotions, no consequences. But after the divorce, Quentin offers her a life-changing contract: six months of exclusivity. What begins as desire quickly turns into something far more dangerous. Because beneath Quentin’s cold control is a man capable of giving Verity everything she never knew she needed—passion, freedom, and a love intense enough to consume her completely. But just as she begins to fall for him, the past returns to destroy everything. Her ex-husband suddenly wants her back, claiming he cannot live without her. At the same time, a woman from Quentin’s past reappears, threatening the fragile relationship they built together. Now Verity is caught between the man who broke her heart… and the man who awakened her soul. When forced to choose between familiarity and desire, betrayal and passion, Verity must decide where her heart truly belongs, before love destroys her completely.

On the day of Zephyr’s art exhibition, I saw people stand around a portrait of myself. My cheeks were flushed, and I was bare. My posture was the one we used in bed last week for fun. Zephyr even got the mole on my chest right. As people stared at me mockingly, I demanded, “Why did you do this to me?” He was unbothered. “It’s not as if I asked you to sleep with someone else.” But he did let people see how I looked when I was having an intimate moment with my own boyfriend! “It’s just a painting. Why are you being so petty?” I was stunned by the mockery in Zephyr’s gaze. Then, I called my assistant. “I’m attending the international art festival as the organizer.”

I married my vampire husband ten years ago and gave him a half-blood heir, abandoning my career as a painter to become a full-time mother. Fortunately, my son inherited my talent. At just six years old, he held his first solo art exhibition, inspired by the theme "My Mother." But he never let me attend, and he never let me see his paintings. My husband said my presence would make Luke nervous---that I should stay home and do the housework as a good wife and mother, and wait for them to come back. I told myself he was just young and didn't know better, that he was only pushing back against my discipline, not truly rejecting me. Until the day I snuck into the gallery wearing a surgical mask pulled low. In the center of the crowd, my husband held our son's hand while tenderly pulling a woman in a red dress into his arms. He turned to the guests and announced: "This is Luke's mother---my wife." The three of them stood together, beaming with perfect happiness. And I---the one who'd stayed up all night setting up this exhibition---stood before the paintings while not a single person recognized me. That was when I finally understood. My seemingly gentle, caring vampire husband had long ago given our son a replacement mother. And I was nothing more than the human nanny who'd served her purpose by producing an heir.

He drove there to annihilate the whole pack which had the audacity to combat against Him, The Dark Lord, but those innocent emerald eyes drugged his sanity and He ended up snatching her from the pack. Lyceon Villin Whitlock is known to be the lethal Dark walker, the Last Lycan from the royal bloodline and is considered to be mateless. Rumours have been circling around for years that He killed his own fated mate. The mate which every Lycan king is supposed to have only one in their life. Then what was his purpose to drag Allison into his destructive world? Are the rumours just rumours or is there something more? Allison Griffin was the only healer in the Midnight crescent pack which detested her existence for being human. Her aim was only to search her brother's whereabouts but then her life turned upside down after getting the news of her family being killed by the same monster who claimed her to be his and dragged her to his kingdom “The dark walkers”. To prevent another war from occurring, she had to give in to him. Her journey of witnessing the ominous, terrifying and destructive rollercoaster of their world started. What happens when she finds herself being the part of a famous prophecy along with Lyceon where the chaotic mysteries and secrets unravel about their families, origins and her true essence? Her real identity emerges and her hybrid powers start awakening, attracting the attention of the bloodthirsty enemies who want her now. Would Lyceon be able to protect her by all means when she becomes the solace of his dark life and the sole purpose of his identity? Not to forget, the ultimate key to make the prophecy happen. Was it her Mate or Fate?