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chapter 14:
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ:
2025-02-15 00:24:25
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The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    chapter 15: the blood moon
âI knew youâd try something,â he said, his voice a growl. Sofiaâs heart sank as he stepped closer, his claws flexing. âJake, please, let me goâ âDonât,â he snapped, his eyes glowing with anger. âDonât make me hurt you.â âYou donât have to do this,â she said, her voice trembling. âYou can let me go. We can end this.â Jake laughed bitterly. âYou think itâs that simple? You think I can just let you walk away? You donât get it, Sofia. Iâve already sacrificed everything for you. My humanity. My soul. Youâre all I have left. Jake looked away, his shoulders slumping. âMy sister. She... she looked just like you. She was strong, like you. She never gave up, even when the world tried to break her. And I couldnât save her. I let her die, Sofia. But I wonât let that happen to you.â
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-16The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    chapter 16: Aftermath of the blood moon
The drive back to the penthouse was silent. Sofia leaned against the car window, her body exhausted, her mind even more so. The city lights flickered past in a blur, but she barely registered them. The mark on her skin still pulsed faintly, a reminder that the battle wasnât over. That something inside her was still changing. Damien sat beside her, his hands gripping the wheel tighter than necessary, his jaw locked in silent rage. He hadnât spoken since they left the estate. He was too lost in his own thoughts, his own war. When they finally reached the penthouse, Damien helped her inside, his touch lingering longer than necessary as he steadied her. Neither of them spoke. Sofia exhaled slowly, looking around the familiar space, but something felt... different. As if the battle had followed them here, clinging to the walls, hiding in the shadows. She turned to Damien, her voice softer than she intended. âWe made it.â His golden eyes flicked to her, unreadable, before he gave
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-16The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    chapter 17: The prophecy
Damienâs eyes darkened as he pulled away from Sofia, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her shiver. âThereâs a prophecy,â he began, his voice low and weighted with something unspoken. âOne that ties your bloodline to the origins of the curse. Itâs been whispered among the packs for centuries, but I never thoughtââ He hesitated, his jaw tightening as if the words were too heavy to say aloud. Sofiaâs heart raced, her pulse thrumming in her ears. âMy bloodline?â she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. âWhat does that mean? How could my family be connected to this?â Damienâs hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin in a gesture that was both comforting and possessive. âYour ancestors were not just human,â he explained, his tone grave. âThey were part of the first pack. The original werewolves. The curse didnât just affect usâit started with them. And now, with you, itâs come full circle.â She felt as if the ground had shifted beneath h
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-16The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    chapter 18: binding us together
"Damien," she finally said, turning to face him. He stood in the center of the room, his hands braced against the marble counter, his head bowed as if waging an internal war. At the sound of her voice, he lifted his gaze, and the moment their eyes met, Sofia felt itâthat pull, sharp and inescapable. A muscle ticked in his jaw. "You should rest." She swallowed. "I donât think I can." Damien pushed off the counter and stalked toward her with slow, deliberate steps. "Youâre still shaking." Was she? She hadnât even noticed. All she could focus on was himâon the way his golden eyes darkened, on the heat radiating from his body as he came closer. Her breath hitched when he reached her, towering over her, his presence overwhelming. His fingers ghosted over her arm, sending a shiver through her. "You're still burning up from the fight,"
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-17The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    chapter 19: show me how much you love me
The morning after their passionate night, Sofia had laid out her plan, telling Damien exactly what she thought they needed to do next. She hadnât expected him to agree so easily, but he had. And thatâs what led them here. Jakeâs apartment had been abandoned for weeks, the air inside stale with the scent of something long forgotten. It felt wrong being here, stepping into a place that had once been his sanctuary. A place where she had once belonged. But that was a different life. A different Sofia. Determined, she sifted through his old belongings, searching for anything ....any clue that could explain why Jake had changed, why he had aligned himself with the hunters, and what it all meant for her and Damien. Jake's body was never found, but he is alive and watching them, waiting for the right moment to strike. He knows their every move, every weakness, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Sofiaâs fingers trembled as she unfolded the old, faded parchment, th
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-17The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    chapter 20: He is alive
The door creaked open, revealing a figure silhouetted against the dim light of the hallway. Sofiaâs breath hitched, her fingers clutching the edge of the desk as Damien stepped in front of her, his dagger gleaming in the low light. âWho the hell are you?â Damien growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that sent shivers down Sofiaâs spine. The figure stepped into the room, and Sofiaâs eyes widened in disbelief. It was Jake. But... how? His body was never found, but she had assumed... Jake, his face pale and drawn but his eyes gleaming with a chilling intensity, let out a low chuckle. "well isn't it cozy ,Long time no see, Sofia." Damienâs grip on the dagger tightened, his body tensing as he moved to shield Sofia once more. "Youâre dead," Damien snarled, his voice low and deadly. "HowâĶ?â Jake smirked, his gaze flicking between them, a cruel amusement in his eyes. "Letâs just say I have a knack for survival." He took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. "And Iâv
