ZEDKIEL.
She had remained silent, even when I took her back to my room. It was almost as if she was in shock, or to stunned to react. I wasnât sure.
I had seen the hatred in her eves when she had seem the mark and for a moment I wondered if I did something wrong⦠but she was mine, and if I wanted to mark her, I could. But it still irked me, her reaction, knowing that she feared and hated me.
I havenât given her a reason to be scared. I havenât ripped her to shreds. She displayed more spunk in front of others- for others. But when it came to me, she was terrified.
âFrom this day on I want your mark to be seen. Keep your hair up. I want that mark on display.â I said coldly, wondering what the Oracle meant by we meet again.â
She stared back at me unblinking, once again that intrigued me. How was she able to look me in the eye for that long and not look away? I knew the effect my powers had on people. I knew when people looked away in fear and when it was from my powersâ¦
Back at the ball, I had thought she had been rooted in fear when she had laid eyes on mne, because, unlike everyone else, she hadnât lowered her head to me.
âOk.â She said quietly, looking away.
I stepped closer, and she moved back, making my eyes flash dangerously. If she was scared of me, then maybe I should really give her a reason to be terrified. I pinched her chin, snapping her head up towards me.
There it was again the stark terror in he eyes.
I didnât know what to say, so I glared into her eyes, seeing them pool with tears and my grip tightened.â
Remember, I own you.â I snarled, before shoving her away.
âYes, I wonât ever forget that.â She whispered.
I looked down at her, and for a moment, she reminded me of something that was broken.
Did I do that? I didnât hurt her⦠nor did I force her.. But then again, I had a talent for hurting people without intentionally meaning it.
âIIl be in my office; you are free to roam the Castle. If anyone says anything to you, make sure you tell me.â
Not waiting for a reply, I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me.
Something about her drew me.. but it didnât make sense.. I unlocked the office door and stepped inside, mulling over the moment when I first touched her.
I know that you find your mate by touch when both parties have shifted. but even though I thought I felt something⦠It was impossible, I couldnât have felt anything, she didnât have a wolf and neither did it make sense for an Omega to be my mate.
Furthermore, it was practically unheard of for Omegas to have mates, and of course, I wasnât exactly a full Lycan oI Werewolf. I doubt I had a mate at all.
Pulling the chair out from behind my desk, I dropped into it, looking at the huge pile of reports that awaited me. I switched my computer on, raising an eyebrow at the huge number of incoming emails. Guess people were more confident in sending me a crap load of work via email rather than face-to-face.
Dad liked to give us all work, and with the growing unease and the constant attacks from the rogues, there seemed to be far more to do. We had to make sure we were providing security to the other packs⦠making sure those living on the edge were safe. Records on deaths, etcetera.
I got to work, reading and replying to emails and giving my input when needed. As for the useless emails that were of no need to me, I ignored them. I really had no idea why some of this stuff was allowed to sift into my personal email. Antonio was meant to have this stuff dealt with before it got to me. I didnât like desk work, but it came with the position.
Frowning, I read another useless email and sighed. I couldnât focus, not with my thoughts that kept going to the way My Little Mouse behaved or her appearance.
I wanted her far more than she realised. If she knew the thoughts that went through my mind, she would quiver in fear. One day⦠and it will be soon⦠then I will claim that p***y of hers and make her mine completely. I massaged my jaw, my mind going to the way her b***d dripped down her neck.
The way it smelt. the way it tasted.
That was wrong, on so many levels. The hunger for the b***d of one of our own species was tabo0⦠I may be a hybrid, but still, I shouldnât be craving her b***d⦠yet I did.
Pushing my thoughts aside, I got to workâ¦
The B***d Ritual.
Tonight was the night that I would be proclaimed as the heir to the crown. We were all confident that it would be me, and so was I. I was powerful, smart, and the most skilled. I knew my name was upon that throne, unofficially, and today it would become official.
It was cold down here, and although we didnât feel the cold much, it now bit into my skin, seeping into my bones. Perhaps it was the pre-ordeal bath to cleanse myself, or just the material wrapped around my waist⦠either way, I almost shivered because of it.
The door to the Chamber of Sight shut with an ominous thud behind me, and I looked ahead.
The cave was dark, the sound of water silently rippling through it. I looked at the arched roof of the cavern before gazing down at the dark water of the Lake of Truth, running with the b***d of our sins.. The water looked almost black, but under the moonlight, it would turn b***d redâ¦
This was a place that we would only venture into once in our lifetime. The night of our eighteenth birthdayâ¦
This was where Iâd shift. Alone, under the reflection of the moon⦠A place where all royal alpha heirs come, to take part in the b***d ritual.
This Chamber had been beneath the castle for centuries and only ones with royal b***d could enter.
Something that we must do. It wasnât an option, but a requirement.
I walked over the jagged rocks, seeing the moonlight seeping through at the altar ahead. My silent footsteps were dangerously loud despite how carefully I was treading. Almost as if not wanting to awaken the Chamber.
