The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation romance Capítulo 141

GABRIELLE

“No, no, sweetheart, you must have absolute control over your magic, not let it come out by instinct,” I explain to Valeria while we practice in the living room.

“You can't wait until you're in a desperate situation to react. Try bringing out your raven wings now... no, no... but without the full transformation, just the wings…”

We spent quite some time practicing. I was determined to teach her everything I knew, everything I inherited from my mother and her mother before her.

“Let’s take a break, don’t wear yourself out too much, and take care of the baby.” We stopped, and soon I felt her pour water into a glass.

I thought she was going to drink it, but instead, her warm presence approached me, and the cold glass was pressed against my lips.

“Drink, you've been talking too much; your lips look pale.” My soul melts at her care.

My greatest fear had always been that she would reject me and reproach me for believing she was abandoned, but my Valeria is too good-hearted.

“Mother, I... I want to talk to you about something,” she suddenly says, sitting beside me, and doubt creeps into me.

“Tell me, sweetheart, whatever it is, you can trust me.” I reach out to take her hand and hold it on my lap.

“How is the Selenia bonding ritual performed? I want my mate to mark me permanently,” she asks, and I tense up, although I knew this conversation was coming soon.

“I figured you’d want to do it. The truth is, it’s dangerous, Vale, I won’t lie to you,” I tell her before explaining what it entails.

“What?!” I hear her stand up. “Engraving... engraving my name on his soul... what does that even mean?”

“It literally means engraving the name 'Valeria' with an enchantment into the heart of the Lycan King. That will bind him to you irreversibly—only death can separate you,” I confirm with a sigh.

“You need to have strict control over your magic. You also have to feed on him at that moment. You’ll feel euphoric, Valeria, you’ll crave more and more of his vital blood like a drug. If you make a mistake, if you lose control, you could end his life.”

I wasn’t lying to her. Few Selenias performed this ceremony due to the risks. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if we were the Goddess's favored daughters or the most despised.

“I... I don’t know…” she hesitates, and I hear firm footsteps approaching from the entrance.

“We’ll do it,” I suddenly hear Aldric’s voice, and the sofa springs creak under his weight.

“Don’t be afraid, love. I’m strong enough to endure this and more. I want to be bound to you in every way possible.”

“But Aldric… I don’t even have full control over my power.” They start talking in hushed tones, back and forth.

“Valeria, I’m not telling you to do it or not; that’s your decision as a couple. But you should know something… your father… you’ve never asked me how he died. I’ll tell you now,” I say, gripping the armrest, preparing to confess one of the greatest shames of my life.

*****

VALERIA

My mother takes a deep breath; it seems like what she's about to tell me is very difficult for her. For some reason, I can already imagine it.

"I killed him during our bonding ceremony," she lowers her head, and her knuckles are nearly white from gripping the chair.

"It wasn't because of my lack of control over my magic. It was because the vampire side of me is dominant, and in the frenzy, I couldn't stop myself... I literally drained his blood until I killed him."

Aldric and I remain silent. What can you even say to that?