ZEDKIEL.
She left.
Without even a glance back⦠because of what?
I wanted to keep her safe, that was all. Things had blurred out for a few moments, and Iâm left feeling empty.
I had focused on the plan at hand. I know the way werewolves work, obviously, itâs been a part of me. Right now, they are just outside the forest that keeps us apart. I know their battle formations⦠heck; I helped them plan most of them. If they had any brains, they would toss it aside and come up with something new.
Why are we even fighting?
I frown, massaging my temples. Everything is murky, and sometimes I find myself questioning why I am doing this?
âDonât confuse yourself, you are doing nothing wrong.â Zerachiel growls.
Is Evangeline right? She is level-headedâ¦
âNo, she isnât! The werewolves- our own people are trying to kill us! You being a hybrid, has always been an issue!â
Calm down⦠I take a deep breath. âI get that⦠she shouldnât have left.â I reply quietly.
âYouâre right. She left when she should have stuck by our side. Itâs a shame, but she must think sheâs better than us now. Since she is a Goddess.â Zerachiel growls, I can feel his anger and pain.
âLetâs not jump to conclusions.â I growl, âShe still loves us, or me.â
He growls at that, but I try to block him off. My head is already feeling f*uc*king weird, Iâm not sure if itâs the poisonous fumes affecting my vampire side or what, but Iâm not myself. Putting that block up is proving difficult too.
Iâm struggling to keep my sanity. She just left me. Just like thatâ¦
I stare down at Ziahra, who is finally stable. I have more things to worry about. Maybe Lvangeline is trying to fix things from her own point.
âYes, sheâs probably trying to find a way for the werewolves to be forgiven. The damage is done, Zedkiel, as the king of these people you need to step up.â Zerachiel reminds me.
Arguing with him is making things worse. 1 get his point.
âWe march out at nightfall. I have already briefed our warriors. Unless they forfeit, this war will not stop.â I say to Zeina, she frowns and nods.
Isnât that extreme? I think I need to think with a clear âWhat you are doing is the only way.â Zerachielâs voice fills my head.
His talking alone is weighing me down, I donât know why, but I feel as if Iâm being put into a window and Iâm looking at my life from a back window⦠kind of like when he takes control but allows me to be present. But he isnât taking over. That much I know. âAre you certain you wish to do this?â Zeina asks me calmly.
âOf course, we are! They tried to kill us all! â Zerachiel growls.
âI told you to calm the f*uc*k down!â I snarl. His hatred and rage are bleeding into mine and my head is only thumping harder.
âYes, I am sure. Twenty-seven vampires are already dead thanks to the poison in that forest⦠They knew I was coming here to sort things out, yet they still came. Thatâs chance enough.â
My heart is pounding and I can barely focus. The pain and anguish in my chest are crippling.
Is it because she left?
âYes, and the fact that on the day you became king⦠so many of your people died. Thatâs not the reminder any king would want on the day they took over⦠enough is enough now.â Zerachiel says. I frown. It canât be the only option. âEvangeline.â I try to call through the link and my stomach twists when Iâm met with a block. Sheâs shutting me outâ¦
âShe doesnât care as much for you as she does for her own kind⦠They are her only priority, let her be⦠Sheâll come around Zedkiel, after all, she loves you but we need to prioritise this attack, remember those who have died because of them.â Zerachiel hisses.
I massage my temples; it canât end like this. âWhen she was leaving, she wanted to say something, but you took control. What was she saying?â I ask him. Zerachiel sighs, but heâs hesitating.
âNothing important. She was just saying she loves you.â He mutters.
Heâs lying.
My heart thuds as I tense, clenching my fists. âTell me the truth, Zerachiel!â
âWhy do you think I took over, Zedkiel! I didnât want you to get hurt⦠you will end up hurting, mate, and I ⦠love her.â His voice is strained and my stomach twists.
