Chapter 32
911 Words
The silence after Malakar’s words felt lethal.
The abyss itself seemed to tighten around the cavern walls, shadows curling like nervous creatures waiting to see which force would strike first:
blood
fate
or love
Kael’s hand remained against Midnight’s lower back.
Steady.
Possessive.
A silent promise that he wasn’t moving.
Malakar watched that hand like it offended him personally.
The demon lord’s crimson eyes slowly lifted back toward Midnight.
“You truly bonded yourself to a wolf.”
Midnight’s jaw tightened.
“I chose him.”
The Hollow King laughed bitterly from where the shadows still restrained him.
“And there lies the problem.”
Malakar ignored the creature completely.
His attention remained fixed on Midnight with terrifying intensity.
“You were born to rule the abyss.”
“And maybe I don’t want to.”
The shadows around the cavern stirred uneasily.
Like the abyss itself disliked hearing that answer.
Malakar’s expression softened slightly.
It somehow looked colder than anger.
“Want has very little to do with destiny.”
Kael finally stepped fully in front of Midnight again.
The alpha’s silver eyes glowed violently.
“Then rewrite destiny.”
The mate bond pulsed hard.
Midnight felt the conviction behind his words like fire against her skin.
Malakar noticed too.
The demon lord slowly smiled.
“You encourage rebellion in a creature designed to command kingdoms.”
Kael looked unimpressed.
“I encourage choice.”
The abyss trembled again.
Midnight felt it this time:
confusion
conflict
change
The throne beneath the mountain was reacting to every word exchanged between them.
Malakar sensed it instantly.
His expression darkened slightly.
Interesting.
The demon lord stepped closer.
The shadows parted around him like obedient servants.
Kael’s claws extended fully.
“You’re done moving toward her.”
Malakar stopped exactly one step closer anyway.
Silver and crimson power collided violently through the cavern air.
The pressure alone cracked stone beneath their feet.
Midnight suddenly understood something terrifying:
Kael and Malakar were not just fighting over her.
They were fighting over what she would become.
Malakar’s voice lowered.
“You believe attachment makes her stronger.”
Kael didn’t blink.
“I know it does.”
The demon lord tilted his head slightly.
“And when that attachment becomes pain?”
Midnight’s stomach twisted instantly.
Kael’s expression sharpened dangerously.
Malakar smiled wider.
“Abyss power feeds on emotional intensity. Love. Rage. Grief.”
His crimson gaze shifted toward Midnight slowly.
“The deeper she loves… the more catastrophic her power becomes.”
Silence crashed through the cavern.
Because that— that part— felt true.
Midnight had already seen it happen:
Kael injured = her shadows exploded
Kael threatened = the abyss obeyed her instantly
Kael hurting = her control disappeared
The realization made her chest tighten painfully.
Malakar noticed immediately.
“Yes,” he murmured softly. “Now you understand.”
Kael turned toward her instantly.
“Midnight.”
But she stepped back before he could touch her.
The second distance formed between them— the warmth inside her chest weakened.
And the abyss surged.
The shadows around the cavern rose violently.
Malakar’s eyes gleamed.
Kael looked furious.
“Don’t.”
Midnight shook her head hard.
“He’s right.”
“No.”
“If something happens to you—”
“It won’t.”
“You don’t know that!”
The words echoed sharply through the cavern.
Kael went still.
Midnight’s breathing turned uneven.
“Every time you get hurt,” she whispered, “something inside me loses control.”
The demon inside her stirred painfully.
Not because she was wrong.
Because she was finally admitting it.
Kael took one slow step toward her.
Midnight stepped back again.
The abyss pulsed harder.
Malakar watched silently now.
Observing.
Learning.
Kael’s silver eyes darkened.
“You think pushing me away protects me?”
Midnight’s voice cracked.
“What if it does?”
The alpha looked genuinely angry now.
Not violent.
Wounded.
“Then you still don’t understand what this bond means.”
The mate bond flared painfully between them.
Midnight physically felt the distance hurting him.
And somehow— that made it worse.
Malakar suddenly laughed softly.
“There it is.”
Kael’s head snapped toward him murderously.
The demon lord looked amused.
“She fears loving you more than she fears the abyss.”
Silence.
Deadly silence.
Because he was right too.
Midnight hated that.
Kael looked back at her slowly.
And for the first time since meeting him—
his expression softened completely.
No alpha. No predator. No violence.
Just him.
“Midnight.”
Her chest tightened instantly.
Kael took another step forward carefully.
“You do not protect me by facing this alone.”
The shadows around the cavern weakened slightly.
The abyss listened.
Kael’s voice lowered.
“You think I fear your power?”
Midnight swallowed hard.
“I think one day you might.”
Kael stopped directly in front of her again.
This time she didn’t move away.
His hand slowly lifted toward her face.
Careful. Deliberate.
Like she was something precious.
The second his fingers touched her skin— the abyss calmed.
Not fully.
But enough.
Malakar’s expression darkened immediately.
Kael’s silver eyes never left Midnight’s.
“I will never fear loving you.”
The mate bond exploded.
Warmth slammed through Midnight’s chest so hard it nearly hurt.
The shadows around the cavern dropped instantly.
Peaceful.
Balanced.
And the throne beneath the mountain—
answered.
The entire abyss pulsed silver.
- Writer
