ZEDKIEL.
Her crying terrifies me. I donât know why sheâs crying, but something isnât right.
I feel different to0⦠but Iâm not complainingâ¦
Without the constant rage that I was battling with, I feel content, just how I did when we had gone to the other realm.
I know Iâve lost a part of me, but it is not a part I will mourn over.
She did the right thing; she did what was needed and I am beyond proud of her, but her gut- wrenching cries are breaking me. The bond between us sizzles powerfully, but the pain is all I Can sense.
Why is she so devastated?
Her aura isnât as strong as it was after her powers manifested and even with all the intense emotions itâs obvious, sheâs somehow lost some of her powers.
Everything is pushed aside as she screams out in anguish, breaking down into wracking sobs.
âOur baby Zed⦠Our baby is gone. I gave our baby away without even realising what I was doing.â
She sobs.
My heart skips a beat as her words take a moment to register.
Our baby?
She was pregnant..
Was.
âWhat?âI ask quietly, trying to hide all the shock from my voice.
Dread fills me as she looks up at me with anguished eyes that are blurred with tears.
âA Treasure of the Moon.. I promised him our unborn child without realising what he meant.â
She whimpers through the bond.
I inhale her scent to calm my own emotions, wanting to be strong for her.
I knew that would come back to bite us. How can the loss of someone you didnât even know existed hurt so much?
I console her, kissing her as I mask my own regret and pain because I know sheâs probably feeling worseâ¦
It doesnât matter. Itâs going to be fine. Iâll figure something out.â I murmur, kissing her softly on her head and cheeks, nuzzling into her neck.
Sheâs broken and filled with guilt.
Of course, she is.. after all, she made that choice, and I am not going to make this worse for her.
itâs going to be ok, can you open a portal to the other realm? I will try to barter with him. There must be a solution.â I say through the link.
She looks up at me and shakes her head.
I canât.. the only time a portal will now open will be on a full moon when I have to make a round to the realm for my duties⦠but my powers will no longer work on this planet. Iâm powerless until I have lived one werewolf lifetime on Earth.â
Powerlessâ¦
And I know she would now happily give it all up to be near our child, in that realm.
âAre you saying thereâs no hope? I ask, my heart heavy as I think of our pup.
Her silence answers that question, and I pull her close.
I wonât stop trying to find a way. I promise.
âYou did what you had to. Donât blame yourself. I am certain our child will be safe.âI say quietly.
I glance up at Kash and the others, my eyes stopping on the woman who stands behind Ragnar.
Sheâs strikingly beautiful and looks So much likeâ¦
âEvelyn?â I say, shocked, realising who it must be. I have no idea how, but it is definitely her.
Evangeline looks up and Iâm relieved to see a small smile on her face, even if her eyes remain filled with sadness.
âYeah,â Evelyn says, shrugging as she crosses her arms.
I stand up slowly, helping Evangeline up and kissing her lips softly.
âThings will get better.. you broke the curse, you saved me and Evelyn and ended this curse, be proud of yourself.â I say to her quietly.
She k****s me back and I brush her tears away before she slowly pulls away and goes to Evelyn.
âIm so happy that you are here, Evelyn.â She says and simply hugs her. Evelynâs face softens as she hugs her back tightly as Kash embraces me.
âWelcome back bro.â He says slapping my back.
F**k, that hurts.
I bite back a grunt of pain and raise a brow.
âObviously Iâm back,â I say cockily, turning to Ziahra.
Itâs not hard to miss that these two are standing a little too close, and Kash is a hybrid.
What have I missed?
I frown slightly as I hug her.
âGlad youâre back, Zedkiel.â She says.
âHmm, Iâm sure..â I say, glancing between them, but just then I hear footsteps that are accompanied by a powerful aura.
âI have a pack to f*****g run, traitors to punish, a land to claim, and a mate to hunt. Stay out of my way and send the deed papers. My part is done.â
He says coldly.
I turn to look at the man, knowing by the way he was talking that heâs none other than Godric Astorath.
âThe deed is yours⦠as for your mate.. you wished to reject her. You will stay away from her.â
Evangeline says, her eyes sharp as she returns to alpha mode, staring down the man before her.
He sneers coldly. âId like to see you stop me.â
âDo not test me Alpha Godric. Your mate belongs to my pack, and that means she is under my protection.â Her eyes flash and Godric simply looks bored, but Iâm certain he wonât listen.