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-17The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    chapter 21: the confession
The room was a blur of motion as Damien and Jake collided with the force of a storm, their bodies crashing into furniture and sending shards of wood flying through the air. Sofia stumbled back, clutching the dagger tightly in her hand, her chest heaving as she watched the two men exchange savage blows. Damienâs movements were fluid, almost predatory, every strike calculated and precise. Jake, on the other hand, fought with a reckless abandon, his desperation evident in the wild swings of his fists.Sofiaâs heart raced, her mind spinning as she tried to make sense of the chaos unfolding before her. This canât be happening, not again, she thought, her breath catching in her throat. She took a step forward, the dagger trembling in her grip, but before she could intervene, Damien grabbed her arm and pulled her close.âStay back,â he growled, his voice low and commanding. His eyes were dark, almost feral, as they locked onto hers. âThis is between me and him.âSofia opened her mouth to pro
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-17The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 22: realisation
Sofia gasped, her body jerking in surprise as the crash echoed through the room. Damienâs arms tightened around her, his body instinctively shielding hers as they both turned toward the sound. The door had been kicked open, splintered wood hanging from the frame, and for a moment, the only sound was the heavy breathing of two people caught in the heat of the moment.Damienâs face was a storm of emotionsâanger, protectiveness, and something deeper, something Sofia couldnât quite place. His eyes, dark and intense, flicked to her, and she saw it then: the raw truth he had been hiding. The truth that had been simmering beneath the surface, just waiting for the right moment to spill over.âStay behind me,â Damien growled, his voice low and commanding. He stepped in front of her, his broad shoulders blocking her from whateverâor whoeverâhad just barged in. But Sofia wasnât one to be told what to do. She moved to his side, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger she had discarded earl
āļāļĢāļąāļāļāļĢāļļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ : 2025-02-17
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The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 86 â When Spirits Weep
The relentless twilight of the 'Wolf Born Twice' reality began to fray at the edges. The sharp scents of pine and blood softened, the perpetual chill lessened, and the oppressive shadows receded. It wasnât a sudden transition, but a gradual melting, like frost under a hesitant sun.Sofia felt the change, a subtle shift in the fabric of this dreamscape. She was still the predator, vigilant and detached, the cold logic of survival dictating her every instinct. But a different sensation was bleeding in â a warmth, a pull, a persistent, gentle pressure she had been ruthlessly pushing away.Let go, Sofia. The voice was Lyraâs, no longer distant and pleading, but closer, clearer, imbued with a quiet strength. Let go of the fight. Not the one out there, but the one within you. Come back to the in-between.The 'in-between'. The place she had visited before, a liminal space connecting her conscious mind, her wolf, and the deeper currents of her being. It feltâĶ safer than the twilight world. Le
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 85 â The Betrayerâs Blood
The biting wind whipped around Damien and Kieran as they descended the worn stone steps into the ancestral crypts beneath the pack house. The air grew colder with each step, thick with the scent of damp earth and something else â something ancient and heavy, the accumulated presence of generations of wolves laid to rest. This wasn't merely a burial site; it was a reservoir of lineage, of history, of secrets best left undisturbed.But secrets were exactly what they needed.After Draven Thorne's chilling message, Damienâs focus had shifted. Protecting Sofia from this external threat was paramount, but he couldnât fight blindly. They needed to understand the Blackwood curse, its true nature, and its connection to The Hollow Order and this terrifying figure, Thorne. Kieranâs frantic research had unearthed fragmented mentions of Elias Blackwood, a figure shrouded in mystery at the very genesis of the curse, and the possibility of contacting ancestral spirits bound to powerful bloodlines.â
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 84 â The Mark of Thorne
Damien stood by the infirmary window, the first weak light of dawn painting the sky in hesitant greys and pinks. Sleep was a luxury he couldnât afford. The image of Sofiaâs still form, the echo of Kieranâs devastating words about the Blackwood curse and its terrible solutions, were etched into his mind. He had refused the grim options presented, choosing instead the impossible path: to find a way to reach Sofia, to pull her back from whatever twilight realm held her, and face the curse together.A sharp rap on the door shattered the fragile quiet. Kieran entered, his face even more strained than before, if that were possible.âAlpha,â he said, his voice tight. âWe have a problem. Another one.âDamien turned, his jaw set. âMore Hollow Order?âKieran nodded, but his eyes held a different kind of dread. âYes. ButâĶ not just a sigil this time. ItâsâĶ a statement.ââWhere?ââJust outside the western border. The Creekside Pack.âDamienâs eyes narrowed. The Creekside Pack. A small, quiet group
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 83 â To Kill a Curse
