Chapter 40

Diane's POV 

“Speed and agility are her strengths. She can vanish in a flicker of shadow and attack from behind, hitting parts of your body that are weak and vulnerable. That’s her tactic.” Leo began teaching me as usual in the private room.

Here, no one else can enter, and it was built for his meditation session. According to what he told me, this was a place he hid and wallowed in grief and sorrow over the loss of his mother for years.

He would sometimes go feral, breaking everything in his path, roaring and inflicting injuries on himself.

In that state, no one around him was safe. That was why a place like this was made and set aside for him.

Last night, I came here for training, but he wasn’t around. I heard a rumor that his primal beast had surfaced again, and he had vanished into the forest late in search of someone no one was aware of.

Today he is normal again and has begun to train and give me lectures on how I would defeat Zena.

He hadn’t mentioned anything about last night, and I didn’t bother to ask.

It was our fourth day of training, and I could hear the tension in his voice, see the flicker of fear in his eyes as he spoke.

“Most importantly, you must rely on your senses. As a werewolf, your heightened senses are your best chance at survival. Let her attack first. Dodge. Then strike when you find an opening.”

He exhaled deeply, dragged a chair from the corner, and sat in front of me.

His gaze locked on mine intensely as he leaned close.

“How confident are you?” He asked in a hushed tone.

A small smile curled on my lips. “Would you cancel the duel if I said I wasn’t confident enough?”

“You know I would… if I had the power to.” He sighed and leaned back. “Why did you agree to only five days of training? It’s almost impossible. Zena will use every trick she knows, and she has everyone’s support.”

“Except yours,” I said with a playful giggle as I rose from the floor where I had sat like a meditating monk.

“You don’t seem afraid of Zena even after everything I have told you about her. I love your confidence, and it makes me feel you will be the winner.”

His eyes lit up as he stood as well, now standing very close to me..

I chuckled softly, slipping my hand into his. “I will win. I don’t know how yet… Maybe because I have your support. Maybe because you’ve given me a reason to live after I’d lost all hope.”

He laughed quietly, then pulled me into his arms. My small frame melted into his embrace as I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Every night I spend with you here makes me lovesick. I wouldn’t mind breaking every rule for you, Diane.”

“I know. But don’t help me in the fight with Zena. I want to win her myself, fairly.”

“But she won’t have a fair fight. She will surely use tricks!” He seethed.

I looked up at him with a soft, defiant smile. “Then let her. I’m ready.”

I hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What happens after I win? Will you marry me?”

“If you say yes to my proposal…”

“But what about your family? The kingdom? And my people… they’re still suffering as slaves. Will you put an end to that?”

My voice trembled, eyes watering as I thought of the suffering the werewolves were going through in the mines and factories.

“Diane…” he whispered, gently lifting my chin to meet his gaze.

“Yesterday, I went mad and went for a hunt in your pack. The thought of my mother's death struck my heart with intense agony and fury, forcing my vampire beast to surge out with rage that burnt like an inferno.” He paused and let out a chuckle.

“You went to hunt who?”

“Alpha Kane daughter. It was the only way I could feel better because her death would shatter Kane's heart and feed him with the same sorrow as mine. But guess what? I couldn’t do it.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “You saw her and couldn’t hurt her? What happened? I know she didn’t beat you in a fight.”

“Just as I was about to end her, Liam, my friend, showed up. And guess what? The bastard’s in love with her.”

He laughed, amused.

“No way! When did they even meet?”

“A love-at-first-sight situation with the girl we’ve been targeting for years.” He shook his head in disbelief. “At that moment I realized… werewolves aren’t the enemy.”

“Neither are vampires our enemy.” I said with a beam of smile on my face.

“Also, Kane's daughter is also an absolute difference from her father. She immediately agreed for peace, love and unity between our world.”

My mouth fell open in awe, eyes glistening as my heart raced with joy.

“Are you serious?”

“Not only that, she delivered the best news of my life….” Leo paused.

He wrapped his arms around my waist firmer as if I would disappear if he released me, his eyes shining like a boy who’d just received his dream gift.

“She said my mother is still alive… and she promised to free her from her father’s prison and bring her to me.”

I froze, hand over my mouth, his words echoing in my head. “Is this real? Is fate finally smiling at us?”

“Leo… I’m so overwhelmed. Kane trained her to be evil and heartless! But she turned out to be an angel. Does it mean we will one day be two kingdoms living as one peacefully coexisting? Imagine how great it would be!”

“Yes. Then you’ll be my queen, forever—until death does us part. We’ll have beautiful children, grow old together, with no enemies… no fear… no more bloodshed,” he whispered, placing his hands gently on my cheeks.

“I can’t wait for that moment.”

“Me neither…”

He leaned in and kissed me—deep, passionate. Our lips moved in sync, hungry and hot. I melted under his touch.

I felt the hardness pressing against my stomach, his desire rising as his hands roamed my back, tracing my curves. I wrapped my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his hair.

He broke the kiss, breath ragged, eyes dark with lust.

“This won’t be our last moment. Promise me that,” he whispered.

I shook my head. “No, it won’t. I promise. She killed our baby… our first gift. I’ll make her pay, as a mother.”

A sad smile crossed my lips. He nodded solemnly.

“I trust you, baby,” he whispered, kissing down my neck, his warm breath raising goosebumps across my skin.

He lifted me into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me upstairs to his room.

“They’ll see us,” I murmured.

“Let them. They’ll have to get used to seeing their queen with me.”

The guards stared, stunned and speechless, unable to believe their eyes.

But that wasn’t the end of it—

We ran into Zena.

She seemed to be coming over to Leo’s room to meet him.