Kasia stared at her reflection in the foggy bathroom mirror, her hazel eyes haunted with regret. Her breath hitched as she gripped the edge of the sink, trying to steady herself. How could she have done this? Betraying the mate bond was unfathomable, and yet she had just done it.
"Kasia, calm down." Deva's voice echoed in her head. "Ethan betrayed you first when he slept with Alexis."
"Two wrongs don't make a right, Deva," Kasia countered, her voice trembling. The thought of confronting Ethan made her stomach churn. She couldn't bear to see the look in his piercing brown eyes when he found out what she'd done.
"Maybe we won't have to face him," Deva suggested, her tone sly. "What if we stayed here with Amdis?"
"Are you serious?" Kasia asked, incredulous. "You think I could just abandon my life and stay with a vampire? We know nothing about them or their world."
"Speak for yourself," Deva replied cryptically.
"What do you mean?" Kasia pressed, but Deva remained silent, leaving Kasia frustrated and confused.
Determined to clear her thoughts, Kasia turned on the shower for the third time that morning, letting the hot water cascade over her tense muscles. As she finally stepped out, she felt somewhat composed.
The bathroom door opened to reveal a luxurious bedroom, with sunlight streaming through the windows and casting golden patterns on the floor. On the bed was a purple gown fit for royalty. Kasia couldn't help but marvel at the elegant garment. It seemed her captor intended to treat her like a princess.
Kasia slipped into the gown, its soft fabric caressing her skin. She took a deep breath and exited the bedroom. The quiet halls stretched before her, filled with an eerie stillness that sent shivers down her spine. Following a familiar presence, Kasia allowed her instincts to guide her.
She found Amdis sitting in a dimly lit library, absorbed in a thick, leather-bound book. Her heart raced at the sight of him- dark eyes as mysterious as the night, a strong jawline, and tousled black hair. The fact that she felt such a connection to him, even without a mate mark, disturbed her deeply.
Amdis sensed her arrival and looked up from his reading. "I know you have questions," he began, his voice smooth as silk. "But first, I want to apologize for last night. I rushed things, and I shouldn't have."
"That's one way to describe it," Kasia scoffed, crossing her arms. The memory of last night's events sent heat rushing to her cheeks.
"Regardless, our bond is undeniable," Amdis continued. "You can feel it, too; otherwise, you wouldn't have found me here."
"How is that possible?" Kasia demanded, her hazel eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"I'm trying to figure that out myself, but you are my mate, or at least your familiar is." Amdis replied with a slight frown.
"Familiar?" Kasia repeated this, confusion etched across her face.
"Your wolf, however, I would not categorize her as such. You're a lycan. You shouldn't have a familiar. Explain," Amdis urged, his gaze never leaving hers.
Kasia hesitated, torn between revealing her past and protecting herself. But she was already trapped in Amdis' world, and there was no point in being confrontational.
With a resigned sigh, she confessed, "I used to be a hunter."
At this revelation, Amdis' eyes widened. He remained silent for a moment before asking, "You? A hunter? How is that possible?"
Kasia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, knowing the judgment and disbelief that would come with her next words. "That is a long story that I don't want to get into. You just need to know that I was an orphan, and the Hunters took me in. I was offered an experimental drug that gave me superhuman strength," she elaborated, her voice trembling with every word. "Nobody informed me about the side effects. I took too many, and I ended up turning."
As Kasia's words hung in the air, she could see the wheels turning in Amdis' mind. His expression darkened as he realized the implications of her confession.
Amdis swore under his breath and said, "I knew those filthy humans were up to something when they required flesh and blood."
Kasia furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"I think at this point it is no secret that we have helped the Hunters," Amdis explained grimly.
"Wait, what?" Kasia exclaimed, feeling a surge of shock and anger wash over her. "Why would you do that?"
Amdis sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "It wasn't entirely my choice, or my people's choice at that," he admitted reluctantly. "The humans threatened us with exposure if we didn't comply with their demands."
Kasia's heart sank as she realized the gravity of the situation. She had always known that the relationship between vampires and hunters was complicated, but she never imagined the Hunters would betray their own code for survival.
Feeling overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, Kasia lowered her head and whispered sadly, "I just keep being shown how naive I have been."
"It was not my choice. The King made the decision, and as a result, he is no longer in control, leaving me in charge," Amdis explained.
"What did they want from you?" Kasia asked.
"They demanded our enemies' flesh and blood. We provided that to them," Amdis responded, his tone tinged with bitterness. "I assume those poor fools lost their lives while manufacturing those pills."
The thought of that made Kasia sick to her stomach. How deep was the rabbit hole of the atrocities that the Hunters committed under the guise of trying to save the human race?
"That does not explain why you have a familiar," Amdis added, returning to the topic at hand.
"I don't know," Kasia admitted, feeling vulnerable. "Before I turned, Deva started talking to me. I thought I was losing my mind."
Amdis frowned; his anger was barely contained. While he was in the process of overthrowing his father, his father had promised to make him regret his actions. A few days later, his mate, Devanna, disappeared without a trace. No one could find her. He searched for her for years, but he did not find a trace of her until now.
"I don't know how it is possible, but Deva is my Devanna. I don't know if this is a cruel joke by the Moon Goddess, but I have no intentions of letting you go until I figure out how to separate Devanna from you," Amdis declared.