EVANGELINE.
Zedkiel is the king of vampiresâ¦
âIs that why you hate him and refused to show him the sign of our true king?â
âDonât make assumptions⦠I was angry. The rage within me knowing that my mate was taken from me drove me to the brink of insanity. I cursed Evelyn because I was jealous that Zerachiel got to live⦠only I didnât realise the Eternal God had cursed my daughters too.â He lowers his head, gazing into the rippling water.
My heart squeezes as I look at Raziel⦠even though he had simply wanted his love, in his rage, he had cast a curse upon his own child.
âZedkiel has drank from you. for his and this kingdomâs future, you must make sure nothing happens to you like every ether time⦠because when Selene created a protector for her daughters she gave him powers to rival my own.â He warns me.
âZedkiel will be fine.. even if something does happen to me.â But even as the words leave my lips, I donât believe my own words.
âWill he? You wanted my truth, then take it and heed my words!
My stomach twists and I clench my fists. I have seen Zedkielâs rage, how he killed Odette without even the blink of an eye⦠without me here-
âSee, I told you you go back on your words!â
Evelyn snarls.
Luna growls, pushing her to the back of my mind.
No. I wonât. Believe in me, Evelyn.â
âYou always fail me.â This is the last I hear before Luna shields her off.
I look at Raziel. âIs there a way to break the curse you created?â I ask quietly.
A low growl leaves him, and he raises his head, his burning eyes now upon me.I can feel that heated gaze, feel it burn through me.
âI cannot say. but you hold the answers already⦠look within.. this is the start of your pathâ¦â
I frown, knowing heâs trying to tell me more, but itâs obvious he canât.
What is he trying to say?
Think Evangeline, think!
I close my eyes, furrowing my brow as I try to think of everything we know.
The Oracleâs voice rings in my head, making my heart thump.
âGo back to where it all began.â
This is where it beganâ¦
Do not run from the Gemini Bane, for only then do you have a chance.â
Iâm not running from Evelyn.. from this curse.
You are a curse and a blessing, and only one may survive.!â
We complement one another⦠we are sisters.. Two opposites..
I hear Evelyn scoff, but thereâs not as much hatred in it.
âTo break the centuries-old calamity, learn who you truly are.â I whisper out loud.
âAnd who are you?â
My chest heaves as overwhelming emotions wrap around me.
âWhen that answer comes before you, only then can you rise from the earth and take your true place.â
âI am.. the goddessâ¦â
Pay for the Goddessâs crime and the cycle shall end but remember.. you must do so before the stars align, or your time shall come to an endâ
My heart thunders as I realise what I need to do⦠I donât know how, and it may sound crazy, but there has to be a way to go back to the source.
âHow does one contact the Eternal God?â I ask, my eyes snapping open, my heart thundering.
He doesnât even blink, as if expecting this question.
âYou are a goddess, you may cross into the other realm⦠yet it means your mortal body shall remain here.. and if you do that-â
âEvelyn will take control.âI finish. âAnd until I break the curse, I canât allow that to happen..â
I will find a way.
âYou will find the answer. You are on the right path. Now⦠you prepared for the B***d Ritual and have come for your first shift. Do so before the time passes.â He says, gazing at the crack in the cavern ceiling.
âI didnât come here to-â
Listen to him.. we need to shift.â Luna urges.
Although Iâm not a royal, I simply nod. If he wants me to, then I should respect his wishes. I turn my back to him and untie the back of the cloth I have around my bre-asts.
âFocus and relinquish control to me⦠let me come forth.â Her voice is pleasant and full of warmth, and I take a deep breath, willing her forward.
Searing pain flashes through me as every bone of my body seems to break. I gasp, my eyes stinging with the pain and for a moment I canât breathe, but then itâs gone. I feel power dance through me, as my vision becomes so much sharper, my hearing⦠all my senses. I turn towards Raziel and heâs watching me like a father, proud of his pup.
âLunaâ¦â He pads into the water, but is only barely halfway through before he remembers and stops.
Sadness washes over him and he looks away.
âItâs been so long.. this is the right thing to do.
She has come so far this time⦠there is hope until all is lostâ¦â She says, and I realise that just like Raziel has been doing so this entire time, sheâs conversing with him via the mind link but in this chamber, the voices are not only within your mind but all around us.
âYes⦠I have done all that I can.. the rest is in their hands..â He stretches his paw and a blinding gold light swirls around the cavern, spreading and swirling into every corner of the Chamber before it wraps around me. I feel my feet lift from the ground.
The water from the river is rising, splashing across the chamberâs floor. The wind is whipping violently, but in my cocoon of golden light, I am simply protected.
My eyes close as something tugs me away from the chamber.
My vision clears and Iâm in a beautiful hall. The sun shines through the stained-glass windows, bathing everything in a golden light. Itâs a throne room. I spot the two identical dazzling thrones, of equal power and stature.. yet one is directly in the centre of the room and the second is to the left. A handsome man in black is seated on the throne to the left, his arm resting lazily on the armrest, one leg bent, the other sprawled ahead.
