登入The kiss wasn't gentle or careful, but rather desperate, hungry… full of all the pain, fear, love, and dark desperation that had been building between them.It was the kiss of a desperate man reaching for the only thing that could save him… the kiss of someone who knew he was losing everything and was more than willing to burn the entire world down to keep it.Zavian's tongue swept into Emmeline's mouth with a starving, frantic urgency to claim and possess her, desperately reminding them both of exactly what they were to each other.For a fractured moment, Emmeline kissed him back with equal desperation.Her hands slid up his solid chest to his shoulders, digging her nails into the fabric of his shirt.The heat of him burned through the cloth, his heart racing violently beneath her palms and his massive body trembling with a feral, barely restrained need.Then reality crashed back in.Emmeline wrenched her mouth away and turned her face to the side as her hands shoved violently at his
The world ceased to exist for a moment around Emmeline for a moment, drowning in his last sentence.He'd lived a life without her. A life where she didn't exist.Was that life was with Elainna? Was that the reason he hadn't punished her severely and instinctively saved her? Because he still remembered the happy life they had together in his dreams where he truly loved her?Emmeline's heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to violently burst out of her chest as a sickening question burned at the back of her throat.She dreaded the answer with every fiber of her being but knew she had to ask it because she desperately needed to know the absolute truth."Did you go to her on the full moon night?" Emmeline's voice was so small and utterly despaired that it was barely more than a breath.Zavian went stiff. His gaze moved away from her, completely unable to meet her eyes.His reaction was more than enough to answer Emmeline. A low, mocking laughter burst from her throat… one th
Seconds bled into what felt like an eternity of silence until Zavian finally moved his hands to cover his face, as if shielding himself from the weight of what had just been unleashed."I'm sorry." Zavian’s voice was raw, barely a whisper, yet it echoed with the force of a thunderclap. "I'm sorry, little girl."He took a shuddering breath, grappling with emotions that surged within him and threatening to drown him in their depths."You're right about everything." The admission tore from him like a jagged edge of truth that cut deep. "I thought I was protecting you, but I was so consumed by fear that I blinded myself to what I was doing to you."Emmeline felt a seismic shift within her. The anger that had been her lifeline began to drain away, leaving behind a hollow ache that felt more devastating than any fury.She pushed herself up from the floor, each step toward him feeling like wading through a stormy sea."My greatest wish was to be with you, to share your burdens, your pain, an
Emmeline made it back to the bedroom, standing motionless in the center of the room as if something inside her finally broke.She'd been holding herself together all these times she felt helpless, useless, and trapped while pretending she was strong enough to handle this terrifying new reality. But she wasn't, and she knew she couldn't do this anymore.The realization settled over her like a heavy, suffocating shroud, making it clear she couldn't keep living like this.She couldn't keep being the passive victim, the protected princess, or the fragile thing that needed to be kept safe from reality.She was tired of being the one constantly betrayed by those meant to love her and the one who always came as a second choice.A shadow loomed behind her, and Emmeline knew who it was without having to turn around. His presence was the final weight to break her completely.Her throat tightened, her chest constricted, and her hands began to tremble violently.Words formed in her throat that sh
Elainna’s words landed like heavy stones in Emmeline's chest. Her breath hitched slightly, and she felt a sharp pain bloom behind her ribs.Vespera's eyes flashed with fury. She wanted to strike this woman down where she stood, to silence that poisonous tongue forever. But she couldn't risk her children’s safety."And truly," Elainna continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "it wouldn't be wise for you to make waves. The realm already struggles to accept you. If they thought you were trying to come between His Majesty and those closest to him, well, it would only make things harder for you."Emmeline's throat tightened. She felt suddenly small, insignificant. A human girl in a world of ancient, powerful beings. What right did she have to question anything?Elainna reached out as if to touch Emmeline's arm in a comforting gesture, but Aida's hand shot out, catching her wrist in an iron grip."Don't touch her!" Aida growled, her amber eyes flashing. "Brat, I've dealt w
"Lady Emmeline!" Elainna called out, her voice as sweet and thick as poisoned honey. "What a lovely surprise to find you here. I was just taking a walk through the gardens and saw you from afar. I simply had to come say hello."Aida's warm and maternal expression turned incredibly ugly."Now that you've greeted the Lady, please be on your way," Aida said icily. "Your hypocrisy makes me sick to my stomach. I keep wondering how you managed to fool almost the entire realm for so long."Emmeline was stunned. She stared at Aida with knitted brows, her curiosity about this woman’s true identity and rank increasing by the second.For a servant to speak to the High Priestess with such open and venomous contempt meant Aida held power Emmeline hadn't yet begun to understand.Elainna's smile didn't waver. If anything, it brightened. However, her fist tangled in her silk dress so tightly that her knuckles turned white.She should've known this would happen. Having Aida here was trouble."My goodn
Every step back to Emmeline’s bedroom felt like wading through wet cement.Her mind violently churned through the morning's horrors, desperately trying to separate truth from manipulation.A sixteen-year-old girl had tried to warn her. And Elainna had appeared at exactly the right moment to silence
Heavy branches snapped in a rapid, violent cascade before a sickening, wet thud physically shook the obsidian paving stones beneath Emmeline's feet.She whipped around, feeling the breath violently expelled from her lungs when the horrific scene materialized beneath the sprawling canopy of the mass
The gardens of the palace were too perfect.Emmeline walked beside Elainna, refusing to let the oppressive grandeur of the realm dictate her stride.They entered the Sovereign's Grove, a massive courtyard where the history of the mystical world was carved into the very earth.The pathways were pave
~Meanwhile~The corridors stretched endlessly before Emmeline as she walked with her jaw set and nails biting so deeply into her palms they threatened to draw blood.The humiliation from breakfast still burned like acid in her veins.Their sneers, reducing her to cattle, a mere pet… replayed with v







