Meredith held up her hands to gather everyone’s attention. "We are gathered here to witness a joyous occasion. A celebration of two souls to be joined in holy matrimony," she called out in a firm yet soothing tone that instantly commanded respect and obedience Her piercing gaze shifted to the two burly guards flanking the disheveled maid. The wretched creature was bound in searing silver chains that left angry, oozing burns wherever the metal kissed her flesh. The maid's head lolled forward, her matted hair hanging in a limp, greasy mess to obscure her face. The occasional whimper of pain that slipped past her cracked lips hinted at the utter misery etched into her features. "Bring her forward!" Meredith commanded with a curt nod of her head. The guards responded instantly, each seizing one of the maid's arms in a bruising grip and hauling her struggling form into the center of the gathering. A pitiful cry was torn from her throat as the movement tugged viciously at the
The newly mated couple were both red-faced and silently panting when they eventually broke apart. Their glassy eyes were dark and full of undisguised desire. Dimitri extended his arm and wrapped his fingers around the handle of the elaborate ceremonial dagger that was perched on a silver platter next to them. The blade was an exquisite work of art, its handle inlaid with precious gems and intricate engravings that seemed to writhe and shift in the flickering light. Then he drew the wickedly sharp blade across his upturned palm in one smooth, decisive stroke. There was no hesitation, no flinch of pain etched into the hard planes of his face. The instant he raised his hand in an almost reverent manner, a thin droplet of red began to spring up and rapidly gathered in the center of his hand. Emilia watched with trepidation, her slender throat working convulsively as if she had to resist the urge to dash out right then and there. "Relax," Dimitri murmured as he cradled her sma
The raucous cheers and thunderous applause seemed to reverberate through Serena's very bones as she watched Dimitri and Emilia bask in the adulation of the crowd. The newlyweds were practically glowing with joy and contentment bliss that comes from finding one's other half in the world. Everything before her right now looked and seemed so simple. But Serena knew otherwise. She couldn't help feeling a pang of wistful longing mingled with envy at the sight. Would she and Knox ever share a connection that carefree? A bond so all-consuming that the rest of the world simply fell away until there was nothing but the two of them locked in their own private universe? Without worrying about harm or danger, even from intimate moments that ought to be pleasurable. But in her case, it felt like everything had a price. "Luna."The gentle murmur of a voice at her side snapped Serena from her reverie. She turned to find Lara, her newly assigned maid, watching her with eager eyes. The
A strangled sound escaped Serena's throat, something between a squeak of outrage and a mortified gasp. She could actually feel the heat radiating from her face, certain she must be blushing a violent shade of scarlet by now that put even the deepest of roses to shame. Sweet heavens, this woman was utterly shameless!Even President Bolting seemed taken aback by Meredith's brazen words and crass insinuations. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, clearing his throat in a rather obvious attempt to diffuse the awkward heat-filled tension that had descended over the group. "Surely there must be some other way," he began, "Some compromise that doesn't involve my daughter being subjected to... to...""To the beautiful, natural act of mating?" Meredith supplied helpfully, her grin widening to show a flash of teeth. "Come now, Mr. President. Surely you're not so prudish as all that. After all, how do you explain your precious child came into this world, hmm?"Across the way, Dim
"I'll be fine, Dad," she assured him, injecting as much confidence as she could muster into her tone. "This is just...part of their customs and traditions, however bizarre or uncomfortable it might seem to us. I have to accept and embrace that if I'm truly going to take my place here."The words tasted like ashes on her tongue, a bitter reminder of all she would be leaving behind - her humanity, her identity, her entire world - in order to fully immerse herself in this new life and role. But she refused to let her doubts and misgivings show, not in that moment when so much rested on maintaining an aura of certainty and poise.President Bolting searched her face for a long moment. The worry lines around his eyes seeming to deepen as if he could sense the conflict raging beneath her calm facde.Finally, he gave a reluctant nod, reaching out to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze."If you're sure, sweetpea," he murmured with resignation. "Just know that I'm here for you, no matter what
Dimitri reached for the waistband of his pants with slow and deliberate movements, maintaining heated eye contact with his new mate.Serena quickly averted her gaze. She could actually feel the flush creeping down her neck and chest, her skin prickling with a heated awareness at the obscene scene.The light material pooled at his feet, leaving him as bare and unashamed as the day he was born.A strangled sound escaped Emillia’s throat before she could stop it, something between a gasp of shock and a muffled moan of pure reaction.Sweet goddess, he was...magnificent!There was no other word for it. From the column of his throat and the broad span of his shoulders down to the cut lines of his abdomen and those impossibly long legs. Every inch of him was sheer masculine perfection given form.And at the apex of those strong thighs, the thick length of his arousal jutted proudly, flushed and rigid with readiness.Emillia couldn't tear her gaze away from it, couldn't seem to draw a full bre
