chapter 190 Desperate Eric (2)

chapter 190 Desperate Eric (2)
Eric’s POV

My hand went instinctively to my cheek, and my heart sank as I realized the prosthetic had come loose.

The vampires were staring at me with a mixture of revulsion and fascination. The right side of my face was fully exposed. Melted flesh, twisted scars, a ruin that no amount of healing could ever fully repair.

"Jesus Christ," one of them whispered. "What happened to him?"

Cassius studied me with new interest. "The great Eric Silvercrest. No wonder you wear a mask."

I struggled to sit up. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore."

"Actually," one of Cassius's lieutenants said thoughtfully, "it might matter quite a lot. This pathetic creature is still technically the Alpha of the Northern Territory pack. If we turn him over to the werewolf forces, they might be willing to negotiate."

Cassius's eyes gleamed with sudden interest. "A peace offering. Very clever."

"No."

"What was that, monster?" Cassius leaned closer.

"I said no. I won't go back to them."

"I don't think you have a choice."

Within minutes, Kane and I were bound with silver-laced rope, our hands tied behind our backs, our feet shackled together.

I fell to my knees before them, my voice breaking into pathetic sobs. "Please, I'm begging you. Have mercy. I'll do anything, give you anything. Just don't send me back there. Kill me here like the dog I am. Step on me, spit on me, but don't make me face them."

I pressed my forehead to the filthy tavern floor, groveling like the broken creature I had become. "Please, I'm nothing. I'm less than nothing. The great Alpha is already dead. Just finish what's left."

"Aww, the big bad Alpha is scared," The lieutenant mocked. "Afraid of what your fellow werewolves will do when they find out what a monster you really are?"

They thought I was afraid of execution, of torture, of the punishment that awaited traitors. But they were wrong.

I was afraid of living in a world without Celeste.

The vampire convoy moved efficiently through the night, heading toward the border where they could hand us over to werewolf forces.

Kane managed to work one of his hands partially free during the journey. In the darkness, he carefully loosened the ropes around my left hand, then my feet, then reached for my right hand.

"That's all I can manage," he whispered. "The angle's too awkward."

But it was enough. When the convoy stopped to rest, I grabbed a silver knife from one of the guard's belts. Without hesitation, I brought the blade down on my right wrist, severing tendons and arteries with one brutal cut.

My hand came free in a spray of blood that made several vampires curse and step back. I didn't feel the pain. Pain was irrelevant now.

Before anyone could stop me, I was running into the forest, heading toward the distant mountain where I knew Celeste lay buried.

Behind me, I could hear shouts, the sounds of pursuit, but I didn't care. Let them follow. Let them catch me. It wouldn't matter once I reached her.

The mountain loomed ahead in the darkness, and somewhere on its slopes was the woman I had destroyed everything to save.

I climbed through the night, leaving a trail of blood behind me, until I found the simple grave marker I had placed there days ago.

My hands were shaking as I began to dig, tearing at the earth with my fingernails and my remaining functional hand. The silver knife served as an improvised shovel, each scrape against stone and root bringing me closer to her.

Finally, my fingers touched something soft. Fabric. I dug faster, more frantically, until I could see her face.

Celeste lay exactly as I had left her, her skin pale as moonlight, her dark hair spread around her like a shadow. Decay had begun its work – her skin was beginning to rot, her beautiful features softening into something that would soon be unrecognizable.

But I could still see her. Still see the girl who had smiled at me fifteen years ago, who had made me believe that love could overcome anything.

"I'm here," I whispered, lifting her into my arms. "I'm finally here, my love."

——

Author's note: The war is over, and the book is not far from its grand finale.
A huge thank-you to every reader who has made it this far—I love you all, kisses!!