99

EZRA

I stand before the Twelve. 

Behind them, the Seven Chiefs perch like crows on a wire, judging, watching, waiting.

The room is cold. Too quiet.

Like the air itself is holding its breath.

I cross my arms, staring up at them, refusing to bow. I’m already halfway buried so there's no need to bend.

Lord Naskai is the first to speak.

“Ezra Vale, first turned, son of the Abyss, wielder of the Old Flame—”

“Can we skip the titles?” I mutter. “I get it. You’re all impressed I was kinda saved from eternal slumber and you didn't force it on me because you are too proud to go back on your words.”

He ignores me.

Of course.

He continues, “—you’ve completed your first trial. Now, the second awaits.”

I almost rolled my eyes. But still, I wait in silent anticipation.

One of the shadow guards steps forward on behalf of the council as their spokesperson. “We present two options. Both… equal in weight. You will choose.”

They say that like it’s fair.

Like there’s a choice here at all.

I know them, their options are like standing between a cliff and a wall.

“Option one,” Lord Naskai says, “bind yourself to Isla De Vries in marriage and restore the lost monarchy of our kind. With you at the helm, the vampire empire will rise again. Our enemies—the werewolves who have plagued and hunted us—will finally fall.”

I already expected this.

So, I blink. “So… marry the woman who was responsible for wiping my mate’s memories and calling it mercy?”

Lorn Linn growls, almost springing off his throne. 

“Need I remind you that you've broken the bond? And every fated mate is cursed. So, a chosen or none.”

But I say nothing, my eyes latching to Isla who stands on the other side of the room, watching me with a calm expression like she's won.

Maybe she has.

Lord Khemuel clears his throat. “For the future of our kind.”

Of course.

“Option two,” Naskai says.

I wait calmly watching as he stalls for a few minutes. Then, he sighs,

“Renounce your immortality.” He drops the bomb.

“You will walk the surface again as a man. Mortal. Fragile. Your gifts will fade. Your strength will drain. You will age. You will die.”

It’s quiet after that.

No one dares to speak. Because they all know that as a rational being, I’ll choose Isla. That power is sweeter than peace.

But the decision sits heavy on my tongue.

Because it’s not simple.

It’s not just yes or no.

It’s not even about me.

Because I’ve forgotten what it means to be human. What it feels like to breathe and fear and bleed. All I’ve ever known is strength. Eternity. The thrill of the hunt. Immortality is intoxicating—because it numbs everything.

But she...

She made me feel.

She made me hope again. Dream again. She gave up everything, even the memory of me, so I could live.

She didn’t just see the monster.

She loved him.

And now, here I am, offered two futures.

A kingdom with Isla.

Or a quiet, mortal life in a world where I can probably win her back. Where she might look at me someday… and not know my name.

But at least she’ll be safe.

I lift my head slowly. My voice is rough, but clear.

“So,” I say, “just to be sure…”

My eyes cut to Lord Naskai. “This isn’t another trick, right? If I pick one of the options, there’s no third trial? No secret blood pact? No hidden clause?”

Naskai meets my gaze. His expression doesn’t flicker. “No. This is it. Your final trial. The decision is yours, Ezra. But remember, mortality cannot be undone. Once chosen, there’s no going back. I know you'll choose wisely.”

I nod once. Quiet. Still.

I don’t speak right away.

Because for the first time in centuries… I’m afraid.

Not of death.

Of life.

Of waking up every day and knowing I’ll never bend metal with my force again. Never move faster than light. Never hear the heartbeat of someone across miles. Never heal from pain in seconds.

That I’ll bleed—and it won’t stop.

That I’ll grow old—and it’ll show.

That I’ll lose everything that once made me terrifying and untouchable and more than the man I used to be.

That I’ll become mortal. Again.

The memory of that word feels distant.

Mortal.

Fragile.

Breakable.

Me.

I can barely remember the boy I was. Before the bite and the ritual. Before the fire. Before eternity was stitched into my skin and cold into my veins. That version of me… died a long time ago.

And yet—

And yet.

That version of me never knew loneliness like I do now.

He never saw the woman he loved break herself to save him.

