CHAPTER77- The Bloodbound King

My body moved before I could stop it, dragging me toward the broken seal as though an invisible thread had been tied around my heart. Damian caught me from behind and wrapped both arms around my waist, using every ounce of strength to keep me from stepping into the darkness. “Fight it, Selena!” he shouted, but my legs continued moving despite everything inside me screaming to stay where I was.

The ancient figure beneath the mountain rose higher, and I finally saw the full shape of the being whose voice had shaken the sanctuary. He was enormous, covered in silver markings that glowed beneath his skin, with long dark hair falling over his shoulders and eyes that burned like twin moons. A massive black cloak hung from his shoulders, and an ancient crown rested upon his head as though it had been waiting centuries for him to wear it again.

“Selena,” he called, and my blood answered before my mind could reject him. A wave of warmth rushed through my body, followed by memories that were not mine, showing vast kingdoms, silver wolves, burning temples, and armies kneeling before the same man now standing beneath the mountain. I stumbled backward as the connection broke, and Damian immediately steadied me.

“What did you just do to her?” Damian demanded, stepping between me and the ancient king. Vaelgor slowly turned his head toward him, and the temperature inside the sanctuary seemed to drop instantly. “You are the Blackwood,” he said, his voice carrying a dangerous calmness.

Damian raised his chin and refused to move. “I am Alpha Damian Blackwood,” he answered, and something dark flashed across Vaelgor's face at the name. “The one who rejected my daughter,” Vaelgor said quietly.

My heart stopped. Damian's expression changed as he looked toward me, while Rowan lowered his head as though he already knew what was coming. Vaelgor's silver eyes narrowed as he continued, “And the one who allowed the curse to enter her life.”

“I didn't know,” Damian said. His voice was quieter now, but Vaelgor's expression remained cold. “Ignorance does not erase consequences.”

The Devourer suddenly lunged toward the opening, but the silver chains around its body tightened and slammed it against the stone. It screamed as dark energy poured from its body, filling the sanctuary with the smell of burning earth. “You cannot imprison me again!” it roared.

Vaelgor looked toward the creature with an expression of absolute hatred. “I imprisoned you once,” he said, taking another step upward. “This time, I will destroy you.” The Devourer laughed despite the chains, and its crimson eyes shifted toward me.

“You cannot destroy what your daughter carries.”

Every eye turned toward me. I felt something stir beneath my skin, something deeper than my wolf and older than the power I had recently awakened. My hands began glowing with a mixture of silver and crimson light as the ancient markings across the floor responded to my presence.

Vaelgor stared at my hands, and for the first time, genuine surprise crossed his face. “Your mother hid more than your identity,” he whispered. I looked at him and demanded, “What did she hide from me?” He remained silent for several seconds before answering.

“She hid what you were born to become.”

The words made my stomach twist. I stepped forward despite Damian's attempt to hold me back, staring directly into Vaelgor's ancient eyes. “Then tell me,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady, “what am I?”

Vaelgor extended one enormous hand toward me. “You are the last Bloodbound Queen,” he said. The sanctuary went completely silent as Rowan's face drained of color and Caelan slowly lowered his head. “And every supernatural throne that still exists was built on the blood of your ancestors.”

I stared at him, unable to understand how the life I had known could possibly be connected to something so enormous. I had spent years believing I was an unwanted omega who had been rejected by the only man I thought could ever matter to me. Now I was standing before an ancient king who claimed that my blood carried the authority of an entire supernatural kingdom.

“Why did my mother hide me?” I asked. Vaelgor's expression softened slightly, but the sadness in his eyes made me uneasy. “Because the moment the Council discovered what you were, they would have killed you before you were old enough to defend yourself.”

Rowan suddenly stepped forward. “That is why your mother trusted me,” he said, his voice shaking. I turned toward him, anger rising inside me as memories of his betrayal returned. “And you betrayed that trust,” I said.

Rowan lowered his head. “Yes.” He looked at Vaelgor before continuing, “But I was not the only one who knew about her.”

A low growl came from Damian. “Who else knew?” Rowan looked directly at him, and his expression became grim. “The Blackwood Alpha Council knew.”

Damian froze. “What?” Rowan nodded slowly. “Your ancestors were not merely victims of the Council's curse, Damian, because some of them willingly helped create it.”

My chest tightened as I looked at Damian. He appeared genuinely shocked, but Vaelgor's attention remained fixed on me. “The curse was created to control the Bloodbound Queen,” Vaelgor said, “but your blood was too powerful to be controlled completely.”

The Devourer suddenly began laughing again. “You still don't understand,” it whispered. “The curse was never meant to control her.” Vaelgor turned sharply toward the creature, and the Devourer's smile widened. “It was meant to make her choose him.”

A cold realization settled over me. I looked at Damian and remembered the rejection, the pain, the strange pull between us, and every moment when our bond seemed impossible to escape. If the curse had been designed to manipulate my choices, then perhaps the connection between Damian and me had never been entirely ours.

“Then what happens if I break it?” I asked.

Vaelgor's eyes darkened. “The moment you break the curse, every supernatural bloodline connected to it will feel the pain.” He looked toward Damian, and something about his expression made my heart sink. “And the Blackwood bloodline may not survive what comes next.”

Damian stepped toward me. “Don't do anything because of me,” he said quietly. “If breaking the curse destroys what remains of my bloodline, then let it happen.” His eyes held mine as he continued, “For once, I want you to choose yourself.”

Something inside me cracked at those words. I had spent so long believing Damian was the one person who could never understand what his rejection had done to me. But standing there with the fate of his entire bloodline hanging over us, I realized he was finally willing to lose everything rather than decide my future for me.

The silver markings on my skin suddenly burned brighter. Vaelgor stepped backward as power exploded from my body, and the broken seal beneath us began rebuilding itself without anyone touching it. The Devourer's laughter disappeared completely as it stared at me with terror.

“What is happening?” Marcus shouted.

Vaelgor looked at me with something close to awe. “She is breaking the ancient command.” The entire mountain began shaking violently, and cracks spread across the walls as my power continued rising. Then the Devourer whispered the words that made every hair on my body stand.

“If she breaks the curse, the one who created it will wake.” A final crack tore through the sanctuary.

And somewhere far above us, an ancient howl answered.