Chapter 16: “Sacrifice Your Light”

Leo’s POV

“Is that all you came to say?” I growled angrily at Dina, bored out of my mind. I thought they had come for a battle.

“This is my one and only last offer, Alpha, you should reconsider,” she sneered with a vicious laugh.

Dina’s words clung to me like a curse on their own, the shadows inside me latching onto them, twisting them into something darker. I couldn’t shake them—‘sacrifice your light’. My pulse thundered in my ears as I stalked out of the great hall, leaving Dina’s smug expression behind.

Zane followed me, his boots echoing on the stone floor as he kept pace. “Alpha,” he started, his voice calm but firm.

“Don’t.” My tone was sharp, final, but I knew Zane too well to think he’d stop.

He ignored my warning. “If she knows about this ‘light,’ we need to address it. Who or what is she talking about?”

I stopped abruptly, turning to face him. My claws itched to extend, and the hybrid in me begged for release, but I fought it down. “Drop it, Zane,” I growled, my voice low and edged with a threat.

Zane’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t back down. He never did. “You can’t expect me to stand by and watch you destroy yourself and this kingdom. If there’s a way to end this curse—”

“I said drop it!” The roar tore from my throat before I could stop it, the walls of the corridor trembling with the force. Zane stumbled back a step, his eyes widening as the shadows flared around me, their tendrils licking at the edges of the space.

I doubled over, my chest heaving as I struggled to rein in the Lycan half of me that was clawing to break free. The curse fed on my emotions, on my anger, and right now, it was winning.

Zane approached cautiously, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade—a precaution, I knew, though he’d never use it on me. “My king, you need to calm down,” he said, his tone low, almost soothing. “Whatever is happening now, you can control it. You’ve done it before.”

I snarled, the sound more animal than man, and for a moment, I felt myself slipping. My vision blurred, darkened, as my Lycan side took over, its hunger for destruction surging through me. I felt my claws lengthen, my teeth sharpening, and I knew—if I didn’t stop this, I would hurt him.

But then her face flashed in my mind—Ivy. Her laughter, her stubborn defiance, the way her presence felt like sunlight piercing through the shadows.

“No,” I rasped, clenching my fists so tightly the claws retracted with a sickening snap. The pain was grounding, pulling me back from the edge.

Zane stood frozen, watching me carefully as I straightened, my breathing ragged but steadying. “Alpha…” he began, but I held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m fine,” I said, though the tremor in my voice betrayed me. “I just need a moment.”

Zane hesitated, then nodded. “Take it. But don’t think this conversation is over.”

As he walked away, I leaned back against the cold stone wall, closing my eyes. The shadows still swirled within me, but they were quieter now, subdued.

I couldn’t keep doing this—fighting myself, fighting the curse. Dina’s words haunted me, not because I believed her, but because the darkness inside me did. They whispered that she was right, that Ivy would be my undoing, just as Rose had been.

The memory of Rose’s lifeless eyes hit me like a blow, and I slammed my fist into the wall, the stone cracking under the force. I wouldn’t let it happen again.

But how could I protect Ivy from myself?

Zane’s voice drifted back to me from the other end of the corridor. “Alpha, the council’s demanding an audience. They’ve heard about Dina’s proposition.”

I took a deep breath, pushing off the wall. “Tell them I’ll be there shortly.”

He nodded, but the look he gave me was one of worry. Zane didn’t know about Ivy, none of them did. And I intended to keep it that way. The fewer people who knew about her, the better.

As I made my way to the council chambers, the darkness stirred again, a cold, insidious presence at the back of my mind. They were hungry, restless, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they demanded more from me.

The council chamber doors loomed ahead, their heavy wood etched with symbols meant to ward off evil. They did nothing for the darkness inside me. After adjusting my mask, I pushed them open, stepping into the room filled with men and women who viewed me with a mix of respect and fear.

“Alpha King,” one of the elders began, his tone as grave as ever. “We’ve been informed of Dina’s visit. What exactly did she want?”

“To gloat,” I said flatly, taking my seat at the head of the table. “And to offer a solution.”

Murmurs rippled through the room, the council exchanging uneasy glances. “And what was her solution?” another elder asked.

I hesitated, the words burning in my throat. I couldn’t tell them about Ivy, not when they’d see her as a liability, a weakness. “She wants me to sacrifice something,” I said vaguely. “Something important.”

The murmurs grew louder, but I silenced them with a sharp glare. “It’s irrelevant. Dina’s games won’t work on me.”

“Alpha King,” the elder pressed, “if there’s a way to end this curse, shouldn’t we consider it? Your condition is becoming more unstable by the day and so is the kingdom.”

“My condition is none of your concern,” I snapped, the darkness surging briefly before I forced them down. “Dina’s solution isn’t an option. End of discussion.”

The council fell silent, their unease heavy. They wouldn’t push me further—not tonight at least.

As the meeting dragged on, my mind wandered back to Ivy. I’d told myself I’d keep her safe, keep her away from the darkness that consumed me. But Dina’s visit had changed everything.

If she knew about Ivy, then Ivy was already in danger. And the darkness… they wouldn’t stop until they had her.

When the meeting finally adjourned, I left the chamber without a word, the weight of the curse heavier than ever.

In the quiet of my quarters, I let myself collapse into a chair, my head in my hands. The darkness whispered, coaxing, taunting.

You’ll lose her, just like you lost Rose.

“No,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Not this time.”

But even as I said it, I knew the truth.

The shadows weren’t just my curse. They’ve become my destiny.