The room felt heavier with every passing second, as if the air itself had thickened and settled onto my shoulders, pressing down until it beca hard to breathe.
The stone walls seed closer than they had a mont ago, their cold presence closing in on slowly and deliberately, like a predator savoring the fear of its prey.
I forced myself to inhale deeply, then exhale, over and over again, even though my chest burned with every breath I took. The silver chains bit into my wrists, the dull ache pulsing steadily and reminding that struggling would only make things worse.
Panic rose instinctively, sharp and overwhelming, but I pushed it down with sheer will. Panic would not save . It never had. I had survived worse than this, and I clung to that thought even as my body betrayed with a faint tremor.
The woman standing in front of tilted her head slowly, her gaze fixed on my face with unsettling focus, as if she were stripping apart layer by layer and laying every weakness bare.
Her lips curved upward into a smile, but there was no warmth in it, no hint of humanity. It was the kind of smile that belonged to sothing that had long forgotten what rcy felt like.
"You finally see for what I am," she said calmly.
Her voice startled more than her words. It was no longer shrill or cracked with rage like before. It flowed smoothly now, deep and asured, carrying an unnatural echo that made my skin prickle. It sounded like it did not belong to this place, or even this world.
"The Greater Evil." She said with the most devilish smile I had ever seen.
The title settled into my chest like a stone dropped into deep water, sinking slowly and dragging a heavy weight of realization with it.
"So you survived," I said quietly, my voice steadier than I felt. "All this ti, you’ve been hiding and planning. So treacherous." I spat out.
She was the Greater Evil that had killed the Queen of witches. I should have known all along... I should have been able to connect the dots.
She let out a soft chuckle, the sound oddly pleased. "Survived?" Her eyes glead with sothing sharp and triumphant. "No, little Chosen. I evolved."
My fingers curled tightly behind the chair, my nails biting into my palm as I fought the urge to lash out. "And you think stealing my magic will sohow make you rule the world."
Her smile widened, stretching unnaturally across her face. "Not think," she corrected smoothly. "I know it will."
She stepped closer, and the space around her shimred as dark energy rippled through the air, thick and suffocating. It crawled over my skin like invisible fingers.
"Your golden orb is not just power," she continued. "It is a key. Once it is mine, every stream of magic in this land will answer to , and witches will rise above all. No more bowing to wolves. No more hiding behind old covenants and ancient lies."
A weak scoff escaped before I could stop it. "You’re delusional."
She laughed softly, completely unbothered, as if she had heard those words countless tis before. "So they all say," she replied. "Right before they kneel."
Before I could respond, the sound of slow clapping echoed through the room.
The rhythm was deliberate, unhurried, and mocking.
My heart dropped painfully into my stomach.
"Well said," a deep male voice drawled from the shadows. "You always did have a way with words."
The Greater Evil stepped aside without protest, almost respectfully, and my gaze snapped toward the figure erging from the darkness... My greatest nightmare.
Alpha Lucas.
He walked forward as if the room belonged to him, his presence dominating the space effortlessly. When his eyes landed on , my stomach twisted violently.
The way he looked at made my skin crawl, every instinct inside screaming danger. It was not simple hunger that lingered in his gaze. It was possession and obsession.
He stopped a few steps away, his eyes lingering on my face before drifting to the chains binding , then slowly trailing down my body as if assessing sothing that already belonged to him.
"So this is where you’ve been keeping her," he said casually, glancing toward the Greater Evil. "I was beginning to think you would never let have my turn."
I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to spit in his face. "You will never have anything from ."
Lucas smiled, clearly amused rather than angered. "I like feisty ladies," he said softly. "Because taming them brings satisfaction."
He took another step closer, close enough that his sll beca stronger. "Do you rember our first eting, Ember or should I call you Aeris?"
I stared straight ahead, refusing to answer.
He did not seem to care.
"I offered a fortune for you," he continued, his voice carrying a strange note of nostalgia. "Gold, land, protection. All for you."
My stomach churned. "I rember," I said coldly. "You wanted to buy like an animal."
He chuckled. "Breeder," he corrected lightly. "Words matter."
My nails dug deeper into my palm. "I’m glad Alpha Damon bought instead," I said to spite him... it was the truth, because I was really glad I escaped this monster.
Lucas leaned down slowly, resting his forearms on his knees so that we were eye level. His expression softened, and the change sent a wave of revulsion through . There was sothing deeply wrong about the way his gaze lingered.
"That is what made you interesting," he said. "He had you first... but now you are mine. And I’ll make sure to clean every trace of his touch on your body... including your heart and mind."
He reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair away from my face.
I flinched, my entire body recoiling from repulsion. "Do not touch ," I shouted, my chest heaving heavily.
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