Elara never expected to die at nineteen.

One moment, she was crossing a rain-soaked street, her headphones drowning out the city's noise. The next, a blinding flash of headlights rushed toward her.

Death was supposed to be the end.

At least, that's what Elara believed when the truck's headlights swallowed her whole.One second she was crossing the street.

The next...

Darkness.

Then pain.

Sharp pain shot through her wrists.

Elara's eyes flew open.

Cold stone greeted her.

Torchlight flickered across ancient walls covered in strange symbols.

Chains bound her hands above her head.

A crowd dressed in black robes surrounded her.

Fear tightened around her chest.

"Where am I?"

No one answered.

Instead, a woman stepped forward and sneered.

"Look at her. Even at the end, she's pathetic."

End?

Elara's pulse quickened.

Suddenly, foreign memories exploded inside her head.

A different life.

A different girl.

Lyra Nightshade.

The unwanted daughter of a disgraced werewolf bloodline.

Rejected.

Bullied.

Despised.

And tonight...

Sacrificed.

Elara nearly choked.

She had transmigrated.

Into a novel.

And not just any character.

She had become the side character who died in the very first chapter.

"Bring forth the sacrifice."

The priest's voice echoed through the chamber.

The crowd cheered.

Elara's stomach dropped.

No.

She had survived one death already.

She wasn't about to die again.

The massive doors suddenly swung open.

Silence crashed over the room.

Everyone immediately lowered their heads.

A man entered.

Tall.

Terrifying.

Silver hair framed a face carved from arrogance and power.

Golden eyes swept across the chamber.

Every person seemed afraid to breathe.

The Hybrid King.

Kael Draven.

The ruler of vampires and werewolves.

The most feared man on the continent.

According to the novel...

He was also completely heartless.

Kael's gaze landed on her.

Everything stopped.

The world.

The noise.

Even the air.

Something strange happened.

A sharp ache pulsed behind Elara's eyes.

Then a voice echoed inside her head.

A man's voice.

Deep.

Dangerous.

Possessive.

I found her.

Elara froze.

Her eyes widened.

What?

The voice continued.

Ten years.

Ten years of searching.

And she's finally here.

Elara looked around.

Nobody else reacted.

Nobody else seemed to hear it.

The voice came again.

Mine.

Her breath caught.

The voice sounded exactly like...

The king.

She slowly lifted her gaze.

Kael's face remained completely expressionless.

Yet another thought slammed into her mind.

She's thinner than I imagined.

Who hurt her?

Why is she bleeding?

Elara nearly fell over.

Was she hearing his thoughts?

No.

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

Kael suddenly took a step forward.

The room tensed.

One of the priests smiled nervously.

"Your Majesty. The sacrifice is prepared."

Kael stared at Elara.

His golden eyes revealed nothing.

Then he spoke.

His voice was colder than winter.

"Release her."

The chamber erupted.

"What?"

"Your Majesty!"

"She's the sacrifice!"

Elara heard another thought.

Touch her again and I'll rip your hands off.

Her jaw dropped.

Meanwhile, Kael looked completely bored.

The priests reluctantly unlocked the chains.

The moment they did, Elara's knees buckled.

Kael's eyes darkened.

Catch her.

Catch her before she falls.

No one moved.

The king didn't move either.

Instead, he folded his arms.

Elara barely managed to steady herself.

Then Kael finally spoke.

"I have changed my mind."

Hope bloomed inside her chest.

Maybe he wasn't the villain after all.

Then his next words crushed it.

"Take her to the dungeon."

The crowd gasped.

Elara stared at him.

Excuse me?

The dungeon?

The king's thoughts immediately followed.

It's the safest place in the castle.

No assassins.

No nobles.

No vampires trying to kill her.

No one touches what's mine.

Elara almost tripped.

The dungeon was for protection?

What kind of insane logic was that?

Kael's face remained perfectly cold.

"Lock her away."

Forgive me.

His hidden thought surprised her.

I can't let them know.

If they discover you're my mate, they'll kill you before sunrise.

Mate?

Elara's heart skipped.

Before she could process it, guards grabbed her arms.

Kael turned away first.

As though she meant nothing.

As though he couldn't care less.

But the final thought she heard before the doors closed behind her sent chills down her spine.

I searched every kingdom for you.

Now that I've found you...

I'm never letting you go.

The dungeon suddenly felt far less frightening than the king himself.

To be continued...

The dungeon was not what Elara expected.

There were no rusty chains.

No rats.

No mold-covered walls.

Instead, she found herself standing inside a luxurious suite larger than some houses.

