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— A S H E R
I looked straight at Chase's unconscious body, mouthing a silent excuse to my best friend. But it was the Competition and there was only one goal: winning the Throne. And I was the most motivated to win because my mate's wellbeing depends on it.
Aline may be one of the most skilled hunters I ever encountered and she indeed proved everyone that she can stand her own against supernatural far more powerful than her, but the true dangers of my world are not outside our borders. But inside. And in the higher hierarchies of my kingdom.
She was already at odds with her family and I knew from my father that they already meet... when she tried to defend her that bastard ex of hers in front of the whole supernatural community. And nearly followed him into the Wild Hunt.
The thought sends a shiver down my spine. I can't imagine what would've happened if her plan worked, if I'd never met her.
For all the troubles we encountered since we met, and for the ones we're still dealing with, she is the most precious gift the Goddess could've given me. And I'm trying to prove her that our bond it's exactly that. A blessed gift.
I turn my head around the stands, looking for my fiery redhead, but she was nowhere in sight. I sigh and walk out from the arena. I saw her running off when the match started but I hoped she'd returned by now. But if she didn't, it means she runned into trouble. Again.
An avalanche of people come to congratulate me and I thank them, while continuing to walk. I had no idea where she could've run off to, but I'll find her anyway. I have to.
"Ash! I knew where she is!" A voice sounds louder than the others and stop to let Tiara catch up to me. "Adeline went to stop the hunters from butchering a village of dhampirs. You need to get some wolves and get there now!"
"Vampires on East!" Yells a man and general growl is heard from the werewolves.
What have you done now, Adeline?
"Go find shelter, Tiara. It's about to get ugly," I tell the girl, then mind-link the other heirs to go help the werewolves.
I cast my eyes to the forest before me and I could see a light growing in the heart of it. A cold, brilliant ray of moonlight shining in the darkness of the night and calling to me.
Adeline.
I call to her as I start running, faster than I ever did before. I merely blinked before I found myself in the middle of a battlefield, injured hunters and dead vampires all around. But in the middle of them all was her, my lovely Adeline, looking like the Moon Goddess herself. She seemed made of moonlight, her fiery hair now white as snow. I stepped closer and I saw that both Hayder and Thalia were also present, looking at my mate as if in a daze.
She wasn't facing me, but some girl. They both started dancing in a circle, the stranger mimicking my mate's moves as if she was Adeline's mirror reflection. Aline's light was pouring to the girl, waves of blackness pouring off the stranger as mud in a shower. Until there was no darkness left, but also light. Another kind, a golden glimmer of sunlight growing bigger and mingling with the moonlight. The earth started shaking and I braced my hand on the truck of a tree to keep upright.
There was some kind of fight going on between the two, their magics colliding and erupting in rays of pure light, beams so pure that seemed surrel. A beam hit a vampire and it merely mastered a cry before being scorched alive. Then another one was hit. And another one. The beams multiplied and were reaching further than this glade, never fading.
I hear Hayder and Thalia shouting at me, before the light hits me. I knew I fell on all fours from the impact, but when I opened my eyes something was different. I was different.
Cursebreaker.
I hear my wolf whispering and my eyes go back to my mate. She kept dancing and I felt her changing again. Her eyes were now silver and her stare cold and soulless on the golden-eyed stranger before her. It seemed like a fight, but not an usual one. And my wolf was telling me to go and stop it, before something very bad happens to her.
I made a step forward and frozen in place. I looked down and realised I'm still standing on my feet and hands. But who now turned to paws. Wolf paws. Actual, Lycan wolf paws.
Cursebreaker; my wolf said earlier. And our Lycanthrope form is a curse from the Goddess for the Lycans that refused her gift. The mates.
I take a look at the scorched vampires and remember that they were also cursed... with immortality.
It was insane, but somehow felt true.
Cursebreaker.
But I dismissed the thought for later and started running to my mate, walking through the barrier of light and called her. Called her to stop. Called her to come back to me. And for whatever reason, her eyes turned to me. And slowly, the silver was engulfed by darkness and her stare turned familiar again. Her icy hair took its flaming shade of red back and the light was gone.
I turned back into my human form and run to her, taking my mate into my arms and holding for dear life. Her arms tightened around me too and I felt her sobbing. I took a step back and she was smiling. She seemed genuinely happy, still tears flowed from her eyes.
"My love, are you okay?" I ask, trying to figure out if she was in shock.
"I'm perfect, Asher. And I love you, my soul mate."
My mouth dropped when she spoke. And even if she said those words before, there was something about they way she confessed her feelings right now that shook me to my core.
Cursebreaker.
Is it possible that she could've...
"Cousin," Hayder says in a cautious tone and I look at him for a split second, before turning to the blonde strange girl standing a few feet from us.
She crawled back to her feet and Aline turned to face her. And even if I wasn't to let her go now, I knew she had to solve this herself.
"It's okay, Tamarie. The Darach's spell is gone," she tells the girl and the blonde sighs in relief.
Why does her name sound so familar?
"I'm so sorry, Adeline. I should've fought it," she replies and a few tears stream down her cheeks.
My mate only smiled at the girl and crossed the distance between them ti hug her. And Tamarie broke down in a mournful cry in Aline's arms, mumbling into her hair a million apologies.
"I nearly doomed everyone," rasps Tamarie, her throat clogged with sobs.
"You also saved everyone here," Aline argues and steps away from the blonde. The girl tries to gather herself and nods to my mate.
"You're welcome to stay now."
Tamarie seems star-struck by Aline's words. She looked around, unbelieving and then let a giggle.
"I dreamt of this day ever since I learnt the truth," she says, her eyes gazing at the world around her as it was the first time she was seeing it. "Thank you, Adeline."
"We did this together, Tamarie."
"And that will be one of the issues, when the news reach the court."
They exchange a few more looks, before Aline shakes her head and turns to take my hand into hers.
"We'll figure it out," she tells Tamarie, but then her eyes turn to meet mine. The perfect darkness within them was the total opposite of the pure light that she channelled earlier. Her smile grew as I lifted our joined hands to kiss the back of her palm. "But for now, we go home."