Chapter 15 - A Visit from Dina

Leo’s POV

Very few people had ever seen my face.

The mask I wore was not just a cover but a fortress. It allowed me to walk among my people without truly being known, a necessity when you are cursed to destroy all you touch. Everyone knew I was a hybrid—the son of the Lycan Queen and their Alpha King.

They whispered about the shadow-born king, a tyrant cursed to drain the land and soul of anyone who came too close. But no one, not even the council, knew my face.

Except for a select few. My beta Zane, and Isabella, my only childhood friend, are the only ones that know that Leo Ashton is indeed the Alpha King.

The memory of my uncle’s visit in the human world surfaced unbidden, his desperate plea still as absurd as the day I’d heard it.

I remembered suppressing a laugh. The irony had nearly choked me. Here he was, begging a man he thought to be a business tycoon to join his crusade against the very king who stood before him.

The sound of the war drums echoed in my ears long after they had faded, their rhythm replaced by another—a memory I could never escape.

Rose.

Her name alone was enough to stir the shadows within me. I closed my eyes, the council chamber around me vanishing as the memory clawed its way to the surface.

It had been a night like no other. The pull of the mate bond had been undeniable, consuming. I’d returned to the palace after months away, and the moment I saw her—a maid bustling about the palace—everything in me shifted. The bond hit me like a storm, tearing through every wall I’d built. She was small, fragile in ways that terrified me, yet she felt… right.

We were destined for each other. Or so I thought.

That night, we were supposed to seal our bond. I remembered the way her eyes had looked, wide and trusting, as I leaned in to kiss her. The way her hands trembled against my chest, her breath mingling with mine. For the first time in years, I had allowed myself to hope. To believe that maybe, just maybe, the shadows didn’t have to win.

But then...

Everything after that moment was a blur, fragments of memory splintered like glass. One moment, I was with her, feeling the warmth of her touch. The next, I was standing by the window, my back to her crumpled and broken form.

Blood.

It was everywhere—on my claws, dripping from my fangs, staining the wooden floorboards. The coppery scent was thick in the air, mingling with the metallic taste on my tongue. I didn’t even realize I was shaking until a maid’s scream shattered the silence.

I turned slowly, my chest heaving, my vision swimming as I took in the sight before me. Rose lay there, her body twisted, her throat torn open, her once-bright eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

“No,” I whispered, my voice hoarse, but the denial rang hollow even to my own ears.

The maid fled, her cries echoing through the castle as I sank to my knees beside Rose’s body. I reached for her, but the shadows surged, wrapping around my hands, forbidding me from touching her.

I couldn’t remember what had happened. The shadows had taken over, erasing everything. I didn’t know if it was me or the curse, but the guilt was the same.

They said it was me.

The council whispered of the monster I’d become, of the danger I posed. My Beta, Zane, stood by me, swearing it couldn’t have been my fault. But even he couldn’t deny the effects of the shadows around me.

After that night, I became a ruthless monster to all who knew about it. But what can they do? Dethrone me? Please.

I buried Rose that same night, deep in the forest where the curse couldn’t reach. But her death never left me. It haunted me, every scream and plea from the realm only adding to the weight of her loss.

And now, with Ivy…

The thought of history repeating itself made my stomach churn. Ivy was different, yet the fear lingered. What if I lost control again? What if the shadows took her from me, too?

The chamber door creaked open, and Zane stepped inside. He didn’t speak, but the look on his face told me everything I needed to know. The emissary had arrived.

“Is it Dina?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

He nodded. “She’s waiting in the great hall. What do you want us to do?”

I stood, the weight of my crown pressing heavier than ever. Dina’s name alone was enough to stir the shadows within me, her magic a constant thorn in my side. If she thought she could negotiate, she was mistaken.

“I’ll speak to her,” I said, my tone flat.

Zane hesitated. “Leo… what if this is a trap?”

“It’s always a trap,” I muttered, brushing past him.

The great hall was cold, the air thick with tension as I entered. Dina stood at the far end, her dark robes flowing like liquid shadow. Her eyes gleamed with a mix of malice and amusement as she watched me approach.

“Your Majesty,” she said, her voice dripping with mockery. “How kind of you to grant me an audience.”

“Spare me the pleasantries,” I growled. “What do you want?”

Her smile widened, and for a moment, the shadows within me recoiled, as though recognizing her power.

“I’ve come to offer a solution,” she said, her tone maddeningly calm.

“To the curse you placed on me and my kingdom?” I spat. “Forgive me if I find this absolutely ridiculous.”

She tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Oh, I didn’t say it would be painless or easy. But there is a way to end your suffering and that of your kingdom, my king. A way to lift the curse.”

My jaw clenched, every instinct screaming at me to reject whatever she was about to say. But the shadows whispered, urging me to listen.

“What is it?” I asked, the words bitter on my tongue.

Her smile turned wicked, her eyes gleaming with triumph. “Sacrifice your light.”

The words hit me like a blow, the air leaving my lungs. I knew what she meant—who she meant. Ivy. How did she even find out about Ivy?

“No,” I said immediately, my voice firm.

Dina chuckled, the sound echoing through the hall. “You can’t have it both ways, Alpha. The shadows will remain, draining life out of this realm and you of course. But you can put an end to all this beautiful nightmare I gave you.”

Her words lingered, the weight of them crushing me as the shadows stirred, hungrier than ever.

I couldn’t lose Ivy. Not like I lost Rose. But as Dina’s laughter faded, one thing became clear.

The shadows weren’t just consuming me—they were forcing me to choose.