Chapter 33: The Price of Victory

The roar of Rael’s motorcycle vanished into the night, but the silence he left at the foundry was not peace. It was the vacuum before an explosion.

Lord Valerius stared at the spot where Rael had stood, his pale face utterly still. The only sign of his fury was the way his fingers slowly dug into his palm, hard enough to draw drops of his dark blood.

— A deal… — he hissed.

— MY LORD! — Victor was livid, his patriarchal composure shattered. — He cannot do this! He humiliated your son! He humiliated us all! Send your guards. Send my guards! Let’s hunt him and—

— BE SILENT!

Valerius’s voice was not loud, but it cut through Victor’s hysteria like a blade of ice. The power in it made Victor physically recoil, eyes wide with fear.

Valerius turned slowly.

— Your plan to lure him to the campus was a failure. Your attempt to intimidate him at the hotel was a failure. Your authority over your own daughter is a failure. — Each word was a lash. — You, Victor, are a failure.

The Dark Blood patriarch trembled, unable to reply.

Valerius walked over to his son, Caspian, supported by a pale Gabriel. The prince was conscious, his broken arm hanging, jaw swollen, his icy blue eyes wet with pure, absolute humiliation.

— The wolf was clever — Valerius said, with a terrifying calm. — He used our pride against us. He forced me to a vow of honor, and I do not break vows. — He looked at Victor. — I cannot hunt him. I cannot kill him.

— Then what do we do? — Gabriel asked, voice tight. — Do we simply allow him to approach Selene?

Valerius smiled. And for the first time, his smile was genuinely frightening.

— The deal was that we could not hunt him if he won. — He leaned in and wiped a thread of blood from his son’s chin. — But the deal never said Selene could not reject him.

Victor frowned, confused. — She never will. She is stubborn, she—

— She is human — Valerius interrupted. — That is the problem. Her mind is weak, susceptible to primitive emotions like love. She is still tied to that world. The wolf is not in love with a vampire; he is in love with a girl.

A terrible realization dawned on Victor’s face.

— Her transformation is scheduled for her twenty-first birthday, correct? — Valerius asked.

— Yes, in a year — Amara confirmed; she had arrived with reinforcements and watched in silence.

— Unacceptable — Valerius said. — The wolf won a battle tonight, so we will ensure he loses the war. We will remove the piece he desires from the board. Her transformation cannot wait a year.

He looked up at the full moon as if calculating.

— The Blood Moon — he murmured. — It is a powerful omen. It is a month away. It is the perfect night to purify a bloodline and seal a pact.

He turned, his decision made.

— Her transformation will be accelerated. It will occur on the night of the Blood Moon. I will personally supervise the ritual. I will use my blood to ensure her loyalty is purified and that this… affection for the wolf is burned from her soul.

Victor and Amara seemed relieved by the decision.

— The wedding will be the following night — Valerius concluded. — And until then, she is no longer your prisoner, Victor. She is my ward. She will return to the university. She will live her “normal” life. I want the wolf to see her, but not touch her. I want him to know the clock is ticking.

Selene was in her room, her heart still fluttering from Lucien’s news. Rael was safe. He had won.

The door opened. Not with Gabriel’s fury, but with calculated silence.

Lord Valerius entered. His power filled the room, making the air thin and cold.

— Lucien is a foolish boy — Valerius said, as if reading her thoughts. — He told you about the victory, didn’t he? He made you think love had won.

Selene stood, fear replacing relief. — There was a deal. Rael won.

— He won a duel. Nothing more — Valerius said, approaching. — Your father imprisons. I am more subtle. From tomorrow, you are free. You may return to university. You may see your friends.

Selene regarded him with distrust. — What is the price?

— Time — Valerius replied, stopping inches from her. — You have exactly one month. One month until the Blood Moon. On that night, your fragile humanity ends. I will transform you personally. The next night, you will marry my son.

— No! — Selene screamed. — I will not—

Valerius grabbed her chin, his icy grip silencing her. — You will have no choice. But your wolf does.

He released her; his voice fell to a poisonous whisper.

— Here is my proposal to you, Selene. During this month, if Rael tries to contact you, if he attempts to see you, if he so much as breathes in your direction… I will not touch you. My agreement with him prevents me. — A terrible smile curved his lips. — But the agreement said nothing about humans. I will kill your friend. Annalise, I believe. I will drain her dry and leave her body on campus for your wolf to find.

Selene felt the blood drain from her face.

— You are free, my dear — Valerius said, moving toward the door. — Now pray your boyfriend is clever enough to stay away from you. The clock is counting.