âWhat did she really f*uc*king say?â I growl. Heâs silent, struggling with himself. âTell me NOW,â I thunder.
âFine! She said youâve chosen your path. That sheâs ready to lead her people as the queen, regardless of what she must cast aside!â He shouts.
I tense, feeling Zerachielâs anguish mixed with my own stab of pain, my heart squeezing. Does she really not care?
I knowâ sheâs mentioned countless times that sheâs willing to sacrifice herself for everyone else. It comes down to am I really that f*uc*king unimportant to her?
âDonât say that. It was just a momentâs anger from her. Sheâll come around. We need to find out who is responsible for poisoning our kind!â Zerachiel growls. It hurts, but I canât wallow⦠I refuse to believe
Evangeline would do that to me. I look down at Ziahra.
âZedkiel⦠I know I have not been a mother to you, and I have no right to advise you, you are king and the rightful heir⦠but as an elder and⦠perhaps a wiser person, I want you to rethink this.â Zeina begins. I get that, I need to calm down. âMany more will die, perhaps we-â
I growl, or Zerachiel does, making Zeinaâs eyes widen.
âLet me listen-â I begin, but Zerachielâs aura is growing. âF*uc*k, back the hell down!â But he doesnât listen. Iâm struggling to keep control. Intense emotions course through me.
Evangelineâ¦
Her betrayal, her rejection, her constant fear and hate of meâ¦. her wanting to run away⦠her meeting up with Sinclair Welhaven⦠her telling me she wanted freedom⦠her-
Stop!
F*uc*k, thatâs in the past!
My head is about to burst, white-hot pain crippling me, and I fall to my knees.
âZerachiel stop!â I growl, but he isnât.
He doesnât want toâ¦
I can feel him ripping through my head, gaining control, not just to say something or for a second, but heâs trying to push me to the back.
What the f*uc*k is he doing?â
âI can handle my emotions, Zerachiel!â I shout, but his emotions are only rising.
âNo. Zcdkiel! The time has come for me to handle matters. Your indecisive nature is⦠a problem.â Then Iâm thrown to the back of my mind, and I feel something heavy slam down on me as darkness envelops me entirely.
I can barely breathe, the weight crushing my chest, and I look down to see chains wrapped around me. My arms, wrists, chest, legs, and neck. What the actual f*uc*k?
âZERACHIEL,âI snarl.
âThe stars are almost alignedâ¦â His voice is calm⦠eerily calm.
âZERACHIEL F*UC*KYOU! LISTEN TO ME!â I snarl. Silence. F*uc*k⦠what has he done?
My heart thuds as I realise Iâm no longer in charge at such a critical time, Iâm f*uc*kin not there.
My anger knows no bounds, but Zerachielâs? His is worseâ¦
Far worse.
I close my eyes trying to calm down, every time I struggle the chains around me tighten, suffocating me further.
Unease fills me as Seleneâs words return to me. She didnât want us to talk to anyone else, or each otherâ¦
We all have evil within us⦠Evelyn is a victimâ¦
Find the one whose life force was tainted before it was even breathed into its body⦠Find the monster and destroy it. Zerachiel?
Coldness washes over me as the signs that have always been right there hit me in the face and I realise what Iâve done.
Zerachiel⦠It makes senseâ¦
Everything f*uc*king makes senseâ¦
The signs were there: his attitude, his behaviour, the blocks in my memory, through all of this, he was the one who wasnât keen on us trying to break the curse. Evangeline knew⦠she figured out Zerachiel was the enemyâ¦
In the end, I broke the one promise I had made to her, that I will always protect and stay by her sideâ¦
I frown. He may be my Lycan⦠but this body is mine. I wonât simply stand back and let him do whatever the f*uc*k he wants.
Not this time.
ZERACHIEL.
My heart races as I look down at my hands. Zeina is leaning over me, a hand on my shoulder, concern in those eyes.
âAre you ok?â She asks.
