VALERIAIn the midst of my tears, I suddenly felt disoriented.Something dense filled my nostrils, a sharp pain pierced my head, and dizziness overtook me.I stood up, wiping my tears, and looked around. I couldn’t see anything—an opaque, white fog surrounded me, obscuring even the light of the moon.What was I doing here?I felt a bit confused, but my body tensed when I saw a woman emerge from the fog."Sophia." I instinctively went on guard.She had been my best friend, but she betrayed me with my Alpha, Dorian. I saw them together—yes, but when?"Did you come to celebrate your victory? To laugh at having deceived me while sleeping with Dorian?""No, I actually came to return this deformed thing that came out of your womb," she said, and I noticed the bundle in her hands.The white cloths were soaked with blood.My heart raced with panic. I didn’t want her to unwrap what she was holding—I had a terrible feeling that knowing the truth would break me beyond repair."Take it. This thin
VALERIAI barely had time to shove Sophia’s half-dying body to the side before a formidable enemy lunged at me.I didn’t remember Dorian being this strong.He didn’t look like this… or did he? A sharp pain throbbed in my head, but I didn’t have time to doubt. It was clear he was here for my head.I hissed in pain as claws sank into my shoulder, gripping me tightly to subdue me.When I looked up, I found the hate-filled red eyes of a massive beast staring back at me.Something inside my mind struggled to break free, a scream buried deep within, but I couldn’t hear it because his other claw was already descending toward my head.My hardened wings erupted from my back, and the stinger pierced through the palm of his raised hand with brutal force, taking him by surprise as it skewered straight through.Taking advantage of the moment, I extended my claws toward his throat, but he swiftly pulled back from my attack.Still, I saw his intent to grab my wing and tear it off.I withdrew the sti
VALERIAIt was another massive brown Lycan—Quinn—dripping blood from multiple wounds, who began battling Aldric, assailing him alongside Celine in her vampire form.I knew they were defending me, rebelling against the King for my sake. I appreciated their loyalty, but this was not how I wanted things to end. Everything was the result of my fears and indecision.The forest was filled with roars and the stench of thick blood. I began absorbing all the fog brimming with dark energy around me. My wings beat fiercely, creating gusts of air that swept away the illusions and deceptions.My feet lifted a few inches off the ground, and the moonlight started piercing the darkness. But there was too much dark energy, and I was just a novice at controlling my power.I opened my eyes just as something flew toward me, landing at my feet with a dull thud."Quinn!" I cried, utterly exhausted, on the verge of collapsing. I felt like the dark energy coursing through my veins would explode at any moment
ALDRICBefore I left entirely, I turned back to the edge of the abyss. Her blood and mine stained the ground.Now that the spell was broken, I could smell her clearly—I had attacked her with the intent to kill.Only Quinn and Celine had defended her from me.They knew, and they lied to me.At least they managed to follow her to wherever she was taken. I hoped they could protect her and buy me some time.This couldn’t have been orchestrated solely by that bastard Vampire King.How did he know we’d come here?Everything seemed too perfectly planned, even manipulating me with reports of a vampire to turn me against her."Your Majesty! What happened? We heard fighting but didn’t dare approach the fog. You’re injured—here, take a cloak!""Gather all the members of your pack, except the pups—NOW!" I roared at the Alpha waiting for me with several warriors at the base of the mountain.I was seeing red from desperation, but I had to make my mind work, uncover the truth behind all of this.I t
ALDRIC"Your Highness, this woman is dealing with the Dark Realm! Look at my brother—he doesn’t even remember us. She’s convinced him he’s her grandson and does everything she commands!"The woman threw herself at my feet, sobbing."She’s blackmailing me with my brother’s life and my parents, who are prisoners in that hut, just like she tried to blackmail Valeria. Look—look at what she’s wearing around her neck!"She lunged forward, ripping a locket from the other woman’s neck amidst screams and resistance. The woman froze when I stepped closer."Activate it. Only for me," I commanded, taking the pendant from the girl and grabbing the other woman’s hair tightly. "Try any trick, and you’ll last less than you think."Trembling, she muttered a few words, activating that cursed magic, which revealed the truth through a memory.I stepped forward, facing the strange creature I had never seen before.It wasn’t a vampire, nor a witch, nor a specter—nothing familiar.But when she raised her ga
VALERIAI sat up immediately, pressing myself against the intricate steel headboard carved with black roses and leaves, imitating a dark garden.My legs were pulled protectively against my chest.The clinking of the heavy chain echoed in the room, as did his approaching footsteps at the edge of the immense bed.I looked at him with a mix of fear and unease as his features became clearer: ebony-black hair, blood-red eyes, and that cynical smile on his refined lips."What do you want from me?" I managed to say, swallowing hard and trying to hide the trembling in my hands and voice.He sat down calmly beside me, brushing aside the long black coat with golden embroidery."I think you know very well what I want from you. It’s incredible that you managed to hide all these years," he said, studying me curiously. His hand suddenly reached for my chin, and no matter how much I wanted to escape his strong grip, I couldn’t. "How did you do it?"I wanted to defend myself, to summon all my power,
VALERIAI thought about the possibility of him removing the heavy chain from my ankle. It seemed enchanted, and I was certain it was draining all my energy.I wasn’t so lucky—he didn’t release me. Instead, our steps led us to the double glass doors that opened onto a small balcony.My eyes widened in awe as I looked out into the night. We were high up, in an ancient castle perched on a mountain surrounded by snow and a frozen lake.In the distance, dark walls stretched out, shrouded in cold air and a dense, dark fog that blanketed the sky."Since you’re taking it all in, why not have a look at our guests in the plaza?" he murmured in my ear, his hand controlling my head.My black hair blew in the strong winds from the heights, along with the thin nightgown that offered no protection against the freezing temperatures."No, no..." was all I could manage when I saw, far below in a wide stone plaza surrounded by walls, Celine—gagged and tied, her hands bound above her head and nearly hang
VALERIA"Who... who are you?" I stood up immediately, though a bit unsteady on my feet.Truthfully, I wasn’t afraid of the small elderly woman who barely reached my chest, but I couldn’t fathom where she had suddenly appeared from."Come, come, don’t be frightened. You know I won’t hurt you. Lie down on the bed; the floor is too cold, and you might catch a chill," she said, gently guiding me toward the enormous bed. She pulled back the quilt and tucked me in tenderly.I felt like a small child as I watched her walk away to add more logs to the fireplace that warmed the chilly room.Something about her—her aura—made me want to cry. I remembered the words I’d read at the last altar.Could she be the one who called me "little crow"?"It’s me," she replied, finally turning around and smiling. She came back to the bed and climbed up, sitting beside me."Are you my nanny? How do you know my name? Why do you call me ‘little crow’?" I bombarded her with questions one after another."Yes, you c