THE WAR BEGINS

Chapter 11

The War Begins

The night shook with fury.

Lightning split the sky as Damien lunged, his power exploding in a violent storm of shadows. Kieran met him mid-air, their bodies colliding with bone-crushing force. The impact sent shockwaves through the clearing, shattering trees, sending the wolves into a frenzy.

I stumbled back, my breath ragged, my pulse a war drum in my ears.

They were fighting over me.

Two kings. Two monsters.

And I wasn't sure who I wanted to win.

Damien struck first, his fist colliding with Kieran's jaw, sending the wolf king skidding across the dirt. Kieran wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned.

"That all you got, vampire?"

Damien growled, his fangs flashing. "I'm just getting started."

He moved like a shadow, too fast to track, appearing behind Kieran in an instant. His hand shot out—claws gleaming—aiming straight for Kieran's throat.

But Kieran was ready.

He ducked at the last second, spinning and slamming his fist into Damien's ribs. A sickening crack filled the air, but Damien barely flinched.

They fought like titans, tearing through the land, fists and fangs, claws and shadows. The wolves howled, circling like specters, watching their king battle for dominance.

And me?

I felt something stir inside me.

Something dangerous.

Heat coiled in my veins, not the kind that came from fear—but from power.

It surged through me like wildfire, turning my blood molten, changing me from the inside out. My vision sharpened, my hearing expanded. I could feel the energy in the air—the rage, the hunger, the primal war unfolding before me.

And worse—I wanted it.

I needed it.

Damien and Kieran were fighting for me, but neither of them realized the truth.

I wasn't just some prize to be claimed.

I was becoming something else.

Something stronger.

And I wasn't sure I could stop it.

The fight raged until the sky bled dawn.

Neither man had won, both bruised and battered, panting like starving beasts. The wolves watched in silence as Damien spat blood onto the ground.

"This isn't over," he growled.

Kieran smirked. "Damn right, it's not."

But Damien didn't look at him.

He looked at me.

I knew that expression.

Dark. Possessive. Unforgiving.

I barely had time to react before Damien grabbed me, yanking me into the forest.

I gasped, but he didn't stop. Didn't speak.

He dragged me away, deeper into the shadows, his grip firm, unyielding. I didn't fight him. I didn't want to.

Because I knew exactly what he needed.

What we needed.

*******Damien didn't stop until we were hidden beneath the trees. His chest heaved, his storm-gray eyes wild.

His power coiled around me, thick and suffocating.

"You let him touch you," he growled.

I swallowed hard. "Damien—"

"You let him inside you."

I shuddered. "It wasn't—"

His lips crashed into mine.

I moaned, my body melting against him.

This wasn't like before. This wasn't slow or teasing.

This was war.

Damien spun me, pressing me against the rough bark of a tree, his hands everywhere, claiming me with bruising, desperate touches.

"I'll remind you who you belong to," he rasped.

My knees buckled.

Then he tore through my clothes.

A gasp escaped my lips as the cold air kissed my bare skin.

Damien's hands were rough, gripping my hips, dragging me back against him. I could feel his need, hard and demanding, pressing against me.

"You want this," he murmured against my throat. "Say it."

I whimpered, arching into him. "Yes."

"Say my name."

"Damien."

His growl rumbled through my body.

Then he slammed into me.

I cried out, pleasure ripping through me like fire. He moved with raw, brutal possession, gripping my waist, driving into me again and again.

"You are mine," he growled.

His hands tangled in my hair, yanking my head back so he could claim my lips in a vicious kiss. I moaned into his mouth, the pleasure unbearable, consuming.

He took me hard and fast, like he was afraid this would be the last time.

And maybe it was.

Because the war was coming.

And we both knew not everyone would survive it.

The night after, we rode toward battle.

The vampire kingdom stood at the edge of ruin. Selene's army had risen—creatures of the night, beings crafted from blood and darkness.

Lucian stood at the front lines, his silver eyes calm, unreadable.

He turned to Damien. "We may not always see eye to eye, brother," he said. "But this fight is ours."

Damien nodded once. "Then let's finish it."

The battlefield erupted in chaos.

Screams. Blood. Clashing steel.

I fought alongside them, my body moving with inhuman speed, my claws slicing through enemies like they were made of mist.

And then—

A scream.

I spun just in time to see Lucian fall.

Selene stood over him, her nails buried in his chest, his lifeblood spilling onto the ground.

My breath stopped.

Damien roared.

He lunged at her, but it was too late.

Lucian's eyes met mine one last time.

And then—

He was gone.

Damien fell to his knees, his hands coated in his brother's blood.

A silence cracked through the battlefield.

Then—

Damien's power exploded.

The earth shook. The sky turned black.

And the war truly began.