“The Ultimate Betrayal”

Ivy’s voice is shaking, but strong. “Damian and Elias are working together.”

The words feel like a gunshot to my chest.

No.

That can’t be true.

I look at Damian—the man I fought for, the man I ran back to, the man I was willing to risk everything for.

His face remains unreadable. Cold. Silent. Like he isn’t even trying to deny it. I shake my head. “You’re lying.”

Ivy exhales, her green eyes filled with something I never thought I’d see—pity.

“I wish I was,” she whispers.

“Selene,” Elias steps forward now, his voice smooth as silk, sharp as a blade. “You were never meant to love him. But I knew you would.”

His blue eyes glint with satisfaction.

“And so did he.”

The ground beneath me feels unsteady. I turn to Damian. His broad shoulders remain relaxed, controlled, powerful.

The man I thought would burn the world down for me. The man I thought would choose me. My voice shakes. “Tell me it’s not true.”

Damian’s jaw tightens. His silence is deafening. Ivy’s hands tremble as she speaks. “I tried to keep you away from him, Selene. I tried to stop you from falling in love with him. Because I knew…”

She swallows hard. “I knew your blood was stronger than mine.”

My breath catches. “What?”

Ivy’s eyes glisten with unshed tears. “That’s why Elias chose me to marry Damian. That’s why I was supposed to be the sacrifice.”

She lets out a broken laugh. “But you… you were always the real prize.”

The room feels smaller. The air thicker.

I look at Elias, my pulse pounding. “You said only one of us had to die. That Ivy or I—”

“Yes,” Elias interrupts smoothly. “But there was never a choice. You were always the stronger one. And Damian… well.”

He smirks. “Damian has always wanted more.”

A sharp pain slices through my chest. “You knew,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “You knew my blood would make you stronger.”

Damian finally moves. He steps forward, his blue eyes dark, unreadable.

“Yes.”

One word. A confession. A betrayal.

I stagger back. “Everything you said to me—everything we went through—it was all a lie?”

He exhales, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Not all of it.”

I laugh bitterly. “Just the parts where you loved me?”

A flicker of emotion crosses his face, but it’s gone before I can name it.

“You were always going to come back, Selene,” Elias says, stepping beside Damian. “You are driven by love. By emotion. I knew you wouldn’t be able to let him go.”

His lips curl into a smile.

“And so, we used that against you.”

No. No, no, no. Damian knew. He knew I would fight for him. That I would never truly let him go. And he let me come back.

So he could kill me himself. Tears burn my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

“You’re a monster,” I whisper.

Damian tilts his head. “I’m a survivor.”

The ritual begins.

The hooded figures move around the altar, chanting words I don’t understand. The markings on the floor start to glow, pulsing with energy.

Something ancient. Powerful. Deadly.

Ivy lets out a sob. “Selene—”

Elias raises a hand. The guards grab her, pulling her back.

I struggle against my restraints, my heart pounding. “Damian, don’t do this.”

He steps forward, standing over me now.

His blue eyes lock onto mine. And then—he cups my face. His touch is gentle. Almost tender.

For a brief moment, I see the man I once loved. The man who held me in the dark and whispered promises I thought were real.

And then—

His lips brush against mine. A final kiss.

A goodbye. I freeze. And that’s when I feel it, cold steel sinking into my chest. My breath catches. Pain explodes through my body.

I look down. Damian’s hand is wrapped around the hilt of a dagger. The dagger is buried in my heart. The world blurs. I gasp, but no sound comes out.

Damian leans in, his breath warm against my ear.

“Forgive me.”

And then—

Everything fades to black.