âNow he wants her back?âI ask Kash and Ragnar through the link, but I can only connect to Kash, and I instantly realise the connection feels different. Just the way it does when I linked vampires..
I donât have my Lycan.. Which means I can no longer mind link my Lycan family or pack membersâ¦
My heart squeezes and I realise no matter how much I hated him for all his lies, and what he has done and tried to do⦠Iâm going to need time to adapt to life without hÃm.
âHe knows sheâs got his sonâ Kash replies, his eyes filled with hatred. âBut it doesnât matter. Isa is far from here and Iâll nake sure sheâs safe. He will never get his claws into herâ
Good.â I say, hating the man before me.
He helped Evangeline and Iâm grateful for that, but he is not a man whose company I want to be in.
âExcellent, Iâll be waiting for it.â He says before he motions his men with a simple nod of his head and leads the way away.
He howls into the air, and his warriors follow.
âAnimals.â Ziahra says and Kash smirks down at her.
He heard that⦠I know heâs a hybrid, I can see that .. but I also realise that they now share scents⦠I look at them sharply and Evelyn scoffs.
âOh, come on, isnât it obvious? Theyâre mates.â She says, planting her hands on her h**s.
âOh yeah,â Ragnar smirks.
âJust great.â I mutter, making Evangeline chuckle.
âDonât hurt her.â I say to Kash, frowning as I spot the mark on her neck.
Seems she hasnât marked him back yet, as his neck is bare.
Ziahra smiles at me before their eyes meet and I know heâll treat her right.
I now turn to the twin sisters. The bond between Evelyn and I is gone, but I can tell from just the way sheâs standing that itâs her.
âIâm happy to see you in your own body.âI say, not knowing where this left us.
Evangeline gives me a smile, but although I know sheâs willing for us to make it work, I canât.
The love I have for Evelyn is different. I close the gap between us, and I hug her, kissing the top of her head gently. Sheâs taller than Evangeline. After a few moments, I move back, placing my hand on Evangelineâs waist.
âI got my wolf back.â Evelyn declares proudly.
Evangelineâs eyes flash blue.
âReally?â she blinks, and her eyes return to normal.
âSorry, that was Luna, but sheâs happy that Stella is backâ¦â
Evelyn nods, but her eyes flash with hurt at the mention of Luna. I guess thatâll take time to fix.
After all, Luna killed Stella.
âGood to hear.â I say to Evelyn, our eyes meet, and she tilts her head.
âThe bond is gone, so you can relax.â She states, and Iâm glad she doesnât look upset at that. âSo you two can be happy now. I am free to do whatever I want and Iâm going to make a bucket list of things to check off!â
Evangeline looks down. âI realised⦠the dynamics of our bond.â She says hesitantly.
âOh?â Evelyn questions as we all look at her curiously.
âYeah, and what exactly are those dynamics, because our bond is still intact, but anything that linked me to Evelyn⦠is gone.â I say to Evangeline, caressing her smooth, creamy neck and brushing my finger over my mark that adorns her neck.
âWe were both mated to Zerachiel⦠but⦠I am the one who was also mated to your vampire side.â
She says, looking up at Evelyn hesitantly.
My heart thuds as I imagine if that bond was not there⦠what if⦠F**k, I donât want to think about it.
âSo, thatâs why you cared more for her.. because the bond was always stronger⦠not because of me as a person.â Evelyn says quietly.
Evangelineâs eyes flash with sympathy, and I know how Evelyn always felt second best to Evangeline.
âThere was never Evangeline says firmly. â¦anything wrong with you.â
Ragnar whistles. âThat all makes sense⦠but I can also sense Zedkiel is no longer a hybri.. correct?â
âYes, Iâm simply a vampire.âI say.
âNot simply, you are our king, the true king, and you will bring prosperity for our kind.â Ziahra says with determination, âJust as mother wantedâ¦â
She trails off and Iâm about to ask where Zeina is, when a sickening scene straight out of a nightmare returns to me and I step back.
Zerachiel had used her as a human shieldâ¦
Evangeline places a hand on my arm,
Im sorry.. [- Donât.âI say, pulling her into my arm as I turn to look to the rising sun, today is a new dawn⦠I will look to the future⦠from this day onwards I will be the best ruler, mate, brother, son and friend I can ever be.
Towards all who have always been there for me