MY MATE KILLED ME

Chapter 11: The bone King

The forest exploded with crimson light.

Hundreds of glowing red eyes appeared among the trees.

Watching.

Waiting.

Hunting.

A cold dread settled over the entire territory.

Even the strongest warriors stepped back instinctively.

Fear spread like wildfire.

Not ordinary fear.

Primal fear.

The kind buried deep within a wolf's instincts.

The kind that warned prey when a predator was near.

And standing at the center of it all was the man wearing a crown of bones.

He was tall.

Terrifyingly tall.

His dark cloak moved as though alive.

Ancient symbols glowed faintly across his skin.

But it was his eyes that froze the blood in my veins.

Crimson.

The same crimson as the Shadow Wolves.

The same crimson as Lyria.

The same crimson that had haunted my dreams.

"No..." Lyria whispered.

Her voice trembled.

I stared at her.

This was the first time she had looked afraid.

Truly afraid.

The Bone King smiled.

The expression held no warmth.

No humanity.

Only cruelty.

"My daughter."

The words echoed across the battlefield.

The world seemed to stop.

Daughter?

My eyes widened.

Lyria went pale.

"You should have stayed dead."

The Bone King's voice was calm.

Almost gentle.

Which somehow made it worse.

The silver arrow remained lodged in Lyria's chest.

Blood soaked her dress.

Yet she wasn't dead.

Not yet.

Because whatever Lyria was...

She wasn't entirely human.

Or werewolf.

The realization made my stomach churn.

Kael stepped forward immediately.

Positioning himself between me and the forest.

His wolf growled beneath the surface.

Ready to fight.

Ready to die.

The Bone King laughed.

"You still protect her."

His gaze shifted toward Kael.

Amusement danced in his eyes.

"Even after all your failures."

Kael stiffened.

The words struck home.

Because they were true.

The Bone King knew about the previous timeline.

The realization hit me like a truck.

He knew.

He remembered.

Just like us.

Perhaps even more.

Suddenly, I understood the horrifying truth.

We weren't dealing with another time traveler.

We were dealing with someone who existed before the timeline reset.

Someone powerful enough to survive it.

The Bone King's gaze landed on me.

My heart nearly stopped.

For a moment, everything else disappeared.

The wolves.

The fire.

The battle.

There was only him.

And me.

His eyes softened.

Just slightly.

The change was so unexpected that it terrified me.

Then he spoke.

"Aria."

My name sounded strange on his tongue.

Familiar.

Almost affectionate.

I hated it.

I had never met this man before.

Yet somehow...

A part of me recognized him.

A tiny, broken piece buried deep within my soul.

"Come here."

The words were spoken softly.

Almost like a request.

Every instinct screamed at me.

Run.

Run now.

Run far away.

Yet my feet moved.

One step.

Then another.

No.

My eyes widened.

I wasn't controlling my body.

The Bone King was.

Panic exploded inside me.

Kael immediately noticed.

"Aria!"

He grabbed my wrist.

The invisible force broke instantly.

I stumbled backward.

Breathing hard.

Terrified.

The Bone King's expression darkened.

For the first time, genuine anger flashed across his face.

"You interfere too much."

Kael growled.

"Stay away from her."

The Bone King tilted his head.

Then laughed.

Actually laughed.

As if Kael had told a joke.

"A child protecting a goddess."

The words stunned everyone.

Silence spread across the territory.

Goddess?

What goddess?

Kael frowned.

I froze.

Even Lyria looked shocked.

The Bone King sighed.

"Perhaps your memories haven't returned yet."

Returned?

The word echoed inside my head.

Again.

Everything kept coming back to memories.

Forgotten memories.

Hidden memories.

A past none of us understood.

Lyria suddenly stepped forward.

"No."

Blood dripped from her wound.

Yet determination burned in her crimson eyes.

"You can't have her."

The Bone King's expression became cold.

Deadly cold.

"I created her."

My heart stopped.

What?

The entire territory fell silent.

Even the wind seemed to disappear.

The Bone King looked directly at me.

Then delivered the words that shattered my world.

"Aria Blackwood was never supposed to be born."

The ground seemed to vanish beneath my feet.

No.

That couldn't be true.

Could it?

My breathing became uneven.

Memories flashed behind my eyes.

A woman crying.

Chains.

A silver moon.

A child.

A voice whispering—

Hide her.

Pain exploded inside my skull.

I screamed.

The world blurred.

Images flooded my mind.

Thousands of them.

Too many.

Far too many.

Lives.

Deaths.

Wars.

Centuries.

I saw Lyria.

Again and again.

Always beside me.

Always protecting me.

Always dying.

Then I saw the Bone King.

Watching from the shadows.

Waiting.

Searching.

Hunting.

For me.

The visions vanished.

I collapsed to my knees.

Someone caught me.

Kael.

Of course it was Kael.

His arms wrapped around me protectively.

"Aria."

His voice sounded distant.

Concerned.

Afraid.

But I barely heard him.

Because one memory remained.

One memory that refused to disappear.

A woman standing beneath a blood-red moon.

She looked exactly like me.

Except her eyes glowed silver light.

The woman smiled sadly.

Then whispered

Wake up, Moon Daughter.

The words echoed through my soul.

And suddenly...

The mark on my wrist began to glow.