《Curse of the Lycan》Five: Diamonds
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An elegant young woman paced around the room as memories flashed through her mind like scenes from a horror film. They slowly unfolding frame by frame, capturing that young girl's terrified face. It was as though the young girl was actually --- scared. The lady knew she made a mistake, but there was a single positive that did come out of the error; she confirmed that the girl was a lycan. However, there arose an issue that most certainly caused terror to ache at the corners of her fingertips, the girl was most certainly a ravage.
"Give me a single reason not to murder you at this very second, London!" Alfie snapped as he knocked the door wide open. Though Alfie was a calm person, he looked like he was on the edge of going on a ravage streak. His hands were clutched into fists as his eyes glowed a deep gold, danger rang through his stance as he released a frustrated growl. "You were batshit crazy London! I heard everything you told her, Jesus if she were human --- you would, no, should be dead right now."
London froze as her dirty blonde bangs fell into her eyes; her brown orbs widened in shock as the aura Alfie gave off could make an adult alpha male shiver. Though she was slightly fear-stricken, she managed to stagger a breath that formed steady words."Alfie, you need to calm down; your mom and father would not be pleased to hear you had another outburst."
Alfie glanced to London, baring his canines at her; his lycan side refused to obey the order from the beta female. He roared as he leaped at London, yet, she foresaw the attack and he, in turn, crashed into her desk. Papers flew all over the place as Alfie was slow to get up; this time he shook his head as his nails grew to claws.
London shook her head before walking up to Alfie and giving him a hard slap to the cheek."You disrespectful pup," London grumbled something before lifting Alfie's chin to look him directly in the eyes.
"I might have done wrong, well shit, I know I made a mistake, but attacking your beta female is deserving of punishment. No matter your rank, Alfie, you must learn to control yourself. Now get the hell out of my office." Alfie snarled at London, but London's glare made it quiet.
Soon enough Alfie's eyes returned back to a gentle hazel; meanwhile, London was cleaning up some of the papers that had flown all over the place. "Don't make me repeat myself, Alfie," London muttered under her breath as she lifted the dented desk off the ground; she knew he had heard her.
"Yes, beta" Alfie grumbled as he stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. London's eyes switched from Alfie to her paperwork scattered around the room. Yet, minutes after London finished picking up her papers, she noticed Alfie never dared to take a step towards the door. Perhaps she instilled terror into him, perhaps he was still fighting a battle within for control.
Ten minutes after the small outburst London finished cleaning up the mess. Alfie still stood like a fly on the window sill; his left cheek was still burning red from the slap. London huffed as she sat down in her office chair; her youthful face seemingly in deep thought. "I messed up, Alfie, and you have a right to be furious at me. I'm furious at myself too. Yet, we have to do something now, Alfie. This is a situation that is very different."
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Alfie went to open his mouth, but his lips stuck together like glue. London knew she was correct. Longdon continued,"I could sense the lycan within her. Carson was correct, and that is a good and bad thing. When Alpha, Luna, and Hayden return from Eleske we will express the problem."
London nodded, her porcelain skin glimmering in the small bits of moonlight that poked through her office window. She let out a small huff as her eyes glanced at the moon. Its light rose to enlighten the void of the night. Sprinkles of stars surrounded the sky, but something never settled correctly in both of their stomachs.
"It will be full in a few days. I am curious as to when that girl's birthday is, maybe they align in some sort of way." Alfie choked on the air he was breathing; his mouth agape in shock.
"You're not suggesting that-," Alfie could not even finish the sentence as goosebumps ran all both of their skin. London simply continued to look into the night sky; they both knew what she was suggesting."London that is impossible, and the fact that she has no idea."
Alfie shook his head as his structure fell to the ground. "Alfie, you are not Alpha yet, nor is your brother. This is under our current Alpha and Alpha female's watch, not your's." London, still, was distraught by the idea that Alfie, oh so young, felt the need to take on the responsibility of this situation.
Yet, truth be told, is a possible recipe for disaster and death.
"When will my parents and brother return?" Alfie questioned as he stood up slowly, his body swaying from weakness. London glanced at him while pulling her blonde bangs out of her eyesight.
"Tomorrow evening I believe, but I am sure I can get them to get here a bit sooner considering the issue." Alfie nodded as he pushed his red hair to look somewhat managed. Neither one of them could be confident in what happened, and that is what scared London the most."I assume that we have a day or two max until the moon is full. I will have Carson go back and scout the area again, just in case it was a false alarm."
"I don't think that is a brilliant idea, London. If this a ravage alpha we are speaking of," Alfie paused in between breaths as he shook his head," then we are in some deep shit." London let out a humorless chuckle as she spun herself to look Alfie directly in the eyes; it was as though she were challenging him. Alfie only shook his head and let out an irritated sigh.
