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15. Embracing the Darkness
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 16. Twisted Tales
(Salvatore's POV) It’s been days since I tasted a drop of fresh blood. I locked myself in my room, so I could read the ancient book I came across by accident in peace. The flickering candlelight casts eerie shadows on the ancient parchment, making the cryptic script dance across the paper. I lean closer, the musty scent of old paper filling my nostrils as I frantically try to decipher the hidden meaning within the pages. “Could this be?” I murmur, my hand shaking slightly as I trace a finger along a passage of text.For humans, the world shall lose all light. Immersed in the shadows of perpetual dusk, they will struggle to find their way. The supernaturals, with power untold, face a destiny that is yet foretold. The twilight unveils strength and strife. A test that threatens their existence and can end their life. The words seem to reveal a terrifying truth. A dark future awaits both humans and supernaturals alike. My heart races with fear and adrenaline as I realise the full implic
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 17. Alpha’s Demands
(Quinn's POV)“Whether you are ready doesn't matter. We have to adapt to change.” Magnus frowns at my mum.“Magnus is right, Quinn. You've had years to think about your decision. There is no point in putting off the inevitable,” my mother adds. The whole thing feels wrong. They are tag teaming me into making a choice that will affect the rest of my life. They don’t care about me or my feelings, and they are intent on railroading me into choosing between the twins.“I am not ready for this yet. You can’t drop this on me, and expect an answer now.” I rub my brow. The tension radiating from my mother is nothing compared to what I'm feeling.“There's no point in delaying things.”“Shouldn't I have time to come to terms with this?” I ask, my voice filled with hope.“What's the problem is? Either of my boys would make a fine husband. Any girl would want them,” Magnus growls, and I can tell that I am making him angry.“That isn’t what I am saying. I just don’t like the fact that I will hurt
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 18. Two Dates, One Mate
(Quinn's POV)I wake up with a pounding headache, thanks to the eight shots I’d downed last night. The room spins for a second as I sit up. My friends must have brought me here after I passed out. All I want is to go back to sleep and never wake up, but I have a date to prepare for. I don’t know who is coming, where we are going, or what to wear.Dragging myself out of bed, I stumble to the kitchen in search of caffeine. Coffee is my lifeline now, and I need it strong and black to shake off this zombie-like feeling. My face feels swollen from all the crying. Magnus, our pack’s leader, has given me hardly any time to choose between the twins. Filling the kettle, I look in the fridge for something to eat. There is bacon, eggs, butter, and jam, but the thought of cooking makes me feel sick. I put some bread in the toaster. My friends can sort out what they want when they wake up. With my stomach settled, I tiptoe up the small staircase to the bathroom to avoid waking my friends. I need a
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 19. Cabin Confessions
(Quinn's POV)The cabin's door swings open, and my friends, Piper and Emmerson, glance up from whatever they were doing while I was out. Their eyes are full of curiosity as their unspoken questions hang in the air. I take a seat next to them in the sitting area.“How was it?” they ask in unison, their voices dripping with anticipation. “It was okay, actually. Not what I expected, but I learned a lot about Landon, which is good.” I pause, thinking about whether I should tell the girls about Landon, knowing that they are gay. “He knows about the two of you,” I finally admit. “You told him?” Emmerson exclaims. “No, I wouldn’t do that to you. He said he saw the two of you outside a club. But he hasn’t told anyone.” I add to calm their nerves. “Well, at least we know we can trust him. That’s a big plus in my books,” Piper says with a warm smile.“That’s what I thought too.” I grin. “So where did you go?” Piper asks.“To the lake,” I smile, thinking about how much effort Landon had put
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 20. Me or the Pack
(Quinn's POV)I’m glad my friends are willing to go along with what I want. All my life, I have put other people’s needs above my own. I have always done what everyone else thinks is right, and it's made me unhappy. I am sick of it. For once, I want to do something for myself. It isn’t a lot to ask for. I can't get out of becoming the packs Luna. I have known my destiny for years. As soon as I could talk, my parents drilled it into me I was going to be the queen. At first I just accepted it, but the older I got, the more I resented it. If this is going to work out well, not just for me, but also for the pack. I have to choose the twin that I feel the most connected to. I am so lost in my own thoughts, I don’t notice that the cabin door has opened until Logan speaks. “Are you ready?” he asks, moving in front of me. “I guess so.” I shrug and stand up. He looks nice, but he hasn’t put the same effort into our date that Landon did. I hated it bothered me, but I am a little disappointed.