A massive bed sat in the center of the room.

A fireplace crackled softly.

Fresh flowers decorated a table by the window.

Elara blinked.

Then blinked again.

"This is a dungeon?"

The guard beside her coughed awkwardly.

"It was."

"What does that mean?"

The guard looked away.

"It became... different after His Majesty ordered it renovated."

Elara narrowed her eyes.

Suspicious.

Very suspicious.

The door suddenly slammed shut behind her.

A click echoed.

Locked.

Wonderful.

She paced around the room.

Her mind replayed everything that had happened.

The king's thoughts.

The word mate.

The obsession.

The lies.

Nothing made sense.

The novel never mentioned any of this.

In the original story, Kael barely noticed Lyra before her death.

Yet the man she met tonight sounded like someone who had crossed continents searching for her.

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

The door opened.

Servants entered carrying trays.

Steaming food.

Fruit.

Desserts.

Tea.

Enough food for ten people.

Elara stared.

The servants placed everything on the table.

Then left without saying a word.

A minute later, the door opened again.

Another servant entered.

This time carrying blankets.

And pillows.

And more blankets.

"Why are there so many?"

The servant hesitated.

"His Majesty's orders."

Of course.

The servant quickly left.

Elara sat on the bed.

Something felt wrong.

Or rather...

Everything felt wrong.

A king who supposedly hated her had given her a luxury room.

Fed her.

Protected her.

And according to his thoughts, spent years searching for her.

A headache began forming.

The door opened once more.

Heavy footsteps entered.

Elara immediately recognized them.

Kael.

The servants who accompanied him instantly retreated.

The room fell silent.

The Hybrid King stood before her.

His expression was as cold as ever.

"I trust the accommodations are acceptable."

Elara crossed her arms.

"Are all prisoners treated this well?"

Kael's jaw tightened.

"Do not mistake comfort for importance."

Liar.

The thought appeared in her mind before she could stop it.

At the exact same moment, she heard his voice.

Not from his mouth.

From his thoughts.

She's angry.

Good.

Anger means she's healthy.

Elara nearly choked.

Kael continued speaking.

"You should be grateful."

She looks prettier when she's annoyed.

Elara stared.

What?

"What are you looking at?" Kael asked coldly.

Don't look at me like that.

I'm trying very hard not to carry you back to my room.

Elara's eyes widened.

Kael froze.

For a split second.

As if realizing something.

His golden gaze sharpened.

"What did you hear?"

The question sent a chill down her spine.

Hear?

Could he tell?

"No idea what you're talking about."

Silence.

Kael stepped closer.

Dangerously close.

His scent surrounded her.

Rain.

Smoke.

Something wild.

His eyes locked onto hers.

Searching.

Testing.

Then his thoughts slipped through again.

Can she hear me?

No.

Impossible.

Only mates with ancient bloodlines can do that.

Ancient bloodlines?

Elara swallowed.

The novel definitely never mentioned that.

Kael suddenly stepped back.

His mask returned.

Good.

Because another second of hearing his thoughts might have driven her insane.

"I have more important matters to attend to."

I've canceled six meetings just to see you.

Elara almost laughed.

The hypocrisy was unbelievable.

Kael moved toward the door.

Then stopped.

Without turning around, he spoke.

"Stay inside."

His thoughts followed immediately.

Please stay safe.

Please don't leave where I can't protect you.

Something softened inside Elara.

Only slightly.

Then Kael ruined it.

"If you attempt to escape, I will personally drag you back."

The door slammed behind him.

A moment later, his thoughts echoed faintly through the bond.

That wasn't too harsh, was it?

Gods, I'm terrible at this.

Elara stared at the closed door.

Then burst out laughing.

The terrifying Hybrid King.

The ruler feared across three kingdoms.

The man everyone called a monster.

Was secretly panicking because he didn't know how to talk to his mate.

And somehow...

That was far more dangerous.

Because for the first time since arriving in this world...

Elara found herself curious about him.

Very curious.

To be continued...

Author words 😅

much love to my humble followers

The next morning, Elara woke to chaos.

Servants rushed in and out of her room carrying dresses, jewelry, shoes, and enough fabric to cover an entire village.

She sat up.

"What is happening?"

A maid curtsied.

"His Majesty has ordered your attendance at tonight's royal banquet."

Elara nearly dropped her teacup.

"The banquet?"

The maid nodded.

"Every noble family in the kingdom will be present."

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

Nothing sounded more fun than being displayed in front of hundreds of people who probably wanted her dead.

By sunset, she was standing outside the grand ballroom.

Music echoed from inside.

