Moonfire Bride: The One they all betrayed...till she awakened

Jaime’s mouth curled into a slow, smug smile, ”What’s wrong, Rotblood? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Della immediately pulled back to lever a bit, and the wheelchair began moving backwards slowly.

She had no doubt that Jaime was here to kill them. This Alpha heir has been itching his whole life to watch the light disappear from her eyes. Every time he’d beaten her up, he’d always come close to actually killing her.

”I wouldn’t move if I were you,” He continued, remaining right where he is.

Then, he let out a sinister laugh that made even Annelise, standing behind her feel chills. She already knew that the person standing in front of them was the lunatic’s brother based on the resemblance and the madness also creeping off his face.

”Still moving?” He shook his head this time, then chuckled again, ”You know, everyone kept saying you were dead. That Alpha Cassian had carried you away from the mob and had secretly buried you,”

Della’s knuckles tightened even more.

”And when Beatrice told me, I also believed her. We then travelled back to Eclipse Crown together, and I was only supposed to stay for a few days...then I encountered a certain set of people,”

What the hell was he talking about?!

”And although they wouldn’t tell me who had sent them, they said they’ve been watching you guys all this time and had predicted that you would be sneaking out of the castle tonight. I managed to convince them to give me a few minutes to speak to you first, before they continue on with their little... mission,” He looked genuinely pleased as he said the last part, clicking his tongue.

Della’s heart rate skyrocketed, and she desperately began looking around them. If what he just said was true, that means he isn’t alone.

Annelise stepped beside Della quietly, raising her little dagger at her with a dark look in her eyes, ”Move out of our way, now!”

Jaime looked up at her, and then he smiled again, ”You’re the one who’s been helping her, right? Ouch, really. My condolences in advance,”

Annelise looked even more pissed than before. She would have attacked this man already, but he had Alpha blood and his aura alone indicated that he was many times stronger than her.

He could kill her in the blink of an eye. She would have to be more careful than that.

”Anne?” Della still sounded terrified, one eye focused on Jaime while the other was still looking around frantically, ”Anne, get out of here,” Della whispered.

”What?” Anne looked at her.

”I don’t think he’s alone. Please, please leave,” Della could now feel hundreds of spiders climbing her bed body.

”I’m not leaving you,” Anne whispered sharply, ”We would stick together!”

”No, no...,” Della was still looking around, now tapping Anne desperately, ”It’s not...I think something terrible is—”

”Annelise, right?” Jaime asked.

Anne’s eyes narrowed at him again. Her wolf stirred restlessly inside of her.

”It’s just like I said. My condolences,”

Annelise barely had time to turn when something moved from behind them.

”Anne—!”

A dark figure emerged from the shadows with such impossible speed that Della barely registered the movement before a blade flashed across Annelise’s throat.

Then, everything stopped.

Anne also had no time to react and now, she was just standing there almost motionless. Then blood sprayed across Della’s face.

”ANNE!” Della screamed.

Annelise’s dagger slipped from her fingers, and her hands flew to her throat, desperately trying to stop the blood as her eyes widened in shock. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed heavily beside Della’s wheelchair.

”No—no, no, no!”

Della threw herself forward. Her wheelchair tipped sideways beneath her, sending her crashing onto the forest floor. Pain tore through her battered body, but she didn’t feel it.

She scrambled toward Annelise on shaking arms, dragging herself across the ground until she could pull her into her lap, ”Anne!”

Annelise’s eyes found hers, and there was terror in them. Terror, and something heartbreakingly familiar.

Della clutched her tighter, ”Don’t—don’t you dare!” Her voice shattered. ”Don’t you dare leave me... please,!”

Annelise’s hands trembled against her own throat. She opened her mouth to speak, more blood coming out and covering everywhere, ”Don’t...”

”Look at me!” Della sobbed, pressing one hand against the wound as though she could somehow stop what was happening. ”Look at me, Anne. You’re going to be fine. I’ll... I’ll fix you right away!” Della quickly reached for the sack, searching through it frantically.

But Annelise grabbed her hand and stopped her. Her body was shaking, and she finally managed to get the words out, ”D... don’t f...f... forget eve... everything I...t...told y...you,”

”No...no..”

”I...r..reg... regret n... nothing...”

Della’s entire body began shaking.

She had watched people die before.

She had watched wolves die.

She had been certain she was going to die herself.

But this—

Annelise was supposed to live.

She was supposed to live, and probably get married and have children and become an even better Veinseer than her mother. She was supposed to call her sister again.

She couldn’t die.

Not her.

”Please,” Della whispered, tears mixing with the blood on her cheeks. ”Please, Anne. Don’t leave me alone.”

Annelise’s fingers twitched, and she forced her lips to form a smile, ”I... I’ll al..ways be w.. with you,”

Then they went still, and her eyes stopped moving. The light in them dimmed till they were nothing, and her weight collapsed on Della.

Della stared at her, unable to move.

To think.

”Anne?” She shook her gently.

Nothing.

”Annelise?”

Still nothing.

And then Della’s face crumpled, and a sound escaped her that didn’t even resemble crying. She pulled Annelise into her chest, and hugged her tightly, terrible emotions wrecking through her system, ”No!!!” She screamed, ”Noo!! No, please, no!! Please, please...!!!”

Della sat there on the bare floor, shuddering against Annelise’s dead body.

This couldn’t be happening. No!

She would never accept this.

Jaime crushed a twig under his boots as he stepped closer to them, looking absolutely delighted, ”Beautiful,” he murmured.

Della didn’t hear him.

Or perhaps she did, but her mind had simply refused to process anything beyond the lifeless woman in her arms.

Jaime crouched in front of her and grabbed her face roughly, forcing her head upward, ”She is dead, isn’t she?”

Della flinched violently.

She noticed the cloaked figure standing behind him for a moment, right before he forced her to look at him.

”This is what Rot-bloods do. One cannot be with a rotblood and expect their lives to go as they hoped. You bring calamity into people, and you curse them endlessly,” He jerked her face back to look at Anne’s, ”Now let me ask you. Do you think she wanted to die? Huh? Do you think she wanted to become a traitor and die because of someone as worthless as you? No! She had people who loved her, and you’ve just taken her away from those people!”

More tears streamed down her eyes and it felt difficult to breathe.

He jerked her face back to stare into his, ”That is exactly why people like us exist. To punish you. To make you suffer horribly. To curse you as you curse us,” His nails were digging into her skin mercilessly, ”And then...to end you and whatever filthy creature you’re carrying inside of you,”

A blow hit her directly in the stomach the very next moment, and pain exploded deep inside of her.

Tears spilled out of her pained eyes, and she instinctively wrapped her hands around her stomach before she let out an agonising scream.

Jaime then yanked her away from him, cleaning the palm he used to touch her on a small piece of clothing before he threw it away.

”I’m done with her. You can do whatever you want now,” He said.

That was the moment she realised that there were more than just Jaime and the assassin here.

The first wolf lunged, and Della tried to crawl backwards, but the pained body she was carrying could barely do anything.

Hands seized her from behind and dragged her away from Annelise, ”NO!”

She panicked and began clawing at the earth.

She couldn’t leave Annelise here!! She couldn’t leave her body here!!

No, please!!

Someone grabbed her waist, and another caught her arms and pulled roughly, making her head spin.

”LET ME GO!” Her voice broke into a scream and she began kicking weakly, but her battered body had nothing left.

Jaime stood above her, watching.

Smiling.

Della looked back at Annelise one final time as she kept being dragged away, her vision blurring.

Then something struck her head from behind, and her eyes spun to the back of her head just as darkness swallowed her vision.