The Cursed Vampire King

Fenrir's words carried through the Great Hall, clear enough to reach the wolves pressed against its back doors. This was the man who had once sworn to protect me forever. "Elara, you will give the Luna's crown to Selene. Her cure saved the pack. She deserves to be our queen." He kept hold of my adopted sister's hand, his fingers closed around hers. The elders nodded as though the decision had already passed, and one stepped away from their row. "Your duty continues. You will remain here and provide your Holy Blood. A shield has no need of a crown." The crown would be Selene's. My veins would remain pack property, opened whenever a guard relapsed or the cure spoiled. Selene lowered her face. A blush sat neatly on her cheeks, and her free hand gathered the skirt of the ceremonial gown prepared for my sister. "Brother Fenrir, I can't. Elara is your fated mate. This is too much." Then she looked at me. The smile stayed hidden from everyone else, just as it had when she carried my research into the Great Hall in my last life. I had worked through those nights alone, feeding Holy Blood into the volatile formula one drop at a time. Too much destroyed the base; too little let the toxins return. When the final vial stayed clear, Selene watched me record the calculations. The next morning, she presented my research under her name and accepted the pack's praise. After my work and title, she took my life. Fenrir celebrated his brilliant new queen while guards chained me in the dungeon and set the cell alight. I remembered the iron heating against my wrists and my own blood boiling before the flames reached my face. The fire had killed me once. I would give them no second chance. The wolves nearest the altar drew back when I crossed the floor. I picked up the ceremonial silver dagger, and moonlight from the stained-glass windows ran along its edge. "Elara, what are you doing?" Fenrir snapped. "Do not make a scene." I kept my eyes on the blade. "You want the queen who saved you. Keep her." I pulled the dagger across my left palm. Fenrir took one step toward me, then stopped when the first gold light appeared. Blood gathered along the wound, crimson under a thin golden glow. Several sick guards leaned forward at the sight of it. I raised my hand so every wolf could see the bloodline they meant to hide and use. Selene's fingers tightened around Fenrir's hand. Then I spoke the f*******n severance rite. The elders knew the opening words, though no fated mate had invoked them for a thousand years. "By blood that binds and soul that ties, I sever the thread, I break the lie." Gold light burst between Fenrir and me. For one second, the mate bond became visible from my chest to his. It pulled tight, flared, and broke. Fenrir screamed. He grabbed his chest and dropped to his knees hard enough to split the skin beneath his ceremonial trousers. The severed bond tore through both of us. His wolf clawed at the place where my presence had been, searching for an answer I had cut away. An empty place opened inside me too, a clean ache beneath my ribs. I stayed on my feet. The dungeon had taught me how much worse pain could become when someone else chose it. Behind me, elders shouted orders and Selene shrieked my name. No one touched me while Fenrir knelt between us. I dropped the dagger on the marble and walked on, blood running from my palm and spotting the white floor. Kaelen waited in the darkest corner on a throne the pack had placed well away from its own seats. Mothers used the Vampire King's name to frighten their pups. He had watched the whole ceremony without speaking or joining the pack's verdict. His crimson eyes moved from my bleeding hand to Fenrir on the floor. His crimson eyes followed me as I stopped before his throne. "Your Majesty, I need a new alliance. Will you have me as your queen?" One corner of his mouth lifted. He unfolded from the throne and stood over every wolf nearby, yet he waited for my answer before coming closer. Then he removed his heavy black cloak and wrapped it around me. The lining held the warmth of his body and covered my bloodstained ceremony dress. He guided me toward the doors. Selene hurried after us. "Sister, wait!" At the threshold, she arranged her face into concern and offered me one silver coin. "You'll need this for the road." Kaelen looked at her without saying a word. Selene stepped back, and the coin slipped from her fingers. It rolled over the threshold and stopped in the dirt. She had my crown and the cure she had stolen. She had also inherited every patient who depended on it. Without my blood to stabilize the formula, the base would turn corrosive. The crown would last only as long as she kept that fact hidden.