âYes,â I reply.
Oh yesâ¦
Iâm in controlâ¦
The fool was about to listen to her. He really is so foolish.
Sheâs watching me and I keep my aura reined in. âAnother three dead.â Zeina says.
âSee?â I say, but inside Iâm almost laughing. I had planned all of this.
Right from the moment I had overheard Ragnar confront Jeremiahâ¦.
(FLASHBACK)
âWhat were you doing in the woods last night, Jeremiah? And why didnât you step out?â Ragnar asks Jeremiah.
âI have no idea what you are talking about.â Jeremiah denies.
I keep hidden behind the tree; I was out here setting my own plan into place when I had heard them talking.
âWhat are you up to?â Ragnar asks quietly, but even then, his voice is coarse and rough.
Jeremiah scans the sky before looking Ragnar dead in the eye.
âNothing⦠now move alongâ¦â He replies calmly, the opposite of his brother.
âIâll be watching you Jer, remember that.â Ragnar growls before turning and leaving.
I remain quiet, watching Jeremiahâs passive face twist into one of disgust and rage. An expression Iâve never seen on his face before. He clenches his fists, glaring at the ground.
Oh, so he is up to something, but whatâ¦? I slip away, deciding Iâll keep an eye on him too, for my own reasons.
(END OF FLASHBACK)
He had then tried to poison me, and 1 had caught him. When I managed to prove that I was not Zedkiel and that our visions were similar he agreed to help me. Of course, I didnât plan to give him anything I promised, but he was a good ally to have on my side to get some things done when Kash and this stupid Vampire began observing me.
I look down at the woman wanting to finish her off myself. Sheâs such a stupid one.
Jeremiah was the one who had left the supplies I had asked for in the woods, before he had âtakenâ Ragnar back to the Moonstone Pack, and just before Zedkiel had returned I was halfway through placing the poison gas bombs I had created in the woods, each set to go off at a certain time.
Their return had messed up my plan, and I didnât even manage to place half. I am just glad that I wasnât with my stock when Zedkiel returned.
Many more vampires were meant to be dead, yet they survivedâ¦
Irritation simmers through me. Iâm tired of Zedkiel thwarting my plans, and like every other time, I will kill Evangeline because she deserves it. Weâre stronger now because sheâs come into her role as Goddess and as we have marked one another, part of that power now runs through meâ¦
Suddenly, Ziahra gasps as her eyes fly open and she jolts upright, scanning the room feverishly before she turns to me.
âWhat happened?â She asks, looking around. âWe didnât attack, did we?!ââ
âNo, but we will. You werenât out long.ââ I reply. Shame you didnât dieâ¦
âZedkiel, listen to me. Kash wouldnât betray you. He is on your side!â She says, gripping onto my arm.
I raise an eyebrow, wanting to push her away, but I canât because I have to pretend to be Zedkiel. Instead, I place my hand on her delicate one. I wouldnât mind breaking them, sadly I just tap them lightly.
âI agree⦠but Iâm afraid since I decided to create peace with the vampires, he will pick the werewolves. I understand your concern though, after all, you were sleeping with him⦠correct?â
Zeina looks sharply at her daughter as Ziahra looks at me, shocked.
âNo⦠no! This is not about me! Iâm telling you, thereâs a misunderstanding, Zedkiel.â Ziahra says firmly.
âThere isnât, if you want to sit this out, you should. After all, you almost died⦠We leave at nightfall.â I say, before I turn away and exit the room, gazing out of one of the windows.
Nowâ¦
Time to take over both kingdoms⦠Jeremiah has probably done his part, and of course, the others who are behind him, thinking theyâll be kings in their own rights once I win. How foolishâ¦
The power thrumming through me has heightened, as king of the vampires and the mate of a Goddess⦠Oh, I am so powerful.
I smirk as I carry on walking down the hall, running my fingers along the stone wallâ¦
Ah⦠What fun!