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 21. Exiled
(Quinn's POV) I can’t believe how fast the last couple of days have gone. Magnus will be here soon, and he is going to want my answer. Could I even do what Logan suggested and just tell him no. I don't know much about our alpha, other than he is powerful, and he doesn’t like it when people don’t do what he asks. Is it worth challenging him on this? I should just flip a coin to make my choice. It's the only thing I can do right now to choose between the boys. The girls can’t help me, I already know they would pick Landon. I would if I were them. Everything he said meant they could have the life they want, but can I live like that. It doesn’t make me a bad person to want to choose my partner based on who would make me happy. My happiness would make the pack a better place to live after all. Out of the two boys that Logan was the right choice for me, and I am certain he would be on board with my plans for the pack. I just don’t think he would be the best leader, and that is weighing on
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 22. Reckless Turning
(Salvatore's POV)Not so long ago, the casino, was a bustling haven of entertainment. Now it has transformed into a macabre feeding ground for my brothers. Everywhere I turn, I see people in various stages of transition, their humanity slipping away with every second. My gaze sweeps across the room, locking onto Dante, who is feeding from a young blonde woman sprawled across his lap. Her torn shirt exposes her bare breast. "Enough, Dante!" I shout, my fists clenched at my sides. "We can't keep turning humans at this reckless pace. It's a path that brings nothing but trouble."Dante's dark eyes narrow, his predatory features twist into a sinister sneer. "You dare question my judgment, Salvatore? As head of the seven, I am more than qualified to make decisions on behalf of our kind."I bite down hard on my lip, suppressing my burning rage. "It's not about your qualifications, Dante. It's about our future. If you continue at this rate, there will be no one left to feed on.""I hear your
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 23. Angry and Alone
(Quinn's POV) I bolt away from my mother’s apartment. I don't know where I am going or how I am going to get myself out of this mess. The way Magnus is acting is diabolical. This isn’t the olden days, and the last I knew, we were not in a dictatorship. Whatever.No one can help me. I can’t blame Logan for this. He only told me what I wanted to hear. His words were true. I am the one with all the power. It was written all over his dad's face. Magnus just wanted to prove his balls were bigger than mine. I can’t blame him for that because he was the alpha, after all. If he backed down to me, it would leave him open to a challenge from one of the other males in the pack. The Woulfes have been running the pack for a hundred years. It's all they know. If they lost their position in the pack, it would kill them. Being in charge runs in their blood. They couldn't follow anyone else. Magnus makes the rules to keep us safe, and he has taught the twins the skills needed to run the pack. Aside
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Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 69. Hunter’s Revelation
(Quinn’s POV)We get dressed quickly. The air in the library is freezing against my clammy skin. Salvatore watches me as I put on my jeans. I check my pocket to make sure that Arion’s relic is still tucked safely inside. When I feel the small, solid pendant, I let out a sigh of relief. We are going to have to be more careful now that it is in our possession. It’s so tiny that it will be easy to lose, and although what just happened between us made me feel amazing, tossing my jeans on the floor with the relic in the pocket was kind of reckless. As Salvatore and I leave the mine shaft, I feel like everything is finally falling into place at last. We have something that will help us use the obsidian veil. Although we don’t know exactly how it works, I have faith that the relic changes everything. As we make our way through the dense forest, we try to be as quiet as possible. I move with caution. Every step I take is calculated. My heart pounds in my chest and adrenaline courses through
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 68. Library Liaisons
~*~Warning the following chapter contains a sexually explicit scene. ~*~(Salvatore’s POV) We follow the path around the village until we reach an old abandoned mine shaft. It’s the most random place for a library I have ever seen, but the supernatural said it was here and I have to believe him. We venture inside the tunnel that runs into the cave, following the old cart tracks that run underground.Wherever this secret library is inside the maze of tunnels, the tracks will lead us to it. As we move deeper into the tunnels and further underground, the air is heavy with the scent of dirt and dampness. How anyone could have spent their lives working underground in such harsh conditions, I do not know. It is difficult enough for me to breathe easily in here, so I can only imagine how hard it must be for a human. We walk in silence, focusing on trying to find the hidden library. I use my vampiric sight to scan the area, looking for anything out of place, and then I see it.“Over there
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 67. Settlement Secrets
(Quinn's POV)As the final particles of the supernatural fade out of sight, I am left standing open-mouthed. I have no idea what the gift is that she gave us, where she went, or how she knew about our encounter with Arion. Then again, nothing in this place has been straightforward. Actually, it’s like the entire universe has gone crazy since the eclipse. Hopefully, when we find the obsidian veil, things will return to normal when the sun is back. “Come on, let’s head deeper into the forest to see what we can find,” Salvatore says. “Alright,” I reply, but I am not sure if I want to explore anymore with all the strange things we have found so far. We move further away from where we met Arion, and I hope we are on the right path. The relic he said we needed to use the veil is the most important thing right now. There are way too many things that we have to do, and it’s best to focus on one thing at a time. I’ve come a long way from my mission to bring back the sun. I knew it would be
