Chapter 4

ISLA

I woke up choking on nothing, my body trembling in a cold so profound it felt like my bones had turned to ice.

Around me, there was no light, no sound—just an endless abyss stretching in every direction. It felt as though the void itself was alive, pressing in on me with an unbearable weight.

“Am I dead?” My voice was barely a whisper, trembling with fear.

“You are,” a voice replied, smooth and chilling, echoing all around me. “But not entirely.”

I turned wildly, searching for the source, but the darkness offered no answers. Then, he appeared. A figure emerged from the shadows, tall and foreboding, his crimson eyes glowing like embers in the black.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

"Eamon," he said, his tone smooth but carrying an edge that made my skin crawl.

“And you, little wolf, are far from the Moon goddess’ embrace.”

My stomach twisted at his words. “No... no, that can’t be true. I was supposed to be free. I was supposed to go to her...”

Eamon laughed, a low, cruel sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Freedom? That is not for the cursed. You are doomed to this pit, Isla. Doomed to wither in eternal darkness.”

Tears stung my eyes. After everything, after escaping the hell of my home, this was what awaited me? Even in death my curse still tormented me.

A lump rose in my throat. "No... no, that’s not fair! I didn’t choose to be this way!"

"Fair?" His laugh was sharp and bitter. "Fate is rarely fair. But…" He leaned closer, his shadowy form stretching toward me. "What if I told you there was a way out? A way to escape this darkness and return to the world of the living?"

My heart pounded as hope fought against fear. "What do you mean?"

Eamon's ember eyes burned brighter. "I can send you back, Isla. Bring you back to life. But it will come at a cost."

My pulse quickened. "What cost?"

"You must fulfill a task for me," he said, his voice curling around me like smoke. "Kill three Alphas before the Blood Mokn. Fail, and you will be dragged back here to suffer eternally. Succeed, and you will be free to live your life as you choose."

I hesitated. His words were heavy with danger, and yet... I thought of Zane. His fierce eyes, his touch that promised protection, his tears as I faded. I thought of the one who had taken that away from me, plunging a dagger into my chest and stealing my chance at happiness.

My throat tightened. “Who are these Alphas?”

Eamon smirked, his glowing eyes narrowing in amusement. “That is for you to discover. You will know when the time comes. I would guide your path and whenever you come across your target Alpha, a mark would appear on your wrist. Three marks you shall have when you're done. Three marks to set you free."

My hands clenched into fists. "And if I fail?"

"Pain." His voice was a low growl. "Unimaginable, unending pain, until your very soul is devoured by the abyss."

Eamon leaned in, his breath cold against my ear. “You will become one with the darkness. Your soul will wither, and your torment will never end.”

A shudder rippled through me. Eternal suffering or a chance at life, no matter how bloody? There was no choice at all.

"I’ll do it," I said, my voice shaking but resolute.

Eamon reached out, a shadowy hand brushing my forehead. "So be it."

A blinding light engulfed me, searing through the darkness. I felt myself falling, tumbling through a torrent of sensations—heat, cold, pain, and finally… air.

I woke with a gasp, my lungs burning as I sucked in air. My body ached as if it had been torn apart and stitched back together.

The damp scent of earth and the gentle sound of water surrounded me. I blinked, disoriented, and pushed myself to a sitting position. My hands trembled as I touched the soft grass beneath me.

The world around me was bright and alive. I lay beside a crystal-clear lake, the forest humming with birdsong. Relief coursed through me, but when I glanced into the water, my breath hitched.

It wasn’t my face staring back at me.

My breath hitched as I touched my cheeks, my nose, my lips. My golden hair was gone, replaced by black waves. My features were sharper, unfamiliar. Only my eyes were the same.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. My voice cracked, rising in pitch. “No! This isn’t me!”

A scream tore from my throat, raw and anguished. “You tricked me!” I cried, my fists pounding the ground. “Eamon!”

There was no response. The bastard had vanished, leaving me trapped in this stranger’s body. My anger boiled over, and I turned, sprinting blindly into the woods, desperate to release the frustration clawing at my insides.

I didn’t notice the scent at first—a familiar mix of strength and fire—until I collided with something hard. My head snapped up, and my breath caught in my throat.

Zane.

His blood-red eyes locked onto mine, wide with shock and disbelief. His gaze roamed my face before settling on my eyes—my real eyes, untouched by the transformation.

“You...” His voice was low, shaky.

I froze, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out everything else.

“You have her eyes,” he said, his tone filled with disbelief and something darker—something dangerous.

“Zane, I—” Before I could finish, his hand shot out, gripping my throat.

"Why… why do you have her eyes?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

I tried to speak, but his hand tightened around my throat like an iron vise.

"You dare mock me?" he growled, his voice trembling with fury. "You dare come here, wearing her eyes, pretending to be her?"

I gasped for air, clawing at his hand. His grip tightened, and stars danced in my vision.

"Zane, stop!" Another voice cut through the haze, and Zane’s beta, appeared, pulling him off me. I collapsed to the ground, coughing and clutching my neck.

"She’s trying to toy with me," Zane spat, pacing furiously. "This… this witch thinks she can use my grief against me!"

"No, Zane, it’s me! Isla!" I tried to say but the words died in my mouth.

He didn’t look at me, his rage too blinding. But before I could say more, a searing pain ripped through my arm, sending me to my knees. A scream tore from my throat as I clutched at the burning mark that had appeared on my skin—a dark, intricate symbol etched in fiery red.

Eamon’s voice echoed in my mind, cruel and gleeful, "The first mark has appeared. Your time has begun, Isla. Kill the Alpha or suffer."

The pain receded, but the warning lingered, realization chilling me to the core. I looked up to find Zane staring at me, his anger replaced by confusion and something else… fear.

I stared at the man I had once called my mate, the man who had promised to protect me, the man who had just tried to kill me.

My mate who was now my target.

The realization hit me like a blade to the chest. If I wanted to live, if I wanted to keep my soul, I would have to kill him.

I was bound by my deal with the devil.