Chapter 257
Ryker’s POV
He sat in his throne room, his mind drifting to different thoughts that ran through his mind in quick succession.
His fingers drummed the skull-shaped armrest, waiting patiently for something important.
The reason he had told Marcellus to make sure Odessa Pierce went to Mexico alongside Kaelos…
“Sir Regina’s voice echoed from the entrance of the throne room as the doors swung open.
She walked in with a sly grin, her black gown trailing behind her like a dark cloud. Her hips swayed seductively but also with a confidence that was hard to miss.
“Calanthe is dead, lord,” Regina remarked, causing Ryker’s eyes to widen slightly.
Calanthe… Also known as the “raven witch”, was once a powerful member of the coven of Mexico City over a century ago.
But then she was banished… Forgotten. For original chapters go to.net
That’s until she met the Lord of the North years ago and they struck a deal, making her one of the witches secretly helping him further his research on artificial hybrids.
“Let me guess… Kaelos and Odessa killed her.” Ryker remarked with a snigger, slowly standing from his throne with an unimpressed smirk. “No matter. I got Odessa right where I want her.”.
He stepped down the platform of his throne, his boots clicking ominously against the black marble floor.
Regina tilted her head, her raven-black hair cascading like ink over her shoulders. “Are you certain she’s ready?”
Ryker turned sharply toward her, a dark glint in his obsidian eyes. “Ready? No. That’s the beauty of it.”
Regina’s lips curled into a smirk as she walked closer. “Then you were right to send Calanthe as bait.”
“She served her purpose,” Ryker said, circling the large mirror mounted beside his throne.
The surface shimmered… It wasn’t a normal mirror, but one bound in blood magic, its power sealed with the lives of ancient divination witches.
“She died screaming, apparently,” Regina added casually, inspecting her black-painted nails. “Burned alive by Kaelos’ aura and Odessa’s magic flames. Quite the cinematic sight… I was able to see it by sneaking into the pocket dimension as a mouse.”
Ryker paused. “Pity. I would’ve liked to do it myself.”
He lifted his hand, and the mirror pulsed with dark purple light.
The image formed slowly—blurry at first, then clearer.
Odessa.
She was sitting on her bed. Alone. Exhausted. But more importantly… distant. Her hands were clenched on the sheets, her lips twitching.
She looked like she was trying to breathe through invisible pressure.
Ryker’s smirk widened. “Do you see it?”
Regina leaned closer. “She’s not aware.”
“Not yet,” Ryker whispered. “But she will be. Every moment that passes, she feels me like a breath on her neck. Like a thought she didn’t invite. The resonance began the second Calanthe died.”
“Because of the blood mark,” Regina said, catching on fast. “It was triggered.”
Ryker gave her a look of approval. “Clever girl.”
She curtsied mockingly, her eyes glowing faintly with a dark purple light as she approached the mirror. “And Kaelos?”
“He’s her shield. But not perfect. His blood makes him strong, yes… but even strength has blind spots.”
Regina chuckled darkly, placing her palm on the mirror’s surface. “You know, watching them gives me goosebumps. They’re so She clicked her tongue. “Naïve.”
“Love has a way of making fools out of kings and witches alike,” Ryker murmured. “But let them play their part. They still believe this war is about artificial hybrids, pack betrayals, old covens and bloodlines.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “They haven’t even scratched the surface.”
A low hum vibrated through the chamber.
The mirror began to glow brighter—this time shifting, flickering between Odessa’s face and the dark sigils etched deep within her magic.
Sigils she didn’t even know existed yet.
Regina frowned. “It’s awakening. Her hybrid blood… Her true inheritance.”
“And when it does Ryker whispered, almost reverently, She’ll be more than a queen. She’ll be the key.”
Regina turned to him fully. “And the seal?”
Ryker’s smile faded into something sharper. “It’s already cracking. Every drop of dark energy she taps into through the sigils now implanted in her brings it closer to breaking.”
His gaze went distant for a moment.
“When it breaks, I will not just access her mind… I will own it.”
Regina raised a brow. “And if she resists?”
“She won’t,” he replied, too quickly.
Regina gave him a look, but Ryker rolled his eyes before adding, “Not for long.”
“You’re underestimating her,” she said, stepping around him. “She’s not weak, my lord. She’s not Calanthe. Odessa has loyalty, love, and conviction. If you push her too fast—”
“Then I’ll make her beg for darkness,” he snapped, his voice low and venomous. “I’ll make her hate the light so much that she’ll burn it down herself.”
Regina stared at him quietly.
“Have I ever failed?” Ryker asked sharply.
Regina hesitated… then shook her head with a slow smile. “No, my lord. You haven’t.”
“Exactly.”
He turned back to the mirror and flicked his wrist.
The image of Odessa dissolved and was replaced by a swirling black vortex… A vision of the energy forming beneath the surface of North America.
Old, slumbering dark magic.
“Calanthe’s death was the final thread. The ritual begins whether they’re ready or not.”
“And Marcellus?” Regina asked, lifting an eyebrow. “You’ve been very quiet about him.”
Ryker’s expression soured slightly. “He’s too careful. Too paranoid. I needed someone unpredictable. That’s why I gave him just enough rope.”
“Do you trust him?” She asked.
Ryker snorted. “I trust him to save his own skin. And that’s all I need.”
Regina drifted toward the glowing symbols on the mirror’s frame, brushing her fingers along them. “You should rest, then. It’s almost time.”
But Ryker didn’t move, instead muttering. “Regina?”
“Yes, my lord?”
“If Odessa dreams tonight… make sure she sees me.”
Regina grinned, wicked and pleased. “With pleasure.”
She turned to leave, her gown trailing behind her like a whisper of death.
As her heels clicked behind Ryker, he stared at the mirror with a cold smirk.
“The continent and the world wouldn’t know what hit them