In the kingdom of Varethia, where magic belongs to the elite and the mafia rules the shadows, Princess Elara Veyne has always been a pawn in a dangerous game of power. A prophecy binds her fate to an impossible choice—one must die for the other to thrive. When her betrothal to a powerful noble is announced, sealing her role as a political tool, Elara sees no escape. But fate has other plans. Enter Vesper Moretti, the ruthless heir to the underworld, feared for his deadly ambition and unyielding control. When he learns that their destinies are entwined by an ancient prophecy, he is left with a choice: claim her or destroy her. From the moment they meet as rivals, an explosive, undeniable attraction burns between them, one neither can afford to embrace. Bound by duty, secrets, and a forbidden desire, Elara and Vesper are forced into an uneasy alliance to uncover a hidden magical force that threatens the entire kingdom. But their greatest enemy is time—because as the prophecy looms closer, one must fall for the other to rise. When the line between love and power blurs, will they sacrifice their hearts—or each other?
Lihat lebih banyakThe silence that followed Elias’s disappearance was a heavy, suffocating thing. It wasn’t just the betrayal—it was the knowledge that it had been growing beneath their feet all along, woven into the very halls they ruled from.Selene paced the dimly lit war chamber, her cloak sweeping behind her like spilled ink. The flames in the hearth danced wildly, reflecting the storm in her chest. Her crown, once a symbol of power, now felt like a weight pressing against her temples.Sebastian leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, watching her. “You haven’t said a word.”“I’m thinking.”He arched a brow. “That’s never been the problem. The problem is you don’t trust anyone enough to speak your thoughts aloud.”Selene stopped. “Would you, if every time you looked over your shoulder, there was someone holding a blade meant for your back?”Cassian entered the chamber then, bruised but unbowed, tossing a bloodstained scroll onto the table. “Intercepted at the border. Smuggled correspondence bea
The flames in the crystal torches flickered unnaturally as the council chamber descended into tension-soaked silence.Sebastian’s words hung in the air like a blade suspended over a battlefield.He’d just staked his loyalty—for everyone to see. Declared himself tied to Selene by bond and blood.But it was the silence that followed that chilled her. Not fury. Not outrage. Silence.Because silence meant planning.Selene’s fingertips brushed against the carved obsidian edge of the high table. Her mind, sharpened by instinct and years of surviving under veiled threats, screamed at her to stay still—to watch.And then it happened.A crack—subtle, almost imperceptible—rippled through the floor beneath the Seal of Vow. The carved crest shimmered, then split, bleeding black mist.Gasps echoed. A guard shouted.The chamber plunged into chaos.Arcanists chanted protective wards. Nobles backed away. The ground pulsed with tainted magic. Something was wrong. Something had been planted beneath the
The scent of burning incense clung to the velvet drapes, mixing with the cool bite of morning as golden light spilled into the hall of whispers.Sebastian stood alone.The council chamber—once echoing with arrogance and flattery—was now silent, save for the rhythmic ticking of the ancient timepiece mounted above the obsidian throne. Every second dragged with weighted consequence.He didn’t sit. He couldn’t. Not with the First Alpha’s return now a truth rather than a myth. Not with Selene awakening… not just as a marked one, but as something more.Something meant to rule.His hands curled at his sides, sharp rings biting into his palm.Sebastian Vaughn was many things—ruthless, feared, strategic. But right now, he was a man caught in a quiet war with his own past, haunted by a prophecy that refused to stay buried.A rustle of movement behind him.“Tell me,” he said without turning, “how much longer until the bloodline ritual is complete?”A voice—smooth, feminine, laced with venom—answ
A sharp gasp tore from Selene’s throat as she jolted upright. Cold air bit at her skin, the scent of damp earth filling her lungs. She wasn’t where she had been.Her fingers dug into the ground beneath her—it was soft, almost like ash. Slowly, her vision cleared, and what she saw made her stomach twist.A wasteland stretched out before her.The sky was painted in hues of deep crimson, like the dying embers of a fire that refused to go out. Towering, jagged structures loomed in the distance, half-ruined and ancient, whispering of a forgotten era. The air was thick with something unnatural, something charged with a force she didn’t understand.She wasn’t in the mortal world anymore.A sudden sound behind her made her whirl around. Footsteps. Slow. Measured.A man emerged from the shadows.Not Damien. Not Sebastian. But him.The First Alpha.Up close, his presence was even more suffocating, as if the very air bent to his will. His silver eyes glowed beneath the heavy hood, locking onto h
The journey to the Black Veil was treacherous. The deeper they rode into the forest, the more the air thickened with an unnatural stillness. No wind stirred the leaves. No animals scurried in the underbrush. It was as if the world itself was holding its breath.Selene sat between Sebastian and Damien, the tension between the two men nearly suffocating. Both had their reasons for being here. Both had secrets they weren’t sharing. But for now, they were united in purpose.As they reached the outskirts of the ruins, the trees twisted unnaturally, their gnarled roots breaking through the earth like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky. A heavy fog curled around them, swallowing the ground beneath their feet.Damien dismounted first, his eyes scanning the area. His hand hovered near his weapon, every muscle in his body taut. “Something’s wrong,” he muttered.Selene followed his gaze. The ruins of what had once been a grand structure stood before them, its pillars broken and worn by time.
