CHAPTER 22
1087 Words
Chapter 22: Secrets Beneath the Moonlight
Killian's POV
Tonight, I had the feeling that the moon itself was pushing down on my chest, making the air seem heavier. No, it was her presence, not only the secrets I held. With her golden eyes blazing into mine, Serenity sat across from me. Even if she was everything I would never have imagined again, she was still waiting.
Holding out for me to snap.
"You wanted to talk," she continued in a calm voice, although there was a hint of uncertainty in it. Was she prepared to face reality? Could she take it? Or would she finally turn her back on me at this point?
I forced myself to look into her eyes and ran a hand through my hair. "This is difficult for me."
A sour grimace twisted her lips. "It need not be simple. It just must be truthful.
I was struck in the chest by the weight of her remarks. Sincere. What a risk.
I reclined in the chair and let the room's shadows to envelop me. I started by saying, "I've had a mate before." I was not deterred by her sudden intake of air. Elena was her name.
Serenity's jaw clenched, but she didn't flinch. "What took place?"
I let out a deep breath as the memories struggled to come to the surface. We became close when I was just twenty years old. She was gorgeous, kind, and feisty in her own unique way—everything you could want in a partner. However, something wasn't right with our relationship. It seemed awkward and forced. As if the bonds between us had already been broken before they were ever established.
"What do you mean?" I detested the way sympathy flitted in Serenity's eyes as her voice became softer.
"Elena wasn't really my soulmate." With the weight of discovery, I let the words to linger in the air. My father picked her out for me. a political agreement to forge partnerships. He... he created the link with dark magic.
Her gaze expanded. "Black magic? That is prohibited.
I nodded, the resentment building in my throat like poison. "He was unconcerned. He just regarded me as a means to achieving his goal of power. Elena too had no other option. She suffered just as much as I did.
The chilly rituals, the hollow vows, and the way Elena's eyes never really met mine were all brought back to me. There was no love, yet she was bonded to me. No faith. Just duty.
"Killian..." The sound of Serenity's voice was hardly audible.
My knuckles whitened as I tightened my hands. "The link was shaky. delicate. And my father became frantic as it started to break. To solidify his dynasty, he desired a grandchild and a legacy. However, Serenity, pushing a relationship breaks individuals. They are destroyed by it.
She did not break the awful quiet between us. She just waited, her eyes fixed on his.
My voice broke as I added, "I tried to protect her." "I attempted to set her free. However, she was already being weakened by the magic. She began to lose herself, her spirit and her intellect. And one evening... With the recollection strangling me, I swallowed hard. "She pleaded with me to stop it."
Serenity reached for her lips.
I said, "I couldn't save her," as the guilt burned like a fire into my skin. She was being killed by the link, and I was too cowardly to stop it before it got that bad. To release her, I... I murdered her.
She rose suddenly, her chair scraping the floor. "You, Killian..." Her words were lost in the tangle of feelings, so she didn't continue.
"I vowed never to take a mate again," I said in a hollow voice. "I couldn't take the chance. I've been troubled ever since by the idea of losing someone like that and shattering them the way I shattered Elena. I struggled against this link with you for that reason. I continued pushing you away because of this.
Hesitantly, Serenity walked across the room. She came to a halt before me, her face inscrutable. "I'm not Elena," she replied quietly.
"I understand."
Additionally, this relationship wasn't coerced. Black magic wasn't used to construct it. That's true, Killian.
The truth I hadn't yet told her made my heart hurt as I stared up at her. "It's dangerous, but it's real." My dad. I paused.
"How about him?"
I couldn't sit still any longer, so I got up from the chair. Suddenly, the space seemed too cramped and oppressive. Serenity, he is still alive. He is also aware of you.
She squinted. "What are you saying?"
He will stop at nothing to break this connection, I'm saying. to remove you from my presence. I walked to the window and gazed out at the woodland under the moonlight. "He's made one attempt already."
You could hear her gasp. "When?"
Do you recall the assault at the river? What about the red-eyed wolves? He was that person. He had been observing us in anticipation of the ideal opportunity to attack. Additionally, if he manages to use this connection against us,
My wolf stirred under the surface, and I let out a low growl. "I refuse to allow him to kidnap you. But Serenity, you must understand. It's not just about us. The goal is to survive. Retaliation is at issue.
There was a tense, electrified quiet between us. Then she uttered something that chilled me to the bone.
"What if he has a method already?"
I turned abruptly to her. "What do you mean?"
She hesitated and bit her lip. I discovered a charm close to the pack's boundary earlier today. I didn't identify the runes that were inscribed on it, but something seemed off. as if black energy was coursing through them.
I felt sick to my stomach. "Now, where is it?"
I handed it up to Ethan for analysis. It may be a rogue's trap, I thought, but now. Her eyes met mine as her speech faded away.
A terrifying insight descended upon me. It wasn't only a warning if my father had given me the charm. It was a pledge.
"We must go, Serenity. Right now.
The silence of the night was broken before she could answer by the sound of a wolf howling. However, this scream wasn't just any howl; it was laced with panic and sorrow.
And it originated in Ethan's cabin.
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To Be Continued...
- Writer
