đź’…đź’…
CAMILLE'S POV The necrotic green glow exploded out of me, shattering the windows and shaking the very core of the building. The door I had transmuted into a wall disintegrated completely. The light consumed everything, and when it finally died, my eyes struggled to adjust to the debris and the afterimage of that sickly glow. My breath came in short gasps, and I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the scene before me. Amid the wreckage, I saw Abigail not far from where I stood. She lay on the floor, her eyes wide and filled with shock. A tremor ran through me as I wondered if the spell had worked. Had I failed? Abigail’s movements drew my attention. She stared at her hands, her expression one of bewilderment. Then, her gaze shifted to the ceiling. The rune I had drawn to seal her magic was now fractured, broken by the cracks that laced the ceiling. Fucking hell! She rose to her feet, power radiating from her as she turned to face me. “I gave you the opportunity to touch a r
DIMITRI'S POVI turned away from the Deltas, my mind already buzzing with plans. Their eyes followed me, filled with a mix of worry and resolve. They knew what we were up against and grasped the dangers. This was no time to hesitate."Follow me," I commanded, heading toward my chambers. The guards moved with me, their steps precise and silent, a result of years of training. The atmosphere was thick with the seriousness of our mission.Once inside my bedroom, I went straight to the dressing table and grabbed my phone. I dialed quickly, the familiar number bringing a brief sense of comfort in the chaos. Ginger answered almost at once."Ginger, it's me again. Back to business. I have three men with me, so the spell needs to be done twice."There was a short pause before Ginger's calm, reassuring voice came through. "No problem, Dimitri. I can manage that."I set the phone down on a dresser and turned to the first sentinel guard. "Step into the rune. Ginger, start the spell."The guard an
EVA'S POV (THREE DAYS AFTER THE EVENTS OF RAVENFORD)Three days of pure torture had passed. There was no clean drinking water, bath, or even a basin to wash my face or hair. The guards were rough whenever they could be, and I had only been given a decent meal once. So, panic seized me when I heard keys rattling in the lock of my cell, and the door creaked open.I looked up and saw three guards approaching. With each step they took, I shrunk back further."You can't kill me. I haven't been tried yet. I'm innocent."One of the guards stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face. I dropped to the floor, shuddering from the impact."You whiny bitch! You kill one of our own and try to harm our prince, and you have the audacity to call yourself innocent. You have no idea how much every one of us is fighting not to take your life and be done with it." Through gritted teeth, I managed to speak, "I am Eva Dumont, future Luna of the Lily of the Valley pack, and a cursed beast like you
CAMILLE'S POV"No..." Eva shuddered when the weight of her sentence finally settled in. "No..."She ran towards my feet and knelt, her eyes wide with desperation. "I know what you want, Camille," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "You want me to beg for all the horrible things I've done. And I understand now, I do. I'm sorry for being so cruel. But two wrongs don't make it right. This is inhumane! A collar is a for a dog.""A troubled dog." I corrected as I knelt down to meet her gaze."I'm only being a good sister, Eva," I said softly. "You were raised wrong by your mother, Adele. Despite everything, I didn't think you deserved to suffer for something your mother and my grandmother had a hand in creating. So this is your chance at a new beginning, Eva. Be good."Eva's face twisted in disgust. I watched her muster the courage to do it. At first, fearing that the collar would catch on to her nefarious intentions if she tried to spit on my face. The second the collar caught a whiff of he
CAMILLE'S POV I took a deep breath as the massive ornate doors of the Lycaon Church slowly creaked open. My heart was pounding like crazy - this was such a huge moment. As the doors parted, a sliver of light spilled in, and I stepped forward, the delicate lace veil over my head obscuring my vision and hiding the intense emotions I felt from the hundreds of eyes watching me enter. The air inside was cool and thick with the sweet smell of incense. I could hear the rustle of fancy silk dresses and reverent whispers as everyone turned to watch me walk down the aisle. Soft, beautiful piano music began playing, a serene piece I had chosen myself to start off this grand ceremony. As I made my way up the gold carpet that seemed to glow like a path of light before me, the veil cast everything in a sort of ethereal, dreamy haze. I could feel the intricate embroidery on my exquisite gown as my fingers brushed against the fabric - it was an actual work of art, adorned with symbols of our histo
CAMILLE'S POVBreathing shouldn’t be hard. But for some reason, it felt incredibly difficult. That should have been a dead ringer that something was wrong but I didn’t move a muscle until the harsh rays of the morning sun hit my face. “Goddess,” Even my voice sounded groggy.The weight and the pulsating ache in my temples was the first clue that this was no ordinary morning. Blinking against the blinding light, I found myself staring at a ceiling that I did not quite recognize. The alcohol in my system had subsided so I could think clearly and I had lived in my parent’s home for more than twenty years. Drunk or not, I would recognize our home’s signature popcorn ceiling. The ceiling I was staring at was smooth. It looked like white cement. It looked expensive. When I tried to take a deep breath, I found it hard to take in air again and that was when I realized that the weight in my temples was not the wonderful afterglow of drinking. I looked and a gasp escaped my mouth. I put m
CAMILLE'S POV (Three Months Later)In the solitude of the Dumont family's new kitchen, I stirred the pot, the fragrant blend of herbs and spices enveloping me. Cooking had become my sanctuary since I arrived in the Dumont family home and it had slowly become a grounding routine in this unfamiliar chapter of my life.A soft knock interrupted my culinary focus. At the doorway stood a man with a basket of fresh vegetables."Hey, Camille," Hector greeted, his eyes crinkling with a warm smile. "What's cooking?""Something special," I replied. Hector Menard was probably the one good thing that had happened to me since I was realized to be the long-lost daughter of Lucian Dumont, Alpha of the Lily of the Valley pack. He worked as a personal assistant to my biological father and was the son of the pack's Beta so he was always around the house. In this strange place that was supposed to be my home now, the goddess in her infinite mercy had given him to me as a mate and for that, I was eterna
CAMILLE'S POVI still didn't understand why after what I had seen. I walked back to the dining room like nothing had happened. My eyes were probably still red and I could still taste vomit on my tongue. But it wasn't like they were going to notice. I was a ghost in this house. "Eva and I have sorted things out," I told my stepmother. Adele nodded, seemingly satisfied with the response.I looked at my food and contemplated whether I should keep on eating. I still felt sick to the stomach. What boiled my blood even more was the fact that neither Eva nor Hector was back. I wondered if they were still inside each other's mouths. The goddess knows they must have done much more than that. Hector rejoined us soon after. He was happy. His smile was the kind of smile that showed all thirty-two of your teeth. It made my stomach twist and turn again. So I reached for a glass of water and gulped it down."Eva is settled now," He made it known.I held on to the glass in my mouth so tight that I