Chapter 207: She'll be mine...

Amaia's POV

"Let me officially introduce you to my mate," Harrison said.

Movement caught my eyes before I saw her. I could feel the strong, uneasy, and raw magic roaming around her—it was unsettling—it didn't belong to her.

Once she stepped inside the office, with a lazy smile on her purple-painted lips, I recognized her immediately. Memories of her flashed before my eyes, and I almost chuckled out loud.

"Hallo, Serena," I said, keeping my composure and making Harrison wince. "We meet again."

Serena's face twisted in annoyance as she froze in her tracks. She didn't expect me to know who she was.

Harrison narrowed his eyebrows as he watched me stare at Serena. She hesitated before coming closer to stand next to my brother.

"Why does it sound like you two have met before?" Harrison asked, his gaze searching Serena's.

Serena stayed silent, her eyes narrowing. Was she trying to read me?

"Oh, I know Serena, brother," I chirped. "On a very personal level. She is more than just an acquaintance to me."

Harrison seemed to search for some kind of confirmation from Serena, yet she stayed silent, just glaring hatefully at me.

I chuckled dryly, finding her expression adorable. That obviously irritated her, and I could feel something poking around my aura. She was trying to use magic to manipulate me—she will soon be surprised that it wasn't going to work.

I winked at her and turned my attention to Harrison.

"Serena and I have come a long way," I sneered, feeling adrenaline pumping through my veins. I was about to turn the tables. "She's the one who orchestrated my first death... then the second and third and so on..."

Serena's face grayed, and she looked like a deer caught in headlights. I guess she didn't think I would remember anything. But I did... and she was about to find out how much I could remember...

"What is she talking about?" Harrison asked, while the same emotions crossed his eyes.

"Oh, brother, you don't know?" I asked, taking a seat in the chair. "Why don't you ask your so-called mate what she had done to me... to us?"

"Shut up!" Serena snapped and quickly looked back at Harrison. He narrowed his eyes, leaving a deep frown on his forehead.

"So defensive, Serena," I chirped, raising my eyebrows as I turned my attention back to Harrison. "Why don't you tell my brother what you have done... how you enjoyed killing me... how you enjoyed manipulating him..."

Harrison's frown deepened.

"Shut up!" She snapped. "Before..."

"What? You are going to murder me again?" I asked, keeping my composure. "Like you did a hundred times before. I'll just come back. Like I promised you I would."

Harrison flinched. "What's she talking about, Serena?"

"Oh, go on, Serena," I sneered, enjoying the tension rising in the office. "Share your little dirty secret with my brother. Tell him how you 'accidentally' let the tree fall over..." I said, using air quotes. "How you 'accidentally' bound my wolf... tell him your plans, what you'll do when you finally take over the immortal realm."

Serena's face turned red as her gaze snapped between the two of us.

"No?" I asked. "You refuse to share your plans with your mate? Then let me! I'll do the honors."

I grabbed Harrison's arm, and scenes of my first death played before our eyes. He gasped as he watched through my eyes the last few minutes of my life.

He saw himself, his face twisted in horror as he watched me tumble to the bottom of the cliff.

He watched me as I tried to reach my swollen belly... and then... her.

She was casually walking towards me—a huge smile on her face. She was light and chirpy, giggling as she approached me. It was as if she was relieved, like the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders.

She stopped a couple of feet from me, her gaze roaming over my broken pregnant body.

Then, she came and squatted next to me. Wiping a stray tear from my face as she shifted her head side to side.

"It's nothing personal, Amaia," she whispers, the bitterness in her voice leaving my insides ice cold. "It's just business. I can't have you and your brother reconnect. It will ruin my plans... I have worked too hard to play the perfect mate for him...."

She straightened herself and looked down at me.

Tears blurred my sight; they were running freely down my face. I could feel the darkness nipping and calling my name—but I wasn't done. I wanted to know why she is doing this to me before I took my last breath.

"Oh, don't cry; it's not that bad," she went on. "You wouldn't live to see any of it anyway. Once Harrison opens the gates to the immortal world, I'll be queen... He already gave me the immortal kiss."

She pulled her collar to the side and revealed her fresh mark.

"Once I'm queen, I'll have no need for him—he'll suffer the same fate as you."

"Why are you doing this?" I managed to push over my lips. My voice was weak and broken. "Why us?"

"Because werewolves can't keep their promises," she spat. "Once they find their Goddess-given mate, nobody else matters...."

"Is that what happened to you?" I coughed out. "A werewolf broke your heart?"

"Yes," she sneered. "On my engagement party. As soon as that fated mate of his entered the room full of werewolves, he scented her and left me on stage. Do you know how humiliating that was for me…? He couldn't even look at me. He kissed and fucked her that night. For years he promised to mark me; he did her in one night."

I could feel her heartbreak. It was unfair, but everyone knew it was a giant gamble to take a mate from a different species. It was one of the reasons why werewolves would rather search for their mates than take a randomly chosen mate. There was always a chance that someone innocent could get hurt.

"This isn't right!" I whispered, trying to reason with her.

"It is!" she snarled. "Once I am queen, I will make sure no wolf will ever find his fated mate... then, I will punish Barrett and his mate for eternity... I want them to feel exactly what they did to me a thousand times over..."

"You will never get away with it!" I managed to whisper. "I wouldn't let you..."

"Oh, we'll see about that!" She sneered and started chanting something while moving her hands over me. "I'll make sure you will never interfere..."

I could feel darkness closing in on me, her magic sucking the life from out of me.

Rieka whimpered. She was fighting Serena's magic—but we were both too weak...

Her whimpering decreased, and soon it became just a distant sound... one that echoed in the silence of my mind before it disappeared.

"I'm bounding your wolf," she laughed, tapping on the amulet around her neck. "She'll be mine from now on."

Harrison managed to rip his arm out of my grasp, and our surroundings changed back to the office...