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 66. Secluded Seduction
~*~Warning the following chapter contains a sexually explicit scene. ~*~(Salvatore’s POV) The icy chill of the air surrounds us as we stand at the edge of the secluded forest. I lock eyes with my Quinn, her piercing blue eyes seem to glow in the strange light emanating from the trees and plants inside the clearing. It is a stark contrast to the darkness that has sucked the life out of us. Quinn is determined to complete our mission, but as she looks out into the unknown, there is a vulnerability there, buried beneath her fierce exterior. We move deeper into the forest in search of the being who is allegedly causing problems for the other supernaturals who call this place home. There is something about this place that feels different. It is almost like the air around us pulsates with an energy of its own. The whole area, in fact, seems to have its own heartbeat. We don’t even know what this creature we are hunting looks like, which could cause problems if we run into more than one
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 65. Power & Pathways
(Quinn’s POV)Even though it’s dark everywhere, somehow it seems to engulf us as we follow the path further into the dense forest. It isn’t easy to do, even with my shifter eyesight, because the path isn’t straight. It weaves through the trees, over ancient roots, and fallen branches that are thicker than my thighs. I’m glad that Salvatore is by my side. I can lean on him when it is too difficult for me to navigate. Ever since the eclipse, my senses have become more heightened in the darkness, making every rustle and whisper of the wind feel like a threat.“Are you sure this is the right way?” I ask, as we pass by a large tree that looks exactly like one we walked by five minutes ago. Even though I’m panicking, I try to keep calm despite feeling like we are lost in the middle of nowhere. I’m half expecting something to jump out on us any second. Salvatore looks at me, his eyes glow, even in our black surroundings, he presses his lips tightly together so they form a thin line as he tri
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 64. Spring of Hope
~*~Warning the following chapter contains a sexually explicit scene.~*~(Salvatore’s POV)As we sit amongst the trees, a sense of hope washes over me. There was never any doubt in my mind that we can do anything together. But with the odds stacked against us, it seems at times an impossible task. When we walked away from the first trial unscathed, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Our strange encounter with Arion, and his words of belief, makes me feel a little lighter. I can’t help but feel like the universe has given us a push in the right direction. Maybe we aren’t as alone in this as we thought. I glance over at Quinn and she appears to have a similar belief. The fierceness that has been engraved in her aura since my brothers captured her seems softer, and there is a glimmer of optimism.I turn to Quinn, “We should get moving. We still have to find the relic.” She stands up, and we move deeper into the dense forest. As we walk, I am on high alert, looking for any sign of the nex
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 63. Thunderous Quest
(Salvatore’s POV)The loud clash of power echoes through the glen like thunder. Quinn stands by my side, ready to fight with every inch of her being. Her presence is like a beacon fuelling my strength. Together, we will do whatever it takes to get to the mysterious relic, that is supposed to be the key to unlocking the obsidian veil. The grotesque figure looms before us. Its size makes it a formidable adversary, but we won’t back down. We have faced so much the past few weeks and we have overcome every single one of them, even when they seemed impossible. This fight is no different. I look over to Quinn and see a fire in her eyes that mirrors my own. In this moment, she is more than a powerful shifter. She is the woman I love. She is a warrior and a force to be reckoned with. Her strength fuels my own, pushing me forward.We launch at the figure, and it moves with agility that contradicts its size. It takes all of our strength just to keep it away. I watch closely as it moves, lookin
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 62. Eerie Woods
(Quinn’s POV)We move deeper into the glen, guided by Arion’s prophecy. The air inside the ravine is filled with magic and mystery. The powerful energy I felt at the glowing rocks grows stronger with every step we take.“Quinn, look,” Salvatore says, pointing towards a clearing along the overgrown path.I squint, and notice what looks like the crumbling remains of an immense structure that seems to have been hidden from the rest of the world.“We should go check it out,” I suggest, and Salvatore nods. I’m on high alert as we carefully manoeuvre through the dense trees. Not only are we stepping into sacred ground, but I’m also on high alert. Arion said the relic was heavily guarded, and I have to be ready for anything. As we enter the clearing, I’m amazed at how beautiful the ruins are. Ivy covers the once magnificent walls. Between the vines, there are several intricate carvings poking through, and the images seem to depict some sort of great battle.“This could be where the relic is
Rejected Crown: Perpetual Twilight 61. Echoes of Destiny
(Quinn’s POV)As we leave the cabin, the chill of the early morning air nips at my skin. Today’s plan is to head deeper into the forest so that we can make our way to Wales undetected. The sky is a canvas of muted greys, blues and purples that should give way to the warm hues of dawn, but since the eclipse happened, we haven’t seen the sun. It feels like a lifetime ago, but it’s only been a few weeks. My heart sinks at the thought of this never ending night being a permanent thing. As much as we have been trying to stop it, it feels like we keep hitting dead ends. We stick to the dusty track, following a bend in its path, until we reach a secluded glade that seems to appear out of nowhere from deep within the shadows. As we get closer, I can feel a shift in the air. Someone has cloaked this place in ancient magical. That has created a mystical aura that sends a shiver down my spine. It’s as if time stands still inside here. Even the trees seem to whisper secrets, and I’m strangely dr
