NO MORE

MAYA

"I do not have strange powers," I told Maria, my voice shaking as I backed away from her.

Maria let out a sharp, cruel laugh that cut through the silent night air. "Oh yes, you do," she replied, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer. "I have noticed it. I see the way things break and move around you. But don't fool yourself, Maya. I can break both you and your strange powers whenever I want."

Standing there at the palace gate, a sudden, cold realization washed over me. I knew in my heart that I could not leave this palace. If I left, Maria would find a quiet way to kill Edward. She had just openly asked me to murder him for her—that meant his life was hanging by a thread. He had no one else to protect him.

For Edward's sake, I decided to stay back.

"I will stay back," I told her, lifting my chin and forcing my voice to sound firm.

A dark, wicked grin spread across Maria's face. "Oh, but you are not just staying, Maya. You will have to kill Edward slowly, just like we agreed. And now that you know my true intentions towards Edward, you are an accomplice. Either you do the job, or you die."

I didn't answer her. I totally ignored her threats, turned my back on her, and walked straight past the gates and back into the palace.

I rushed up the winding staircase and pushed open the heavy oak doors to our quarters. There was my Edward, lying on the big bed completely helpless. His broad chest rose and fell in slow, faint breaths, and his eyes stared blankly up at the ceiling, unmoving and silent.

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces at the sight of him. I ran to the side of the bed, threw my arms around his neck, and hugged him so tight, burying my face into the crook of his warm neck. Tears soaked into his linen shirt.

"I won't leave you," I sobbed quietly against his skin, listening to his faint heartbeat. "I took up this risk to return, all for you."

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the heavy burden settling onto my shoulders. I had to protect the two of us. I had to find a way to break this curse, and above all, I had to defeat Maria once and for all.

That same evening, I was in our room sitting beside Edward, gently wiping his face and chest with a warm, damp cloth. He lay still beneath my touch, his skin soft and pale.

The bedroom door creaked open without a knock. Maria walked in, carrying an aura of quiet dominance. She had on nothing but a thin, semi-sheer silky robe that hung loosely off her shoulders, revealing almost everything underneath. Her eyes swept over the room before landing heavily on me.

"Leave him," Maria commanded, her voice smooth and demanding. "Come here and suck my pussy."

My hand froze on the cloth resting against Edward's collarbone. A wave of disgust surged through my stomach.

"Let me clean Sir up first, please," I said quietly, keeping my eyes fixed on Edward's face, trying to buy myself even a few minutes.

"I said leave him!" Maria yelled, her voice snapping through the quiet room like a whip. "Come and attend to me right now!"

I swallowed the lump of bile in my throat and slowly stood up from the bed. I couldn't fight her openly yet—not while Edward was frozen like this, and not while the elders were waiting for any excuse to throw me into the cold wilderness.

I walked over to the velvet chaise lounge where Maria sat down, parting her robe. I dropped to my knees before her. Pushing my feelings of humiliation and revulsion deep into the dark corners of my mind, I leaned in.

I used my tongue and fingers, touching every part of her sensitive skin. I fondled her soft breasts, rolling my tongue over her hardened nipples, doing whatever it took to keep her satisfied so she wouldn't direct her malice toward Edward. Maria threw her head back against the cushions, her legs lifting up into the air as she screamed and moaned loudly, her voice echoing off the high stone walls.

She was thoroughly happy, her body writhing in pleasure, completely lost in the moment.

When it was over, Maria lay panting heavily on the lounge, her cheeks flushed red. She looked down at me as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Do you need some of the action?" she asked, her voice lazy and satisfied, gesturing toward my own body.

"No," I replied immediately, my voice flat.

Maria chuckled softly, reaching out to drag me up onto the edge of the mattress. "I love your pussy," she whispered, her fingers trailing possessively down my waist. "I love touching it and seeing it."

Without waiting for a response, she pushed me down onto the bed. I lay back on the soft sheets, staring up at the grand ceiling in dead silence, disconnecting my mind from my physical body while she played with my pussy until she was finally satisfied.

After she was done, Maria sat up, adjusting her silk robe as her dark, calculating gaze settled back onto my face.

"So," Maria said, her tone suddenly shifting back to business. "How do you intend to kill the Alpha?"

I sat up slowly, pulling my dress down and fixing my hair. I looked her straight in the eye, keeping my face completely blank.

"Leave it up to me to figure out a way," I told her quietly. "It has to look natural, or the elders will suspect something."

Maria searched my face for a long moment before letting out a soft hum of approval. "Good. Don't take too long, Maya. My patience has limits."

She stood up, swept her silk robe around her body, and walked out of the room, shutting the heavy doors behind her.

The moment the lock clicked shut, the silence of the room descended on me like a heavy weight. I walked over to the door, turned the key in the lock, and leaned my forehead against the cool wood, taking long, shaky breaths.

I looked across the room at Edward lying motionless in the dim candlelight.

Tonight, I made a firm, unshakable decision. I walked over to the bed, got down on my hands and knees, and pulled out the heavy leather tome from deep under the bedframe. The ancient scales on its cover seemed to pulse faintly under the light.

I sat on the floor beside Edward's bed, resting the heavy book on my lap. I was done being afraid of it. I was done letting it control me or tear my life apart.

I promised myself right then, I am going to read all the chapters of this book. Every single page, every single spell, every hidden secret buried within its ancient script. Either I die reading it and let the darkness consume me, or I unlock its true secrets and solve my problem. But either way, I will not sit by and let Maria molest me and destroy my Alpha for a second longer.

I took a deep breath, opened the book to the very first chapter, and let the strange, dizzying glow fill my eyes.