Enzo’s words landed like a bombshell, shattering the tense quiet and replacing it with a stunned, horrified silence. Serena let out a strangled gasp of protest. Her eyes were wide with shock, horror, and a burgeoning guilt that threatened to consume her. The very idea of anyone, let alone two people she had come to care for deeply, sacrificing such a fundamental part of themselves… a core aspect of their existence, for her sake was abhorrent and unthinkable. How could she live with herself, knowing that their chance at happiness, at finding a love of their own, had been stripped away because of her?Enzo could see her sorrow and the internal struggle that was evident in her expressive features. He felt compelled to clarify his previous statement in an attempt to soften the blow that had landed with such devastating force. "This wouldn't be a complete loss of your emotional capacity," he began. "You would still be capable of experiencing love in its many forms – familial love, plat
The chaos unfolding at the villa was merely the opening act of a much larger drama engulfing Star City. Another explosive scandal about Serena had erupted across the internet and airwaves, sending shockwaves through every corner of the metropolis. One of the senior bodyguards approached the gathered audience in the sumptuous dining room, which was filled with tense energy from earlier discussions. "Master.” He began cautiously, barely able to contain his fear that oozed off of him in waves. “I'm afraid I have some... rather distressing information to share with you all."He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to settle over the room. "It seems the media has once again gotten hold of highly sensitive and, frankly, incendiary information about the Madam. Allegations of the most vile and slanderous kind are being spread across every news outlet as we speak."Everyone’s faces instantly darkened with a palpable anger to murder a certain people. They didn’t need to be told that Ale
Alex was locked in passionate sex with his mysterious woman in the bathroom, savoring the thrill of their bodies merging together under the shower. The sound of their heavy breathing and the slapping of their skin against each other echoed through the confines of the luxurious bathroom, and even spilled out into the large bedroom beyond.It was a weekend, and Alex had no work or obligations. He was free to completely immerse himself in the pleasure of the moment, indulging in the carnal desires that had brought him and this mysterious woman together in an unbridled passion. Time seemed to stand still as they lost themselves in the heat of their lovemaking, the outside world fading into the background. However, Alex was blissfully unaware of the shocking revelation that awaited him, a turn of events that would shatter the illusion of his perfect weekend rendezvous.The passionate bathroom session finally came to a breathless end a while later. Steam billowed out as the couple emerg
An eerie silence descended over the room as Knox regarded Alex with an intensity that made the younger man's bravado falter ever so slightly. Knox's eyes bore into him, seeming to see through the cocky facade to the uncertainty that lay beneath. Alex swallowed hard. He knew that this moment would change everything, that the carefully constructed world he had built for himself was about to come crashing down around him. Panic gripped Alex at that thought. He opened his mouth, intending to unleash a torrent of curses and defiant bravado. He refused to go down without a fight. If he were to die here today, then he would die proudly. He would go out like a real man with actual balls without showing an ounce of fear in the face of his enemies. However, his words were abruptly cut short by a searing pain that suddenly pierced through his tongue. The pain felt like hot blade slicing through flesh, causing him to involuntarily bite down hard in agony.A loud, guttural groan tore from th
"Your score will be hard to settle, Dorothy! Or should I say, Kate or perhaps…Sirona?" Knox's voice was low yet laced with contempt and a hint of amusement at the woman's futile attempts to maintain her charade.The tension in the room was palpable. Kate flinched at the mention of her various aliases and her carefully constructed façade cracked ever so slightly. She pressed her lips into a thin, defiant line as she struggled to maintain her composure while her eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal seeking an escape. "I don't know what you're talking about," she spat with venom and a desperate attempt to cling to her charade. But even as she spoke, there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, a momentary lapse that betrayed her growing fear.Knox’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he regarded the woman before him. "You've been playing your little games for far too long.” His voice was cold and unforgiving, like a harbinger of the storm to come. "Send him to the hospital
Sirona's grin widened. Her eyes glinted with a twisted delight as she reveled in their confusion, basking in the power she held over them with a sadistic glee that made Seven's stomach churn. "Serena will die if I die," she stated again matter-of-factly. It was a proclamation that changed everything like a twisted knot that seemed impossible to untangle.Seven was pissed. His brow furrowed as he struggled to make sense of the situation, trying to find a flaw in her logic. He couldn’t remain silent any longer. "That's impossible!" he countered. "You sent men to assassinate her. If what you're saying is true, wouldn't that mean your own death as well?" Even Seven could hear the desperation in his own voice. He could taste the futile hope that there was some logical explanation for this madness.Knox seemed to share Seven's doubts. The barely controlled force that shimmered in the air around him was evidence of the internal conflict he was dealing with.Sirona was more than pleased t
A sharp pain shot through him, stealing his breath and causing his grip to falter. It was as if an invisible blade had plunged into his chest and twisted it with agonizing precision. A strangled gasp escaped his lips as he stumbled back, clutching at his chest with his face contorted in pain.His eyes widened in shock and disbelief, and for a moment, he seemed almost vulnerable like a mere mortal stripped of his powers. The darkness that had been swirling around him moments before retreated, shrinking back as if it too had been wounded by this unseen attack.Serena!The realization hit him hard, revealing a picture more horrifying than he could have imagined. His eyes darted back to Sirona, who had slumped to the ground when his grip had loosened, gasping for air.But even as she massaged her bruised throat, that infuriating smirk never left her face. She regarded him with the same smug, mocking grin despite her precarious position. The glint of triumph in her eyes spoke volumes
Serena lounged lazily on the plush massive bed. Her gorgeous form draped across the silken sheets like a Renaissance painting come to life. The soft glow of her phone illuminated her delicate features, spreading a warm, honeyed hue across the lovely curves of her face as she scrolled through the latest gossip article. She was so engrossed in the news about Alex's misfortune, which she knew without a doubt was caused by her dear husband's hand that the world seemed to fade away into insignificance. The internet was once again in a total chaos. The gossip blogs were ablaze with reports that Alex had been attacked by unknown men and sent to the hospital in critical condition.Serena expected the netizens to be blowing up the cyber space with curses and hate being hurled at her for taking such brutal revenge on Alex. She anticipated a tsunami of blame and anger, for the masses to once again point their accusatory fingers at her for his misfortune. But to her surprise, there was absolu
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