LOGINLilith's POV
The room is suffocating and hot, like it's about to explode. Heat stings on my skin, my heart ramming in my ribs so hard I can hardly think properly.
The silk ties are still wrapped around Roman's fingers and Vane? I can feel his long, masculine hands wrapped around my hip, pulling me close to his crotch. Malakai is so close to me I can literally feel every beat of his heart; calm, scary.
Just then, a sharp loud beep rings through the intercom on the wall. It's a normal, small sound but in this room, it's as loud as a gunshot.
Malakai freezes. He doesn't growl, just stops dead in his movements. But those sharp, predator eyes of his doesn't soften.
“Malakai, the great Genotype must not be bred in lust” the voice rings out through the speaker, it sounds like an old man's. The council. “No skin to skin contact until the Vows of Blood are exchanged tomorrow at dawn, the blood must be pure”
For a second, nobody breathes.
But, Roman then lets out a sharp, messy laugh as he tosses the silk ties to the bed. “Tsk….” He clicks his tongue shaking his head. “Old hags want a wedding before the bedding, huh? How fucking cute”
Vane growls, pulling his hand off my skin as though it burned him. When he stares at me, there's no form of emotions, just empty, distant stares.
“Tomorrow” he mutters, his voice vibrating. “Keep your pretty clothes on, Princess. This might be the last time you'll ever have them”
°°°°°°
Whether I'm prepared or not, morning comes.
And when I walk into the dining hall, I'm greeted first by the strong smell of coffee and the familiar scent of rich people; one I grew up with.
My eyes are red and sunken from crying all night, literally, from screaming into my pillow until I could hardly talk the next morning.
And at the dining hall, I sight my father. He's slicing a rare steak like it's another boring Tuesday morning. My mother is staring at her reflection on the silver spoon, smoothening the hair that was out of place.
They both look oddly calm and….normal. as though they are waiting for their brunch reservations rather than their daughter's funeral.
“Ple….please, Daddy” I cry out, my voice cracking as I rush towards them, trying to reach for his hand….those familiar hands that always held me whenever I was scared.
But, I pull away and grab the salt instead, not even sparing me a glance.
“Tell….tell these men this is all a sick prank” I say again, my words coming out messy and desperate. “Please….just…tell them you're going to take me home. I'll give everything back…the…they house, jewelry, cars, everything. I'll even work! Just tell them I'm your child”
Finally, my father, Marcus, looks at me. But instead of that usual, familiar look of warmth and love, it's replaced by a look of relief and hate.
“Lilith” he calls out, his voice cold, brows formed into a thick frown. “You were never our daughter”
I freeze almost immediately, but he doesn't give me time to process my emotions properly before he continues.
“You were more like umm….a pearl we polished for them. And you have no fucking idea how much it cost to take care of your bratty needs just to keep you from finding out what you really are”
I flinch so hard, I almost stumble on my feet. His words hit me like a painful slap across my cheeks. My chest feels….empty. “What….what I was?”
“Darling, a vessel” my mother chimes in, her tone annoyed, like I'm being bratty. “Or more like, a peace treaty. Our pack was…. going bankrupt but the Triad stepped in, threatening to completely wipe us out” she pauses, adjusting her necklace.
“....until we finally offered a cure for their…. instability. You literally saved our lives, Lili. Don't act selfish”
“What….what about Jax?” I mutter, finding it difficult to breathe properly as my heart shatters into a million pieces. I double over, clutching my chest tightly though it could stop the deep ache I feel at the moment.
“He…he said he loved me. He…he wouldn't….”
The swinging of the door opening cuts me off.
Almost immediately, Jaxson strides in, wearing a brand new designer jacket, tossing a familiar key in the air; my Ferrari keys!
“Ja…Jax?” I say his name again, my heart fluttering with the tiny, pathetic hope I feel at the moment.
He doesn't spare me a glance, just walks towards the buffet and grabs a croissant, then winks at Malakai who's quietly observing everything from the shadows.
Malakai seems annoyed at Jax, like he's some kind of bug loitering where he shouldn't.
“Hey…don't give me that look, Lil” Jax laughs, talking with his mouth full; a habit I once found cute but now irks me.
