It was the end of times.
A brother betraying another and a cruel heartbreak later, I found myself wrapped around my only soulmate, Knox. That was until the darkness came knocking on my door in the middle of the night, inviting me to come with him...
Knots had tightened in my stomach when the reality hit me. After the call with Natalie, I found myself growing worried about my parents and Grandpa Fergus, a man I hadn't seen forever until now, a man who was supposed to be hidden in shadows and far away from his family. He didn't even return when his wife, my grandmother, was murdered by the dark creature.
The dark creature.
My thoughts whirled, my breathing quickened.
Gideon. I closed my eyes, forgetting him and Cain. Both of them. I didn't want to think about them.
But this once I did. Anger bubbled inside me and I stood up from the bed, walking back and forth while sunlight glimmered inside the room and over my face.
It had been weeks, nearly three weeks since Cain's betrayal came to light, since he accepted that he supported Gideon—the dark creature and his destruction on our world.
It had been weeks since Knox threatened his own brother, Cain, forbidding him to return to Thornwood or he'd let me use the sword on both him and Gideon, ending most of their bloodline.
There was a pain in my heart that never disappeared. For the first time, I was heartbroken by someone and it was something I never wished upon anyone. Constantly, I remebered Cain, the way he marked me, the way he loved me and the way we were all together.
It was just a facade.
All of it.
He sided with the dark creature and left. I hadn't seen him since that night but I had heard him. He tried tapping into the bond and he tried reaching me so did Gideon. They both tried to force themselves into my head but I didn't let them.
I had enough control over myself after drinking blood daily. I didn't let either of them in my head.
I didn't want to hear them or ever see them again.
The dark creature, Gideon, had stopped terrorizing vampires and werewolves altogether. There were no attacks reported over the past few weeks but I doubted this was end.
This was the just the beginning.
Knox turned into a complete different person after his brother's betrayal. They were together since they were born and they loved each other dearly until the third one appeared.
It broke Knox, more than it broke me.
I merely knew Cain for only a few months but Knox lived with him for his whole life. He didn't know who he was without him. He didn't know how to run a pack without him.
They had been Alphas together since ever but since Cain's disappearance, Knox sat on the throne, alone, all by himself. The council gathered today at the estate to discuss the truth and what had happened with Cain.
Knox was ashamed to tell them the truth about his own brother, to tell them that he sided with the enemy but I told him it would be alright if he lied this once and didn't tell anyone.
The sword with the gem remained in the basement, secured and locked, away from prying eyes. I knew we were going to need it sooner than later. It had to be used, on Gideon.
Gideon, a shifter like his brothers, banished after birth and thrown in the forest, he grew up alone and made his purpose to corrupt the world with his unknown powers. He had taken more than a thousand souls over the years but he had stopped, finally.
There was an odd silence everywhere.
Packs and clans were unsure whether he, the dark creature, had disappeared. They still feared roaming out in the night.
I no longer feared the darkness, or any of them. I was to mated to them, all three of them. Martha, their mother, had tied my soul with Gideon's to form a weakness if one was needed, to stop him if he couldn't be stopped but the ties didn't stop there. I was tied to both the twins as well and they were soul ties, unable to be broken.
Ask your grandfather, he'd have more information.
When I furthered thought about, I understood Grandpa was involved in all of this and so were my parents. At birth, my soul was tied to Gideon's and later on, it was tied to the twins.
I assumed it was because I had a weak heart but I was still descended from the royals. There had to be a share of powers or something.
I still couldn't understand.
I needed Natalie to dig up information about my birth and what deal Grandpa had made with the werewolves twenty years ago.
Was I curse to all of them? Why Knox and Cain? Why had Cain marked me? What had he betrayed me? Why he put up an act all while he supported his brother? What else were my parents hiding? Who did I belong to at the end of the day?
I forced my thoughts and questions away while running downstairs, into the basement of the estate where the council meetings were held. I wanted to know what conclusions were they going to come up with. I wanted to know if Knox was alright hearing about his back-stabbing brother.
I glued my ears against the wall, hearing shuffling and gathering of all the men of the council. I smelled Knox from a distance away and heard the thudding beat of his heart.
"And you're telling us his whereabouts are unknown, to you and to anyone else?" One of the men questioned Knox.
"I told you, I don't know where he went or who did he go with." He replied, his tone strict and rough. "Maybe he was taken by the dark creature, maybe something else. I just don't know."
"Is he dead?" Another one asked, talking about Cain and his disappearance. There were a lot of questions that rose after he left. No one knew the truth except for Knox and I.
"I don't know."
"What happened that night? There were forty warriors killed by the dark creature, forty warriors that were sent our under your command. We need to know if one of the Alphas of our pack has died. People need to know!" A man exclaimed, his voice throaty, sounding old and elderly.
"And we will—if we find a body. Until then, I don't know anything about what happened to my brother that night. The dark creature was around the forest, he must've taken him or Cain might've gotten lost, I don't know so I'd rather not give people of my pack false hope." Knox paused for a second before he continued, "For as long as Cain doesn't returns, I'll handle all matters, including his matters."
There was silence after that. I assumed everyone agreed to Knox being the only Alpha in the town. His brother's name would soon be swept away, his title would be forgotten and so would he.
When I heard the council scattering inside the room, I rushed upstairs quickly before Knox caught me hovering outside and eavesdropping.
After ascending a flight of stairs, I was out of breath and exhausted.
My throat grew parched, I sought for blood to ravish my hunger but then remembered Knox' words. He didn't want me to feed until he had finished the meeting.
From upstairs, I watched the council part ways and leave the estate in their vehicles. As soon as it was clear, Knox turned from the door and glanced at me from the downside, seeming a bit angry.
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