WITCHE'S BEAST *(needs editing )

Chapter 16

Evelina

I could feel Aaron’s displeasure. He hadn’t spoken it aloud, but I knew—he was hurt that I had hidden the truth about Rodger from him. I had thought I had no choice… but perhaps I was wrong.

Still, today was meant to be our ceremony. Lyra and I both wore white, the color of purity. My gown was a long, pearly silk creation with a daring slit that ran from my thigh to the floor—a mixture of elegance and allure. Lyra’s satin dress plunged at the neckline, simple yet stunning.

Clara walked me down the flowered garden aisle, while Sia guided Lyra. Guests were seated beautifully beneath the moonlight, the night touched with a shimmer of magic. My heart raced with excitement—and nerves.

When I searched for Aaron, I felt him before I saw him, our bond pulsing like a beacon. My gaze finally landed on him, and I could not look away. He was devastatingly handsome in a jet-black, slim-fit tuxedo. His eyes stayed locked on mine as he walked toward me, and every part of me sang for him.

He took his place in front of me, while Daniel stood before Lyra. Sia handed Aaron and Daniel each a red ribbon.

“Bind it to their left wrists,” Clara instructed, opening her book of spells.

Aaron’s fingers brushed mine as he tied the ribbon around my wrist, our touch sparking warmth through me.

“Repeat after me,” Clara intoned. “‘With this rune, I take you—body, spirit, and heart—for eternity, to remain as one.’”

They repeated the words. My skin prickled, my magic rising like fire at the surface. When the ribbons tightened, I felt the bond deepen.

Clara turned to Lyra and me, handing us white ribbons. “‘With this rune, I accept you, under the moon as witness. I tie us together till death do us part.’”

We echoed the words, and Clara smiled, her eyes shining.

“You may now seal your ties with a kiss.”

Aaron wasted no time. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me with a hunger that set my soul aflame. Laughter and whistles rose from the crowd, but all I knew was him.

Then—everything shifted.

The air grew heavy, a foreign power pressing into the garden. Dread flooded me. He was here.

Aaron caught me instinctively, his body going rigid before a dangerous snarl ripped from his chest. All around us, people rose to their feet, ready for battle.

“Forgive the intrusion, lovebirds,” a mocking voice rang out. “But I could not miss this occasion.”

Rodger.

He strolled forward casually, though every warrior present stood poised to strike. My stomach knotted as memories of him crashed back, thick with fear and pain.

“You are not welcome here,” Alpha Gideon growled, stepping forward. “Leave now before—”

Rodger cut him off with a smirk. “Spare me the threats. I have no quarrel with you. I’ve only come to collect what’s mine. Then I’ll be gone.”

The two Alphas glared at each other, tension crackling in the air.

Aaron’s wolf surged beneath his skin, ready to tear Rodger apart. “I’ll only say this once,” he ground out, voice edged with steel. “Leave.”

Rodger chuckled darkly. “So hostile. Where are my manners? Allow me to reintroduce myself.” His gaze slid to me, then back to Aaron, and the twisted smile that spread across his face froze my blood.

And then it began.

His power gripped me like invisible chains. My lips moved against my will, words of a spell spilling out in a voice that wasn’t mine. I fought it, but the dark magic tore through me like fire, eating at my soul.

Aaron shook me, desperate to break the hold, but it was no use. A strangled cry broke from the crowd as Gideon collapsed, clutching his chest. His breath came in shallow gasps, his face twisted in agony.

“No!” My voice cracked, but I couldn’t stop the spell.

“He’ll remain that way until he dies,” Rodger said smugly. “Which won’t be long.”

Aaron’s wolf roared inside him, ready to shift, but I seized his hand, tears streaming down my face. “No! If you kill him, your father will die with him.”

I was murdering Gideon with my magic. My heart shattered with guilt.

“I will never hand you over, Evelina,” Aaron vowed fiercely, gripping my hand as if his strength alone could shield me. His eyes burned with desperation. “I won’t let him take you.”

Rodger only smiled, drinking in the pain around him like fine wine.

“Not much time, love,” he taunted.

A piercing cry split the air—Larissa. She felt the breaking of her bond as her mate’s life slipped away.

Aaron’s hand clenched mine, but then he let go. His eyes told me everything he couldn’t say.

Rodger’s hand clamped around my arm, and instantly the magic released Gideon. He gasped, freed, but the world around me blurred as Rodger dragged me into his portal.

The last sound I heard was Aaron’s voice, raw with anguish.

“I’ll find you, Eve!”

And then—darkness.

The portal spat me into Rodger’s domain. My chest burned with the ache of separation, but through the bond I still felt Aaron. He was with me, even if only in spirit.

I had to be strong. I had to survive this.

I would protect my magic. I would earn Rodger’s trust, only to turn it against him when the time came. Because this time I wasn’t the broken girl he had enslaved. I was Luna now, and my mate would come for me.

I had something to fight for. I had love.

“I’ll find a way to sever that bond of yours,” Rodger sneered, his eyes glittering.

But he was wrong. Nothing could sever what Aaron and I had. Not even him.

We were bound beneath the full moon, by prophecy and by fate.

And fate would destroy him.