Chapter 624
Chapter 124 : Pain of the Aftermath
*Oliver*
Xander was a f*****g mess in every way.
He was just staring at me as he sat on the cot, his eyes narrowed on my face as I did my best to explain what had happened, what I’d done, and why.
I could barely form the words. He wasn’t the only one who had lost their mate. He wasn’t the only one who’d lived, while the other part of their soul was left behind in a realm that no longer existed.
I hadn’t had a choice. It was Lena’s life or the lives of many… hundreds of thousands of lives, to be exact.
I knew in my soul that Lena would’ve wanted it this way. She made that decision for herself the moment she gripped that pale yellow stone in her hands and whispered beneath her breath to spare Xander’s life in place of her own.
I had been furious. I leaped for her but crashed into the blood-soaked ground in King Nikolas’s castle, and Lena had been gone.
It was Narcissa who whispered frantically in my ear, her long silver fingers wrapping around my upper arm. “We need to go, wolf prince. You are the one to end this.”
Me. It was going to have to be me.
A single whisper from Narcissa swept our group from the castle to the entrance of the portal in a split second. All around us the Death Walkers, those gray and molting vampires, turned to ash and dust. Their king’s death had spurred a massive die-off in that realm, but I didn’t have a moment to ponder the significance of it, not at the time.
I felt her then, my mate. It was a desperate tug on the weak bond I’d felt in my heart my entire life. I hadn’t even had a chance to lay eyes on her. I hadn’t spoken a single word to her. Until that point, her existence was just a fleeting hope in my heart. I had hoped, wished, that one day we’d meet. Maybe after the war, or even during.
She was still there, in that realm of blood.
Save one, or many?
cleared my throat as I looked up at
Queen Kiern was forced by Narcissa to cross over as well, and she did, tearfully, begging Narcissa for more time. I don’t know how long we stood there as the last of
nodded, tilting my head to the side as
last. Zeke was covered in blood, flanked by Penny and a few lower vampire males I didn’t know–guards, royal guards, by the looks of it. They crossed through, and they were the last to come. I waited for what felt
“Why did you wait?”
numb, emotionless; there was nothing back darkness left. Maybe it would always be like this now. Maybe that was
his weight, flexing his
the hand and told me it was time. She told me the king still had warriors in my own realm. She said there would always be conflict between the two realms. New
“You were going to–”
was going to stay, and close the portal from the… I was
continued to stare, his face void of expression but darkening
anything left of this realm,” Narcissa had told me, urging me to follow her. “It’s over. It’s done. When you close that portal, my father will destroy it all. I made him a deal. I said I would get my
beautiful, terrifying woman in front of me pleaded with me, begging me at one point on her knees. A Goddess
a great king one day,” she’d continued. “Your rule will be nothing
replied, growing furious at her bribery, “if I have
family cannot suffer another loss,” she
my brothers.
had lost
got my feet moving toward that portal was the notion that it needed to be me to break the news, to tell them the truth
mate bond tug one more time as I looked over my shoulder into the realm of
and our warriors were doing their best to defend the lower vampires who had crossed to seek
suffering of the people she
the realm of blood, why not here? Was it because the portal was still open? Was it that the last remnants of the magic that bound them to the king wasn’t able
toward Crimson Creek, her silver dress billowing out behind
years of rebuilding and recovery in front of us. We’d have countless dead to bury, countless children to care for who would be growing up without parents who had
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