Page 23 of A Crown of Fates (Wolves of Lunara #2)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ESTEE
T he world around me is nothing but shadows and silence, an endless void where time seems irrelevant. My limbs remain as heavy as lead, immovable no matter how hard I will them to obey me. My voice, too, stays locked within me, a prisoner alongside my body. The only sound is my heartbeat, steady and sure, and the constant hum of my wolf—a calm, grounding presence in the dark. She’s with me, solid and unyielding, and thanks to her, I’m not afraid.
Orix took me from the hallway and, based on the energy shift, created a portal to this place. He’s at least given me my sight back, but the room where he’s left me has only the faintest layer of ambient light. There are no windows, and I can’t tell what the walls are made from, but considering the coolness of the room, I’d assume an earthy material of some sort.
I’ve been left on a rough, stone platform without physical restraints, just the crushing influence of Orix’s power holding me still. It’s here, in this pit of despair, that he finds me again.
He enters with a predatory grace, his lean frame swathed in darkness, his presence filling the air with malice. I suppose he expects me to tremble, to beg, to show even a hint of terror. Hell, I probably should. Yet, the longer I’m here, the less afraid I become. I give him nothing. Not an ounce of satisfaction.
“You know,” he drawls, his voice a twisted thread in the stillness, “considering how you treated Theo upon your arrival in Selaris, I expected something a little more…theatrical from you, Princess.” He steps closer, his face inches from mine as he bends lower, causing his oily, black hair to brush my cheek. The sensation mixes with his sour breath on my skin as he presses my stomach lightly. “Maybe we need to make this game more interesting. I could share a secret with you if you decide to finally participate.” His eyes, nearly black with a hint of poisoned blue, glint with a sinister amusement.
Yet, all I feel is the barest flicker of disgust, masked beneath this unexpected calm. I want to laugh, to let him know just how little he intimidates me. In my mind, I give voice to my defiance: A game you’ll surely lose in the end.
“Do you know why you’re here, Estee?” he purrs, his tone silky but laced with spite and a power that seems to seep into my throat.
The invisible barrier there, the one binding my words, lifts, finally allowing me to speak. “You want something.” The sentence slips out like daggers, sharp and cutting.
His smile widens, revealing stained teeth. “I don’t want something, dear Estee. I want everything . I want your soul, the kingdom I stole you from, and all the others in Lunara. Even better, thanks to your mate, I’m so close to reclaiming that which was taken from me. I just need him a bit more focused on the task at hand.”
“And you think stealing his mate is going to make him focused ?” If I could roll my eyes at this imbecile, I absolutely would.
His sinister chuckle sweeps over me, sending a shudder up my spine. “Now, you’re worried about poor Theo? Interesting. Though, don’t fret. I’ll only let him suffer for the day. Once I feel he’s learned his lesson, I’ll tell him how he can get you back.”
Great. More threats, more decisions Theo will feel he has no choice but to make.
Orix presses harder on my stomach as his sharp, hooked nose moves across my forehead, inhaling. “Tell me, Princess. What would you do to save your own life or that of your future child?”
I scoff, wishing I could turn away from him. “Nothing that would interest you.”
“Not a single thing?” His tongue clicks. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Unless you care about your own death, I don’t see the point of this conversation.”
His fist slams down next to my head, the stone beneath me cracking. “When will you accept that you’ve already lost? My demise isn’t happening, much to the dismay of others.”
Interesting. Who else has tried to knock this god down from his flimsy pedestal? Something that makes me wonder…
“Who hurt you, Orix?” I say, pretending to care about his seemingly hurt feelings. “Did the other gods not play nice?”
He wraps his hand around my throat, and his voice lowers into a growl. “Don’t act as if you know me, wolf. I’m a god, and I can end your existence with the snap of my fingers. Do you understand that?”
My eyes narrow in defiance, daring him to follow through. “Then do it. Kill me now. As you pointed out earlier, my arrival in Selaris has only hindered your plans. Make this less complicated for both of us. Squeeze the air from my lungs and be done with this.”
I’d rather be dead than his prisoner. At least then I’d be free to be reborn and find a way to kill him later.
His grip deepens to the point I’m sure there will be marks, and as my throat begins to burn, I realize I’m truly not afraid of this death. Except as my vision begins to dance with spots, the bastard releases me.
“It’s not your time yet,” he hisses, removing his cold touch from my neck before shoving away from me.
Those five words tell me all I need to know and confirm that I’ve been right not to be afraid since arriving in this dark room.
Orix needs me, but why? I have royal blood, but there are plenty of others out there who do as well. What’s so special about me? Is it because I’m Theo’s mate? Maybe, but I feel as though I’m missing something that’s right in front of me.
My wolf snarls, and her presence spreads through my core, warming my…stomach.
