The next chapter will mark the end of these past glimpses :)
ElitaTruth is always a bitter pill to swallow.She was stronger, sharper, and could knock them out with one blow. But until the end, something held her back from defending herself.And when she decided to let go of the restraints, she didn’t only hurt them.She must not have even noticed the innocent child who came out of nowhere and stood in the doorway. The grown men didn’t die from what she did. They got up hours later and left the house.But the child—that innocent, unfortunate child was not as strong as the grown-ups. Once he hit his head on something…Once his blood poured out and tainted the floor…Once he fell…He never got up. It was like his soul was sucked out of him with one blow. He was not given even a few moments of life more.Maybe I watched the scene for hours, or perhaps I only stayed there for a few seconds—I couldn’t feel the time pass.The woman who had killed her child held him against her chest and wailed. Pain reflected on her face, etched so deep into her ey
ElitaMy eyes snap open and the familiar ceiling comes into view. This room is similar to the one beside it—the room that has taken on a new look, but the memories must still linger in there.All this time, I never understood why Levian had to stay in this cottage and not in big castles like other Kings.It is because this place was everything for him. And like his promise, he can never forget this house either.“ You saw her in your dream. ” A deep sounds from the corner.My breath hitches as I glance to my left and find him sitting in the corner, on a wingchair. The darkness keeps his face hidden but his eyes–the green eyes only I see don’t blend in. They shine, giving away his presence and his calm.“ The Goddess rarely comes into anyone’s dreams.” He leans back, and closes his eyes.I can not see him any longer. He had become with one darkness.“ Were you that desperate to escape? ” His voice echoes around me, making me stiffen.“ Huh? ”“ The Goddess said she can not ignore her s
DustinThe voices have been loud for a while. Several voices murmur different words at the same time, sounding like muffled screeches in my ears. They keep me up at night and my head pounding during the day.It doesn’t take a genius to realize that for some time, everything was silent inside me. I could hear other voices and focus on them without feeling like my head would explode.It was because of her.When she was around, I didn’t get the urge to dig my nails in my ears and rip them apart just to silence the noise inside me. Without even realizing it, I was living a calm life—for the first time in my life. The ocean roars in front of me, violent waves crashing onto the shore like they are trying to tear the earth apart. The power inside me pulses, reaching out to the water, controlling it, bending it to my will. But for once, I feel no satisfaction in it. It’s empty—hollow, like everything else I do these days.Every time I close my eyes, I see her face from when I left her behin
ElitaAfter spending a week lingering in the vampire territory, I have learned everything I needed to know.Gratefully, I have not come across anyone who would make things unpleasant because Levian kept me inside the cottage, and no vampire or human was allowed inside.Levian was being a gentleman to a girl he knew was taking a potion and impersonating his mate while he mostly ignored the real me in the future as if I would give him a disease someday.I don’t know what’s going through his head, but I know he finds me interesting because the Moon Goddess visited me in my dreams.He is trying to understand why the Goddess would care about someone like me—someone ordinary. That’s why I must sit at the dinner table with him every night and let him stare at me as I eat.My eyes twitch as I focus on the steak that’s on the menu tonight and ignore his gaze that’s fixed on my face. He dissects every expression, every single movement. It makes me want to stab him with a fork and knife in my h
ElitaA lump forms in my throat, but I swallow it down and continue cutting into the steak, pretending his words didn’t affect me at all. I don’t want to give him a weakness, or he will prey on it, twist it, and manipulate me again.But…who am I kidding?A man who has lived for so long can read people like open books.“ I can keep you alive. ” Levian rests his chin over his fist and watches me intently. “ I can make sure you survive in this dead body. You can live a long life, Elita. How does that sound to you? Do you want to live? ”I don’t realize when the fork slips from between my fingers and the knife slices across my middle finger. I pause and glance at the blood on my fingers.It’s not warm anymore. It’s cold and dark. I stare at the drops pooling on the plate, and my mind goes numb. Do you want to live? Levian’s question echoes in my head on a repeat mode—It’s haunting.“ You must… ” I whisper, my voice barely audible to me. “ …want something in return. ”“ Not really. I am m
ElitaThe seat in front of me shakes as he moves at an impressive speed and appears beside me. I stiffen but don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me scared.He grabs the back of my chair and turns it around. I suppress a gasp and look at his still chest, hidden under a black button-down shirt.“ How can you say that for sure? Even a dog becomes loyal when he is cared for. The Lycan Princes won’t be different. ” He leans down, his cold breath hitting my forehead.I crane my neck and meet his gaze, my nose brushing against his slightly. It takes some triggers to get him angry, and right now, he is fuming.I want to laugh and sneer. You wanted to manipulate me by offering me life. How does it feel to fail now?“ You keep forgetting one important detail. ” I smile, my eyes crinkling slightly. “ Dogs and wolves are not the same, Levian. You can not control Lycans by showing them a little care. They need a lot more than that. They have an innate desire for power and connection and mate
