Silence enveloped the room as everyone struggled to process this tragic revelation. Meredith's gaze drifted back towards the swirling dark mist like storm surrounding Knox with her expression growing even more somber. "I'm afraid that is not the only grave concern we now face.” Her voice took on a grim edge. She extended one long to indicate the churning black vortex. "This hostile energy had been in deep slumber within my grandson. It is an ancient and incredibly dark force that has taken root within him since his mother sent out his life force to find its new host. And it was unfortunately awakened during manipulating the stream of time." Her lips pressed into a tight line as her eyes narrowed. "And from what I can discern, this sinister entity requires nothing less than the very essence, the life force, of a living being in order to sate its ravenous hunger. I am certain it won’t stop with just one."Another heavy silence descended over the group as they all exchanged worrie
"Yeah, seriously - what exactly is he?" Killian chimed in. "I know my inner beast sees him as his Alpha. I mean...he most definitely gives off supreme Alpha vibes, which makes total sense given how I come from one of the most powerful Alpha bloodlines around." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "But we all know you haven't exactly been a hundred percent honest with us about the boss man's deal, grandpa. I don't get how he's so insanely powerful when he's never once shifted into a wolf form, drank blood, or showed any typical signs that he's either a werewolf or vampire."Killian's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the couple’s expression. "Yet, his very aura somehow commanded mine and Seven's absolute loyalty and obedience at our very first encounter. Whether we want it to or not. It's like we're cosmically bound to follow his lead." He ran a hand through his tousled locks again. "Plus, every other supernatural creature I know gets riled up and horny as hell during the full moon
Enzo stared at the anxious, questioning faces before him and released a heavy, world-weary sigh. He rose from his seat with a slow and almost lethargic movement.All eyes tracked the regal Don’s every move as he crossed the room with an air of somber melancholy and sorrow cloaking him like a shroud. Enzo made his way to the lone, high-backed chair positioned in the corner, next to where Knox's frighteningly still and motionless body lay on the huge bed. Not a single muscle twitched beneath the young man’s ashen skin. His handsome features hidden behind his face mask remained one of an eery tranquility that seemed almost...unnatural given the roiling darkness still undulating around him.Enzo settled into the chair with a slight groan. His amber eyes swept over each person present, as if silently bracing them for the revelations and burdens soon to be imparted. "Knox is...not an ordinary being. I'm sure you've all realized by now." He paused, letting that weighted statement l
"So you're telling me," Meredith began slowly, carefully enunciating each word as if still struggling to wrap her mind around the concept, "That you actually had to go back through the stream of time itself and basically...cock-block yourself from being with your true mate? All just to save her life?"Despite the gravity of the situation, Enzo's full lips twitched ever so slightly in amusement at her rather crass yet succinct phrasing. "Well, when you put it like that..." He flashed her a wry smirk. "It does sound fairly ridiculous, I'll grant you that. But essentially...yes, that's precisely what I had to do." His expression sobered once more, his ageless gaze boring into her with an intensity that seemed to strip away the layers of centuries between them."I had to stop myself from completing the sacred mating bond and marking her as mine for all eternity," Enzo continued in a low, gravelly tone thick with lingering emotion. "It was the only way to prevent her from suffering tha
Enzo's mouth quirked in a wry smirk at the wolf’s blunt retelling of the tale. "A rather...colorful yet relatively accurate summary, I'll give you that." His features hardened once more as he continued recounting the legend."It's said that when he first arrived on this mortal plane after his fall from the celestial realm, the Fallen had lost all memories of his previous life and existence. He was discovered by a small human village. He was a man with incredible powers and abilities yet a gentle, benevolent heart. So they took him in without fear, and he lived amongst them peacefully for years without ever bringing harm to a single soul."Enzo paused. "Eventually, the Fallen fell in love with a young woman from the village - the daughter of the family who had first offered him shelter and kindness all those years ago when he had arrived as a complete outsider, a stranger in their midst. He foolishly thought he could hide the truth of his powers, his immortality, from her even after
Enzo snapped his fingers and, in an instant, the scorching desert wasteland melted away into shimmering distortions. Their surroundings rematerialized back into the illustriously decorated infirmary with dizzying abruptness, as if the desolation had been nothing more than a fleeting mirage conjured by some powerful sorcery.Every plush furnishing, every antique medical implement lining the shelves, even Knox's bed with his frighteningly still form lying atop it - all was precisely as it had appeared before Enzo's shocking metamorphosis ripped them from reality. The only discernible difference was the tattered remains of Enzo's shirt. The fabric had shredded when his massive, flaming wings had unfurled with that resonant boom that seemed to reverberate through their very souls.Enzo moved to retake his previous seat on the luxurious brown chair seeming to almost creak in deference to his presence. Seven, on the other hand, found the disjointed puzzle pieces finally slotting toge
Enzo’s focus drifted to the unconscious form of Knox with heavy significance. "It would seem that prophecy is finally coming to fruition after all this time. The cycle continues to turn, the scales still unbalanced...for now."A wry smile twisted Enzo's lips, though it held no trace of warmth or humor. "Of course, my own existence was something of an...anomaly to the Delgaard lineage, even back then. I had already begun to suspect there were certain...discrepancies about my heritage that didn't quite add up."He arched a perfectly shaped brow. "I never could figure out why I looked so strikingly different from the rest of my royal kin, for one. Nor why I seemed to possess abilities and an affinity for the ancient forces that far outstripped even my celestial father's prodigious gifts."Enzo's expression sobered once more as his gaze grew distant, his deep baritone taking on a wistful timbre. "My mother Aylah...she always did have an uncanny knack for sensing things beyond the vei
Enzo's voice was laced with pain. "Through that ritual that transcended the boundaries of space and time itself, Myra sought the immaculate spark of life that would one day be her offspring's next vessel upon her own tragic demise."There was a sharp indrawn breath from Meredith at those words, though the elegant witch otherwise remained an impassive statue of poise and control. While Killian and Seven waited patiently for the man to continue. "Meredith and I may have been forced into hiding, but we were not so isolated that we remained ignorant of the new monarchs' efforts to safeguard their ill-gotten reign through increasingly draconian measures of subjugation."His chiseled features tightened with undisguised contempt and a visage of barely restrained fury."Of how the usurper queen implemented systematic cycles of slaughter to ensure that no one could ever gain enough power to threaten her tenuous grip on the throne she had taken through violence and betrayal.”"That power-