เข้าสู่ระบบChapter 114: The First FeedingAmaraI woke to weakness.Complete. Overwhelming. Like my body was eating itself from the inside."You're awake." Lucian's voice. Relief flooding through it. He sat beside the bed. "Finally."I tried to sit up. Couldn't. Too weak. Too—"How long?" My voice was hoarse. Raw."Two days. You've been unconscious for two days. The baby—it's draining you faster than we expected."The door opened. Grandfather entered. Guards following. And between them—A man. Prisoner. Chains. Terror in his eyes."What—" I started."I keep my promises." Grandfather said. Cold. Clinical. "This man was sentenced to death. Treason. His life ends today regardless. You need blood. He provides it.""No." I shook my head. "I can't—"A guard stepped forward. Blade flashing.Sliced the prisoner's wrist. Deep. Clean.Blood poured.The smell hit me.And I was gone.Everything human—erased. Shut down. Replaced by something else. Something that only knew one thing.Hunger.I moved. Fast. To
Chapter 113: The ClaimingRachelI was supposed to be grocery shopping.Simple. Easy. Normal.Except the moment I rounded the corner into the produce section, normal ended.Dimitri. Leaning against the apple display. Looking like every fantasy I'd tried to suppress for the past two weeks.And pressed against him—touching him—was a woman.Blonde. Curves poured into a dress too tight for grocery shopping. Hand sliding up his bicep. Laughing. Touching what was mine.The bond didn't just react—it detonated.White-hot rage. Pure possessive fury. Mine mine MINE get your fucking hands OFF—I crossed the space. Fast. Didn't think. Just grabbed her wrist and yanked it off his arm."Can I help you?" My voice came out deadly calm. The kind of calm that preceded violence.She looked at me. Up and down. Dismissive. "I'm talking to Dimitri, sweetie. Run along."Sweetie."He's taken." I stepped fully between them. Blocking her view. Her access. Everything.She laughed. The sound grated across my ner
Chapter 112: The CountermoveAuroraI stood at my window. Watching the underworld city wake. Watching pieces move on the board.Grandfather thought he was so clever. Thought he'd trapped Lucian perfectly.We'd see.A knock at my door. Frantic. Desperate."Enter."The door opened. A guard stumbled in. Young. Low-ranking. One of mine—bought, paid for, loyal.He was shaking. Literally trembling. Hands clenched at his sides.I didn't turn. Kept watching the city. "Speak.""I—I heard—" His voice cracked. "The Grandfather and Lucian. They—they made a deal. I was stationed outside the chambers. I heard everything."Now I turned. Slowly. "Everything?"He swallowed hard. Nodded."Then tell me." I moved to my chair. Sat. Fingers steepled. "Every word. Every detail. Leave nothing out."He told me.The mating ceremony requirement. The two-month deadline for a legitimate heir. The vampire child being denied all claims. The fresh blood supply. The five-month timeline.All of it.Every manipulation.
Chapter 111: The Price of SurvivalLucianDawn came too soon.I stood outside Grandfather's private chambers. The door carved from black stone. Ancient runes glowing faintly. Waiting.Behind me—Amara. Still unconscious. Still dying. Every hour she got paler. Weaker. The child draining her faster than we could replace.Days. Maybe less.I had no choice. No options. No—The door opened.Cassius stood there. Calm. Professional. "The Grandfather will see you now."I entered.The chamber was massive. Dark. Oppressive. No windows. Just walls carved with the history of our bloodline. Victories. Conquests. Power.And at the center—Grandfather.Sitting in his personal throne. Seven feet of ancient fury. But not angry now. Not raging.Worse.Calm. Controlled. Calculated.He gestured to a chair across from him. "Sit."I remained standing. "I'll stand."He smiled. Small. Cold. "As you wish."Silence. Heavy. He was making me wait. Making me ask. Making me—"You summoned me." I said. Voice flat. "Y
Chapter 110: The EndgameGrandfatherI stood in my private chambers. The room I'd occupied for ten thousand years. Walls carved from the bones of my enemies. Floor stained with the blood of those who'd challenged me.Everything I'd built. Everything I'd protected. Everything I'd—Lost.My fist went through the obsidian table. Ancient. Irreplaceable. Shattered like glass.No heir. No legacy. No future.Because of love. Because of weakness. Because my grandson chose a corrupted mate over—Over everything.The door opened. I didn't turn. Didn't acknowledge.Only one person would dare enter without knocking."You're destroying your own furniture again." Cassius's voice. My beta. My advisor. My oldest living friend. "That's the third table this month.""Get out.""No." He moved into the room. Calm. Unbothered. "Not until you stop acting like a child and start thinking like a king."I spun. Power radiating. The air itself trembling."Careful, old friend. I am still your superior."He smiled
Chapter 109: The Heir ApparentAuroraI stood in my chambers. Door locked. Wards humming. The heart pulsing on the table before me.Kang's heart. Still beating. Still alive. Still—The door opened.Impossible. The wards should have—A figure stepped through. Hooded. Cloaked in black that seemed to drink the light. Moving like smoke. Like shadow given form.I didn't reach for a weapon. Didn't call for guards.Just watched as she crossed the room. Familiar gait. Familiar presence.She lowered her hood."Mother." My voice was flat. "What are you doing here? No one can know you're still alive."She ignored the question. Moved to the window. Looked out at the city below."Lucian is gone." She said. "Exiled. Disowned. The old man threw away his only heir over a corrupted mate and a bastard child.""Yes."She turned. Looked at me. Eyes like mine—sharp, calculating, cold."Which makes you the only one suitable to inherit." She smiled. "Everything we planned. Everything we've worked toward. It







