CHAPTER 3
1635 Words
SOPHIA TYRIAN
I try to fight, but they are too strong.
When we return to the mansion I am shoved hard against the floor.
My knees burn. I lift my head and feel my stomach twist.
I see two vampires dragging Ethan to the center of the hall.
“Please, don’t hurt him,” I whisper, looking at the king.
He smiles at me.
“You did this.”
My eyes widen when Ethan is strapped to an iron cross-like structure, arms and legs stretched out, thick shackles binding each limb.
Blood drips from the wound on his body.
He is badly injured, but even so, he keeps looking at me.
But the worst is what I see around.
A circle of vampires.
Cruel smiles. Red eyes glowing with excitement. They watch as if it were a spectacle.
“No… please… don’t do this…” my voice comes out trembling, desperate.
I try to crawl to my feet, but the King stands beside me, and his mere gaze freezes me.
He steps forward, his cloak dragging across the floor. His voice booms through the hall:
“Werewolves are beasts. And beasts must be hunted… and killed.”
“No!” I scream, tears burning my eyes. “Please, not him.”
“SHUT UP!”
He points at the vampires, his expression cold.
“Begin. One by one. I want everyone to take part.”
“No! NO!” I try to run to Ethan, but strong arms drag me back.
It’s Aiden.
“Let me go! Please! He’s going to die!” I thrash, kick, hit, but he holds me tightly, his face serious, his eyes avoiding mine.
“Don’t make this harder, my pet…” he murmurs, but I barely hear him.
The first vampire approaches Ethan.
He smiles, showing his fangs, and delivers a punch so hard to his stomach that the sound is drowned by Ethan’s groan of pain.
“STOP!” I scream, shutting my eyes.
But the sound goes on. Punches. Kicks. Laughter.
I open my eyes and see Ethan spit blood, yet still stare at me.
“Sophia… I… love you…” he says with difficulty.
“I swear… I swear you’ll all pay. I will kill every one of you…” my voice drips with hatred, but the King only smiles, as if my words mean nothing.
Another punch hits Ethan, and this time he nearly passes out.
“Please! He’s going to die! I beg you!”
The King raises his hand, and all the vampires stop. He looks at me with that air of absolute ownership.
“Aiden… release her.”
Aiden’s grip loosens, and I collapse to my knees on the cold floor, crawling as far as I can.
“Please, don’t kill him… I’ll do anything…”
He stops before me and, with a venomous smile, pulls a dagger from his belt, placing it in my hand.
“Then prove it. Swear with your own blood that you will never run again… never disobey me again.”
I stare at him, trembling.
“What?”
“Cut your wrist… and say the words I order.”
Behind me, Ethan struggles, his voice weak but urgent:
“No, Sophia! Don’t do it! Don’t submit to that monster because of me.”
With trembling hands, I lift the blade.
I look at Ethan and then slice my skin.
Blood runs hot down my hand.
“I am the property of the Vampire King… and I owe him total obedience.”
“That is not enough.”
In one swift move, he snatches the dagger from my hand and throws it through the air.
The sound of metal piercing flesh is sharp, deadly.
Ethan’s eyes widen, his body arches against the chains, and blood starts pouring from his chest.
“No…” my voice is barely sound. “NOOO!”
I run to him, ignoring everything.
My hands touch his face, his body, trying to hold onto the life slipping away.
“Stay with me… please, stay with me…”
But he is already leaving. My world collapses in that instant.
My mate is dead.
The King killed him.
I stay there, crying over his body, feeling hatred rise inside me like an uncontrollable flame.
“Take her to the room. Lock her up,” the King orders.
Two vampires drag me away by force, but my voice erupts through the hall:
“YOU WILL DIE! ALL OF YOU! I SWEAR!”
They pull me away from Ethan.
I cannot stop crying.
The pain of the mate bond breaking is unbearable.
When the bedroom doors close, I sit on the floor, hugging myself and seeing Ethan’s blood on my hands.
