Chapter 23
Alaric’s POV
I stormed through the corridors, my breath coming in sharp, ragged exhales.
My hands were still shaking.
My blood burned.
My Lycan was angry.
Sensitive, are we? I snarled at him internally. Liana got under your skin that easily?
The beast didn’t answer right away.
Which meant yes.
I clenched my fists, feeling the raw heat spreading through my veins, the telltale signs of the shift fighting its way forward.
She called me a
monster.
She looked at me like I was one
And I had proven her right.
I shouldn’t have touched her. I shouldn’t have-
I exhaled sharply, gripping the nearest pillar, my nails lengthening against the stone.
Fuck.
I had let her get too close.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to matter.
And yet-
“Coward”
Her voice echoed in my head, full of frustration, anger, and something else something I refused to name.
I shut my eyes, jaw clenching.
The beast inside me shifted, pacing like a caged animal.
You like her.
I forced the thought away before it could settle.
It wasn’t like. It wasn’t anything.
It was a problem.
She was a problem
One that I should have shut down before it reached this point,
Instead, I had grabbed her. Pinned her against the wall like a rabid thing.
And the worst part!
She hadn’t flinched.
She had challenged me.
No fear in her eyes, no begging for mercy–nothing but dehance.
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Chapter 23
I exhaled sharply, pushing forward until I reached the lower wing of the palace,
I knew what was coming.
I knew I didn’t have much time.
The door to the prison was covered in silver. I could not break through, except for that one time when I had fallen asleep thinking of her and almost hurt her.
I made sure not to ever make that mistake again.
The iron cuffs hung from the thick stone wall, chains bolted deep into the foundation.
I had designed this myself.
Reinforced with silver, layered with enchantments.
Even at my strongest, I wouldn’t be able to break free.
grab
I grabbed the chains, securing them around my wrists, my breathing labored as the silver burned against my skin
Pain was good.
Pain kept me human.
For now.
The door slammed shut behind me, the lock sealing.
I had done this hundreds of times before
And yet tonight felt different
Because tonight, my beast had surfaced too easily.
Because tonight, it had reacted to her.
I leaned my head back against the wall, closing my eyes.
And the memories came.
The flames roared, thick smoke curling into the sky, choking the air.
I stood amidst the wreckage, my hands covered in blood, my breathing ragged.
The bodies lay scattered around me, lifeless, burnt.
The witches had screamed.
Begged.
Plead for their lives.
I had not listened.
They had taken everything from me–my family, my home.
And so, I had taken everything from them.
I watched as the final witch, the last of their coven, stood before me, her eyes wild, desperate
She had been beautiful once.
Now, she was nothing but vengeance incarnate.
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Chapter 23
u think you’ve won,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from the smoke.
I didn’t answer
Her lips curled into a trembling smile. “You’ve killed my sisters. Burned our home. Taken everything
I remained silent
She took a step forward, blood trailing down her forehead. “Then let me return the favor.”
I raised my sword, ready to end it.
Bu she only laughed.
Something cold crawled up my spine.
She lifted a shaking hand, her fingers curling in the air. The fire behind her twisted unnaturally, the smoke turning black
“You will become the very thing you fear.” she whispered, her voice an eerie echo. “You will know hunger, rage, hate and emptiness.”
My grip on my sword tightened. “You don’t scare me.”
She smiled. “You should be terrified.”
Pain
A sharp pain that tore through my chest, spreading like wildfire within me.
I gasped, staggering back as something inside me shifted.
The world blurred
I heard the sound of bones breaking, my own roar splitting the air
And then-
Nothing
Back in the present,
I gasped, snapping back to reality, my breath coming in harsh, ragged pants.
The chains groaned as I pulled against them, my body changing, the shift forcing its way through my skin.
My teeth elongated. My fingers curled, claws extending.
The pain was unbearable, but I welcomed it
This was my punishment.
Every night, the monster came out.
nd every night. I fought to control it.
And
Tonight was different.
Because tonight, the beast had stirred for her
Chapter 23
Or so much worse.
The next morning. I left before the sun had fully risen.
I needed to check something.
The weight of last night still clung to me–the shift had been harder to control than usual. The beast had nearly taken me, and I knew why
Liana
She had gotten under my skin
Her words. Her defiance. The way she looked at me, unflinching, when I had her pinned against the wall.
Monster.
I clenched my jaw, pushing the memory aside as I entered the hidden chamber deep within the palace.
Only a few people knew about this place.
Knox
Flise
And, unfortunately…
“What’s up, peeps
I stiffened.
Mira’s voice rang through the chamber, filled with its usual forced cheerfulnes
I turned slowly, already regretting my decision to come here.
She stood in the doorway, her violet eyes scanning the
Las ever–dressed
her hands on her hips. She looked as annoyingly perfect as ever in an elegant silk gown, her auburn hair cascading over her shoulder like she hadn’t caused ruin wherever she went.
Her gaze flickered between Knox and me, sensing the tension in the air.
“Why do you both look so gloomy?” she mused. Then, her eyes darted toward the pedestal at the center of the room.
She froze.
A single petal lay on the ground.
Another, still midair, fluttered gently before landing beside it.
Silence.
I barely heard the sound of my own breathing.
Mira’s expression shifted, her playful smirk gone.
“No,” she whispered.
I exhaled slowly, my fists clenching
It had been twelve years.
Twelve years since the curse was cast.
Twelve years since I had burned those witches, since the last of them had given me this fate
And in all those years, the petals of the enchanted bloom had remained untouched.
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Chapter 23
Unmoving
A constant, cruel reminder that my time was limited.
That I was only ever one step away from losing myself completely
Two had fallen.
And there were only four left
For more petals.
And if they fell-
I would be trapped in my beast form Forever
Mira s sucked in a sharp breath. This can’t be happening”
Knox ran a hand down his face, muttering curses under his breath
I forced my voice to remain steady. “It is happening”
Mira turned toward me, her expression uncharacteristically serious “But it hasn’t fallen in years.
“And now it has,” I cut her off “Twice.”
She pressed her lips together. “This is bad”
I said nothing
Because she was right.
I had felt the shift last night, felt the
way my control had slipped
The beast had never been this close to the surface before
And I knew why
My eyes flickered toward the fallen petals.
Everything was changing.
And I wasn’t sure if I could stop it in time.
I chuckled.
Knox and Mira both looked at me, confused. “What’s so funny!”
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