He never stood in front of a girl with shaking hands and blood on her lips and realized she was his reason.

And now I have a choice:

Stay powerful.

Take Isla’s hand. Rule the kingdoms. Become legend. Erase the wolves. Sit on a throne made of bones and broken things. Be feared. Be remembered. Be eternal.

…But be alone.

Or—

Let it all go.

Become human. Weak. Soft. Forgotten. A shadow of the demi-god I once was. Prone to age. Prone to pain. Prone to death.

But maybe, just maybe…

I find her again.

And even if she doesn’t remember my name…

Even if she doesn’t remember my voice…

Even if I pass her on the street one day and she just smiles politely—

I’ll know.

I’ll always know.

That I once had something so infinite, I gave up forever to touch it one more time.

Is that love?

Or is it madness?

Maybe it’s both.

But gods, if I had to choose between being a king…

…or being hers again—

Even for a day.

Even if she never remembers.

I’ll choose her.

Every. Damn. Time.

They probably thought they were giving me no choice. But God,

If only they'd known.

A monster in love is the most dangerous.

Then I look at Isla.

And for a second, I almost pity her.

Almost.

She stares back at me with those cold red eyes, lips curled at the edges like she already knows how this ends. Like she’s carved the throne, picked the crown, sewn the red carpet with the blood of everyone I’ve ever loved.

But she doesn’t know me.

Not anymore.

Not since her.

I turn back to the council and say the words that taste like steel in my mouth.

“I choose humanity.”

The room doesn’t move.

Doesn’t breathe.

It’s like the universe stilled just to be sure I meant it.

Lord Naskai closes his eyes—whether in approval or pity, I can’t tell. 

Lorn Linn scoffs, muttering something about weakness under his breath.

Khemuel doesn’t react.

But it’s Isla’s voice that slices through the silence.

“You’d give up eternity for her?” she whispers.

It’s quiet. Almost soft.

But venomous.

I tilt my head, voice low. “You’d give up your dignity for me. So what’s worse?”

She growls, baring her fangs. Then, in a second, she's before me. 

Fast. Furious. Fangs bared like she wants to tear the skin off my bones.

“You would throw away everything,” she hisses, “for a human who doesn't even remember you?”

I don’t flinch.

I just stare.

Because I already made peace with it.

“She doesn’t have to remember me,” I say calmly. “I’ll remember her.”

Her hand twitches like she’s about to strike, but I don’t move. I want her to hit me. To scream. To lose it. Because maybe then she’ll finally admit this was never about power.

It was about control.

About ownership.

About me being hers.

“Pathetic,” she spits. “You think love makes you strong? You think this is noble? You’re a disgrace to your bloodline. You were born to lead. Not chase after scraps of memory and human warmth.”

I arch a brow. “And you were born to play second to someone who doesn’t want you. Seems we’re both disappointing fates, aren’t we?”

Her snarl deepens. The guards shift, ready to intervene. One chief stands halfway from his seat.

But she doesn’t strike.

Instead, she steps closer. Inches from me now. Her voice drops to a whisper, intimate and ugly.

“She’ll never look at you the same again, Ezra. She won’t remember your name. The way you held her. She won’t even know she’s supposed to miss you. You’ll just be… a stranger. I made sure of that.”

Something in my chest lurches.

But I keep my voice steady.

“Then I’ll spend the rest of my life becoming familiar again.”

And there it is.

The crack in her expression.

She knows she’s lost.

Because this isn’t about power anymore.

It’s about choice.

And I chose her.

Isla exhales, stepping back slowly. Her voice sharpens into glass.

“Then go ahead,” she says. “Let them strip you. Let time devour you.”

Her eyes flash, cruel and beautiful.

“And when she loves someone else, when she marries some other man and builds a life you’re too mortal to earn, remember this moment.”

“I will,” I murmur. “And I’ll still smile. Because at least she’ll be free.”

“I'll wait for you to grovel before me to be bitten again.” She whispers.

I don't even move.

Lord Naskai claps his hand, nodding once.

“It is decided. Prepare the ritual.

Just then, the entire hall breaks into low murmurs.

And just like that…

Forever begins to end.