back in reality The sterile scent of the infirmary chafed at Damienâs senses. He sat beside Sofiaâs bed, his hand holding hers. It was slack and unresponsive in his grasp. Her breathing was shallow, her face pale and drawn. She hadnât stirred since collapsing hours ago, after the invisible struggle that had wracked her form, leaving her locked within whatever twisted reality her mind now inhabited. He remembered the look in her eyes just before they fluttered closed â distant, cold, utterly unlike his Sofia.Lyra, usually a comforting presence, was silent within him, a dull ache where fierce protectiveness should have been. It was as if even his wolf was reeling from whatever had happened inside Sofiaâs dreamscape.A soft knock preceded Kieranâs entry. He looked even more weary than he had earlier, dark circles under his eyes, ancient scrolls clutched in one hand. He moved quietly, stopping respectfully a few feet from the bed.âAny change, Alpha?â Kieranâs voice was low, filled with
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 82 â The Wolf Born Twice
The world was a canvas of perpetual twilight, painted in hues of bruised purple and blood-red. Sofia didnât walk; she stalked. The ground beneath her boots was hard-packed earth, stained dark in places that still smelled faintly of iron. The air was cold, carrying the scent of pine and something sharp and acrid â fear.She moved with a predatorâs grace, silent and efficient. Every muscle was coiled, ready to strike or vanish. Her senses were honed to a razorâs edge. The rustle of leaves wasnât just wind; it was a potential ambush. The snapped twig wasnât just nature; it was an intruder. This wasnât the soft, familiar world of the pack house, or the vibrant, sunlit forest she knew. This was a battlefield, a hunting ground, a place where the weak were consumed.Her hand rested habitually on the hilt of the blade strapped to her thigh. The metal was cold, worn smooth by countless grips. It felt right, an extension of her will. Her clothes were practical, dark leather and sturdy cloth, de
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 81 â The Hollow Order
The heavy oak door of Damienâs study burst open, slamming against the wall with a force that rattled the framed maps on the opposite side. Damien looked up from the reports on his desk, his eyes narrowing as Kieran Ash stumbled in, his usual composed demeanor replaced by a frantic urgency. Dust and what looked suspiciously like dried blood smudged his worn leather armor.âKieran! What in the name of the Goddess happened?â Damienâs voice was sharp, immediately on alert. He rose, circling the desk.Kieran leaned against the doorframe, breathing heavily, his gaze wild. âNo time for pleasantries, Alpha. Itâs happening again.ââWhat is? Spill it,â Damien demanded, reaching for the hunting knife habitually sheathed at his belt.âThe killings,â Kieran choked out, pushing off the frame. He crossed the room in a few strides, his eyes locking onto Damienâs. âAcross the border territories. Three packs hit in two nights. Brutal. No survivors left to talk.âDamienâs jaw tightened. Heâd heard whisp
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 80 â âThe Map of Memoriesâ
(Damienâs POV â Present Day)The blood on the floor had long since dried. The candles flickered as if they feared what we were about to do.Lyra stood at the center of the chamber barefoot, her cloak discarded, her runes fully exposed across her arms and collarbone. Her breathing was shallow, but her gaze had steadied. Focused.âThis is not a spell,â she said, voice low. âItâs a bridge. Once we begin, I wonât control where you go. The memories will pull you toward the piece of her soul that still remembers you.ââAnd if it doesnât?â I asked.She looked at me with those storm-gray eyes. âThen youâll wander her past until your spirit forgets who it was.âI didnât flinch.âIf thereâs a part of her that still remembers me,â I murmured, stepping closer, âthatâs all I need.âLyra knelt beside the basin of now-consecrated blood. She whispered an ancient chant, tracing her fingers in precise patterns above the surface. The blood began to glow faintly, pulsingâlike it was responding to my hear
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 79 â The Vision Walker
(Damienâs POV â Present Day)The moon was barely more than a sickle of light in the sky. Clouds churned over the forest, and the air was heavyâtoo quiet, too still. The trees whispered warnings in a language only the cursed could understand.I hadnât planned to return to the ritual site tonight.But somethingâa pullâdragged me here.The clearing still bore the markings of the ceremony that broke me. The silver runes carved into stone still shimmered faintly, and the scent of magic hung in the air like cold smoke.I stepped into the circle.And stopped.Someone was there.A body.A woman.She lay curled at the edge of the stones, half-covered in leaves, her skin dusted with blood and soil. A torn cloak clung to her frame, silver thread stitched into its seamsâancient symbols I hadnât seen in centuries.I rushed to her side.She wasnât a rogue. Her scent was strange, like rain and stardust. Not of this land.Her breathing was shallow. Her skin ice-cold.But then, her lips parted.And in
The Beast's Bride: surrendering to the beast within    Chapter 78
(Damienâs POV â Three Moons Without Her)Time moved differently without her.Slower.Heavier.Like the minutes were dragging their feet through wet concrete.Three days had passed since the ritual.Since I bound my name to another woman to deceive ancient spirits.Since I whispered goodbye into the ear of the only woman who ever made this cursed blood of mine feel worthy.I still felt her breath on my neck.Still caught her scent in the folds of the sheets.Still expected her to walk barefoot into the kitchen every morning with a sleepy smirk, teasing me about my obsessions.But she didnât.And she wouldnât.Not for three moons.And I was starting to forget how to breathe without her.---The penthouse was too quiet.I left it behind after the second day.I couldnât walk into that room without hearing the machines beeping beside her bed. Without seeing the imprint of her body on the pillow. Without smelling cinnamon and honey on the linens.So I returned to the Blackwood manorâa place
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