The storm outside howled like a wounded beast, rattling the windows and shaking the very foundation of the ancient estate. Inside, the air felt just as turbulent—thick with unspoken truths and the weight of an impossible revelation.Selene’s mind was a battlefield of fragmented thoughts. She wasn’t supposed to exist? The idea lodged itself in her chest like a dagger, twisting with every breath.Damien was the first to break the silence, his voice tight with restraint. “Enough riddles, Sebastian. If someone altered fate, who did it? And why?”Sebastian’s gaze was heavy, as if he was calculating just how much truth he should reveal. “That’s what I intend to find out.”Selene inhaled sharply. “If fate was rewritten, wouldn’t whoever did it want to stay hidden?”Sebastian’s eyes flickered with something dark. “Yes. But even the best illusions leave cracks.”Damien’s patience was thinning. “And where do we find these cracks?”Sebastian turned toward the rain-streaked window. “With the ones
The darkness that swallowed the chamber was suffocating. Selene’s pulse thundered in her ears, her mind reeling from the vision, the revelation, the undeniable truth.Sebastian Vaughn had always been more than he appeared.The air crackled with energy, the remnants of the sigil’s power lingering like an unseen presence. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides as she forced herself to steady her breathing. But no amount of willpower could erase the image burned into her mind—Sebastian, standing in the past like a ghost of another life, a king without a throne.Damien’s voice cut through the heavy silence. “Selene, we need to leave. Now.”But she couldn’t move.The cloaked figure still stood before her, watching, waiting, as if daring her to ask the one question that clawed at her throat.What am I supposed to do with this knowledge?Before she could speak, the sound of distant footsteps echoed through the chamber, quick and urgent.“Someone’s coming,” Damien muttered, shifting in fr
The silence in the grand hall was deafening. Not the kind that came with peace, but the kind that settled deep in one’s bones, charged with anticipation, waiting for something—or someone—to shatter it.She stood at the threshold, her pulse a steady drum in her ears. Every instinct screamed at her to turn around, to leave while she still could. But she wasn’t that person anymore. The girl who once hesitated, who let fear dictate her path, had been left behind long ago.“Are you ready for this?” The voice was calm, but the question carried weight, as if even he wasn’t sure she should proceed.The surge of energy from the glowing sigils pulsed through Selene like a heartbeat that wasn’t her own. The symbols etched into the table flared brighter, bathing the chamber in a golden light that sent shadows dancing along the ancient walls. The force of it thrummed in her bones, as if awakening something long dormant within her.Selene gasped, gripping the edge of the table as the visions intens
The weight of the Seer’s words pressed against Elara like an iron cage. The choice was hers—but how could she possibly make it?Kael still held her, his grip firm as if anchoring her to this moment, to him. His golden eyes burned with fury and desperation.“No one is dying,” he said, his voice raw. “Not you. Not anyone.”Dain scoffed, arms crossed over his chest. “That’s a nice sentiment, but fate doesn’t give a damn about what we want.” His dark eyes flickered toward Elara. “And if you think I’ll stand by and let you throw yourself into this, think again.”Elara’s heart ached at their reactions, but she had already begun to accept the truth.Magic always demanded a price.She pulled away from Kael’s grasp, stepping toward the Seer. “If a sacrifice must be made, then tell me—” she hesitated, forcing herself to meet the woman’s silver gaze. “Can it be bargained?”The Seer’s expression didn’t shift, but something in the air did—a subtle crackle of energy, a sign that Elara had asked the
The ballroom was suffocating.Gold chandeliers dripped with candlelight, casting a warm glow over the sea of noblemen and courtiers who swayed in time with the music. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and spiced wine, but beneath the perfume and luxury, Elara could smell something else—deception.She sat at the royal table, her posture poised, a delicate mask of indifference hiding the storm brewing inside her.Tonight was supposed to be a celebration—her father, King Aldric, had arranged this grand affair to solidify alliances, ensuring the throne’s continued power over Avarath. But Elara knew better. This wasn’t about unity.It was about control.“Princess, you’ve been quiet all evening.”Elara turned her head slightly at the voice. Duke Rathford, a man twice her age with wandering hands and an even more dangerous ambition, smirked at her from across the table.She forced a smile. “Just admiring the company, my lord.”His smirk widened, but before he could spew another tir...
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