My heart skips a beat as our eyes meet. Upon hisâ head is a gold band, and he jerks his head towards the centre throne.
My eyes widen as I find myself walking down the centre towards that seat. Zedkiel holds his hand out to me, a smirk on his handsome face as he helps me take my seat on the throne.
I gasp as I realise what this means, making Luna chuckle.
How can he be king of our kind, when the Goddess is walking this earth?â She whispers as the blinding gold light becomes brighter and then Zedâs face vanishes. The entire room fades away and Iâm being pulled away. Suddenly Iâm back in the cave, and there are rivets of icy coldness rushing down my back. I g***n as Iâm forced back into my human form.
But the coldness on my back isnât going away and the golden light continues to swirl around me.
âDespite my imprisonment. This ritual to select the true ruler was given to me by Selene herself. It is not part of my imprisoment, and I will always appoint the true rulerâ¦â Razielâs voice comes, but itâs getting fainter, âTake us to victory⦠child.â
Suddenly, the whirling energy and the gold light abruptly vanish. Silence settles and all that remains is the thumping of my heart. Iâm on all fours on the chamber floor.
Even Luna is silentâ¦
I have got my answers. There is now a goal that I will achieve.
I look around, spotting my discarded clothes that are now soaked and put them back on. My heart is still thundering but Iâm thankful that I attained what I came here for.
Iâm almost at the door when I freeze, hesitating.
Unease fills me, Zed.. this throne belongs to himâ¦
âAnd it still will, alongside you.â Luna says softly.
Will he be mad?â I ask.
I enjoy having someone I can voice all my doubts to, well I donât really need to voice them as she lives in my head.
âThe goddess fears her mate?â Luna teases.
No⦠I justâ¦â
He will be mad, not for the throne but for you coming here without his permission and I hope he gives you one of those punishments you dreamed of.â She says, making me gasp, my cheeks burning at the memory of having Zed teach me a lesson.
That-that is a secret!â
She simply laughs, and I am about to reach for the door when it swings open and a powerful aura rips through the chamber. The seductive scent of my mate hits my nose, and despite the deadly aura that heâs emitting, his eyes burning red, his chest heaving, clad only in a pair of grey sweatpants, he looks like a god.
So befittingâ¦
âEvang-âI cut him off, flinging my arms around his neck, crashing my lips against his as I wrap my legs around his waist not caring that Iâm wearing just some soaking cotton, or that there are several people just mere few metres away, or that Iâm shamelessly k!ssing my mate because I honestly donât care.
Explosive sparks rush through me and Luna purrs in my head, clearly having missed him, too. A soft m0an leaves my lips as Zed k!sses me back roughly. His hand grabs a fistful of my hair, and his other arm wraps around me, pulling me flush against those delicious abs. Only a little piece of wet fabric between my pvssy and his hard abs.
The Chamber door swings shut but I can only focus on him.
I can sense the anger in him, but at the same time heâs unable to stop k!ssing me, and that just makes this all the hotter. I feel my core knot, that ache only growing.
Iâm his weakness⦠Iâm his addiction.. Iâm his obsession and I want to be it all.
I tighten my arms around his neck, biting back a m0an when he runs his tongue along my lips, k!ssing me roughly. I gasp for air and pull away, blushing deeply because I can smell my ar0usal.
âZed.â I whisper. âWe canât..â
He frowns as he moves back, looking me over.
âWhat were you thinking?â He growls. His anger making his voice thicker.
âIâm ok.â I say softly.
Hearing footsteps, I quickly slip my legs down and smoothly try to fix my Wrap as those who were standing metres away now approach.
âThis is absurd.â Franco mutters as Alpha Ambrose watches me intently.
âTurn.. Luna Evangeline.â He says quietly.
âOh, Iâve seen the brand and even if itâs similar to your mark, it is not the same mark of the king!â
Franco says, clearly at the edge of his patience.
âJust shut up.â Kash growls at him, and I glance up at Zedkiel.
He crosses his arms, looking so handsome that all I want is to be in his arms.
âTurn.â He commands. My heart thunders, and I slowly turn my back to them all.
Silence follows, and I hear a whistle from Kash, with a few sharp intakes of breaths.
âIt is now complete..â Alpha Ambrose says quietly.
âHow is this possible⦠she-she is an omega, not a Lycan! How-â Philip murmurs.
âYet she has an aura far more powerful than ours.â
Chasyn cuts in. âThe proof is before us. You saw her step out of that chamber.â
âThatâs the mark ofâ¦â Someone else mutters.
âThe mark of the true king.â Alpha Ambrose says.
Luna Evangeline Rose Vilkas, is our true ruler.â
My heart thunders, but Iâm not able to focus on anything but Zedkiel. He hasnât said anything. His face is not giving anything away, but his heart is racing.
Please say somethingâ¦
âBow to your queen.â He commands coldly.
I still look away, from the corner of my eyes I see the men go down on one knee and the king himself lowers his head slightly, but all I care about is my mate who is staring at me in a way that is terrifying meâ¦