Chapter 0161

"Malachi, what have you brought me?"

"Sire." He drops to one knee, forcing me down with him. His gaze lifts to the prince. "I've located one."

Prince Damien's eyes lock onto me, burning with predatory hunger. "Are you certain?" His voice drips with greed.

Malachi yanks my arm forward. "Taste her yourself. I only took enough to confirm. She took down four of our coven before I subdued her. That's how I knew."

The prince doesn't blink as he strides forward, seizing my wrist and inhaling deeply. His eyelids flutter shut—but not before I see the ravenous glow in them. His fangs descend, and with deceptive gentleness, he pierces my skin.

The second my blood hits his tongue, his irises flood crimson. His grip turns vicious. A low, obscene groan rumbles from his chest as he drinks. When he finally tears away, his lips glisten.

"Untouched. Pure." His filthy purr makes my stomach revolt. He raises his voice over the chaos around us. "No one touches her but me."

He turns back to Malachi. "A fresh shipment arrives tomorrow. You may pick first from the feeders. For now—" His finger trails down my cheek. I jerk back, but Malachi clamps a hand behind my skull. "—I'll escort her to her quarters. I want her close."

He hauls me upright and addresses Malachi. "You've done well. Go feed. Take your pleasure. Report back when you're finished."

Malachi bows. As I'm dragged away, I spot him heading toward a cage I'd missed—packed with trembling humans. He wrenches open the door, snatches a sobbing child no older than five, and sinks his fangs into the boy's throat. The scream cuts off as Malachi nearly decapitates him, tossing the small body aside before grabbing a grown woman next.

The prince leads me to a lavish chamber, shockingly bright compared to the castle's gloom. White walls. Airy drapes. "This is yours now. Don't attempt escape—the walls are laced with silver." He rips the tape from my mouth. "You'll be treated well here. No one feeds on you. No one defiles you. Your exquisite blood remains mine alone."

He gestures around. "Within these walls, you may do as you please. Books? Ask. You'll receive three iron-rich meals daily—I'll require regular feedings. Anything reasonable will be provided."

"And if I refuse?" Does he truly think this is a privilege?

His smile vanishes. "I placed you here out of respect for your status as a Guardian. Elite among werewolves—superior even to other supernaturals. But cross me, and I'll chain you in the cells with the other cattle. Or perhaps I'll grow bored and let my coven have you." His fingers brush my throat. "They lack my... restraint."

He tosses me the key to my shackles and strides out, locking me in this gilded cage.

Exhausted, I collapse onto the bed. The day's horrors—the screams, the blood—echo in my skull. These nightmares will haunt me forever.