Chapter 4

Elena’s POV 

When I woke up, I found myself chained to the wall in my chamber, not knowing how I got there.

But I still felt the pain in my arms from the syringe of last night.

Suddenly the door swung opened and I knew something was wrong the moment they came for me.

The guards didn’t speak as they unchained me from the wall. Their faces were stone, their eyes lowered, but their grip on my arms was iron. My legs trembled as I followed them down the endless corridor, the hem of my thin gown brushing the cold marble.

I tried to ask where we were going, but my voice cracked in my throat. They didn’t answer. They never did.

The air grew colder as we descended deeper into the palace. Torches burned along the walls, their flames pale blue instead of orange. A shiver crawled down my spine. This wasn’t an ordinary part of Crescent Blood Kingdom.

When the doors opened, I almost collapsed.

The chamber was enormous, carved entirely from black stone veined with silver. Torches lined the walls, flickering shadows across the ceiling. In the center stood a bed, no, not a bed. A shrine.

Crimson silks draped across its frame, embroidered with golden runes that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat. Strange symbols spiraled across the sheets, alive with energy that hummed in my bones. Chains hung from the corners, delicate yet unyielding, their metal glowing faintly.

I swallowed hard. My body wanted to run, but the guards shoved me forward until I stumbled, my knees knocking against the shrine.

What… what is this place?” My voice came out small, almost a whisper.

“You know what it is,” Kael said from the shadows. His smirk was lazy, but his eyes glittered cruel. “The ritual bed.”

My chest tightened. I forced my gaze up, searching the room.

The quadruplet alphas stood waiting, each in their place like carved statues. Damien, at the center, golden eyes sharp and unreadable. Lucian by the far wall, silent as stone, his silver gaze piercing. Aiden on Damien’s right, lips curled, arms folded across his broad chest. And Kael, lounging casually with his wolfish grin, like this was an entertainment.

I felt smaller than ever. Trapped. A lamb surrounded by lions.

Damien stepped forward, his voice even, cold. “Lie down.”

My throat tightened. “Why?”

“Because it is required.”

“That’s not an answer,” I whispered.

“It doesn’t need to be.”

I wanted to fight. To scream. But four pairs of eyes bore into me, heavy as chains, daring me to resist. My body betrayed me, trembling as I lowered myself onto the shrine. The silk was cool against my skin, too smooth, too alive. The moment my back touched it, the runes flared brighter.

Chains slithered around my wrists and ankles like snakes, clicking shut. I jerked, panic flooding me, but they tightened. Not enough to hurt, but enough to remind me I wasn’t leaving.

“Wait…please…”

No one listened.

Lucian was the first to move. Silent, precise.

He held a silver dagger, its blade etched with runes. Without hesitation, he drew it across his palm. Blood welled, dark and thick, dripping steadily onto the sheets.

The runes drank it. The silk pulsed, heat rushing beneath my back. My stomach clenched as warmth spread through me, settling low, in my womb.

I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

Next was Aiden. He didn’t hide his disgust as he approached, his icy eyes narrowing on me. He cut his palm with deliberate slowness, as if savoring the moment, and let his blood fall. The runes blazed brighter. The warmth inside me grew hotter, invasive.

I turned my face away, swallowing the bile rising in my throat.

Kael was next. For once, his smirk faltered, replaced by something sharper, darker. He cut himself quickly, jaw tight. His blood joined the others, and the chamber hummed with power.

The heat grew unbearable, fire crawling beneath my skin. My breath hitched, chains rattling as I pulled against them.

“Stop…please stop!” My voice cracked, echoing off the walls.

They ignored me.

Damien came last.

He stepped forward slowly, every movement measured. His gaze locked on mine, golden eyes steady. For a second, something flickered there, hesitation, maybe. Or pity. I couldn’t tell.

He raised the dagger, slicing across his palm. Then, instead of letting it drip onto the sheets, he pressed his bloody hand directly against my stomach.

The world exploded.

Fire surged through me, searing every vein, every nerve. My back arched, chains rattling wildly. I screamed, the sound raw, tearing at my throat.

The runes on the sheets blazed, crawling up my skin like invisible brands. My belly burned as if carved from the inside. My vision blurred, colors bleeding together.

I begged them to stop, but my voice was lost in the roar of ancient words.

All four spoke in unison, their voices low, deep, otherworldly.

“By blood and bond, we claim her womb. By rite and ritual, she bears our line.”

The chamber shook with the power of their vow. The fire inside me peaked, unbearable, consuming. I thought I would die. Maybe I already had.

Then silence.

The flames dulled, leaving behind a heavy thrum in my veins, like a second heartbeat. My body sagged against the shrine, sweat dripping down my temples, my gown plastered to my skin. I gasped for breath, my chest heaving.

The chains unlocked with a soft click, falling away. I was free, but I couldn’t move. My limbs were heavy, trembling.

The alphas stepped back, watching me with unreadable eyes.

I wanted to spit at them, scream at them for what they’d done. But all I could do was lie there, chest rising and falling in shallow gasps.

My vision blurred again. The edges of the room darkened.

And then…

A whisper.

So soft, so close, as if someone’s lips brushed against my ear.

“You are not theirs.”

My eyes flew open. My heart stopped.

I twisted, searching, but no one was there. The alphas hadn’t spoken. The guards stood frozen.

The voice hadn’t come from the room.

It had come from inside me.

But I didn’t have a wolf.

I didn’t have anything.

So I thought.

My lips parted, a silent question forming.

And then the darkness swallowed me whole.