MasukI couldn't believe what my father had just said. Marry Giron? And worst of all, rule beside him?My father is trying to make Giron king! Does he realize what that means? Does he realize that making Giron king would automatically mean more suffering for the humans?Why would father go that far? I know he wants to protect Domenic as best as he could, but making Giron king will not help, not in the slightest.I glared straight at Giron, who was still smirking at me. He looks extremely pleased with the decision, but he is definitely wasting his time because I will not be getting married to a monster like him. Over my dead body.I decided to study the faces of the elders one after another. Orion obviously doesn't care whatever the outcome becomes. Julio looked pleased by the decision. Luciana looks uneasy, and Karina was obviously displeased by the decision.If only the elders were brave enough to speak up, I could tell that most of them do not agree with Giron becoming king.If they can't
Returning to the palace felt like stepping into a nightmare I had never truly escaped.The castle was exactly the same as I had left it, cold stone walls, glittering chandeliers, and beneath all that beauty, cruelty breathing quietly in every corner. Humans stood along the halls with metal collars locked around their necks. Some stared at the floor in submission. It hurts to see their spirit completely broken. They were just harmless innocent humans but none of these vampires would understand that. They only see them as slaves and that's painful.Some of the humans stared into nothing like their lives were lost and they had nothing to hope for. Their souls completely broken.No matter what happens, the humans are still the children of the moon goddess. They might have been created weak, but that doesn't mean they should be used and stomped on.Seeing the collars around their necks made my stomach churn.They aren’t animals. They felt fear, pain, love. They had hearts that broke just
CAMILLE'S POV.The woods felt like home. Actually, it has always been home to me. Ever since I left the palace years ago, the woods has been my solace.At first it wasn't easy. The shadow monsters were everywhere. It took me months to battle through their brutality until I finally found my solace in the mountain of the moon goddess. No might know this, but I felt more free here in the woods. Back at the palace, I felt like I couldn't breath. No one agrees with my belief in treating the humans right and feeding on animal blood. They thought I was a fool to suggest that. I couldn't join them, so I left. As I practiced my sword fighting, the trees around me whispered secrets with every breeze, the damp earth beneath my feet grounding me as I practiced. Domenic has left the vampire world to be with the human he loves. The vampires would never accept it. They will surely go after him soon. He may think I hate him, but I've never hated him once. I'll do my best to protect him. That's why
After Domenic's little performance that morning, the school was still in excitement. It was like we’d accidentally walked into an alternate universe where everyone suddenly loved me.People smiled. Actual smiles. Even Jason's many exes who used to look through me were now greeting me like we were lifelong friends.Quinn noticed it too. Of course she did.She bumped my shoulder as we walked to our classes. “So,” she said, dragging the word out painfully slow, “you’re just casually dating the hottest and most dangerous man in the city and you didn’t think to mention it? You've literally been living with him those times you were missing. I can't believe you Kate!”I sighed. “its not what you think Quinn. It's more complicated than it seems.” How would I make her understand that Domenic Darkshadow is not just a Russian Mafia leader, but the prince of the vampires? How can I even tell her that all those times I was missing, I was lost in a vampire world. She'll definitely think I'm crazy?
The entire school stood frozen. As they tried to take in what the hell was happening right before their very eyes.I could feel it—the shock, the disbelief, the electric tension buzzing through the hallway. Everyone was staring at us. At him. The Russian Mafia leader, standing in their school.To them that's definitely crazier than knowing that vampires exist and the feared Mafia lord is one.And worst of all, he was kissing me. Could this get any more crazy?Even though his lips was on mine, my mind went completely blank. I couldn't recover from the shock of him being here in my school, kissing me. Just few days ago, he refused to accept me and pushed me out of his world.Why then was he here?Why did he follow me?I hadn’t even recovered from the feel of his lips when the questions came rushing in. Did he leave the vampire world because he realized his true feelings for me? Didn’t he say he wasn’t going to come with me? Maybe he realized that he loved me in ways he claimed not to.D
The days after I returned home passed strangely slow and heavy, yet full. A lot happened.My mom barely left my side. She hovered over me like she was afraid I might disappear again if she blinked for too long. She even took a few days off work just to be there for me, cooking my favorite meals, checking on me constantly, touching my hair like she needed reassurance that I was real.At some point, the police came.They sat across from me in the living room, their eyes sharp but cautious, asking me what had happened during the time I was missing. I told them the lie I had practiced over and over in my head, that I had gotten lost in the woods and couldn’t find my way home.They didn’t fully believe me. I could see it in their faces. But they couldn’t force the truth out of me either. So they eventually left.Quinn came over every single day. She filled the silence with her voice, her laughter, her presence—trying to make up for the lost time between us. She told stories about everythin