I can’t breathe properly. I can’t sleep. I close my eyes and only see his face falling, bleeding, dying in front of me.
And behind it all, the King’s cruel smile.
I want revenge.
I want every single one of those monsters to pay. Every vampire in this mansion should burn in hell. I want their blood. I want to see them suffer as I suffer.
The door creaks suddenly.
My heart races and disgust pierces me. If it is the King, I don’t know if I can bear it. I clench my fists in rage. But it isn’t him.
It’s Aiden.
He enters slowly, silent steps, the hood of his cloak still covering part of his face.
When I try to let out a scream of rage, he crosses the room in seconds and covers my mouth with his hand.
“Shhh.”
“If you make a sound, you’ll die now. I don’t have much time.”
I push his hand away violently, suffocated by rage.
“Get out. Go away. I don’t want you here!”
He doesn’t move. His gaze doesn’t waver.
“I can help you.”
I let out a bitter laugh, almost a sob.
“Help me? My mate is dead! I have nothing left. Nothing!”
For an instant, I see something break in his eyes.
He doesn’t try to comfort me. Doesn’t try to lie. He just stays silent. Then, calmly, he pulls something from inside his cloak.
A dagger.
Not just any dagger.
“What is that?” I ask, gasping.
“A weapon that once belonged to my family. Now, it’s yours.”
I shake my head, laughing without humor.
“You’re insane. That won’t change anything. He’s the vampire king. No one can touch him. No one can win.”
“I understand what you feel.” His voice is low, deep. “Because I have felt the same.”
I look at him in disbelief.
“What do you mean?”
“The king forced me to watch. One by one. Everyone in my pack. My family. My brothers. My mother. He killed them all. I was just a boy. And do you know what he did? He left me alive. Just to suffer. Just to remember. He always does that.”
My eyes fill with tears.
“Why?”
“Because he is cruel. Because he enjoys watching us break.” Aiden takes a deep breath. “But I never forgot. And I will never forgive.”
“Your name…” I murmur. “Who are you, really?”
He lifts his face, pulling back the hood.
“My name is Aiden, from the Duskbane Pack.”
My eyes widen.
“That… that’s not possible. The Duskbane Pack was destroyed years ago. They said you were the strongest werewolves that ever lived.”
“We were.” His voice is a contained growl. “Until he destroyed us. I am the last.”
I had heard stories as a child, stories of unbeatable warriors who protected their own until death. And now, before me, stands a survivor.
“You don’t understand, Sophia.” He steps closer, his eyes blazing. “With your help, I can kill him. We can kill him.”
I gasp. My heart pounds.
“How?”
“Let me help you. Let me teach you to defend yourself, to fight. Let me make you stronger.” He extends the dagger toward me.
I take it with trembling hands. The cold metal seems to pulse as if it were alive.
“The king can only be killed like this.” Aiden points to the blade. “This dagger to his heart. If he dies… all the vampires die with him.”
For the first time, I feel hope. A spark. But Aiden isn’t done. He breathes deeply before continuing.
“But there is one condition.”
"Which condition?"
He comes closer. I can feel his heat. The wild scent. The strength that vibrates in every muscle.
"To be strong enough, we need to unite." His eyes shine golden. "You need to become my Luna, Sophia."
My heart races.
"What?"
"If I mark you as mine, you will have my power running inside you. Our bodies, our souls, our strength… everything will become one. And only then will we be able to kill the king."
I swallow hard. My fingers tighten around the hilt of the dagger.
"Are you saying that… I need to accept being marked again?"
"Not just marked." He leans in, his eyes locked on mine. "I need to claim you as mine."
My body trembles. The bond with Ethan was ripped away from me.
Vengeance.
I look at the dagger in my hand. Then, at Aiden.
And I know the next step could change everything.
"Let me mark you as mine, Sophia. Let’s destroy the vampires, let’s avenge the death of your true mate."
I lift my head, my vision completely blurred by my tears.
"Yes..." I whisper, seeing that this is my only chance here.
- Writer
