Chapter 108
“I don’t understand, poison?” I admit. How can you mark and poison someone simultaneously.
“Yes, Lycan’s are venomous, my venom will enter your bloodstream, it will hurt. But my blood will counteract the poison stopping it from killing you, instead it will change you.”
I jerk my fingertips away when he growls, letting them fill with venom. My eyes widen watching his neck balloon slightly.
“Don’t be scared, Bree, I would never force this on you. I would never hurt you.”
I nod and he continues, “Your human form will be reshaped by what we call the Lycan essence, my venom and blood mingling together creates an elixir that enters your
bloodstream. It’s akin to a rebirth; you’ll lose a part of yourself to gain another.”
A shudder runs through me at his words. Lose a part of myself? I swallow hard, and my mouth is suddenly dry.
“But it’s not without pain,” he warns me with an apologetic look in his piercing blue eyes. “The transformation can be excruciating – your body will break down before it rebuilds itself and I will have to remain by your side pumping you full of my blood so the venom doesn’t burn it out of your system.”
His words echo in my mind: ‘excruciating‘, ‘break down‘, ‘rebuild‘. My breath hitches in my throat as I imagine the agony that awaits me.
O <
1200 Wooders
“Are you… are you certain you can do this?” I ask hesitantly, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I am,” he replies confidently. But then he pauses, his gaze serious as he locks eyes with me. “But there is always risk involved.”
My heart thunders painfully against my ribs at his admission. Risk? What kind of risk?
“The risk,” he explains slowly, each word heavy with. significance, “is that if something goes wrong during the transformation… it could kill you.”
His confession sends shockwaves through me. Death? I hadn’t considered that possibility before now.
As much as the fear threatens to consume me, I find myself strangely comforted by Soren’s honesty and willingness to share these terrifying truths with me. He isn’t sugarcoating anything or trying to shield me from reality instead, he’s letting me see the full picture, however grim it may be.
“It’s not something I’d ever force on you,” Soren assures me, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. “But if we were to pursue this path, I’d want it to happen before we married. You should have the chance to fully understand what you’d be becoming, to learn to control your new abilities, not just for you but also for Max, you’ll be quicker, stronger, and your instincts will go haywire for a little while.”
I nod, trying to process everything he’s telling me. The enormity of it all crashes over me like a wave. My heart stutters in my chest. The possibility of death hangs in the air between us, heavy and suffocating. I think of my
grandmother, of Max, of the life I’ve started to build here. The
<
Chapter 108
thought of losing it all terrifies me.
1288 Vouchers
“I’m scared, Soren,” I confess, hating how small my voice sounds. “I don’t know if I can…”
He pulls me close, his arms enveloping me in warmth. “We don’t have to decide anything now,” he murmurs into my hair. “Whatever happens, whatever you choose, I’m here. We can push the wedding back.”
“We can push it back?” I ask him and he nods. “But your mother has already-”
“She’ll understand. I never thought of this before, but now we really are getting married. I won’t lose you, Bree.” my brows furrow at his words.
“But you wouldn’t be losing me,” I remind him and he sighs heavily.
“I am King, Bree. You will be my Queen. My weak spot, every kingdom will know that.”
“But you’re the only kingdom,” he shakes his head.
“There are other kingdoms, not as known, and prefer to keep to themselves and out of the media. It’s why you don’t know about them. They will come for you.”
“That’s why your wife died isn’t it. They sent people for her, sent the rogues?” he shakes his head.
“We aren’t sure, we never figured that out, all we learned was it was a rogue pack. The neighboring kingdoms denied any hand in it.”
“But you believe they did?” he nods slowly.
