Chapter 8

A L I N A

His words cut deep, slicing through the last shred of hope I’ve been clinging to. My stomach churns, bile rising in my throat as my heart races in my chest.

“Why?” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Why would you do this? After everything…”

“Why?” he echoes, his tone bored. “Because it was necessary. Your family stood in the way, Alina. Too powerful, too arrogant. It was only a matter of time before someone brought them down. And who better to do it than me?”

“No…” I shake my head, backing away as the walls seem to close in around me. “You’re lying. You have to be lying...”

“Lying?” Magnus takes a step forward, his presence suffocating me with every step he takes. “Do you think the men who stormed your gates tonight acted on their own? That the fires and the bloodshed were random?” He scoffs, his smile dark and humourless. “It was all me, Alina. Every bit of it...”

My heart pounds in my chest, each beat like a hammer against my ribs. “You're... you're a monster... ” I manage to choke out, tears burning my eyes.

“Perhaps,” he says, his tone indifferent. “But I’m also victorious. That’s what truly matters.”

I stare at him, searching for any trace of the man I thought I knew—the man I cared for, that I loved... But he’s gone. If he ever existed at all.

“You never loved me...” I say, the realization settling over me coldly as I shake my head at him.

He smirks, the cruelty in his expression twisting the knife deeper. “Of course not. Did you honestly believe I did?” He smiles, and that was the last possible thing he could say to absolutely shatter my heart...

The floor feels like it’s crumbling beneath me, but I force myself to stand tall. “You lied,” I say, my voice shaking with anger. “About everything.”

“Everything,” he confirms with a casual shrug. “The promises, the plans, the future I let you dream of—it was all part of the game. Manipulation, Alina. It’s an art, and you were my finest masterpiece...”

I bite down on the inside of my cheek, swallowing back the tears threatening to spill. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. “Why?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

“Because you were easy,” he says, his tone dripping with disdain. “Your trust was too freely given, your loyalty too predictable. You made it simple to slip past your defences and get exactly what I needed.”

Before I can respond, the sound of heels clicking against the stone floor echoes through the hall. I turn toward the noise, dread twisting in my chest as I try to make out who is approaching us...Until... I can finally see their face...

Isalda... my so-called friend.

She steps into the torchlight, dark blonde curls cascading over her shoulders, her golden and green gown hugging her figure in all the ways my own hangs loose and tattered. Her lips curl into a smug smile as she saunters closer, her emerald eyes locking onto mine.

“Isalda?” My voice is barely audible, disbelief colouring every syllable. “What are you doing here?”

She doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she stops beside Magnus, slipping her arm through his as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. And right before I thought it couldn't get any worse...

She kisses him...

“No…” I shake my head, taking a step back as I watch the two of them make out with each other, right in front of me... The way he holds onto her the way their bodies remain glued to each other, sending my head spinning and my heart shattering to pieces...

This can’t be real... none of this can be real...

Isalda finally pulls her away from Magnus, keeping her hands on his chest as she presses herself against him, a soft moan escaping her lips and making sure that I am watching every minute of what's happening in front of me...

Her gaze meets mine, an evil, vindictive smile forming on her lips as she eyes me from head to toe distastefully.

“Oh... it’s real,” Isalda says, her voice dripping with smugness as she grins, glancing back at Magnus triumphantly, as if she has won some sort of prize...

My gaze darts between them, panic clawing at my chest as I suddenly feel tears form in my eyes, but still, I refuse to let them fall.

"What is this? Isalda, you’re my friend. You...-" I try to say, but instead, she sharply cuts me off.

“Friend?” She begins laughing bitterly as she slowly takes her hands off Magnus, but still remains close to him. I then watch as his hand snakes around her waist, resting comfortably on the curves of her dress, just as he looks back at me, a smile just as evil as hers crossing his features.

“Oh, Alina. You really are clueless...” Isalda carries on just as she finishes laughing at me.

Her words sting, a knife twisting in wounds I didn’t know existed as I shake my head, trying to understand how all of this is even possible. “What are you talking about?”

“I was never... your friend,” she says sharply, her smile fading. “Do you honestly think I could stomach pretending to like you all these years? It was exhausting...”

“Why?” My voice cracks. “What did I ever do to you?”

“You existed,” she snaps, her emerald eyes blazing with hatred. “You and your perfect little life, your perfect little family. You Xalverias always thought you were better than everyone, the most noble of the families and next to the royal family... You always had everything handed to you, always had everyone looking at you like you were something special...” She explains, and I never thought I would see such bitterness from someone I once considered my friend...

Her words leave me breathless, tears stinging my eyes until I can no longer hold them back. “It wasn’t enough for you to have your family’s adoration,” she continues. “You had to take Magnus too... No... unfortunately for you, that was all a facade too... Magnus was never going to mark you as his mate... because I'm the person he's meant to be with...”

I freeze, my mind reeling as I turn to Magnus, my heart aching in my chest as I search him for answers. “Magnus?” I call out quietly.

But he doesn't say a word. Instead, Isalda’s smirk deepens as she turns to face Magnus, leaning up to press her lips to his in a slow, passionate kiss. At that moment, their kissing gets more heated and right before I know it, Magnus reaches down to her neck and sinks his teeth into her flesh, causing her to moan out loud in pleasure as she holds onto his head.

As if my heart couldn't shatter anymore...

Her moans echo through the hallways and soon, their scents begin to change, and but by the time they finally pull away from each other, I can tell... they have already been mated to each other...