I could feel its ethereal power⦠the bodiless entity that seemed to reside in these halls⦠It felt like the very cave was alive. The chamber would look into my soul..
I knelt down near the river, where the moonlight peered through, hitting the water that would soon turn red, and I waited.
Midnight will be here and not only will I shift but I will be given my destiny. I sliced my hand on one of the sharp rocks, letting my b***d pour into the lake as the moon shifted slightly, casting its ray of light down through the gap and onto me and the lake.
It was time.
I looked up at the moon, waiting for it to take on the red hue, hearing the faint chimes of the castle clock ringing twelve. Any moment nowâ¦
My heart was thudding in my chest. Even if I wasnât a pure-blooded Lycan, I held confidence in my beliefs and who I was. I was still my fatherâs son, still the most ideal for that crown⦠still the one who could be the Alpha of Alphas.
The last gong of the bell rang as the clock hit twelve but instead of the moon burning a crimson red â thick, dark clouds shrouded the originally bright moon, taking on a faint red edge, but then, suddenly, the cave became darker.
A sudden gust of growling wind ripped through the Chamber making my head snap up, my eyes flashing red as I scanned my surroundings.
What was going on? This wasnât normal. Something was wrong.
I looked down at the lake, feeling the water begin to ripple faster. Suddenly, a huge black smoke-like wolf appeared in the waterâs reflection. Its golden eyes stared right back at me. I couldnât move, as if whatever it was, held a fearfully powerful grip upon me.
It was huge, its eyes holding a cunningness far more powerful than that of an Alpha wolf. This wolf was far more.. so much more⦠And when it spoke, its voice echoed in my mind, tearing through my brain with excruciating pain. A voice not made for the mortal ear..
I clutched my head, but the voice came from within.
âThe darkness which is beyond the reach of the moonlight will devour every living soul, the filthy b***d of the impure is like a poisoned dagger into the heart of the realm. Son of darkness, away from my descendant, heed this omenâ¦
I doubled over, my hands braced on the floor, the sharp stone was biting into my hands and the smell of b***d lingered in the air but I didnât care, nothing beat the pain that I was feeling within.
âWhen the day comes that you yield to the woman with hair as dark as night, lips the shade of cherry blossoms, with eyes the colour of the bird of night, and skin like milk; when you allow her evil to bleed within you.. pay heed, for then, shall you bring doom to the world.â
His roaring voice made me yell out as pain enveloped me and I could no longer breathe, but then the wind stopped, the moon shone on the ground again, and the reflection of the black shadowy wolf vanished.
My heart was beating violently as I scanned the room, trying to make sense of it all.
Son of darkness?
Wasnât I the one who was meant to continue the royal bloodline? The one fit to be king?
The reality crushed me and my hopes and dreams ruthlessly. I felt that this had been the only way for me to show the world that I was Lycan enough, to show them Iâm just like them. but the truth is I wasnât like my brothers.
I was different. The haunting voice of the black wolf echoed in my mind, âSon of darkness, away from my descendantâ¦â
Yeah, I was away from the Lycan bloodline. I wasnât a pure-b***d but a hybrid, part Lycan, part bloodsvcker⦠born from an enemy⦠a monster.
Heed this omen.â
No, maybe this was some sort of mistake. I had never heard of anyone hearing a voice down here. We were just meant to see a vision of our future. What should I do? I couldnât hide it.. everyone will know Iâm not the chosen one, after all⦠I didnât bear the mark of the heirâ¦
Father had come out from his B***d Ritual bearing the mark of future supreme Alpha.
I stood up slowly, gazing around the chamber that was now bathed in darkness, refusing to believe it. I wouldnât accept this fate; I would prove to them all that I was more⦠as for this woman of darkness⦠There is no way that Iâll ever yield to anyone, let alone a mere woman. Iâll kill her. Before any woman even tries to become a part of my life, I will make sure to destroy them all.
The darkness in the Chamber began spreading, like a shroud, enveloping me. The fear of the unknown rising within me and making my stomach churn and- âMy Prince!â
My eyes flew open, and I grabbed the woman who was shaking me by the neck, ready to tear her to shreds, my heart ringing shrilly in my ears. I scanned my surroundings realising I was in my office, not the chamber.
Had I fallen asleep?
âM- my Prince, are you ok?â she repeated, making my eyes snap to hers, fear and worry in her innocent eyes.
I was unable to respond, my heart thumping violently as I stared at her, a woman I had already bound to myself⦠A woman who had already made her way into my life.. A woman with hair as dark as night, lips the shade of cherry blossoms⦠eyes a tawny grey, like that of a night owl and skin⦠Skin as pale as milkâ¦
âYo-youâre hurt⦠ing..â She choked, my hold tightening, and I stared into those eyes.
âLittle Mouse..â
The cold chilling realisation hit me and I was certain that she was the woman from the Chamber of Truth.