Page 107 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings
Lightning cracks like a whip across the sky.
I call upon fate’s powers to weave my magic in this hour.Seven sins,born from dark, your immortal souls now bear by my mark!
As the words leave her mouth, Regan, Lyon, and Zeke scream, dropping to their knees, ripping at their flesh as if they too are burning by invisible flames.Before Litha can finish the curse, she slumps forward and screams her anguish, trying to speak again.
Regan, Zeke, and Lyon stop screaming, and everyone looks around when the brewing storm suddenly stops, and the night sky clears.Murmurs break out, and suddenly a woman in a black cloak steps forward with her arms raised to the moon and tears streaming down her face.
“In the shadows cast by a fire’s glow, where sinners hide, and virtues grow, I call upon the ancient powers to weave my magic in this hour.”
“No!”my mother screams at the woman.
“We stand with you,” the woman speaks, and my mother shakes her head as she screams.Another woman steps forward out of the crowd and joins her chant.
Her coven.
Seven sins, born from dark.Your immortal souls now bear her mark.
A third woman comes forward.
Amidst your vices, she’ll burn brightly.Within the seven virtues, she shall stand, her light shining throughout the land.
“No,” Litha chokes out, lifting her head, her face burning, and her skin turning black like charcoal.Yet, the witches keep stepping forward to take center stage, refusing to let her death be in vain as they continue to chant.
A woman of virtue, pure and strong, to right the wrongs and end our priestess’ song.Chosen by fate, her heart aflame, she’ll be your salvation or your condemnation!
Power singes the air as a storm so brutal rips through the kingdom screaming their anger and devastation.
Screaming their vengeance.
The next second, the entire city square of the kingdom erupts in chaos when her coven sets themselves on fire to burn along with her.
My entire body jolts as I’m ripped out my mother’s past and plunged into a reality where history is about to repeat itself.
I’m haunted by the memory of my mother’s death, her last moments spent burning at the stake.I can still hear her screams, the screams of her coven, her curses filling the air as the memory fades.
But now I find myself back in the present, trapped by the very curse my mother had set in motion so long ago.As the flames rise higher, threatening to consume me, I wonder if there is any hope for escape, or if my fate is sealed just like hers was.
The crowd watches with bated breath, their eyes wide and fearful.Some shout for mercy, while others call for my death.Their voices blend into a cacophony that threatens to drown out my thoughts.The torches close in on me, their flames just inches away from my skin, and I close my eyes, bracing myself for the pain.
Suddenly, the sound of a powerful growl echoes through the city center, causing the crowd to gasp and the guards to falter.Gnash, Hunter, and Shadow prowl through the street, forcing the guards to back up.My eyes scan the crowd to see Malachi, followed by Regan, Zeke, and Lyon—emerging from the crowd, their eyes burning with fury.
“We won’t let you do this!”Lyon shouts, but Theron’s faceremains impassive, his cold eyes locked on mine as the flames continue to climb higher.
“Father, stop this madness!”Zeke pleads, his voice filled with desperation.
“She’s not Litha!She’s not responsible for the curse!”Regan argues.
“Burn her...”King Theron snarls.I watch, horrified, when I see a guard move toward the pile of wood with fuel.
“Stop them,” Theron orders when Regan, Zeke, and Lyon attack the guards, trying to get to me, just as the pile is doused in fuel.Flames explode, and my mates scream as fire licks up my legs, the pain is unbearable, and I scream.
“Stay in position!”I hear Kelly scream, my eyes snapping open as I take in the witches surrounding me.Only then do I notice their positioning puts me in the center of a pentagram.
My mind tries to figure out what’s going on, yet I can’t think past the pain and chaos.Rough hands grip my face, and Zeke is suddenly standing on the pillar beside me.He’s frantically trying to undo the chains, and all I can do is slump forward against him.
“NO...NO...NO!”Zeke screams.
“You’re burning,” I mumble as he yanks on the chains.