“The Triad offered me something better than ‘love’” he sneers, scoffing like he just said something ridiculous. “My own territory, even cleared my gambling debts. You're actually smoking hot, babe, but I don't think you're ‘get-murdered-by-the-three-devils’ hot. Also…..” he leans in, his voice dropping into a mocking whisper. “You were too soft for me…boring. These guys might know what to do with you”
He pats his pocket, bulging with cash. “Thanks for making me rich, Princess. Literally”
Just then, Malakai strides out of the shadows. The whole room goes dead silent almost immediately. He stares down at Jax like he's some trash.
“The transaction is finished, Jaxson. You were paid to end the relationship with her” he says in a cold, calm tone. “Now take your money and get out. If you're seen anywhere around this city after this hour…. I'll fucking peel that jacket off your back…along with your skin”
Jaxson turns pale, his whole bad boy act melting away in an instant as he runs out through the pack door without glancing back at me even once.
I stand there, still reeling in shock, my body still trembling like I just witnessed a real life horror film.
The heavy thud of some documents gets my attention, snapping me back to reality. Malakai pushes the document across the table to me.
The paper looks heavy and the edges….. bloodstained?
“Read,” he orders. “Clause seven….The female will be used a a biological drug to stabilise the Triad's feral instincts”
He leans towards me, his huge frame covering my petite body. “Your body wasn't just sold, Lilith. It was alongside your future and soul. All sold for a seat at a table where they'll never be welcome”
He then strides towards my mother, slowly putting his hands on her shoulders. For a second, she's scared, then the next, she sighs softly, as though relieved.
“Crazy irony, right?” he smiles, but doesn't reach those cold, empty eyes.
"You took care of her, Elena." Malakai touches her throat. "Kept her nice and soft. But the prophecy says the Spawn must be born from sacrifice... and baptized in the blood of the one who raised her."
My heart stops. "What? Malakai, stop. What are you doing?" He looks at me and smiles, but there's nothing human in it.
"Your mom sold you for a seat on the Council, Lilith. Only fair she pays the tax." It happens fast. Just a loud crack, like breaking a stick in a quiet forest.
I scream at the top of my lungs, It hurts my throat. My mom's body falls as he drops her at my feet like trash.
"Don't look so shocked." Malakai wipes a drop of blood off his cufflink. "She didn't love you. She was just a person taking care of a special flower."
He turns to my dad who's now shaking, broken. "Get out, Marcus. Before I decide I need two dead bodies for the wedding."
My dad runs. He doesn't look at his wife, doesn't look at me. Just run.
I fall down. My white dress soaks up blood from the carpet. I'm shaking so bad I can't breathe, my hands pressed against my mother's neck as I try to stop the bleeding, but unfortunately, it's impossible.
Roman walks over and grabs my choker. He pulls my head up, makes me look at them.
"Now, Princess." His voice is soft. His eyes are mean. "No more parents, no more boyfriend."
He lifts my chin.
"Ready to walk down the aisle?”