"I understand your worry Alfie, but Carson is a one-of-a-kind tracker. He might be the only Lycan that can outrun an alpha." London stood up from her chair and cracked the window open to let a cool night breeze in the room. She stood still for a second before a small grimace appeared on her face. "There is a storm coming, Alfie, and I know damn well that the scavengers and that girl are apart of it. She is your mate, Alfie, isn't she?"
Alfie shook his head," You and I both know she's not, but I think she might be Hayden's. I felt a need to protect her while she was terrified and ill, which is rare." London's hair swirled around as she walked towards Alfie, her eyes widening as she thought through the idea. After pondering it for the day, she did, in fact, feel the slight need to protect her; perhaps there was a chance that she was Hayden's mate.
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"I think you're right, fuck, how did I not consider that? Should I notify your parents, or are we jumping the gun?"
"I will call Hayden and alert him. Was the trip to Eleske to look for a potential mate too?" London questioned as Alfie glanced at the moon. London knew he wanted to run in its glory, to feel the wind through his fur and let the forest recoil in terror.
"I think so. I can't believe this girl has been hidden under our noses for god knows how long." London laughed as she considered the error was due to her growing age, she would be forty-two this year. Then again she appeared nearly twenty years younger, or so she hoped. Only after a moment of silence, London waved Alfie off, "I can sense your need to run, go. Be back by eleven or so god help me."
Alfie let out a small smile as he went to London and kissed her hand, a formal way of saying goodbye to high tiers. She could tell his Lycan was energetic, hyper, Alfie had not transformed in a few days, thus leaving him with less focus and more mania.
"Leave now you idiotic pup."
~
A young man sat in a plane seat contemplating his opportunities in life as he does on a day-to-day basis. His medium-length black hair started to fall in his eyes as he tilted his head to lean against a pillow. The trip he endured was long; there were numerous adventures within Europe to search for his lover, but nevertheless, he came back empty-handed. At this rate he considered simply giving up on finding a mate; he had been searching for her for nearly seven years now.
His piercing grey eyes glanced out the plane window, the stars glimmering like individual diamonds. The moon was nearly full as there were no clouds below them. Three more hours until he and his family, finally, arrived back in United States territory. It had been two weeks away from home, and he admitted that he missed his bed; every time he left the states he felt more than homesick, he grew physically ill.
"Hayden, beta London is on the line, she wishes to speak with you." Hayden shook off his fatigue as he glanced at his mother, her curly red hair bounced up as she stepped forward to hand him the phone.
"Hello," Hayden replied as his voice was rough due to a lack of water and exhaustion.
"Hayden," the voice of his beta female cracked, immediately he noticed the distress in her throat. His grip tightened along the phone as his eyes drifted back to the open window."I think we have found your mate."
Hayden was unable to respond as his grey eyes grew wide in astonishment, and his throat was struck with a vicious coughing fit. He choked until he could regain his breath; his mother glanced at him as she took her respected seat next to his father. Alas, Hayden found his words, though a pit of doubt hung over him like an ominous cloud, "You're joking."
A sigh was heard on the other line as London's soft voice was gentle, "I wish. Except we have a few issues, perhaps it is a gut feeling. However, just uh, put your phone on speaker, I wish for your parents to hear this too. This is urgent." Hayden obeyed as he unbuckled and walked along the private plane to his parents; they both looked at him, confused as he put the phone on speaker so all could be heard.
"Good evening Alpha and Luna, I wish to discuss why I asked for you to leave so urgently." Hayden's father chuckled quickly,
"You are excused Beta Female, explain your issue. I trust your reasoning." A breath of trepidation could be heard on the other side of the line, a few glances were passed from person to person.
"As you could tell from Hayden's previous reaction, Alfie and I believe we have discovered Hayden's mate." The alpha female gasped in shock as both gazed at Hayden's still panic-stricken face; all he could do was shrug with uncertainty.
"Well, why would that be bad, Beta? Certainly, this would mean a more joyous occasion."
"With all due respect, here is the issue. We have concluded after an incident that she does not know that she is a lycan." Everything on the plane seemed to be at a standstill while the three were stuck in a state of shock, the thought seemed bizarre in every way possible.
"I don't understand how that could be possible. I have heard of human mates, but a lycan that doesn't know that she is a, well, lycan?"
"I know it sounds insane, but there are a few more issues... we think that she might shift soon. "
"What is the second one," Hayden questioned as the trio seemed to be absolutely baffled.
"We think that she might be a ravage, well that is obvious, but we think she might be an alpha or maybe beta female." The phone fell from Hayden's hands as his knees nearly buckled from under him, the alpha and beta glanced to each other, unknown emotions flickering between them.
