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ROYCE. “Fine by me,” I reply. Just then, Mom and Winona enter the hall. There’s no sign of Marcel or Dad but the blood on Mom’s clothes makes me scan her over. She looks ok. What happened? “Then what do the people say?” Aleric says scanning the crowd. “I don’t give a fuck what people say. I know my daughter and you are not the fucking one for her.” “But I am her mate! Fated mate! You have no right to stop me from being with my mate, Alpha King Alejandro.” Aleric says. “Because I-” Alejandro begins. “Dad, stop it!” Sky shouts. I don’t want her doing that to her father… they’ve only recently come to an understanding. “Fated mate or not, she’ll always be mine. She chose me, and as much as I belong to her, she belongs to the Solaris King.” I say confidently, not caring how arrogant I sound. “How dare you!” Aleric snarls. “I demand you accept her rejection and back the fuck off, or I won’t hold back from killing you either.” I smirk coldly. “If you will succeed.” “Try me!” “Bu
LEO. That was a fucking shitshow. We’ve all returned to Alejandro’s mansion, and Sky’s gone storming to her bedroom. But it’s being fucking watched and right now, Kataleya and Azura are with her. The door to the bedroom is open and I’ve also wired up some cameras, which the women will keep an eye on to see if she does any weird shit. I don’t trust her unattended, not at all… there was some fucking communication that the bastard had with her before he left. Delsanra’s busy casting spells around the place, although I don’t know how strong they will be. I mean, what went down at the venue made It fucking clear that there is bigger shit involved. Raihana and Chris are at the coven with the Arden twins, with four of my most trusted men. Alejandro also sent some of his own men, including Azura’s brother Atlas. Catherine and Charlotte are also here since Winona asked them to come and with everything going on, I think her mom needs the support. Ken’s in the fucking cells here at this p
ROYCE. ‘He raped me.’ I frown, trying to push those words away. There are many things I’d thought I could be accused of but not that… ‘He forcefully marked me!’ ‘He did this to me!’ I place my head in my hands, trying to calm the pain that claws at my chest. How is she doing? I know he’s done something to her, and what hurts the fucking most is she is having to go through this. Is she conscious inside of her mind? Is she hearing what she’s saying? For her sake, I hope not, because this is just going to make her feel even worse… Fuck, I need to save her! Instead, I’m sitting in this prison… Are they really mates, or is he playing some sort of sick game with her? I have never wanted to kill someone before as much as I do now, and I don’t care that he’s my brother. I don’t care for his fucking reasonings, but what I do care about is the fucking twisted games he’s fucking playing with Skyla! If he wants to hurt me, then he should fucking target me, not her. My aura surges, sl
ROYCE. It isn’t hard to find where Aleric is being held. The power that I can feel radiating from the northern side is intense and when I burst through the entrance of a hallway similar to the one where I was held, I can smell him. Past the witches that are watching him, and despite the commotion, as some try to stop me and others on edge at the sound of Raihana’s scream that travels through the halls, the emotions and nerves are heightening. I come to an abrupt halt, raising my hand to show them I’m not here to fight, but what truly gets to me is the fact that nothing is out of place. Nothing is going on here. Aleric is simply sitting there, past the barriers that hold him hostage, with his head in his hands. “Royce Arden, surrender!” Magdalene’s voice comes from behind me. Even the sound of her approaching was silent. I glance back at the woman that stands in the entrance but doesn’t respond, before looking back at Aleric, who now raises his head. Curiosity in his eyes. Wha
A/N: This chapter may contain some distressing content, I will place a ***** before and after the content, I deem the most distressing part. ALERIC. I close my eyes, the fire witch’s anguish cries filling my ears. It’s not a melody… but a stabbing noise that is making me restless. He was a casualty just like Quade… The number of dead is rising and I’m losing count. But he was a necessity… the plan is in motion and the blame needs to be focused on Royce. Who killed Chris and how? Even though I don’t know the answer to those questions, something makes me wonder if Apophis has got someone else working for him… I don’t know who he has but if he has someone doing his bidding, then it is a cold reminder that if I fail, he can and will easily replace me. He won’t need me and will cast me aside with ease. What am I doing anyway? What is the purpose of it all? To be powerful… I don’t feel it. I feel as if I’m destroying everything I worked for in life. The agonising pain in my nec
SKYLA.Chris is dead.The voices are a blur as they all try to hold things together.The emotions that are seeping off everyone are overwhelming. Giving birth to a restlessness that I cannot get rid of.I can still see Mama Mari’s face when she learned about her daughter losing her mate…The way Heaven froze before she ran from the room…The way Tatum’s eyes filled with tears before he walked to his Mama’s side and hugged her, telling her to stay strong…Trying to be the man of the family now that his father was gone.He shouldn’t have to. He’s still young.Rayhan’s pain, Sienna’s… Ahren’s… Dad’s…The pain in my chest is becoming suffocating, and it takes my all not to shift into my Lycan and let it all out.This is happening because of me… I sided with Aleric and because of me, he was able to do this…I’m no fucking Lycan. I’m a fucking excuse for a werewolf.Useless.Pathetic.I slowly walk up the stairs, unable to take any more of the painful atmosphere of the room downstairs. I see
SKYLA. STOP! I scream internally as I try to stop myself from tilting my hand to spill the poison. I can feel my body becoming tense as I fight against myself. I won’t kill my father! I won’t! It’s like I’m possessed. My body has a mind of its own and it’s terrifying. A part of me is trying to keep my arm straight and the other part of me is hell-bent on spilling the poison into the incisions my nails have made on Dad’s back. No. I will never hurt anyone. No! I’m not a monster! I’m stronger than this! Fuck! A sickening crunch fills the room and Dad instantly pulls me back as a scream leaves my lips. I broke my wrist. The power that is holding my body captive, clearly ready to go to any lengths to succeed, agony rips up my arm as the door flies open. “What the…” Dad says as Royce and Leo stand there in the doorway, ice encases the poison vial that I hold in my hand as I stare at my wrist. “Sky!” Royce says, and he’s by my side instantly as Dad gently snaps my wrist back i
ROYCE. I’m shaking, and it’s not from the injuries but the broken state of her wrists, legs and ankles. The darkness disappeared the moment she fell unconscious and Delsanra’s magic slams through. “Royce, you're hurt!” She murmurs as she begins healing me, but can’t they see she’s hurt more? “Heal her,” I say quietly as I pick up her slender hand. She’s broken several bones, and her wrist is mangled. This is the result of her fighting it. “We can’t expect her to fight it on her own.” My eyes sting, and the pain in my chest as I see her like this is killing me. I wish her pain was mine. Why her? There’s silence as Kiara and Scarlett rush in and both women and Alejandro kneel beside Skyla. Kiara’s hands go to both of us as I gently snap my goddess’s bones back into place. “She’s trying to fight it,” Alejandro says quietly, and I nod. “At what cost?” I ask, looking into his eyes. It hurts too much seeing her like this. “We need to do something else, we can’t let her carry on li