Chapter 95- Blood and Sacrifice

I hadn’t expected Damon to be so ruthless. It should have been obvious—he had shown me his merciless nature time and time again, proving just how far he would go when pushed. But still, some part of me clung to the illusion that he could be different. Perhaps that was my greatest flaw—not just loving him, but believing he could restrain himself in moments where vengeance consumed him.  

Yet, how much could I truly judge him?  

Maria, despite her quiet devotion, had committed an unforgivable act—stealing my child, handing him over to her bloodthirsty daughter, blinded by an affection twisted into something monstrous. Love had made her cruel, had driven her to betray me in the worst way possible.  

So why was Damon the only one burdened with a reputation of savagery?  

The truth was, sometimes cruelty was necessary.  

As Damon lunged forward, claws poised to rip Maria apart, I made my move.  

I broke from the bushes, throwing myself between them.  

The impact of his strike sent searing pain through my body as his talons sliced deep into my shoulder. The force of it knocked me backward, landing hard at Maria’s feet.  

I couldn’t let him kill her.  

Even after everything she had done—after the deceit, the betrayal—there was something in me that refused to let her die like this.  

Hadn’t I once saved a man who was ready to destroy the entire human race?  

Hadn’t I learned, above all else, that love strips us of reason?  

Damon, his form partially shifted, stared down at me with burning eyes. His teeth were bared, his patience nonexistent.  

“Move.” His voice was low, his restraint hanging by a thread.  

“No, Damon! Stop!” I gasped, forcing myself up despite the agony coursing through me. “You’ve already hurt her—she’s dying!”  

His fangs gleamed, his gaze unwavering. “Get the hell out of my way.”  

Next to him, Malios watched with tense desperation, silently willing me to step aside.  

“No!” My voice cracked, but I didn’t back down. “If you do this, I’ll never forgive you.”  

A flicker of hesitation.  

But then—movement behind me.  

Tessa released Maria, using the distraction to launch herself into the trees.  

Damon was gone before I could react.  

His form shifted entirely, his massive wolf body crashing through the air, intercepting her in a blur of brutal force.  

In the space of a heartbeat, he had her pinned against the thickest branch of the tree, holding her in place with monstrous strength.  

The battle unfolded faster than any of us could process.  

He bit down—hard.  

Tessa’s arm severed from her body, crashing to the soil below.  

Maria collapsed onto her knees, her sobs piercing the night air.  

But there was nothing that could stop Damon now.  

Tessa’s screams rattled the forest as he tore her apart, piece by piece.  

I couldn’t watch.  

Malios pulled me into his arms, burying my face in his neck, shielding me from the gruesome sight.  

It was a mercy that lasted only a moment.  

Then—the grip on me vanished.  

Malios let out a sharp cry, shoving me aside just before Evan sank his fangs into his throat.  

Horror froze me in place.  

“Evan!” I screamed, but the battle around me swallowed my voice.  

Malios struggled, but he was losing too much blood, growing weaker by the second.  

I scanned the battlefield, searching desperately for help.  

But the wolves were still engaged in their fight against the surviving vampires.  

Malios’ body slackened.  

We all knew what was coming.  

He would either die—or shift.  

Before Evan could make his final move, Damon crashed down from the trees, slamming into him with a force that shook the ground beneath us.  

And suddenly, the two men I had loved most were fighting to the death.  

Damon was stronger—his movements quicker, more calculated.  

Eventually, he had Evan pinned, claws ready to tear through his neck.  

Then—hesitation.  

His gaze flickered to me.  

He was searching for reassurance.  

He wanted me to give him permission—to confirm that if he killed Evan, I wouldn’t hate him for it.  

I had none to offer.  

I knew Evan had to die.  

But now that he was here—after believing him to be lost forever—how was I supposed to say the words?  

Evan’s gaze locked onto mine.  

“Tell him… don’t do it,” he begged.  

I stared, expressionless.  

Even if Damon spared him, how could Evan survive?  

The new world built by the wolves had no space left for vampires.  

One way or another—Evan had no future.  

I swallowed hard and shifted my gaze back to Damon.  

His face was lined with misery, but I nodded.  

Kill him, I thought. I promise not to hate you for it.  

The moment shattered in an instant.  

A jaw clamped down on Evan’s head—savage, unrelenting.  

But it wasn’t Damon.  

It was Luke.  

He stepped forward, tearing Evan’s head clean from his body.  

Silence fell over us.  

Then, Luke crouched over the body of his son.  

Malios’ eyes remained open.  

We all knew what had to happen next.  

Luke exhaled, his expression void of emotion.  

Then, he raised his claws and drove them into Malios’ chest.  

He didn’t stop until his son’s eyes finally closed—until his heart ceased beating.  

The battle was over.  

The wolves retreated, forming a circle around Luke and the fallen bodies.  

The air was thick with death, the tension suffocating.  

The wolves began to howl—a mournful, guttural sound, grieving the loss of their comrade.  

Behind me, a sound.  

I turned just in time to see Maria shifting, her hand reaching for something inches away from her bloodied body.  

A stake.  

My breath hitched.  

She struggled to lift it, positioning it shakily against her chest.  

“No—”  

I tried to stop her.  

But it was too late.  

Maria drove the blade straight into her heart.