Laughter.

Conversation.

The smell of expensive wine.

The giant doors opened.

Every eye immediately turned toward her.

And the room fell silent.

Elara resisted the urge to run.

People stared openly.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"That's her."

"The sacrifice."

"The king's prisoner."

"Why is she here?"

At the far end of the ballroom sat Kael.

Upon his throne.

Cold.

Unreadable.

His golden eyes met hers.

And immediately the familiar voice echoed inside her mind.

She's beautiful.

Elara nearly stumbled.

Too beautiful.

Why is everyone looking at her?

Stop looking at her.

She bit the inside of her cheek.

The banquet had been open for less than thirty seconds.

And he was already spiraling.

Kael raised a glass.

His face remained completely indifferent.

"Welcome."

His thoughts were another story.

She should sit beside me.

No. That's suspicious.

Maybe directly beside me.

Definitely beside me.

Elara looked away before she laughed.

A noblewoman approached her.

The woman smiled sweetly.

The smile never reached her eyes.

"Lady Lyra."

"Hello."

The woman examined her dress.

"What a surprise to see you alive."

Elara speak in a low voice

u wish i wasn't

what did u say

Before Elara could reply, another voice interrupted.

"Then allow me to surprise you further."

A man stepped forward.

Tall.

Handsome.

Black hair.

Silver eyes.

A vampire.

Several women immediately began whispering.

Elara recognized him from Lyra's memories.

Prince Hendrick

The most popular vampire noble in the kingdom.

And one of the few people brave enough to challenge Kael.

Lucien bowed.

"May I have this dance?"

The entire room gasped.

Elara froze.

Across the ballroom, Kael didn't move.

Not even slightly.

His face remained carved from stone.

Then she heard his thoughts.

No.

A pause.

Absolutely not.

Another pause.

Over my dead body.

Elara almost choked.

Lucien extended his hand.

"Lady Lyra?"

Kael slowly lifted his wine glass.

Touch her and lose the hand.

Elara looked toward the throne.

The king appeared completely calm.

Only his thoughts betrayed him.

Why is he smiling at her?

Why is she smiling back?

I hate him.

I've always hated him.

Actually, I hated him before this too.

Elara bit her lip.

Hard.

Hendrick mistook her expression.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little."

Across the room:

Good.

Be nervous.

Reject him.

Please reject him.

Elara nearly laughed out loud.

This was ridiculous.

Lucien waited patiently.

Every noble in the room watched.

Kael's thoughts grew darker.

If they dance, I'll survive.

A pause.

Probably.

Another pause.

Maybe.

Another.

No. I won't.

Elara finally placed her hand in Hendrick's

The ballroom exploded with whispers.

And somewhere in the distance...

A wine glass shattered.

Complete silence followed.

Hendrick looked toward the throne.

So did everyone else.

Kael calmly set the broken stem of his glass on the table.

His expression never changed.

"Continue."

The single word sent chills through the room.

Yet inside his mind...

Chaos.

I am calm.

Perfectly calm.

This is fine.

Why are they standing so close?

Why is his hand on her waist?

Someone remove him.

Preferably from existence.

Elara had to look away before she burst into laughter.

The dance began.

Hendrick guided her across the floor.

Unlike most nobles, he seemed genuinely kind.

"You're different from the rumors."

"Are the rumors terrible?"

"They are."

"Fair enough."

Lucien smiled.

"You seem lonely."

Before she could answer, another thought slammed into her head.

She is not lonely.

She has me.

Elara almost missed a step.

Lucien caught her.

"Careful."

Across the ballroom:

Take your hands off her.

The music continued.

The nobles continued watching.

And Kael continued suffering.

Then Hendrick leaned closer.

Only slightly.

But enough.

Enough for the king's patience to snap.

The music abruptly stopped.

Every musician froze.

The entire ballroom froze.

Even Hendrick looked confused.

Kael rose from his throne.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

His gaze locked onto theirs.

The room became so quiet that Elara could hear her own heartbeat.

Then the king spoke.

"Prince Hendrick."

The vampire prince smiled.

"Your Majesty?"

Kael's smile appeared.

Which somehow felt more threatening than anger.

"I require Lady Lyra's presence."

Hendrick raised an eyebrow.

"For what purpose?"

Kael descended the steps.

His eyes never left Elara.

Neither did his thoughts.

Mine.

The word echoed so strongly that it nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.

When Kael finally stopped before them, his voice remained perfectly calm.

"State matters."

Nobody believed him.

Not a single person.

And judging by Hendrick's amused smile...

Neither did he.

To be continued..