DustinI glance towards the dark forest before resting my back against the tree again. I don’t feel the need to go deeper into Levian’s territory.He will sense my presence from this far. And he will come to hunt me down.Conveniently, the curious girl will follow suit. She can’t stay put—I know for sure by now.So, all I have to do is wait for them to come to me.And even then, I don’t have to wait long.Because I can sense the dangerous aura closing in. I don’t move or leave my lazy spot as he appears a few feet away.Slowly, I turn my head in his direction and exhale a breath. He stops there and stares at me. But his eyes don’t have a usual dead look in them.His eyes keep switching to a bright red color. I must be really good to catch the emotions in his eyes—the most prominent being rage.“ Who made you angry, I wonder? ” I smirk, watching his jaw grit.Why do I even bother asking? Of course, it’s that infuriating girl. She has a knack for driving a knife into other’s hearts and
Dustin“ Levian… ” I raise my hands, and the water lifts in the air, forming a shield in front of me. The energy collides with it, and it shatters. “ …you need to stop underestimating me. ”He smiles, and the chaos erupts. It’s one attack after another, but it doesn't push me back. Every blow brings us closer, and it gives me the chance to sharpen the ice into little stakes, sending them in his direction.My veins bulge as the energy leaves my body quickly. The more we use these powers and hold off on shifting into wolves, the weaker I will grow. But it doesn’t stop me. Levian sees the sharp ice headed towards him and counters with the little waves of energy that shatter them in midair. “ What was the point of hiding yourself until now? ” He asks, his voice light as if he finds all this funny.“ If I didn’t do that… ” I send another wave of sharpened ice his way, and he counters it. “ how would I get to do this? ”The bigger ice stakes fall, but a small, sharp piece grazes his cheek.
ElitaI wake with a sharp gasp. My heart is pounding too fast, too hard in my chest. Darkness clings to the edges of my vision as my chest heaves, my eyes moving around the unfamiliar warmth of the room. For a moment, I can’t tell what’s real. That… vision—no, that hallucination—lingers, my mind spinning with fragments of what I felt.Why did I think that Dustin's statue broke and he somehow came to life to save me? That's...impossible. My mind played such stupid tricks on me while I was dying. My fingers clutch the blanket covering me, and the heat wraps around me. For a moment, I don't realize where I am. The sheets smell clean, and I am wearing a loose white dress that brushes my ankles. I touch the fabric, frowning.Then, I look around again. I am not in that lake. I am in my room. The one in the small cottage. But how?I blink rapidly, my breath quickening as the memory returns—icy water pulling me under, my body going limp, death scratching against my skin. I remember the cold
DustinMy body moves on instinct as I pull her out of the water. Her weight feels wrong in my arms—too light, too still. Her limbs dangle lifelessly. For the briefest moment, I want to look at her pale face, but I can’t She is always talking so much. But now she is silent. I drop to my knees on the frozen ground, cradling her as the bitter chill brushes against my skin. As a Lycan, I am incapable of feeling cold, but I do now. Something inside me is freezing, and I can feel the sharp tips of that ice digging into my heart. Reluctantly, I look up, at the wet hair that sticks to her lifeless cheeks, at the eyes that are closed, at the parted lips that are too colorless. Mechanically, my hands press against her chest. No beat. There is no beat. Or maybe, I can’t feel it because my own heart is beating too hard in my ears. My jaw clenches, and I grind my teeth so hard it sends a sharp pain shooting down my temples.My hands are trembling against her chest. I want to press down, to
ElitaI thought as the water would fill my lungs and I would struggle to breathe, I would think about how normal it was.I had died once before. And the pain would be nothing new.In fact, I would recall everything I suffered. The dark nights. The bloody days. The empty world. I would remember every time I woke up to find that I had fallen one level below from yesterday. I would remember how I slowly forgot what I had destroyed everything for. I would remember my desperate attempts to save my life.Anger. Agony. Fear. But I didn’t feel any of that. I didn’t think of the dark nights or the bloody days.Instead, it felt like my life started the day I woke up in that dungeon with wrists slit, and head smashed. There was something different about occupying the body of someone who had died miserably—something like an emptiness nothing could fill, a void so vast it could devour me whole.But I was too cold, too dead inside to acknowledge it. Now, I could relive every emotion I felt for L
