CHAPTER 290: _THE MIRROR BREAKS

"Leave. Me. Alone!" I yelled, my jaw clenching as I glared at the mirror in front of me.

And in the mirror?

My reflection had distorted into someone else. A man with black horns curling up his forehead and empty black orbs in place of where his eyes were supposed to be.

He had black hair and a slash mark across his left eye. He wore a tailored black suit, looking like he crawled right out of the Lucifer TV show with a few adjustments.

But this wasn’t Tom Ellis making a comeback...

This bastard is Lord Ryker and ever since he revealed the truth about my bloodline four months ago, he’s been haunting my dreams and my waking hours, appearing in this specific form.

I had a feeling this wasn’t how he looked in real life but I honestly couldn’t care less.

"Don’t let me be the reason your mood sours, Odessa." He chuckled in the mirror, tilting his head. His eyes trailed down my body before landing on the ring on my finger.

"So Kaelos is finally ready for an actual wedding?" His voice was deep, domineering, condescending and amused all at once. He grinned, a twisted expression that made him look even more demonic. "Congratulations... But like I said when he—"

Before he could finish that sentence, I grabbed my hair brush and flung it at the mirror. It shattered into a thousand pieces, the crashing sound making me jolt with fright as I took a few steps back.

During the past few months, he’s been whispering in my head, pushing me to do more research on HER.

The dark witch who tapped into the Vein centuries ago... Who also happens to be a distant ancestor.

I was able to find out her name from Aunt Althea... Nyx. Named after the goddess of the night and living up to the name in the grandest way possible.

Her time on Earth before she was sealed into the Vein was marked with darkness and the rise of a plethora of twisted monstrosities. Chaos took form through her.

The worst part about all this is the fact that Aunt Althea didn’t mention anything about her being an ancestor. So what the fuck is Lord Ryker driving at?

"I... I need air." I breathed, tearing my gaze away from the mirror and walking toward the balcony’s sliding glass door.

Just when I was about to get there, I swerved my head to the wall to my right, where a person-sized mirror was. But then I gasped when I saw who was standing waiting inside it.

"Oh, sweet, naive little hybrid." Ryker echoed with a mocking laughter, shaking his head. "I am in your head... Tied to your very soul. You can’t get rid of me by breaking a few mirrors."

My eyes twitched with anger and frustration. "You’ve seen already that I’m never losing control of my magic. In two months, the Luminari coven elders will lift the ban on me using my abilities in public and I can go back to living a normal—"

"Keep the word salad to yourself," Ryker said plainly, his arms behind his back. "And really? After all this time you still think you have a chance of running away from your destiny? Your bloodline?"

My hand curled into fists as I glared at his figure. Suddenly, something that has never happened before played out.

The lights in the room flickered before turning off entirely, the shadows twisting into unnatural shapes. Darkness began spreading like ink on the mirror before leaking into the room, creeping on the ground and walls.

My heart thudded heavily as I took several steps back, stretching out my hands.

The darkness was encroaching and cold as Ryker’s projection took a single step out into the physical world. My eyeballs nearly fell out of their sockets when I saw his leg on my room floor.

Fuck this!

’Kaelos? Kaelos, it’s Ryker.’ I spoke through the mind link, trying to get to Kaelos. ’He... He’s stepping into my room. Kaelos...?’

No response.

Dread surged through my being, my legs getting shaky as if an angler was tied around it. I glanced outside and noticed that even the sky was getting dark with storm clouds.

"This is the power you wish to reject, Odessa?" Ryker sniggered, his entire body fully stepping out. "This power and more is literally at your fingertips. The continent and the world will kneel at your feet. Alpha Kings and High Priestesses will tremble at the mention of your name..."

He took more steps closer as the darkness went ahead to spread until it covered the entire room. The storm clouds outside also came with heavy wind which blew into the room, whipping my hair all around me.

I didn’t dare remove my gaze from Ryker as I tried communicating with Sirena. ’Girl, are you there? Please, tell me you’re there. Please!’

Nothing.

My heart fell to the pit of my stomach, my lips quivering. Fear slowly began transforming into rage as I snarled at Ryker.

"What are you doing to me?!"

My voice caused the ceiling to shake, dust falling off it as the wind picked up pace.

Ryker’s eyes widened with delight.

"I’m not doing anything to you, love." He whispered, finally getting a few meters in front of me.

I glared at him, my chest rising and falling heavily as I stared into his black orbs. I was alone. No wolf and no access to my mate.

All I could see now... Was him.

Ryker.

A man who offered me nothing but darkness wrapped in a promise of understanding what I am. But why did that "promise" sound more real each time he reached out?

"This is all you, Odessa." Ryker spread out his arms, his grin widening. "Look at your arms..."

I raised my hands and realised that the dark sigils had activated, burning brighter than I’ve ever seen before.

"But... How?" I croaked breathlessly, disbelief eating at me as I stared at my arms.

Ryker wasn’t behind the storm outside or the darkness in the room.

I was...

Suddenly, right when I raised my head to look into Ryker’s eyes again... My room door burst open.

Instantly, Ryker disappeared, the darkness in the room fleeing along with him. Before I could take note of who was at the door, a sharp pain struck my head, causing my eyes to spin.

"Odessa!"

I heard a loud yell and saw the silhouette of a man running toward me.

Consciousness became slippery until I couldn’t hold onto it anymore, falling to the ground.