"Do we at least have an idea of what pack," the alpha female questioned as she ran a hand through her thick curly red locks. The alpha male picked up the phone as he seemed to be in a daze. Hayden remained in a frozen state, his eyes staring blankly into a void.
"We are certain that she is from one of the two African packs. Carson managed to get us the lead, we suspect that perhaps she has only one family member that might be a lycan. I have already contacted both Borroka and Maliro, but there has been no response yet."
The blood in his head rushed forward as a sense of dizziness struck him at once. This time his legs went limp as his eyes rolled towards the back of his head. Just like that, Hayden was instantly sent into a deep slumber.
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Tur Briste
A Druid cultivation novel. Borrows concepts from Wuxia and Xianxia but using Druid myth and lore. More on this at the bottom. Crow is son of Maddox, a Druid with an ancient bloodline and a people with a story spanning toward the beginning of time. Cursed, unfated, and a heap of bad luck have brought him only pain and suffering, but nothing will stop him. Nothing can stop him. A son of Maddox doesn’t bow his head. A son of Maddox understands that only a man with roots, with something to lose, will fight until the last drop of blood leaves his body. The Draoidh were once a proud people. They were both respected and hated for their form of righteousness. Power wasn’t something they gained through the might of their arms, but through intelligence. Their fall was all the more disheartening for the weaker cultivators. The tens of thousands of years that followed… chaos reigned. They forced Draoidh until most fled to the lower realms, nearly wiped out and exhausted. They went into hiding and became known as the Druids of the Oak. The Druid Order wasn’t the powerhouse it had been, and only nine of the major clans survived the calamity. Their bloodline weakened, as well as their prestige. Even the remaining clans fought amongst each other. Already on the decline and near extinguished, the Maddox clan can only struggle for survival, but their foundation wasn’t a joke. Weakened, but not weak. The other clans will understand this difference soon enough. Tur Briste, the Shattered Tower, awaits Crow’s ascension. Reaching the upper realms is only the first step in reestablishing the Draoidh. The Druids of the Oak remembered every betrayal and grievance, and they’ll return to power and reclaim what once belonged to them. The upper realms may have forgotten, but the Druid Order has not. Please Note:1) This is harem story. There are only a few chapters with sex, and it’s not a focus of the story. I’ll only add graphic sex if I feel the story needs it, so not gratuitously. Either way, Crow has several women. This is in line with Druid/Celtic history, and harems/reverse harems were an accepted part of their culture. Further, they had open marriages, meaning the man or woman could end their marriage at any time. While it was still a patriarchy, women had almost equal power. They were a very progressive culture. 2) There is a period of a 30-50 chapters where Crow loses the ability to cultivate like a Druid so he adopts an eastern body cultivation method for a while. This is temporary, but some people feel it’s misleading, so I am pointing it out ahead of time. I promise, the Druid stuff comes back, and 90% of the lore/myths/creatures/gods are all related to Druid/Celt/Irish/Scottish history. 3) I use many original names, most of which are in Gaelic or Irish. In the story, I refer to this language as Ancient. I enjoy all kinds of folklore and myths, so I encourage you to google those original names as they arrive. I give some background on them at the end of the chapter in my author’s note. 4) I use Ogham runes a lot, these are like the Druid alphabet, and they based each rune on a sacred tree so they also have symbolism associated with them. Again, feel free to google that too. It’s pretty neat stuff. Quick Translations:Draoidh = DruidTur Briste = Shattered Tower or Broken Tower Release Schedule:As of Oct 1, 2021- 3 chapters released every Sunday (May have up to two bonus chapters)- Side character chapters… this might be bonus chapters I release through the week. So they won’t count toward the 3 chapters on Sunday.- Please understand I work full time, have two kids, and can’t spare as much time as I’d like toward my writing. Maybe in the future I can switch to doing this full time, but for now 3 chapters is a comfortable pace for me. Lastly… I very much appreciate all my readers and thank you for allowing me to entertain you!