The guards deposited the maid in an unceremonious heap on ground, her hair obscuring her face as she lay crumpled and unmoving.Meredith sneered down at the pathetic figure for a long moment, her expression twisted into one of utter contempt."This is what happens to those who dare defy the destiny. Who turn their backs on their sacred duties in favor of petty selfishness and greed." Her words dripped with venom."Let this be a lesson to you all," Meredith continued, her gaze sweeping over the gathered wolves with a look of pure, unadulterated loathing. "The path we walk is not an easy one, nor is it without its sacrifices. But it is sacred. Ordained by forces greater than any of us can comprehend."Then she turned her piercing stare on Serena. Her eyes bored into the younger woman with an intensity that seemed to strip away every last vestige of her defenses and false bravado."You would do well to remember that, dear. The choices laid before you are not ones to be made lightly or wit
Both grandfather-in-law and granddaughter-in-law walked in silence for a few more moments.Enzo took a deep breath, his gaze growing distant as if looking back through the mists of time."Long ago," he began, his voice taking on a rich, storyteller's cadence that could hush even the most raucous crowd. "There was a small village tucked away in a remote corner of the world where everyone knew one another and lived in harmony with nature and the ancient ways of their ancestors."He paused for a beat, letting the imagery take shape before continuing in a low, mesmerizing timbre."Picture it, child. A cluster of simple wooden homes with thatched roofs, smoke curling lazily from stone chimneys. Fields of golden wheat swaying in the breeze, orchards heavy with fruit. The laughter of children playing in the village square, the rhythmic clang of the blacksmith's hammer, the bleating of sheep in nearby pastures. It was a simple life but a good one."Serena found herself drawn into the vivid pic
Only the monsters remained a seemingly endless horde that would continue to ravage and destroy until the entire world was little more than a barren, lifeless husk. Knox could not, would not, allow that to happen. Not after everything, not after the unfathomable sacrifices that had already been made in the pursuit of preventing such a future from coming to pass. Too much had been lost, too many lives extinguished in the fires of this onslaught. Darkness swirled around him and began coiling outwards to merge with the torrential downpour. The vortex rapidly expanded, growing in size and ferocity until it became an all-consuming maw ready to devour everything in its path. The earth itself seemed to tremble by the vortex of annihilation taking form, as if the very world were protesting the profane nature of the forces being brought to bear. The air itself seemed to warp and twist, reality buckling under the strain of the immense power being channeled. Each bolt of lightning tha
Knox simply remained there for long, excruciating moments, taking in the sight of her serene repose as if etching every line and curve into his tortured memory so he wouldn't lose even the tiniest detail.Suddenly, Serena's body was engulfed in a dazzling burst of light, with glowing tendrils extending outward to encircle Knox's form. He pulled the light within, absorbing it as if he were a hole eating the stars. It was the portion of his soul he had given Serena in both their past lives and this current one, now being reclaimed after her death. Then Knox rose to his feet with fluidity, seemingly defying the rules of gravity once the last remnants of that magnificent essence were sucked back into his form."Let us never meet again!" he intoned, his voice a discordant rasp that held no trace of anything remotely human. The words carried such weight, such profundity of power that the trembling maid instantly crumpled motionlessly to the floor. Her mind simply could not withstand the
Tears burned hot in Meredith's eyes at the brutal truth of Enzo's words. She had failed - failed utterly to protect Knox, failed to prevent this future from becoming their new reality. Deep in her soul, she could feel the ancient spirits of Queen Minerva and Princess Myra weeping bitter tears of sorrow and regret. Their sacred bloodline, their eternal legacy was now irrevocably tainted by this unraveling of fate.A choked sound somewhere between a sob and a bitter peal of laughter escaped her lips when Sahar's severed head came rolling to a stop at her feet with her dead eyes still holding a mocking glint of triumph even in death. The twisted wench had achieved her ultimate goal - to bring about the utter ruination of their legacy, the destruction of every last Cavalieri-Delgaard dynasty. All around them, the battle raged on with no end in sight, the air thick with the sights, sounds and smells of death. Killian's towering Lycan form, battered and bleeding from a thousand savage
