LOGINThe oldest priestess stared dead into Elda’s furious eyes, her face completely pale but her voice remaining totally stiff and unyielding. "That is the sacred rule of the ancient ritual, Elda," she explained coldly, refusing to back down even a single inch. "Like I just told you before, you absolutely need to drink every single drop of her life force until the girl is completely dead. There are no shortcuts allowed." A wild, animalistic rage exploded inside Elda's chest. Without a single second of hesitation, she pulled her arm back and punched the priestess hard directly in the face. The heavy blow landed with a sickening smack, throwing the older woman backward until she crashed painfully onto the concrete floor. Elda stood over her trembling form, her face twisting with an ugly, dark expression as she shouted at the top of her lungs. "I heard you the first time, you old fool! That was exactly why I asked you if there was another way around the rule! But you just keep saying the ex
The two muscular guards hauled my limp body across the freezing concrete floor of the dark basement. They looked around anxiously, realizing there were absolutely no stone tables or altars set up in this hidden room. Seeing nothing else available, they aggressively dumped me onto a lone wooden chair sitting in the center of the space. My muscles were completely useless, and I immediately began to slink sideways, my head dropping as I was about to fall straight off the seat onto the hard floor. Elda noticed my swaying body and snapped her fingers sharply at the twelve women dressed in white robes. "Take her out of that chair right now and lay her perfectly flat on the floor," she commanded, her voice echoing with an icy impatience. The robed women rushed forward in a flurry of white fabric, grabbing my weak arms and legs. They laid me straight down on my back against the freezing concrete, my eyes staring blankly at the dark ceiling. Instantly, the women began pulling thick, dark can
A deep, comforting warmth flooded my chest as his familiar presence washed over the cold room. I could feel him in my very soul, and all I could do now was lie on the hard stone and wait for him to come break these chains and rescue me from this nightmare. But the agonizing reality of my body was quickly catching up to me. I could literally feel the raw life force draining out of my veins with every passing second. Each heavy drop of blood that dripped into the stone bowls beneath the altar seemed to carry a piece of my soul away with it. My vision began to blur into a messy spin, and my eyelids grew incredibly heavy and dizzy, pulling me toward a deep, permanent sleep. At this terrifying rate, I knew I might actually die before he could even manage to find his way into this deep part of the cavern. And that was only if he even discovered the hidden entrance of the cave in the first place. Elda’s men were ruthless, and they certainly wouldn't give him a warm welcome at the perimeter.
The agonizing pain tore through my palm like white-hot lightning, and a loud, piercing scream erupted from my throat, echoing wildly off the damp stone walls of the cavern. Tears instantly blurred my vision as I stared down in absolute disbelief at my soft, bleeding hand. The sight made my stomach completely turn; the silver blade went straight through my flesh, pinning me flat against the hard surface as if I were being nailed directly onto a wooden cross. I began to weep uncontrollably, my whole body shaking violently against the heavy iron restraints as I gripped the handle of the weapon with my free left hand, desperately preparing to pull the sharp steel out of my skin. Elda didn't even flinch at my cries. She simply took a few slow, casual steps backward, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched my desperate struggles with a cold, unyielding stare. "There is absolutely no need to do that, Fedora," she murmured, her voice chillingly calm and steady over my loud sobbing. "
The freezing stone of the altar bit into my bare skin, a constant, throbbing reminder of my failure as I lay perfectly still in the pitch-black chamber. So, this was really it. After all the frantic running, all the agonizing pain, all the humiliating falls, and all the desperate fights I had put up across the country, this hidden, bloody cave would finally be the place where my story ended. There was absolutely no running away this time. The heavy iron chains around my wrists and ankles made sure of that. If this exact nightmare had happened to me about two months ago, I wouldn't have been very sad about losing my life. Back then, I had nothing left to live for anyway. But now, everything felt completely different. A stubborn, quiet spark deep inside my chest simply didn't want to give up just yet. I wanted to live, to breathe the fresh air, and to fight back against the monsters controlling my destiny. *If I really can't get out of this alive,* I thought, a bitter lump forming in
"No! No! Stay away from me!" The frantic screams tore from my throat as I scrambled backward, turning around to sprint deeper into the dark, uncharted depths of the cavern. Behind me, the two large men didn't even bother to run. They simply adjusted their grips on their heavy flashlights, casting the blinding white beams directly onto my retreating back. The bright light cut through the shadows, tracking my every movement as I stumbled blindly over the uneven stone floor. They walked with slow, casual steps, their heavy boots thudding rhythmically against the gravel, completely unbothered by my desperate attempt to escape. They knew I had nowhere left to run. I kept pushing my bruised legs forward, my chest heaving violently as I panted for air. My eyes darted frantically across the rugged stone walls, searching with pure desperation for any hidden crack, an upper ledge, or an opening that could lead me out of this terrifying trap. But there was nothing. The rock walls were entirely
POV Alpha MichaelI rushed over to her as fast as my legs could move. I dropped down right beside her on the wet sand. Her skin felt completely freezing. It looked like she swallowed a whole ocean.I pressed both my hands flat against her chest, pushing down hard. Nothing happened. No water came ou
POV: Alpha MichaelDamn! My heavy fist slammed down hard on the wooden table. The thick wood cracked under my anger. What do you mean you have not found the cure yet?I glared at the row of men in white coats. You all are total failures! It has been two full years. I have paid you endless amounts o
POV: FedoraShut your mouth. I am not done talking. I glared right at her.Veronica did not even flinch. She just looked up into Stefan's eyes with a sweet, fake smile.Actually, that sounds like a very nice idea. You are so smart, baby. A dark chuckle left his chest.He leaned down and kissed her
POV: FedoraMy chest burnt like fire with every breath I took, a reminder I would die if I didn't get to the castle in time.I ran down the dark forest path, gasping for air. The trees looked blurry because I was moving too fast.Run faster, Fedora, please run faster, I begged myself.Right then, my







