Chapter 57 – A Choice Sealed in Blood

Elena's breath was uneven, her fingers curling against her sides as she struggled to keep her thoughts in order. The weight of Leon's words settled into her like chains tightening around her chest.

Then you'll belong to me.

The sentence looped in her mind, its meaning pressing against every inch of her rationality. She wanted to refute it, wanted to deny that any of this was real, but the truth was staring her in the face. She had read it in the book.

The mark wasn't just a symbol—it was an irreversible connection.

A bond that would last beyond lifetimes.

Leon still hadn't moved, his sharp gaze watching her every reaction, every tremble of her hands, every shift of her expression. He wasn't forcing her. He wasn't demanding she submit. But he was waiting.

And that was somehow worse.

The silence between them stretched until Elena finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"If I let you mark me…" She swallowed hard. "What does that mean for me?"

Leon's jaw clenched slightly, as if he were holding something back. "It means your soul will be bound to mine. It means you will no longer be entirely human."

Her stomach twisted. "And if I refuse?"

Leon's expression darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line before he finally admitted, "Then I die."

The words hit her like a punch.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't." His voice was flat, controlled, but beneath it was something else. Something fragile.

Leon Blackwell was many things—ruthless, enigmatic, dangerous. But he had never looked vulnerable before.

Yet now, he stood before her, weakened, struggling to stay upright, and despite the cold front he always maintained, she knew he wasn't lying.

If she didn't do this… he wouldn't make it.

Her hands clenched into fists, frustration welling up in her chest. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Leon's lips twitched, but there was no humor in his expression. "Would it have changed anything?"

Elena fell silent.

She didn't know the answer to that.

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as she weighed her choices. If she let him mark her, she would lose a part of herself. But if she refused… she would lose him.

The thought shouldn't have made her ache.

It shouldn't have made her feel like she was about to break apart.

Yet, it did.

She exhaled sharply, meeting Leon's gaze. "If I agree to this… will I still be me?"

Leon took a slow step forward, reaching out as if to touch her but stopping just short. His voice was lower this time, gentler. "You will always be you, Elena."

Her chest tightened.

She wasn't sure if she believed him.

But there was no time left to hesitate.

Leon's breathing was getting more shallow, his strength fading fast.

Elena swallowed back her fear, steadied herself, and whispered the words that would change everything.

"Do it."