PROLOGUE For centuries my brothers had dragged me wherever they wanted to go. They said that family was the strongest bond but in the same way it was the strongest bond it would destroy you in seconds. I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. Nothing would ever change with them. Elijah would go all over the world chasing Edmund so that he could save him. Why could he not see that Edmund couldn't be saved? He was obsessed with power and control there was nothing that he wouldn't do. We had done things in the past that we regretted but he was just something else. I don't think someone could be saved did they didn't want it to happen. Edmund had turned into the monsters that he once hated and he was so deep. that nothing would change it. Maybe love was the only solution but how could someone love if they didn't have a heart? Love was not something that existed in our world. Maybe I was foolish to choose my brothers every time they put me on the spot. But how could I not? They were the only people that I knew who would go to hell and back for me. That was the meaning of family no matter how much I hated them or whatever they did I would also choose them. It didn't matter that I was missing out on being with the love of my life but there was no happy ever after when it came to life. I would be miserable for the rest of my life when the person I loved died so where was the happy there. "You made the right choice ", said Edmund beside me pulling me out of my trance. "Yeah ", I said. I knew I was lying. It was not the right choice because no matter how many times we chose him nothing was going to change. He was still going to be the evil brother that I despised so much but if I didn't choose him he would make my life a living hell. "Don't come running to me when he disappoints you again ", said Mateo as he walked away. I knew he meant it this time around. One would only take you back a couple of times before they got tired of being treated like the second option. Maybe it was for the better this way. We would never be happy together. I would always have to choose between him and my family and there was no way he would win that war. "She won't ", said Edmund smiling down at me.
CHAPTER 1:HOME
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THIRD POV
Being new to town came with its disadvantages.
Edmund did not feel like this place was home for him. They had to move to start life afresh. If he would he could just go back in time and never leave their home.
There was nothing left there for him though. Everything they had ever cherished had been destroyed. They had the power to make people do what they wanted and make them forget everything.
However, they just couldn't go around erasing people's memories. His brother and sister needed someone to take care of them.
He didn't know what he always acted like he was the older one when it was Elijah. Elijah had settled pretty amazingly and he did not look like he was having trouble adjusting to the new place.
Elijah looked outside his window and his brother was just standing there looking at nothing. He knew it was not easy for him to move here and leave everything behind but it was not like they had an option.
He felt like curling up in his bed and forgetting about all this but he could not. This was not some nightmare it was real life and he didn't have the time to act like a baby.
He was the oldest one and he had to act like one.
He wondered why their parents had never brought them here. Where they had fed this place in the first place. Now they were supposed to call a place they knew nothing about home.
He was weak and he could feel that. He had not fed in days. He had spent the last four days arranging things in the office because he needed to work.
They had not come on vacation. This was their new life.
Edmund looked at his father's office and he could see his brother in there. He wondered why he worked so hard.
It's not that they were poor or anything. They could afford whatever they wanted without struggling. Sitting in an office sorting out papers had not been something he had planned on doing.
He wondered how his brother was always calm. When situations rose he was the one who dealt with them. He had taken care of them for a long time to the point he did not even remember if their parents were ever there for them.
He was getting weaker and weaker. They did not know if there were hunting grounds here and he needed blood. He could not have the hunger in for much longer.
They did not have a fresh supply of blood as they did before and maybe that was the reason he had this place too much.
He has not seen his sister Katelyn and he wondered where she had gone. It was not like her to be that quiet.
He made his way into the house to see if she was in her room but she was not there. He could not think of any place that she could have gone to.
It was not like they had lived all of their life here. He had no idea where to search but then again she was a grown-up who would bring herself home at the end of the day.
The house was covered in antique drawings all around. It looked like it was old. Maybe it had belonged to their ancestors given the shape it was in.
His father's office was just at the end of the corridor and he made his way there. He needed to talk to his brother there were things that they needed to talk about.
For example how they were going to feed. They could not walk around town snapping people's necks so that they could feed.
He knocked on the door and did not wait for his brother to answer.
"Yes come on in Edmund, y could have at least waited for me to say that don't you think", his brother says sarcastically.
"Would you stop acting like you were busy doing something important brother ", he says as he sits down.
"What do you want Edmund if you can't see I have things to do this paper need to be sorted out so that I can know what am dealing with", says Elijah.
"After all this year's you think that this business is worth the shot. It's not like father cared about this place. We did not even know about it until they passed away for fucks sake", says Edmund.
"It doesn't matter if they cared about it or not, we have to take care of it. In case you haven't noticed this is the only thing we have right now. This is the only place we can call home right now.", says Elijah.
"Home? People keep glaring at us I keep wondering what our parents would have done to get us to be looked at like that.
They would have told us about this place if they ever thought of moving back here. They only told us about this place because they did not have any other choice.", says Edmund.
"Maybe they did something wrong or may e they didn't we can't know about that. They are the only people who knew about that.
How about for now we stop worrying about that and first settle in. I have a meeting with the member of the witches in a few hours, I would like for you to be there ", says Elijah.
"We just reached here and you have already known the leaders ", says Edmund as he looks at his brother shocked.
"No they contacted me and I hear that we have to go. I also hear that our family name is a big name that caused quite a stir in town so unless you want all the witches and vampires here to vacate us you better show up and behave yourself ", says Elijah.
"Great here goes a normal life where people don't hate us. It's like our father left a wake wherever he went ", said Edmund.
Tear-stained cheeks, my mascara was now an ugly smudge after being ruined with all the crying I had been doing for the past hour. I could not recognize myself as I looked through the mirror. The more I stared at myself the more the tears. I could hear them in the next room. Their moans enraged me and made me feel like throwing up. I retched but nothing came out. Disgust is what I felt. My life had turned out to be a chaotic mess and I wondered what I had done to deserve all that. I was a good person or so I believed. I smiled through the pain and thought to myself that everything was going to be okay. I did not believe that myself but I had to tell myself to keep going or I would be stuck in a loop with my past trying to set myself free...
At twenty years old she had thought that now her life had just begun. Her childhood had been everything but good. It could have been worse but she couldn't complain about it. What was she supposed to do? The moment her life began other things arose and she had no clue whatsoever on what to believe. Her life had been a lie all along and no matter how much she tried to make sense of who she was she couldn't. She was lost at sea with all the lies she had been told. She did not know who to believe anymore. She never knew that she had as much power as she had or that people were going to see her as a threat. All she over wanted was to be somewhere that she belonged but the more that she knew people the more she realized that she did not belong anywhere. Could she blame them for hating her though? She did not choose to be who she was and there was nothing she could do about it. As she turned into her wolf form she saw a figure approaching her and she was ready to pounce until she smelled his scent. Hades
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."