"Will you tell me your name now?",Riven asked. He had been dying to know her name and he felt he would go crazy if she didn't tell him.
Layla grabbed hold of the pen and wrote slowly on the parchment.
'I am called Layla'
"Layla",Riven whispered. The name rolled over his tongue like sweet nectar. It was lovely. A perfect name. He loved it. He looked down at her as she scribbled something else on the parchment.
'Which are you? Alpha or Riven?'
Riven grinned at the question. She must have heard Cade or Caleb refer to him as Alpha and probably thought that was his name. And since Henrietta always addressed him by his name, she was confused, wanting to know which was his name.
"I am Riven, my sweet Layla",Riven answered. He watched her blush at the endearment as she began to write again. There was adoration in his eyes as he stared at her. If she had her voice, she would have been very chirpy, inquisitive about everything. He looked down at what she scribbled.
'Strange things occured today'
Riven looked back at her. Strange things? What occured? She was still writing and he waited patiently for her to finish.
'The woman who hurt me, she did something. Her hand transformed into something. And I saw the man's wound heal'.
Riven understood finally. She was referring to the incident that occured with Cara and Alex. He had no idea she noticed it.
"It's all part of the story I'm going to tell you my love",Riven said and took the parchment from her. He didn't want her to ask questions until he was done.
And for the next few hours, Riven devoted his time to explaining the supernatural realm and all its creatures to Layla.
He told her about the first of the supernatural creatures that were created by Selene, the Moon Goddess. They were the lycanthropes, the witches/Sorcerers and the vampires and they were the creatures with the strongest bloodline. Selene chose the lycanthropes to be the rulers of the supernatural realm while the witches and vampires became their followers. But as the years passed, some of the witches began to fight for the position to rule the realm.
They tried to over-throne the lycanthropes and take over the realm but the lycanthropes were obviously stronger and were able to sabotage the plans of the witches. Having failed with their plans, those witches who were obsessed with ruling the realm left and disappeared into the human world.
Soon other creatures started coming into existence. The Fae and Elves, the Centaurs and Trolls, the Fairies and Demons and lastly, the werewolves. The werewolves were just like the lycanthropes. The only difference was in their strength and life span. The lycanthropes were stronger and had a longer life span than the werewolves.
Selene then created an island for the creatures to live in peace, away from the eyes of the humans. She instructed the Fae and the Fairies to cast a spell around it and keep it hidden while the witches used their magic spells to erect a barrier around the island, thereby protecting the supernatural realm and its creatures.
Riven paused in his story. He wanted to tell Layla about Tartarus and the deadly creatures it held but he hesitated. He didn't want to scare her. The gates of Tartarus were locked and its creatures trapped. There was no need of causing unnecessary worry for his mate. So he skipped that part and continued.
Most of the supernatural creatures had a long life span while few of the lycanthropes were blessed with immortality. Riven explained his family heritage to Layla, enjoying the way her eyes widened with awe.
The Qinn Dynasty was one of the few families that were blessed by the Moon Goddess with immortality. They never aged. They never died. They did have a weak point that could kill them and they guarded it with their lives. The past lycanthropes that had lived for thousands of years got tired of living and prayed to Selene to take their souls.
They made sacrifices to Selene and pleaded for a safe passage to the next world. And it became a tradition for the lycanthropes. Selene would cause a deep sleep to come upon the lycan that was ready to leave the realm and pass on to the other.
They weren't killed. Selene merely took their souls from their body and moved it to the next realm. The Qinn family were the strongest of all the lycanthropes and the most powerful and they ruled the entire pack of the lycanthropes and werewolves. They were the Supreme ruler and were addressed with Supreme preceding their titles.
Riven's parents had lived for thousands of years and had passed on to the next realm which made him the current ruler of the pack and the entire island. He was the Supreme Alpha, Alpha King of Dark Creek Pack and ruler of all the other packs. And Riven ended his story with the meaning of the mate bond.
'So I'm your mate?',Layla scribbled on the parchment and looked up at Riven.
"Yes you are, my love",Riven said. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, staring at her with so much love and devotion. "You were chosen for me by the Moon Goddess. You're my second half, my soulmate. You're mine".
Layla felt her heart flutter with his words. No one had ever told her such heartwarming words. It made her feel things she didn't understand. She had other questions but they all revolved round what Riven told her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think supernatural creatures were real. And here she was mated to one. Fate had been directing her to him after all.
She looked quietly at Riven. She had never seen someone as handsome and wonderful as him. He made her feel like she was the most precious gem in the world. Her hands ached to touch his golden coloured hair and feel the texture between her fingers. She longed to trace her hands down his face, up to his sharp jawline that defined his aristocratic appearance. She yearned to feel his lips on hers and the thought jolted her. She didn't know how to control these new feelings.
Riven watched her closely, as her eyes moved over his face and stopped at his lips. He knew exactly what she was thinking and he smiled. With time, she would get used to it all. Right now they were all new to her. And she didn't know how to express it.
Layla's heart did a little summersault when he gave her a disarming smile. She blushed furiously and turned her eyes away from his lips. And then a question popped into her head.
'How old are you?',she wrote.
"I don't know the exact year, because when you're immortal you lose count. I'm more than a thousand years old",Riven said and grinned as Layla's eyes went round with awe.
More than a thousand years, Layla thought. How was it possible when he looked so young? Being a supernatural creature sure had a lot of advantages.
"Would you like to see my wolf?",Riven asked out of the blue.
Layla's eyes lit up, brightening her face and making her irresistibly beautiful. A sweet smile graced her lips, adding to her beauty and Riven felt like the luckiest man alive. There was clear pride in his eyes as he watched Layla nod eagerly. He would give her the world if she would just ask.
He pulled away and crouched in front of her. "Whatever you see, don't be frightened my love",he told her gently.
Layla tilted her head a little to the left, watching him with intriguing eyes. Frightened? Why would she be frightened? And before her astonished eyes, she watched as Riven's eyes changed from honey brown to golden coloured iris. His body seemed to melt down and rebuild and she could hear the sound of bones breaking. She looked on wide-eyed as Riven's skin receded and golden fur sprouted forth. His body slowly lost its form and took on the form of an animal. A wolf.
Right before her stood a big golden wolf. And it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.