8 127On the Road to Elspar (Book 1)
The year is 1329. The Huntress' War has entered its tenth year, inflaming competing nationalisms and pitting the Confederacy of Caldrein against one of the continent's superpowers, the Tenereian Union. Desperately outnumbered, the Confederacy has relied on the prowess of its famed Caldran mercenaries, with highly-trained and experienced warbands returning from foreign conflicts to the defense of their homeland, and it is on their backs that Caldrein has successfully mounted a valiant defense for a decade. But they are losing, and day by day, with all the grace of a sledgehammer, the vast Tenereian armies take one more bit of Caldran territory, one footstep at a time. Sixteen-year-old Neianne from the village of Caelon has submitted herself to Faulkren Academy, one of the centuries-old institutions established to train the next generation of Caldrein's elite soldiers of fortune, to learn the ways of wars for three years before embarking upon the defense of her country. Her dryad family once hailed from reclusive woodland communes isolated from Caldrein's complicated mainstream society, and her upbringing leaves the shy village girl unprepared to suddenly train alongside other apprentices from backgrounds as low as the dirty slums of Caldrein's cities and as high as the halls of aristocratic power. Yet the war is eroding the norms and traditions that the Caldran people have long considered part of their national mythos, and the tensions within the confederacy that have long simmered under the surface - race, class, community, identity - are slowly but surely dividing its people, and Neianne must grow and discover who she really is, even as the war that she is steadfastly training for comes to its inexorable end... On the Road to Elspar is a fantasy quest - a work of interactive fiction wherein readers get to vote on what happens next at critical junctures - that is the first entry in a story that follows Neianne of Caelon, which first began on July 20, 2016. Originally a three-part in medias res prologue to a larger story titled On the Elsparian Road, it was eventually decided that this section - which covers Neianne's three years at Faulkren Academy - become its own independent story due to length, structural, and accessibility reasons. Despite this being a reader interactive work of fiction, due to logistical and verification concerns, voting will only be counted on its thread on the forum Sufficient Velocity, where this story originally began. As such, the content here on Royal Road serves as a story-only archive. You are, of course, entirely welcome to enjoy On the Road to Elspar as a conventional work of fiction, just as you are welcome to comment, discuss, and provide critique. But if you would like to participate in the voting, then I would be honored to welcome you on Sufficient Velocity. To facilitate accessibility and to ensure the best reading experience, this story-only version of On the Road to Elspar will be updated at a periodic pace, even though further content exists, so as to not overwhelm new readers on Royal Road. If you enjoy this story, wish to binge it, and/or want to participate in voting immediately, you may of course read all additional content via the link provided above. This paragraph will be removed once the content on Royal Road catches up with what has already been posted in its original thread. Cover artwork by DreamSyndd.
8 334Spell & Cunning
When giants, monsters, and fey dominate the land, mankind can only get ahead by using magic and trickery. After dying on our world, Jack finds himself waking up in the body of the latest victim in a war between men and giants. With only names and a dead man's lingering emotions to go by, Jack manages to take his place amongst the living, but if he wants to survive he'll need to much more than that. When he finds out that he's in a kingdom eager to send him to the frontlines, the only options he has are to get magic or to get gone. If only either of those were so simple... Schedule for Now: Announced at the end of latest chapter.
8 172Kindled Spirits
Travelers near and far had come to this very city. Each hoping to get a chance to get an elusive copy of Kindled: A Life Forgotten, an 8d RPG indie game produced somewhere in Eurasia. The game went on well, producing high ratings within 24 hours of sale. It was praised as one of the best game of the millennium, earning several world records in a short amount of time. It was so popular in fact that even NASA decided to launch it into space, hoping to for it to be seen by alien races as a sign of life in the universe. We follow Andromeda Fushigiwa, a retired gaming veteran, and a have a profound knowledge at programming.The date is May 17, 2071 when it was found by an alien race. They enjoyed videos of it actually. To thanks Earth, they made our world just like the game with alien technology. Can everyone adapt to this new life or will the whole world plunge into anarchy?Note* The mc will become more and more op by the story progress.
8 82Black Prince: Cruel Magic
Frederick, 22, is transmigrated to another world alongside other earthlings to help a new god get his first religions on the ground. They are given a few points each to choose their skills and race, however, something they cannot choose is their magic attribute. Unfortunately for Frederick, one of his magical attributes is black magic which is scorned by the people of the continent. Through necessity he is driven into the world of cults and sects. Can Frederick survive in this world of demons, angels, and legendary creatures? Well, yes, or else this would end rather quickly. But will he thrive and accept the role his magic in this unforgiving and carefully balanced world where his only advantage is his potential? The first ten chapters will be released daily. All subsequent chapters will come out every three days.
8 181Written in Bones [ Jurassic World]
Lily Eleanor Goodwin didn't go into the paleontology field for the money. Quite frankly, there wasn't any money in the field. With the failing economy, dig sites and museums suffered the most, losing grants and getting hit hard with budget cuts. However, Lily's love for dinosaurs never faltered even as her bank account dwindled. Working at the local museum and moving back in with her dysfunctional parents, the young woman was at her wit's end.Until one unforgettable day while giving her usual tour, she is approached with an astounding offer by a man named Simon Masrani. But she had no idea what she was signing up for.Dinosaurs are no longer extinct. Lily isn't dealing with bones anymore.
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