Corinne's POV
I signed the contract. Mentally, I let out a breath of relief but in reality, I was wondering why this was so easy. I managed to get in and sign the contract with no hassle at all. This wasn't like King Symmon's and quite frankly, I didn't want to find out what was going to happen next. I knew I wouldn't like it.
The King took the contract from my hands and I dropped the pen to the floor. He read over it and smirked,
"And here I was thinking you wouldn't sign it." He spoke amused. I didn't understand how he found any of this amusing,
"Make good on your promise and let my wife go. She no longer has anything to do with this."
The King nodded and walked over to Callie. I mentally smiled, thinking she was going to be free. I was wrong.
King Symmons stood in front of Callie and made her stand on her feet. He whispered something in her ear and from that point it was like everything happened in slow motion.
He reached into his pocket and before I could even react, he pulled out a silver knife and stabbed Callie in her stomach over five times.
I was numb.
I was frozen.
I couldn't move.
I was in pure shock.
The sounds around me started to fade. I didn't have the comprehension to stay in my human form anymore. Lilliana took over and shifted. She howled into the sky.
The signal had been given.
Everything from that point went red. I was angry- actually I was furious. Livid and every other word in between. Nothing could describe how angry me and Lilliana was right now. At this point, we were aiming for everything in our way, no matter who they were. We had King Symmons in our sights and everything else in between us was merely an obstacle in our path. An obstacle we would destroy without a second thought.
One by one, guards kept piling into the room, advancing on me. They were quick but I was angry and when I was angry, I was guaranteed to be quicker.
I ripped out the throats of any guard that came close to me, silencing them to death.
I clawed at their faces, making sure that I would be the very last image they would see before they met their fate.
Naturally, I was a force to be reckoned with on a normal day but no one had ever fought me when I was angry. No one wanted to fight me when I was angry. Lilliana always took over and I let her. We slaughtered everything in our way in order to get exactly what we wanted.
It was like for every guard I killed, two more took their places but it didn't matter. King Symmons was not about to get away with what he had done. Over my dead body.
I fought and fought and fought tirelessly through the stampede of guards that kept coming at me. It was hard but I wasn't about to give up.
Everything in my surroundings at this point was blurred. Nothing mattered to me but killing King Symmons.
He was foolish to stay where he was. He thought his guards would be able to stop me. He thought very wrong.
Growling loudly, I advanced onto King Symmons, baring my teeth at him. He looked fearful but he didn't try and run. It would be pointless anyway.
With every step I took forward, he took a step back. I wondered if he was saying his prayers to the Goddess right now.
He was going to need them.
Callie's POV
My body felt cold all of a sudden. My body felt so numb that I couldn't even feel the pain anymore. This wasn't how I imagined I would die. This wasn't how I wanted to die either.
I took in a raggedy breath and looked at my surroundings. Blinking a few times, I tried to clear my vision. Black spots started to take over.
I could see Tatum fighting off the remainder of the guards. Corinne was advancing on King Symmons.
My mind link was still cut off due to the silver and now that I had been stabbed with silver, I was even weaker. Corinne wasn't thinking straight and she wasn't aware of the massacre she had just caused. I didn't blame her though, she was angry and her anger spoke for her.
A sharp pain shot through me and I closed my eyes, trying to block out the pain. I placed my hand on my stomach and brought it up to eye level. Blood covered my whole hand and I felt a tear run down my face.
I knew this was it for me. Without help, the silver couldn't be extracted. There was nothing anyone could do for me.
Closing my eyes, I thought of my parents and how I had let them down. I thought of Corey and how I never got to say goodbye to him. I broke my promise of saying I would never leave him. The tears continued to fall down my face at that thought.
I wouldn't be there as Corey grew up to be a handsome King. I wouldn't be there when Corinne continued to be an amazing Queen. I wouldn't be able to provide Corinne with her dream of a biological child.
Instead, I would watch down as Corey took his place on the throne. As Corinne stepped down from hers. As she lived her life with someone else other than me.
A sharp pain ran through my heart at the thought, making me let out a painful sob.
I didn't want to die.
Prince Hunter's POV
My father was a fool. The plan was for me to marry Corinne and join together the two kingdoms, making us the most powerful kingdom in the world. Killing Calliria was not part of the plan.
He betrayed me. He betrayed this kingdom and now, our kingdom will fall as he falls.
I didn't know what he was thinking. He underestimated the power of Corinne. She was a new Queen yes but a powerful one nonetheless. With anger flowing through her veins, she would be even more powerful and I was not about to wait around to witness it.
Leaving my father behind was not a decision I was proud of but I would not die for something I had no part of.
He always told me that running was cowardly and we should face everything head on but I would not face my death.
No matter what, I would eventually take to the throne. If I died, that honour would be passed down to my sister and that was not my intention. The kingdom needs a strong male to lead them, not a female. It was not going to happen.
All I needed to do was lay low for a while until the war dies down before returning to take my rightful place as King.