The sight of everyone she loved fighting for their very existence against such overwhelming odds...it was a blade twisting in Meredith's heart.A searing agony lanced through her and she knew Enzo was injured. It was the effect of a mate bond whether fated or chosen. She stumbled, gasping for air as she clutched at her chest. The pain was almost beyond endurance… like a molten lance of agony that threatened to bring her to her knees. Tears burned in her eyes and her sight blurred as the true gravity of their situation hit her like a battering ram. Any wound inflicted by these abominations was fatal. Their claws, fangs, and very essence were imbued with a poison that corrupted all it touched.“Is there no way?” Her mind reeled like ashes on the wind as another spasm of anguish gripped her in its merciless talons. “Is there no way to save them all? To avert this future I've foreseen?”Her body trembled violently and her legs threatened to give out beneath her as she watched her love
Meredith drew on her newly regained powers and unleashed a torrent of energy at the beasts. The demons recoiled, shrieking in fury and anguish as magic seared their rotting flesh. The stench of burning meat filled the air, mingling with the miasma that clung to the creatures.Meredith maintained the onslaught, driving them back through the shattered doorway with relentless determination.Next, she sealed the room with an impenetrable barrier when the last of the abominations stumbled back into the hall, wailing in pain and wrath.She turned to face the trembling girl. "Stay here if you wish to live, child," Meredith instructed. "This madness needs to cease, and soon, before it swallows us all."Then she swept from the chamber and out into the chaos that had engulfed the estate's once-clean halls. The hallway ahead was a nightmare come true, with claw marks on the walls, bloody paintings, and the crushed bodies of fallen defenders strewn over the floor like discarded objects.Meredi
Meredith's heart thundered against her ribcage as she paced the length of Knox and Serena's bedroom suite. Her footfalls echoed with a hollow resonance that belied the emptiness gnawing at her very soul.The incessant rattling and banging against the thick oak door grew more insistent with each passing moment in a cacophony of destruction that served as a reminder of the hellish forces laying siege to their home. Beyond that rapidly crumbling barrier, chaos ruled in an unholy storm of violence that threatened to devour all Meredith held dear.Shrieks of unimaginable agony intermingled with roars. Each haunting wail, each guttural bellow, sent a fresh wave of anguish coursing through Meredith's immortal frame. How many had already fallen? The question burned in her mind like acid, eating away at what little composure she managed to maintain. How many brave warriors, loyal protectors of the estate had lost their lives under the claws of these abominations? The faces of those she had
"I'm the only woman alive now who can give you an heir, bear you children to carry on your bloodline..." Her words were a hushed whisper. "I am your rightful mate at long last. We were always meant to be together as one, you and I. Two halves of the same whole."She sniffled again as a fresh wave of tears spilled forth. "You should have accepted my request earlier, when I simply wanted to enjoy one night with my betrothed...to bask in the warmth of your embrace, as is my right as your—"Her words died on her lips when Knox suddenly closed the distance and wrapped his hand around her slender throat in a grip, wrenching her forward until her feet left the ground. Then he slammed her head back against the stone wall with brutal force to crack her skull. Sirona let out a pained, wheezing laugh as she stared up at him with wild, unfocused eyes. A thin trickle of crimson seeped from the corner of her mouth, tracing a macabre path down her chin."You...you wouldn't dare..." she choked out
Knox felt as if the entire world had collapsed around him, with a devastating blast of despair and despair threatening to break what little remained of his damaged psyche into a million shattered fragments. The sheer, all-consuming agony that had lanced through him was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It that it defied description… as though every nerve ending in his immortal body had been set ablaze and doused in acid simultaneously.The air became heavy and oppressive as the full impact of what had happened started to sink in, and the cold stone of the dungeon walls seemed to close in around him.Knox simply couldn't - no, he utterly refused with every fiber of his being to accept the cruel reality that his worst fears had been realized in the most brutal and decisive way imaginable. Serena. His beautiful, precious mate...the very radiant light in his darkness...she was gone. Why? The question kept coming back to him, echoing through the vast emptiness of his head, e
The huge double doors to the dungeon at one of Knox's estates slid open, revealing his towering figure. An oppressive air accompanied him, making it feel as if the very atmosphere held its breath in his presence. Dark tendrils like mist swirled around him, and his eyes that was always cold, blazed with a fury that made them appear even icier than usual. His mind was still reeling from the hateful words Serena had hurled at him in the car earlier, and in a moment of desperation, he had teleported himself here.Knox despised himself for losing control and slapping Serena in a moment of anger. He couldn’t forgive himself, especially when the thought crossed his mind that perhaps Sirona had found a way to bypass his restraint meant to keep her in check, and had gotten into Serena’s mind. More than half of him believed the venomous words Serena had spoken weren't hers but were instead Sirona’s doing. This belief drove him to the dungeon, determined to confirm his theory.His eyes lan