420- When Noctheria Burned
POV Viktor Averwyn:
He fell silent, exhausted. I focused on the deaf one, and he continued:
“We couldn’t take risks. We killed her.”
That shocked me.
I froze.
I looked at Aldren and Edric, both just as stunned.
“For centuries I thought human women couldn’t survive me. That they died from fucking me or from the bites.” I shook my head and looked back at him.
“Most truly can’t. But those with lupine DNA can endure it and may transform into wolves. We had no way of knowing, so it was better to eliminate them immediately.”
“How did you manage that?”
“You weren’t at war. Although reaching Averwyn was difficult, some villagers left for the city or the tavern. We enchanted some of them and had them carry the poison without anyone knowing. Not even the enchanted person knew. The spell was subtle. They had three days to complete the mission before losing their memory and returning to normal life.”
His head swayed, his voice failing.
“They used the same method,” Aldren said in disgust.
The eyeless one spoke again:
“It was placed in food or powder to be inhaled without notice. Human women are fragile. We were afraid because some stayed with you for months and we… we couldn’t reach them in time. One of them could have been the destined mate. But none were. You stopped visiting the village, and we calmed down, though we maintained surveillance there.”
“Fuck…” I dragged a hand through my hair, feeling no relief at all.
I hadn’t killed those women directly.
But they still died because of me.
Simply for possibly being my destined mate.
“This is insane,” Edric murmured. “And the gypsy woman Viktor married?”
“Jasmina got pregnant by Konrad. She could never have been Viktor’s destined mate.” The deaf one answered while the other two shrank farther into themselves. “It became a problem. He loved her. Nearly abandoned everything for her. But because we promised that he and Lucian would become the only immortal alphas with power after your deaths, he gave her up. As long as Viktor believed she carried his child and remained married to her, he wouldn’t seek his destined mate. The plan was for her to give birth and hand the baby over to Konrad. But she killed the child because she wanted to stay with Viktor.”
“Konrad was furious when she was murdered. He swore he would kill the true destined mate once she appeared.” The eyeless one murmured. “And before that, he would use her.”
“My God…” Seraphine sounded horrified, and I hugged her tighter, burying my face in her hair, unable to believe the madness ambition and power had created. My rage intensified.
The blind one continued:
“When the gypsy took his daughter away and rumors spread about the cursed girl, we paid attention and monitored her from afar. Once she came of age, he found a way to become her friend. He learned she was coming to Romania because her father was ill. We ordered him to kill her immediately, but he wanted to make sure she intended to leave and tried getting closer first. His mistake was waiting too long.”
He inhaled deeply, severely weakened.
“If it had been Lucian, he would have taken her life at the first opportunity. Konrad was more romantic and passionate. Then Viktor took her away, the war began, and nobody entered Averwyn anymore. My brothers were already weak because Aldren and Edric had their queens. We had to stop the third one. Only when all three find their soulmates and have children does the prophecy come true. Then I weakened and knew it had happened.”
I roared furiously while the three old men shrank and trembled as if under attack. Elowen murmured:
“I won’t be able to hold this much longer.”
“Why did you lie about Lucian and Konrad’s ages?” I asked.
“They were younger. They could wait for you to die. And we promised them the same immortality we would gain through magic. More than just the seven hundred years Supreme Alphas can live after finding their destined mates. If you believed they were older, you would never connect them to the babies from Astraluna, even if your memories returned.”
“You thought of everything!” Edric straightened in disbelief. “Does that mean we’ll live that long too?”
“Yes. And your mates as well. Once mated, they will live as long as you do.”
“Fuck…” Aldren shook his head in shock.
“You killed our parents with the help of Cyndrael and Tharengard,” I growled. “You wiped out the entire village. You murdered innocent women. Because of you, my daughter is dead. Bastards!”
My fury exploded. I moved Seraphine slightly away as claws and fangs burst from me.
The old men screamed and writhed on the bed.
Aldren and Edric came to my sides, transforming as well. One of the old men begged:
“Mercy! We are… no longer a threat… leave us here until the magic fades… please…”
“They’re feeding on the sentinels’ essence,” Elowen whispered softly. “I can feel it… they prepared everything to survive here for years, trapped and feeding on them…”
“Doesn’t the prophecy say it all ends in fire?” I exploded, and they could no longer speak, stabbed by the pain caused by our rage pheromones. “Elowen, can you knock down the chandeliers?”
“I can… spread the fire…”
“Do it!” Aldren looked just as insane as I felt.
She screamed, and within seconds the candle flames burned brighter. Even those flames had probably been sustained by the Elders’ inexplicable magic, which she now manipulated instead.
The chandeliers crashed onto the bed.
Flames rose, devouring sheets and robes.
It became hell.
Screams of agony. The smell of burning paper and flesh. The cell transformed into a living bonfire.
I retracted my claws and fangs and wrapped Seraphine in my arms. Edric did the same with Lunara while Aldren lifted Elowen again. She relaxed, no longer needing to do anything.
Their magic faded with them.
And the fire consumed them until they stopped moving.
Reduced to ashes.
“Let’s get out of here.” I turned toward the dead sentinels, none of them moving even a fraction.
Our wolves left the cell first, following us silently and solemnly after everything they had heard.
We walked in silence, victorious at last, our enemies defeated.
Carrying our pain and losses.
But also our loves.
The mothers of our children.
The women who owned our futures.
Edric, Aldren, and I knocked down every chandelier and candle we passed on our way out, letting the fire consume beams and furniture from the dungeons to the upper halls.
Never again would we gather in that room, following rules, living under deception.
Noctheria was finished.
And the Elders were dead.