Chapter 1
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.
Then darkness.
Cold.
Silence.
She waited for pain.
None came.
Instead, distant voices echoed around her.
"She's finally waking up."
"The sacrifice begins at midnight. She must not escape."
Sacrifice?
Elara's eyes snapped 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.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.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...
