Months later, Annabelle and Riftan sat close together in the meadow, staring at the sunset. The dying rays of the sun cast a magnificent glow on the earth and the sky was alight with brilliant colours. The wind played around, lifting dead leaves up in the air and bringing the scent of flowers towards the two figures sitting close to each other.
After their first encounter, an attraction had sparked up between the two of them and Riftan would always find a way to wander into the domain of the Sorcerers, just to speak with Annabelle. She reminded him of someone he met years ago, the strange girl that claimed to come from the future and stopped the Supreme Alpha's son's wedding. He found himself always staring at Annabelle, getting hypnotized by her enchanting eyes. And he knew he was falling hard for her.
"So were you born like this?",Annabelle asked. She just discovered Riftan wasn't a normal shifter. He was a hybrid;a crossbreed between a shifter and a vampire. Her head was still reeling with the discovery and she was more than intrigued.
"I was born as a shifter",Riftan said. His grey eyes stared off into the distance, lost in thought. "My parents were both lycans, ancient lycans, and we lived peacefully at the west side of the island. Until a band of rogue vampires attacked our home"
"What happened?",Annabelle asked softly.
"It happened long ago, so long that I can barely recall the details",Riftan began. "I remember playing in the meadow in my wolf form, rolling through the grass wet with dew. And then, I heard the screams. The Supreme Alpha and his warriors had been keeping the band of rogue vampires and werewolves at bay. But that day, a group of rogue vampires broke through the barrier of the lycans and found their way towards the west side, where I live. Before the lycan warriors arrived, it was too late. My parents were dead and I had been bitten by one. The warriors killed the rogue vampires, but they couldn't find a way to extract the vampire's venom from my system. For days I was kept under tight surveillance, watched for signs of rabidity and violence. The venom didn't just take over my body, it became part of me. Changing me. Turning me into something else. I went through a lot of gut wrenching pain because my system tried to adjust to the new bloodstream. Long story cut short, it was discovered that I wasn't bitten by an ordinary vampire. It was an ancient vampire. And in the end of it all, I became the first hybrid ever"
Annabelle was silent for a while. She observed the dejected look in his expression and placed her hand on his arm.
"I'm so sorry about that",she said softly.
"There's nothing to be sorry about",Riftan said quietly. He was grateful though for her comfort and he placed his hand on hers.
"Did it change your life much? Being a hybrid?"
"It did",Riftan said. "I'm a creature that should never exist. An abnormality..."
"That's not true".
"It is the truth Annabelle",Riftan said slowly. "Alpha Janus would have put an end to me, but I was just a little boy. That's why I'm still alive. I've had no one all these years. No parents, no siblings. No relatives. Everyone treats me as an outcast..."
"They're wrong to treat you that way",Annabelle said fiercely.
She slowly raised her hand and held his chin, turning his face so she could look into his enchanting eyes. "You didn't ask to be turned. It wasn't your fault you were bitten, you were just a little boy. You're perfect the way you are"
Riftan smiled slowly, a charming smile that lit up his face and totally transformed him. To say he was handsome was an understatement. He was beautiful to look upon, as beautiful and captivating as a god.
"Look at us",he said with a chuckle. "The first time we met, you literally swept me off my feet. Now we're such good friends. I must say, I'm glad I wandered this way. I never would have found you"
Annabelle laughed softly, her eyes alight with mirth. Slowly, her smile disappeared and she stared into Riftan's eyes silently, drowning deep in the grey fathomless depths. She watched him move closer to her and she could only stare silently, not pushing him away.
Riftan slowly moved closer, his hand quietly circling her waist. He watched her eyes darken to a deep shade of purple. His gaze lowered to her lips and he closed the space left between them. When she didn't stop him, he slowly leaned forward and captured her lips in his.
He tasted flavours in her lips. Sweet flavours that enticed his taste buds. He kissed her softly at first, and then with a swift graduation of intensity that made her cling to him as the only solid thing in a dizzy swaying world. Every breathe he took smelled like her, the sweet smell of lilac.
Annabelle felt time stopped when his lips met hers. His insistent mouth parted her trembling lips, sending wild tremors along her nerves, evoking sensations she had never known she was capable of feeling. And before she realized it, she was kissing him back with the same intensity. The flutter at the pit of her stomach intensified; her heart pounded within her and the only thing she could focus on was how soft his lips were against hers, how addictively he invaded all her senses.
This wasn't right.
There was raw emotion in the way his hands tightened around her waist, in the way his tongue merged with hers, fighting for dominance, in the way he held her tight, making her entire body hum with pleasure. She was drowning in his kiss, her whole body tingling deliciously.
This wasn't right.
Colours exploded behind her closed eyes, in an array of complicated designs. She felt her toes curl as he deepened the kiss. His fingers gripping her waist felt nearly forbidden. The taste of him silenced her thoughts, erased every coherent reasoning. The smell of him unfurled her senses and for the first time in years, Annabelle felt her body come alive.
Riftan pulled her in, claiming her lips again, hot and intense until she snapped back to her senses.
This wasn't right.
She pulled away, pushing him back and moving away from him. Dragging a hand through her hair, she walked a little distance away from him, drawing in deep breaths to clear her muddled thoughts. Her lips still tingled from the kiss and her body protested greatly, wanting her to go back to him.
"Annabelle..."
"No! Stay away",she said, moving away from his outstretched hand. She couldn't be close to him now. The pull she felt from him was too strong, and she didn't trust herself not to run back into his arms.
Riftan watched her quietly. Her rejection hurt him and yet, he didn't blame her. He knew what she would be feeling. And he knew she enjoyed the kiss, as much as he did. What he didn't understand was why she was trying to distance herself from him. He needed to tell her the truth. He was hopelessly in love with her, and he couldn't do anything about it.
Annabelle took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She spoke with her back facing him.
"What happened just now should never happen again"
"Annabelle..."
"No Riftan. Nothing can happen between us",Annabelle cut him short. "We're too different. We can't be together"
"I love you Annabelle",Riftan said. He watched as she turned around slowly, staring at him open-mouthed. There were tears in her eyes.
"What?",she whispered.
"I love you",Riftan repeated, taking slow steps towards her. "I loved you since the first time I saw you. You make me feel like a complete person, not like an outcast. You're the one I want to be with..."
"Don't say that",Annabelle whispered in a raspy voice. She smiled through her tears and slowly touched his cheek, losing herself in his hypnotic eyes. "One day, you're going to find your mate. And you will forget about me"
"No",Riftan shook his head and took her hand in his, holding it against his lips. "I've given up on finding my mate. Who would want to be mated to a creature like me?"
"The mate bond.."
"I don't care about the mate bond",Riftan said. He pulled her close and cupped her face in his palms. "I only want you Anna"
Annabelle felt her resolve melt as she let him pull her close. Her eyes closed and a sigh escaped her as Riftan slowly kissed her again. Before she knew it, they were inside her home and she did nothing as Riftan slowly undressed her and they made love far into the night.
A week later, she found out she was pregnant with his child.
And with this discovery, as if the Moon Goddess was punishing them for their forbidden passion, Riftan found his mate.
...
Author's Note
Hello lovely readers❤️
I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Thanks for your continuous voting. You all really encourage me. However, it's the weekend. And I might be very busy. So another chapter might not be uploaded. If I'm chanced, I will upload more. I just want to tell you beforehand. I love you all❤️❤️
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