But what can he do with a child that a wolf shifter carries? Technically, because of my and Theo’s bloodlines, the baby will have the right to a throne, but again, that’s not a rare thing.
“What if it was never my time to die?” I ask Orix before he leaves me alone in the dark again. I can’t see him any longer, but I sense him close enough to have heard me. “Gods live forever. If I help you, couldn’t you make that happen for me?”
A rumble echoes through the small, shadow-filled space. “You are not worthy of my power.”
“But Theo is. That’s why you’ve tied yourself to him. He holds a strength within him that you need.”
I don’t know how I ever saw my mate as weak. He’s made poor choices, but even now, when it shouldn’t be possible, his energy is reaching for me. He’s determined and loyal and filled with more love than anyone I’ve yet to know. It doesn’t matter what happened in his past. His actions don’t make him less worthy of redemption than anyone else. Something I wish I’d seen long before now.
“Theo’s nothing more than a pawn.” Orix sneers, coming back to me. “It’s the future heir who’ll hold the power you should fear.”
He glares down at me, his godly power slithering over my cold skin and pressing in on my body. Pinpricks of agony poke along my limbs until my blood begins to burn, as if actual flames are building within me.
As my lungs ache, I remain unmoving, watching him watch me. He expects a reaction. Anger, fear, and pleading, I’m sure. Yet I give him none of it. Not out of pure stubbornness, but because there’s only a rebellious calm left for me to hold onto.
My wolf’s presence remains strong, a steady heartbeat in the back of my mind, her unwavering loyalty and confidence merging with mine, along with the energy I can only identify as Theo’s, bringing with it a peace.
It doesn’t matter what happens here, we’re going to be okay.
Orix’s expression hardens as he searches my face, irritation etching into his gaze. “You’re testing my patience, Princess,” he snarls, his eyes flashing with something dangerous. “Perhaps I need to show you the consequences of your defiance.”
“I thought you wanted to play games,” I tell him, my voice hoarse from the tension still riddling my extremities. “I was merely trying to give you what I thought you wanted.”
“Let’s see just how true that is.” His palms push against my temples, and he closes his dark eyes. In the shadows of the room, he looks more ghostly than godly, but before I can stare for too long, he jumps back, his face somehow even more ashen.
“That’s not possible.” He steps forward again, grabbing my throat. “Did you bond with Theo without my knowing?”
I can’t speak thanks to his grip, nor can I move more than my eyes, so I settle for blinking rapidly.
“Answer me!” he shouts in my face, releasing his hold as he paces next to me.
“No…bond,” I manage to croak.
“Lies.” His bellow fills the room, echoing off the cool stone walls, a thunderous sound that reverberates through my bones. Before I can respond, he moves with a vicious, lethal grace. A dagger materializes in his hand, its edge catching what little light exists, gleaming with a sinister promise. In one swift, brutal motion, he drives it into my stomach, the steel piercing flesh and muscle, straight into my core.
Pain explodes—sharp, blinding, an agony that sears through the numbness, breaking past every wall I’d built around myself. My vision blurs as a cry rips from my throat, the sound broken, desperate, and filled with a torment I’d never thought possible. He twists the blade, and the suffering intensifies, consuming me, until I feel as though I’m made of nothing but ash.
Orix leans over me, his eyes shining with devious intent. “You won’t win against me, Princess. I’ve been at this longer than you can imagine, and I will get what I want. I might have been… Well, that doesn’t matter now. Fight all you want, nothing will change. Theo will do as I command and so will you. Death won’t free you from this fate. Nothing will. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will all be.”
“Death won’t free you from this fate.”
Tears of frustration begin to fill my eyes. He’s wrong and I won’t give up. I can’t, no matter how hopeless my surroundings are. I have to hold onto the rage. It’s the motivation that will get me through.
His laughter sweeps over me as he wipes at my falling tears. “Good girl. Maybe you’ll be more than I expected after all. I was looking forward to watching the life bleed from you, but if you cooperate, maybe I’ll let you live long enough to raise my…the child. He won’t be of use to me until he’s grown, but don’t worry. I already have a plan to speed that process up.”
The renewed hatred boiling within me feels almost tangible, a fire that burns away the pain, sharpening into a blade of its own. Like hell he will.
I might be trapped, I might have even been a fool, but one thing is certain now—I will never, ever let him have my future child.
Not in this lifetime or any other.
“You may think these tears are a sign of weakness, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth,” I rasp, my voice filled with a rebelliousness that builds from the depths of my soul. “But even gods can bleed. And no matter what it takes, I will make sure that’s the last thing you ever do.”
The flash of anger in his eyes is my only satisfaction as he steps back into the shadows, and I hold onto it, letting this moment fuel me. I may be broken, bleeding, and helpless right now, but he’s just made a fatal mistake—he’s shown me his weakness, his arrogance. And I’ll find a way to use it against him even from here.