Chapter Four: The Blood Oath
1427 Words
Pain was Lucian’s world—searing, all-consuming, as if his blood boiled in his veins. The flames
should have killed him, but instead, they woke something inside him. His eyes snapped open,
and he gasped, clawing at the scorched earth. The riverbank was a wasteland, trees reduced to
ash, the cabin a smoldering ruin. The stone Marcus had given him lay nearby, its surface
cracked but pulsing faintly, as if it had shielded him from Kael’s fire.
Lucian staggered to his feet, the crescent mark on his wrist burning brighter than ever. The
fated mate bond roared in his chest, a lifeline to Angel. She was alive—he could feel her, her
heartbeat faint but steady, somewhere beyond the river. Kael had her, and the thought of that
demon prince’s hands on her ignited a fury Lucian didn’t know he possessed. His nails
sharpened, his vision tinged red. Whatever he was—wolf, demon, or both—he’d tear Kael apart
to save her.
The forest was eerily silent, the pack gone, Selene and Marcus nowhere in sight. Lucian
retrieved the stone, its warmth grounding him. Angel’s words echoed: *“The safehouse is by the
river. You’ll feel it—your blood will guide you.”* He closed his eyes, letting the bond pull him.
North, across the water. He waded into the icy current, the cold shocking his senses awake.
Every step fueled his resolve: Angel was his mate, fated or not, and no prince, no pack, would
take her from him.
On the other side, he found tracks—claw marks, boot prints, and a faint scent of wildflowers and
iron. Angel. He followed them, moving faster than humanly possible, his body responding to
instincts he didn’t understand. The bond grew stronger, but so did a creeping dread. Marcus’s
warning gnawed at him: *“She’s been lying to you from the start.”* What was Angel hiding about
the stone? And why had Kael looked at her with such possessive familiarity?
The tracks led to a clearing, where a stone circle stood under the blood-red moon. At its center,
Angel knelt, bound in silver chains that glowed with runes. Kael loomed over her, his cloaked
form radiating power, his red eyes glinting with cruel amusement. A dozen wolves flanked him,
their fur bristling, and Selene stood at his side, her silver hair stained with blood. But it was
Angel who held Lucian’s gaze—her face bruised, her leather jacket torn, yet her eyes blazed
with defiance.
“You’re late, forbidden child,” Kael said, his voice smooth as poison. “I expected more from the
one who stole my betrothed.”
Lucian’s growl was inhuman, the mark flaring. “Let her go, or I’ll rip your heart out.”
Kael laughed, unfazed. “Bold words for a half-breed. Your blood may be powerful, but you’re
nothing against me.” He gestured to Angel. “She thought she could defy our pact. Now she’ll
watch you die before I claim her.”
Angel strained against the chains, her voice raw. “Lucian, don’t! He’s using you to—”
Selene slapped her, silencing her. “Quiet, daughter. You’ve shamed us enough.”
Lucian’s vision tunneled, rage overtaking reason. He lunged, but Kael raised a hand, and an
invisible force slammed Lucian to the ground. Pain exploded in his chest, but the bond kept him
conscious, Angel’s heartbeat anchoring him. He gripped the stone, its pulse syncing with his
own. It wasn’t just a tool—it was part of him, tied to his blood.
“Pathetic,” Kael sneered, stepping closer. “Your parents thought they could hide you, but the
oath they broke demands payment. Your death will seal the ritual, uniting wolf and demon under
my rule. And Angel…” He trailed a finger along her jaw, making her flinch. “She’ll be my queen.”
Lucian’s snarl shook the clearing. The stone burned in his hand, and a memory—not his, but
hers—flashed through his mind: Angel, younger, swearing an oath under a full moon, her blood
mixing with another’s. Kael’s. The bond screamed, tearing at his soul. She was tied to Kael, not
just by arrangement but by a blood oath—a sacred vow that rivaled their fated mate bond. Was
that the lie Marcus meant?
He forced himself to his knees, meeting Angel’s eyes. “Is it true?” he rasped. “Did you swear
yourself to him?”
Her face crumpled, tears mixing with blood. “I had no choice, Lucian. My father forced me to
save the pack. But you—you’re my mate. I broke the oath for you, and I’d do it again.”
Her words shattered him, but they also steeled his resolve. She’d chosen him, defied her family,
her world, for him. He wouldn’t let her sacrifice be in vain. “Then we fight,” he said, standing
despite Kael’s power pressing him down.
Selene scoffed. “You can’t break a blood oath, boy. It’s eternal.”
But the stone pulsed, and another memory hit Lucian—his parents, not human but wolf and
demon, forging the stone with their blood to protect him. It wasn’t just a shield; it was a weapon,
fueled by their love, their defiance. He raised it, and the clearing erupted in light. The wolves
howled, Kael staggered, and the chains on Angel weakened, their runes flickering.
Lucian charged, the stone amplifying his strength. He tackled Kael, driving him to the ground,
his claws—now fully formed—tearing into the prince’s cloak. Kael roared, fire bursting from his
hands, but Lucian didn’t feel the burn. The stone absorbed it, glowing brighter. He slashed
again, drawing blood, and Kael’s red eyes widened in shock.
“Impossible,” Kael hissed, shoving Lucian off. “You’re nothing!”
“I’m hers,” Lucian snarled, lunging again. But Selene intervened, her wolf form slamming into
him. Pain exploded as her jaws closed on his shoulder, but Angel broke free, her chains
snapping. She tackled Selene, her own wolf form emerging—sleek, black, and lethal.
The clearing became a battlefield, wolves attacking, Lucian and Angel fighting back-to-back.
The bond pulsed, their movements synchronized, as if they’d fought together for centuries. But
Kael recovered, his power surging. He raised his hands, and the ground split, dark energy
erupting. Lucian and Angel were thrown apart, the stone skidding across the dirt.
Kael grabbed Angel, pinning her against a stone pillar. “You’re mine,” he growled, his hand
glowing with demonic runes. “The oath binds you.”
Lucian scrambled for the stone, but Selene blocked his path, her eyes gleaming. “It’s over,
forbidden child. Your blood ends here.”
Then, a voice—Marcus’s—cut through the chaos. “Not yet.” He appeared from the shadows, his
blade flashing as he struck Selene, sending her reeling. Lucian stared, stunned. Was Marcus
helping him?
“Get the stone,” Marcus said, his tone urgent. “It’s your only chance.”
Lucian dove for it, but as his fingers closed around it, the world shifted. The stone’s light blinded
him, and a vision consumed him: Angel, centuries ago, not swearing an oath to Kael but to him,
their blood mingling in a secret rite. They’d been mates, bound by love, until her father tore them
apart, erasing Lucian’s memories and forging the stone to trap his power. The oath with Kael
was a lie—a manipulation to control her.
The vision faded, and Lucian roared, the stone exploding with power. The clearing shook,
wolves collapsing, Kael stumbling. Angel broke free, her eyes meeting Lucian’s, filled with
recognition. They were one, their bond unbreakable.
But Kael laughed, a chilling sound. “You think you’ve won?” He raised a dagger, its blade black
as night, and plunged it into his own chest. Blood poured, and the air screamed, a portal tearing
open behind him. “The ritual begins with my blood, not yours. And Angel…” He grabbed her,
pulling her toward the portal. “You’re coming with me.”
Lucian lunged, but the portal swallowed them, sealing shut. The stone fell silent, and Lucian
collapsed, his scream echoing as the wolves closed in, Marcus’s enigmatic smile the last thing
he saw. Angel was gone, and the ritual—whatever it was—had begun. What had Kael
unleashed, and how could Lucian save his mate from a fate worse than death?
- Writer