Lilith's POV I have absolutely nothing to say.For the first time in my entire life, my mouth is completely empty of words. No bratty comeback. No demand to speak to a manager. No shrieking about my father or my money or my ruined dress.Just silence.Because there are hundreds of glowing red eyes in the darkness of this garage, and they're all looking at me.Sloane stands in front of them like a queen welcoming her guests. Her red lips are curved into that smile....that horrible, beautiful smile that used to belong to my friend. The friend who held my hair back when I drank too much champagne. The friend who told me my ex-boyfriend Jax was a loser who didn't deserve me."You look confused, Princess." She tilts her head, and the motion is so familiar it makes my stomach turn. "Did you really think I was here for you?"My knees shake. Malakai still has me slung over his shoulder like a sack of garbage, but I feel his body tense beneath me. His hand tightens on the back of my thigh."L
Lilith's POV The door slams shut behind us and the sound echoes through the room like a gunshot.My chest heaves. My knuckles are white as I grip the torn silk of my gown….the gown that cost more than most people's rent, the gown that's now ruined because of them.Three pairs of eyes stare at me in the dim light. Vane, the biggest one, is looming way too close. Roman is circling somewhere behind me like a predator playing with his food. And Malakai…Malakai….is just standing there by the window, his silver eyes fixed on my lips like he wants to devour me.No. No, no, no.I'm terrified. Absolutely terrified. My knees are shaking so bad I can barely stand. But terror doesn't shut me up. It never has. If anything, it makes my mouth run faster."Don't you dare touch me with those filthy hands, Vane." The words rip out of me before I can stop them. My voice is high, sharp, demanding...the voice I use on servants who disappoint me. "Do you have any idea how much this dress cost? My father w
Lilith's POVMy lips are still tingling from his thumb. It feels like a taste. As though I'm something to be sampled.And now I'm waiting for his heart to stop.“ Please, please, please let it work” I pray silently, my lips pressed tightly, eyes desperately scanning him for even the tiniest expression. But Malakai doesn't fall.His grip on my jaw tightens instead, it is bone crushing and relentless. I gasp, my fingers flying up to claw at his wrist but he doesn't even flinch. His breathing hitches, then turns into something else. A heavy, wet rattle that sounds like drowning.Oh no."Lilith..." His voice is a low, dangerous rasp. I feel it vibrate through his palm and into my skull. "What. Did. You. Fucking. Do?"My heart is hammering against my ribs so hard I think they might crack. "It... it was supposed to make you sleep." I can barely get the words out. His grip is stealing my air. "Sloane said….""Sloane lied, you pampered little bitch."Roman's voice cuts through the room like
Lilith's POV The sound of running water fills everywhere, echoing in the bathroom. Steam fills the air until it's almost heavy and thick, the scent of expensive jasmine clogging my nostrils…the kind my mother loved. But no matter how much perfume is poured, it still can't reduce the bitter, metallic stench of blood at the back of my nostrils….my mother's blood.At this moment, I feel empty, as though my consciousness has floated elsewhere, staring down at the maids as they mindlessly scrubbed the hell out of my skin. They don't even try to be gentle just keep scrubbing my legs so hard, the skin bruises, turning bright red. And each time they scrub the spot where her blood touched me earlier, I subconsciously flinched, the urge to scream out until I can't anymore rise. But unfortunately, my throat feels tight, as though I swallowed broken glass. I just gaze lifelessly at the mirror, my eyes lingering on the black diamonds choker. It still sits right on my neck; a wicked reminder
Lilith's POV The room is suffocating and hot, like it's about to explode. Heat stings on my skin, my heart ramming in my ribs so hard I can hardly think properly. The silk ties are still wrapped around Roman's fingers and Vane? I can feel his long, masculine hands wrapped around my hip, pulling me close to his crotch. Malakai is so close to me I can literally feel every beat of his heart; calm, scary. Just then, a sharp loud beep rings through the intercom on the wall. It's a normal, small sound but in this room, it's as loud as a gunshot. Malakai freezes. He doesn't growl, just stops dead in his movements. But those sharp, predator eyes of his doesn't soften. “Malakai, the great Genotype must not be bred in lust” the voice rings out through the speaker, it sounds like an old man's. The council. “No skin to skin contact until the Vows of Blood are exchanged tomorrow at dawn, the blood must be pure” For a second, nobody breathes. But, Roman then lets out a sharp, messy laugh as
Lilith's POV One moment, I'm standing on the platform, the next, I'm being dragged out of the room. Vane doesn't lead me towards the red carpet at the main entrance or the hotel. Instead, he hauls me through the back service doors reserved for the workers, right past empty stacks of crates. His hand is tightened around my arm, nails digging into the soft skin of my elbow so hard it bruises.The air out here is disgusting, the stench of wet concrete and trash thick behind the building. It is a contrast from the perfume and flowers inside the room. “Ah! Let go! Vane! You're fucking hurting me!” I yell, my voice cracking. I glance at the kitchen staff, the ones I've always been nice to whenever I visit this hotel, tipping them more than they make in a month, but they won't even spare me a gaze. Their eyes are fixed on the floor; some scrubs the prep table as though their lives depend on it, their faces pale. They are terrified of him.Just then, my foot suddenly hits a piece of brok







