All Chapters of The Dreamweaver’s Deadly Reckoning: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

My blood-bonded mate used a battle with hunters as his excuse. He lied, claiming our bond was fading, all so he could be with his lover, Josie.He mocked me, saying I couldn’t live without him. That even if I knew the truth, I’d meekly give up my title as Princess and fade into the background of the clan.But they didn’t know I’d already prepared a grand finale for them. I was just waiting for them to take the stage.“There’s a problem with the blood-bond between Lydia and me.” Milton’s announcement echoed through the council chamber, under the watchful eyes of stone gargoyles. He had summoned the entire inner circle.Regent Marcus frowned. “Prince, what do you mean?”“I’ve lost my connection to Lydia,” Milton said, his voice cold and deliberate. “Instead, I feel a true soul-bond with Josie.”I kept my face a mask of ice, as if listening to a story about someone else.Josie’s hand slid up Milton’s arm, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “We didn’t want this to happen, but a soul-bo

Three days after moving out of the castle, I settled into a penthouse in a downtown skyscraper.No prince’s orders. No clan duties. No endless nights of Dreamweaving.For the first time in centuries, I was enjoying true peace.I was standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, swirling the red liquid in my glass, when my phone rang.“Lydia!” Regent Marcus’s voice was frantic. “You have to come back!”“What’s wrong?” I asked, unconcerned.“The Blood Moon Awakening! The blood moon is in four days, but…” his voice trembled, “the preparations for the ritual… they’re a disaster!”I almost laughed.“That’s not my problem, Marcus. You have a new princess.”“But Josie doesn’t understand any of it! The formula for the First-born’s blood, the ancient incantations, how to commune with the Progenitor… She knows nothing!”“And what does she say?”Marcus went quiet for a moment. “She says she’ll learn… but we only have four days! Lydia, if the ritual fails, the entire clan will lose its Warding!”I took

I froze.“What?”Realizing what she’d just let slip, Josie looked at Milton in a panic.“You messed up an ‘Embrace’ before?” I pressed.“It… it was just an accident…” Josie stammered.A memory flashed in my mind.Years ago, a group of new fledglings had collectively lost control, turning into blood-crazed monsters. I was away, dealing with an artifact, and the clan had to handle the emergency.By the time I returned, three of them had been executed, and a dozen elders were spiritually scarred.Milton told me it was because of “tainted human blood used in the turning.”The subordinate responsible for sourcing the blood was executed immediately. His name was never mentioned again.I was harshly criticized by the elders for my ‘lack of oversight,’ a failure that led to the tragedy. I was stripped of half my Dreamweaving privileges and it took me a full decade to earn them back.“It was you.” I stared at Josie. “You were the one responsible for sourcing the blood all those years ago. It wa

Milton’s voice, laced with the authority of his Prince’s command, rang out behind me.I stopped and slowly turned around.“Do you really think your Prince’s command still works on me?” I scoffed. “We broke the bond, remember?”Milton’s face tightened, and he dropped the authoritative tone. “I didn’t mean it like that…”“Then what did you mean?” I stared him straight in the eye. “Trying to force your ex-mate into submission with your bloodline power?”“I just want you to think about the clan!” Milton’s voice rose. “You can’t be this selfish! The eternal lives of so many are at stake, and you only care about a human’s art show?”“Selfish?” His words finally got to me. “Milton, who are you to call me selfish?”Josie stalked over, her chin held high. “That’s right. As the former princess, you have to help the clan through this crisis. It’s your responsibility!”“Responsibility?” I looked at Josie. “Excuse me, current princess, this is your responsibility, not mine.”“But I don’t know how…”

“Lydia, I know you’re still angry, but…” Milton started.“Angry?” I laughed coldly. “Milton, do you think what I’m feeling right now is anger?”He paused. “Then what is it?”“Indifference,” I said calmly. “I am completely and utterly indifferent to your clan.”“That’s impossible!” Milton said, agitated. “This is your home! We are your family!”“Family?” I scanned the room. “When I needed support, where was this family?”Everyone looked down.“Lydia, we admit we were wrong,” Elder Amelia said. “But now is not the time to settle personal scores. The entire clan is facing extinction!”“Personal scores?” I walked toward her. “Elder Amelia, you think betrayal and deceit are just ‘personal scores’?”“That’s not what I meant…”“You’ve ruined this clan, and now you expect me to save it,” I cut her off. “Do you think I have an obligation to do that?”“What good does it do you to let the clan fall?” Milton asked angrily. “These clan members are innocent!”I looked at him and couldn’t help but la