Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 65167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“What does this prophecy say?” I ask.
Alara closes her eyes and recites from memory.
“The one of royal blood shall rise,
To challenge fate with love’s sweet cries,
She’ll face the serpent in her lair,
And bear a child, her heart’s own heir.
The serpent’s venom seeks to sear,
But love unyielding conquers fear.
She casts her lot, her choice to fate,
And will, through love, unlatch the gate.”
My chest tightens. I glance at Rogan. His gaze is intense, his jaw clenched tight.
“The serpent… Eris,” I murmur.
Alara opens her eyes and nods.
“But Eris isn’t a serpent,” I say, more to myself than to either Alara or Rogan. “She’s a wolf.”
“So it appears,” Alara replies.
“So it appears?” I run my fingers over my abdomen, my child.
And then it hits me—hard—like a bolt of lightning searing through my skull. It slams into me with the force of a wrecking ball and knocks the breath from my lungs. My vision tunnels, my pulse roaring in my ears as the pieces snap together with terrifying clarity.
Eris was never just a wolf. Eris was never just Rogan’s fated mate.
This is all so much more than that.
There’s a reason Alara pushed me to awaken the power buried deep inside me.
I don’t need raw, earth-shattering power to rip a she-wolf apart for daring to challenge me, for daring to threaten my child. I only need the ruthless fury burning in my veins—because when it comes to my child and my mate, I won’t just win.
I’ll obliterate.
Which means…
“I see your thoughts churning, Hannah.” Alara closes her eyes once more. “Get dressed, both of you. And Hannah, it’s time to prepare for your battle.” She leaves the room, closing the door.
“What kind of doubletalk was that?” Rogan demands as he dresses.
The clothes I wore while training with Eris are dirty and sweaty, and I don’t exactly have chainmail lying around my place.
I walk to my closet and eye my wardrobe. I select a pair of thick leggings and a long-sleeved tunic that won’t hinder my movements. As I dress, Rogan watches me, his gaze intense.
“That’s a far cry from your usual tight tank and thigh-high boots, princess.”
I shrug as I pull my hair into a tight ponytail. “I’m not going for sexy. I’m going for functional.”
“Good.” He nods and pulls his shirt over his muscled torso. “Any plan on how you’re going to fight a serpent?”
“I’m not fighting a serpent,” I say. “We both know that.”
He nods solemnly. “Eris is strong. She-wolves always are. They have to be to protect their cubs.”
I clear my throat as I pull the laces of my military boots and fasten them securely. “I’m not fighting a she-wolf either, Rogan.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Hannah…”
My name.
It’s always serious when he uses my name.
“She’s not what she appears to be,” I say. “That’s what Alara meant. That’s what the prophecy says. It’s all making sense now. Everything Alara has said, everything she’s taught me. Everything my father did to bring you and me together.”
“Your father’s involved with Eris?”
“Yes and no. There’s no love lost between my father and me, Rogan. You know that. But I am his daughter, his heir. We’re connected by blood, and blood protects blood.”
“What the fuck are you getting at?”
I draw in a breath. “A serpent is a symbol of evil. It goes back to the bible, to the actual dawn of time.”
“So if Eris is the serpent in this so-called prophecy…” Rogan paces across my bedroom.
“She’s evil, Rogan.” I stand tall, meet his gaze. “And she’s not a wolf. She’s a fucking demon. Sent by my stepfather.”
56
Rogan’s eyes go wide. “Your stepfather? The demon king?”
I nod grimly. “Yes. He controls my mother, and he’s always hated that he couldn’t control me. When I learned my true lineage and became bound by blood to obey my father’s commands… God, Richard must have despised that. The vampire king could control what he couldn’t.”
Rogan clenches his fists, a low growl escaping his throat. “And you’re sure about this?”
“I’m sure,” I say with conviction.
Indeed, it all makes sense now. Even my father’s duplicity in manipulating Rogan and me.
“But why send a she-wolf? Why not attack directly?” Rogan asks.
“That’s the cunning part, isn’t it?” A chill creeps through me. “A direct attack would be obvious. It would unite the entire vampire kingdom against him. But don’t you see?”
“No, princess, I don’t see. Eris is not a demon. I… I was with her. She’s a wolf.”
My mind churns. “Maybe she’s half demon and half wolf. Like I’m half human and half vampire.”
“That’s not possible.”
“Isn’t it? Who are we to know what’s truly possible? The child growing inside me shouldn’t be possible, but I know, Rogan. I know in my heart that he is strong. Strong and healthy, and he has a role to play. An important one.”
“How can she be my mate, then?”
“If she’s part wolf—”