I will return and I'll return even stronger.
It will be then when I continue my fathers plan to make the strongest kingdom in the world through a different route.
It was clear my father would die tonight and I will mourn his death. I will also avenge it.
As I fled from my kingdom, I looked up to the sky and sent out a thought; I will avenge you father. I swear it on the Goddess herself.
Back to Corinne's POV
I ripped out King Symmons throat without even a second thought. He thought he could reason with me and make me change my mind. He was a fool but I was not.
As I was about to make sure the job was more than finished, I felt a sharp pain through my heart. That knocked sense into me and Lilliana allowed me to take over control.
I shook my head and shifted into my human form, taking in the scene I caused. It was literally a bloodbath in here. The anger was so powerful in me; I didn't even realise what I was doing.
Before I could waste anymore time thinking about it, the sharp pain through my heart returned. That was when it hit me. My bond with Callie was being shattered. This meant that Callie was on the verge of dying.
I ran over to Callie and saw Tatum kneeling beside her. I started to cry as I looked down at her. The extent of her injuries were in full focus now.
Callie weakly raised her arm and took my hand in hers. I knelt down next to her and she wiped my tears away gently,
"Don't cry." She whispered. That made me cry even more. My mate was dying and she didn't want me to cry. It just showed how selfless she truly was. Even on the brink of death she was thinking about how I felt,
"I don't want you to die Callie, we just found each other. Please."
She weakly smiled at me before gasping and scrunching up her face in pain. It took a few seconds for the pain to pass and look up at me again,
"The past few months with you have been the best of my life. I am grateful to the Goddess for allowing me to spend my last days on earth with you. My beautiful wife."
I sobbed uncontrollably and leant my head on her chest, trying my hardest not to hurt her anymore than she was.
I felt a gentle hand on my cheek. Knowing it was Callie's made me cry even harder,
"Can you do me a favour?" Callie whispered.
I looked up at her and nodded, "Anything."
She ran a hand down my cheek and closed her eyes, a tear gently rolling down her face,
"Can you tell me you love me? One last time."
I choked out a sob and closed my eyes as another sharp pain ran through my heart. Callie didn't have long and I knew it,
"I love you. I love you so much. No amount of words will ever be able to describe how much love I have for you. I will never stop loving you. You are my whole world and you will always be my one and only Queen."
She closed her eyes and smiled, "I love you too." Were her final words before I felt her heart stop along with mine shattering.
The pain through my heart was unmeasurable as I cried over Callie's chest begging her over and over again to come back to me.
She was gone.
I felt a hand on my shoulder but was too weak to lift my head. I didn't want to leave Callie. I couldn't leave her,
"I'm sorry Corinne." Tatum said. I kept my head on Callie's chest but directed my eyes to look at Tatum,
"Please. Can't you do anything?" I desperately asked. She casted her eyes down and shook her head,
"There is nothing I can do." She spoke. I think my heart shattered even further as those words left her mouth. Callie was truly gone and there was nothing I could do to bring her back.
This was all my fault. If me and Callie never met, she would be alive as well. I didn't deserve to be alive is Callie wasn't.
My eyes diverted to the silver knife that was used to stab Callie. I knew in my shattered heart that a life without Callie, was a life I didn't want to continue living.
I wanted to be with her and if the only way to do that was through death; so be it. I would do anything if it meant I could be with her again.
As I went to reach for the knife, Tatum placed her hand over mine, "Don't. She wouldn't want this."
I lowly growled, "She isn't here! She's gone while I have to live my life without her! If you can't bring her back to me, I will bring myself to her!"
I grabbed the knife but Tatum grabbed my wrist just as quick. She was delaying me and I didn't want to be away from Callie any longer than I needed to.
Tatum grabbed the knife in my hand and removed it. I looked up at her defeated and she sighed,
"There is something I can do to bring her back but we have already let so much time pass, it may not work. It is also forbidden and I can only pray that the Goddess forgives me."
My hand rose to gently caress Callie's cheek, "I'll do anything to bring her back to me. I will forever be in your debt."
Tatum brought my hand up and sliced the knife over my palm, making my flinch. She then placed my sliced palm on top of Callie's stomach. In the exact place where her wounds were,
"Keep your hand there."
She stood up and walked over to King Symmons but I continued to look down at Callie. I leant my forehead against hers and sent a prayer to the Goddess; If you can hear me Goddess, please let this work. Please.
Tatum came back over to me and let out a deep breath. She dropped a slight bit of blood on top of my palm before closing her eyes and chanting a spell. It was in another language and therefore impossible for me to decipher.
As she continued to chant her spell, my vision started to blur. Tatum's chant started to sound further away by the second and black dots started to cloud my vision.
In the final moments, I looked down at Callie and wondered if my lack of senses meant I would be with her again. If this was the end for me, I didn't mind. As long as Callie was waiting for me on the other side.
My lips curved up slightly as I closed my eyes and finally succumbed to the darkness.