Chapter 35: Bad Things

Augustus’ hand reached for mine. In a hoarse whisper, he only said two words, “Don’t go…”

But how could I even dare so? Between the tangled red strings around his body and this familiar yet foreign sensation in my body, it would be a crime to step away.

“Mother, is Augustus under the Dark Moon curse as well?” I asked Mother in my mind, my eyes still on Augustus. “But…”

“It’s not Dark Moon. It’s something far more powerful than that. A spell only a Lycan witch could cast. The spell allows the caster to control the victim through words in certain situations, while they retain their own mind and free will most of the time.”

“A mannikin spell…” I whispered as my fingers touched the strings. They almost sliced through my finger with how tight they were tied on Augustus’ body, each tangle and knot almost buried on his skin.

“Is there… a cure for it?”

I heard Mother chuckle. “Where’s the fun if I’m going to tell you everything? Have fun breaking the spell, my child…”

I closed my eyes tightly. Augustus shouldn’t even be my responsibility now. Medea and Father, they…

Is Medea controlling you, Augustus?

A mannikin spell was quite unknown to most Lycans. After the Crown banned Lycan witchcraft as it clashed with the High Temple, most of this kind of knowledge had been lost to obscurity.

If I hadn't been sneaking back then with Castiel to read Temple texts, I wouldn't even recognize this…

The Lockes have the resources, sure, but… how did they manage to find a Lycan witch to cast a spell powerful enough to tie down the strongest Alpha in the kingdom?

That, and with the army of Black Wolves…

Something’s not right.

I let out a deep breath. There's no point in worrying about him. I stood up, prepared to leave, when I felt his hand wrap around my wrist. Augustus groaned.

“Don't leave…”

The alcohol must've had a bad effect on me, because when Augustus pulled me down, I did not even resist.

His broad chest felt the same when I was still fantasizing about the family that he wanted. The warmth and security it provided.

It was familiar. But familiar didn't mean I would come running back.

Or so I thought.

“Please, stop running away from me,” Augustus pleaded in that dangerously low voice. His fingers trailed against my cheek, down to my neck.

I flinched when his warm fingertips touched my already-cold body, reminding me of that night when he almost killed me.

But Augustus didn't stop. His eyes grew kinder, calmer. Then, his lips searched for mine.

My heart… has always been a traitor.

I whimpered under his hold, my lips greedily answering his. Our lips locked and twisted as if our lives depended on it.

“Augustus…”

The dim lights in the room didn't do his body any justice. He paused as he removed his shirt, leaving me anticipating under him.

I wondered if he was starting to regret this. If it was hurting him to just.. be here with me, when he had pledged his life and devotion to somebody else.

“You still want me,” he whispered as he crawled on top of me, his green eyes melting me with his burning gaze. “I can see it in your eyes.”

I didn't answer. I refused to give him the satisfaction. But even if my lips didn't say the words, he just smiled, before conquering my body.

Augustus raised hell with every kiss on my skin. And I hated myself for answering his calls, his lips, and everything that he did.

He relished how I squirmed underneath him, and how with the mere lick of his tongue, I've seen and gone through worlds.

He knew me the best. After all, we've shared the same bed for almost a year before that night.

And I hate it.

He licked his lips as he unbuckled his belt, his eyes still locked on mine. My breaths grew ragged as I watched him, with anticipation.

You should be returning to Kieran now, Hestia… Not remaining in this town with Augustus…

My body, like my heart, had turned against me.

Even if my mind screamed for me to run away, to push him, and to remember all the bad things he did, everything went blank the moment I felt his member pressing against my abdomen.

And the world seemed to fade when he slowly entered me, his length filling every inch of me.

He moved in a familiar rhythm that I almost didn't recognize. The way he swayed his hips, the way he drew deep breaths and cursed as I tightened around him, everything…

Maybe this was a part of Medea's plan to ruin me.

And maybe, he was just trying to get back at me.

My mind refused to give him the satisfaction of the thought that he owned me. But my lips, my body, and my heart felt as if they grew minds of their own and began to betray me.

And Augustus relished every moan, every curse, and every calling of his name that died in his ears as I fought for my life not to be heard by the world outside.

He pulled me up, making me sit on his lap. He buried himself deeper in me, as I clutched on his neck.

The red strings around him grew fainter. Still distinct, but fainter.

“I love you,” he whispered as his seed spread inside me. “I love you, Hestia.”

Something in my mind snapped. I shouldn't have let him toy with me!

I immediately pushed him away, my hands quickly picking up the panties he discarded on the floor.

He stood up as I wore them once again, now in a hurry. “Hestia—”

“Don't follow me,” I pleaded in a broken voice. “Please…”

Surprisingly, as relentless as he was earlier, he didn't. He remained in his room, as I walked out of the pub, carrying the twin axes I bought for Kieran, my legs still weak and trembling.

Love.

How could he casually throw that word around, when that was the very same thing that almost killed me?

I loved him with all of my heart before. And look where it got me.

How could he say that he loved me, when he didn't even know how I hung on the last thread of my life in that forest, wishing for the Mother Goddess to kill me?

My love for him left me scarred and defeated. And his love for me left me shrinking into the shadows.

I didn't know how I managed to walk back to the Capital walls. All I knew was that the moon was already high in the sky by the moment I walked through the doors of the White Manor.

Kieran immediately jumped from his seat as soon as he saw me. The fireplace was lit, and it seemed as if he had been waiting.

“Hestia,” he greeted with his smile almost tearing his face in half. He walked towards me to plant a kiss on my lips.

Before he could, Kieran paused, his face dark.

“You carry another wolf's mating scent…”