ElitaI don’t know how much time passes after I get tired of slamming my aching palms against the door. When no one hears my screams or comes to open the door, I move to sit on the floor beside the bed and stare at the wall opposite me.I can’t believe it.I thought we had made progress.But that stupid, ruthless King just locked me inside this room. He knows I can’t break it down. He used my weakness against me. I snort in frustration, glaring at the door as if I can burn a hole through it. Then, I look away and focus on the floor. I hate that he has done this. I hate that I am here, trapped like this.He should have listened to me instead of acting the way he did—like he is so scared of losing me until he is forced to resort to these foolish methods. Suddenly, the lock turns and the door opens. I don’t look up. I don’t care who's coming. Whoever comes will only come to deliver food, and they will make sure that I remain trapped.“ Having fun? ” Tyson says, his voice low and casua
Dustin“ The voice in the water told you that? ” Moon Goddess laughs, and it’s the first time I have heard her laugh so lightly as if she finds this unbelievable, or maybe…amusing.“ She did. ” I nod. “ She told me your reign depends on the survival of our powers. If Levian is gone, the other four Lycan can still hold onto that power because you paired the women to the Lycan men so carefully…but take out one more Lycan power, and…everything will come crumbling down. The reason why you wanted me gone when I was a child was because…you chose Levian over me…like you did in my past life. You thought Elita could bring him to the side of the other Kings, and you will still have your power. ”“ You are…angry about that. You said before that you did not care. ” She chuckles again, like she finds my anger and resentment funny.I continue in a low voice. “ You changed your mind even after you made her my mate because you know you can control Levian better, because once his child-driven haze is
DustinI was surprised and even pretended to be oblivious when she talked about the prophecy. But it was not so surprising anymore when she didn’t know what it meant.Instead, it was relieving.What you don’t know can never hurt you. That’s what I believe in and that’s why I am against letting everyone know everything. I refuse to let every secret spill out not because I like having all the knowledge in the world and keeping others in the dark but because…when people around me grasp the truth, they do stupid things or turn into people with dead eyes.I don’t like either of those options.And I have figured out that I hate it even more when it’s about…Elita.“ Were you hoping she would kill herself, and save you from the misery of following one man for such a long time? ” My hold over Kalix's throat tightens until his eyes bulge out and go red.I let him have the upper hand when we sparred because I didn’t want him to feel embarrassed in front of his people. Now, I believe he is too d
ElitaSunlight hits my face, warming the side. I groan, shifting to my other side to avoid getting burned. The corners of my mouth sting and feel dry. My lips sting, and feel dry.And my throat…It feels like something is still stuck in it. I blink away the heaviness clouding my thoughts. It takes me a moment to remember where I am, and when I do, my heart jumps straight into my throat.I squeal, rolling onto my side and burying my face into the pillows. Memories of last night flash through my mind. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I recall how bold I was with him—how I touched him, sucked him, and how he…took my mouth…I squeeze my eyes shut. How did I even find the courage? I could never have imagined him like that. I could never have imagined myself like that either.We both must have lost our minds. I squeal again, kicking my feet up, because now, I just can’t believe how I let him have his way with me. Suddenly, the door creaks open.I freeze, gripping the blanket tighter around me
DustinHer wrists feel fragile in my grasp, but I will be damned if I think that for long. She is not fragile or a damsel in distress. She is the fire that will burn everything if I take my eyes off her for a moment.My mouth brushes over her pulse again, and I inhale deeply. Her scent is maddening—Sweet, fierce, and entirely hers. When I pull back and look into her eyes, I find her still glaring at me. She liked what I did to her, but she doesn’t like the fact that she liked it. Now, she is sulking.I feel the need to push her more, but I press a last kiss on her other wrist and let her go.It’s enough for tonight. Or I might lose my mind completely. I push myself off her and out of the bed. The sounds of my heavy breaths fill the room. I want to get into bed again and do more with her…but…After what she told me, I don’t want to take her when I am angry and jealous like a fool. My desires can wait. I can’t risk her zoning out when we are doing it.Without looking at her naked bod
Elita“ Do you know… ” Dustin’s hand lowers to my cheek before he rubs his thumb across my bottom lip. “ …women in the North call me a gentleman. I am gentle with women, and I never do or say dirty things. ”The sense of doom crashes over me. I try to move, but he is still above me, caging me between his thighs this time, making sure I can not move an inch without his permission.This should send my mind into a state of panic, but instead…it drives me crazy with need. With him, I have truly become someone I don’t recognize.“ What do you want? ” I whisper, my tongue flicking out and brushing his thumb.I notice the way his eyes watch my mouth as if he is in deep thought. The hunger in his eyes intensifies, burning so hard that it almost steals all air from my lungs.“ What— ”“ Your smart mouth. ” Dustin interrupts. I gasp, my face flushing. My chest heaves heavily, my nipples tightening as his words sink in.“ You— ”“ I have never used my mouth on a woman before. But I did it for y