Goodbye, My Mate

Chapter 206

Lucas' POV

I was paralyzed, my mind reeling in shock.

What have I done?

The fire roared, its flames licking hungrily at the night sky. Leah's figure began to blur, fading into the chaos.

Fear coiled around my neck like a vice, tightening with every passing second.

She is Leah. My Leah.

I had pushed my mate, my wife, into the inferno.

And now, she was burning alive.

What have I done?! How could I have been so blind, so heartless? What cruel twist of fate had the Moon Goddess cast upon me?

Why?! Why did She demand I destroy my own mate, my Leah?

My thoughts shattered into fragments of despair.

Without hesitation, I leaped forward, charging headlong into the flames.

I would rather die with Leah than live as this hollow, heartless shell.

I should have died long ago.

But as the searing heat kissed my skin and singed my hair, a powerful gust of wind hurled me backward, away from the fire.

I crashed onto the ground, the sheer force of the Lycan's breath holding me at bay.

Then, I saw her.

Leah rose from the pyre, her skin sloughing away in molten streams. Beneath the carnage, she stood - my Leah. Flames encircled her like a vengeful halo, and the scars from Jalin's scalpels now glowed like ancient runes.

"Leah!" I choked out, ash coating my tongue as I stumbled toward her.

She turned. Her eyes were glaciers, cold and unyielding.

"Lucas Farrow." Her Lycan voice reverberated through my very marrow. "You betrayed me. And now, you sought to kill me."

Despite the terror clawing at my mind, I reached for her.

I had to hold her. My mate. My wife. My everything. My death.

"Accept my rejection, Lucas Farrow of the White Walkers," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom.

My heart splintered into a thousand shards.

"No. Leah, please. Listen to me. I can't..."

"Accept it. Now." Her gaze bore into mine, a blizzard raging in her eyes.

"Leah, I didn't..."

"You killed our child. My child."

Pain exploded in my chest, sharp and unbearable.

The child from her dream—the one without a face, the one who had never been given the chance to exist.

My world spiraled into a vortex of despair, consumed by a grief I could never endure.

"I accept your rejection…" I whispered, my trembling hand brushing through her hair. "And I love…"

Her claws plunged into my chest, closing around the hollow space where my heart had ached for her.

"Goodbye, my mate," she murmured, her kiss a bitter blend of death and vengeance.

I fell.

The last thing I saw: Leah stepping back into the flames, leaving no trace of her presence behind.

Finn's POV

I woke with a start, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. The remnants of the nightmare clung to me like a second skin - shadowy figures, screams that echoed in my ears, and the metallic taste of blood on my tongue. My head throbbed, a dull ache that pulsed with every heartbeat, and my throat felt like it had been scraped raw. I needed water, something to wash away the dryness and the lingering dread.

I shifted to get up, but before I could move far, a pair of thick arms wrapped around me, pulling me back into the warmth of the bed. Lycidas' breath was hot against the nape of my neck, his lips brushing the sensitive skin behind my ear. "Where do you think you're going?" he murmured, his voice low and rough with sleep.

"I need water, Sir," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn't let go. Instead, his grip tightened, and he pressed me down into the mattress. "Did I ask you to leave?" he growled, the words carrying a weight that made my stomach twist.

I opened my mouth to protest, but he was already moving, his hands sliding down my body with a familiarity that bordered on possessiveness. My legs were parted before I could even think to resist. I let out a shaky laugh, half-hearted and tinged with exhaustion. "Sir, please. You tormented me all night. I can't do anything now..."

He cut me off with a kiss, his lips trailing down my chest, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. "Who said you had to do anything?" he whispered, his voice dark with promise.

I gasped as his fingers found the most sensitive part of me, my body betraying me as it responded to his touch. I threw an arm over my eyes, trying to block out the intensity of his gaze, but it was no use. His presence was everywhere, inescapable. "Your Highness… don't…" I pleaded, though the words lacked conviction.

He didn't stop. If anything, he seemed to relish in my weakness, in the way my body arched against his will. The room was filled with the sounds of our breathing, the creak of the bed, and the occasional gasp or moan that escaped my lips. It was a strange kind of violence, one that left me both shattered and whole.

And then, just as I was teetering on the edge, there was a knock at the door.

Lycidas froze, his body going rigid with anger. He let out a low growl, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine, and reached for the desk lamp beside the bed. Without hesitation, he hurled it at the door, the glass shattering on impact. "Whoever you are, get the fuck out!" he roared, his voice dripping with menace.

From the other side of the door, Cole's voice came, hesitant and apologetic. "Your Highness, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need to see Alpha. It's urgent."

Lycidas looked like he was about to launch himself out of bed and throttle the man, but I was already moving, pulling on my pants and heading for the door. I opened it just enough to see Cole standing there, his face pale and his eyes downcast. He flinched when he saw me shirtless, quickly averting his gaze.

I grabbed Lycidas' shirt from the floor and shrugged it on, the fabric still warm from his body. "What is it?" I asked, my voice calm despite the storm brewing inside me.