Prologue

SIX YEARS AGO…

VESPERA

The stinging pain on my cheek was instantaneous.

"Don’t just stand there, you stupid little bitch!"

Morgana's sharp, venomous voice rang in my ears right after her vicious slap snapped my face to the side. Before I could process the shock, the heavy toe of her boot slammed into my already bruised ribs. The impact stole the breath from my lungs. I collapsed, dropping heavily to my knees onto the freezing, dark grey floors of the castle. My hands were raw, covered in deep, bleeding fissures from endless days of grueling labor. Instinctively, my battered fingers wrapped around the stiff bristles of the scrub brush. I resumed scrubbing the cold stone, keeping my head bowed to hide the tears welling in my eyes. This was my reality.

As a thirteen-year-old witch, I was an outcast in my own home. The Avalon Coven despised me simply for being born from darkness. My very existence was considered a stain on our family’s reputation, a foul omen that they sought to scrub away through relentless abuse. This daily torment was my normal existence. I dared not look up as Morgana's footsteps echoed away down the grand corridor, her heavy skirts swishing with self-righteous disgust.

I sat back on my bruised heels and let out a shuddering breath. My wrists throbbed with a dull, suppressing ache. The faint, ancient runes carved permanently into my skin pulsed with a menacing energy. They were a cruel reminder of my captivity. These shackles kept my innate magic locked away, rendering my powers useless. I traced the raised scars with a trembling, soapy finger. The coven elders had etched these marks into my flesh when I was merely a toddler, terrified that the dark magic coursing through my veins would corrupt their pristine society. Now, I was nothing more than a defenseless servant in a household of powerful, arrogant witches.

Through the towering, arched windows lining the corridor, I stared out at the relentless, rain-battered castle grounds. The storm raged with a furious intensity. Lightning fractured the dark sky, illuminating the sprawling, manicured gardens that I was forced to tend on my hands and knees. My heart ached with a desperate longing for any form of escape. I pressed my forehead against the freezing glass pane, letting the chill numb the throbbing pain in my cheek. I looked past the imposing iron gates, staring at the distant, jagged hills cloaked in shadows. In my mind, even the treacherous territories of the dangerous werewolves and bloodthirsty vampires beyond those hills seemed like a welcoming paradise compared to this hellish torment. The monsters out there wore their fangs openly. The monsters in this castle hid behind elegant clothes and prestigious titles.

My fragile, stolen moment of silent peace shattered in an instant. Heavy footsteps approached from the opposite end of the corridor, followed by the mocking, melodic laughter that always made my blood run cold. My stepbrother Jaxon and my half-sister Sybil stepped out of the shadows, cornering me against the towering glass window. Jaxon’s broad shoulders blocked my only path of retreat, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent. Sybil twirled a lock of her golden hair, her lips curled into a cruel, satisfied smirk.

Without a word of warning, Jaxon lunged forward. His large, rough hand clamped tightly into the tangled mess of my hair. He yanked my head backward. A scream tore from my throat as the roots threatened to rip from my scalp. He hauled my frail, starved body upward, suspending me on my tiptoes for a fleeting second before hurling me mercilessly against the unforgiving stone wall. The impact knocked the wind straight out of my lungs. My spine collided with the jagged masonry, sending a shockwave of blinding agony radiating through my limbs. I crumpled to the floor, gasping like a stranded fish as I clutched my chest.

"Oh, she wants to cause a scene."

Sybil’s voice dripped with cruel amusement. She stepped over my thrashing form and casually whispered a dark, ancient incantation.

Instantly, a thick, suffocating blue haze erupted from her fingertips. The magical mist enveloped my mouth and nose like a tangible, heavy blanket. The air was forcefully stolen from my lungs. I thrashed wildly on the ground, my eyes rolling back in sheer panic. My bleeding hands clawed desperately at my own throat, tearing angry red streaks into my pale skin as I fought to break the invisible magical barrier. I choked, my mouth opening in a silent, agonizing scream for oxygen. The blue haze clung to me, burning my airways with the scent of ozone and copper.

Seeing my frantic, dying struggle, Sybil laughed a high, cold sound that echoed off the vaulted ceilings.

"Go on, Jaxon, remind her of her status."

Taking his cue, Jaxon stepped forward. He raised his heavy, steel-toed boot and began to ruthlessly kick my defenseless body. The sickening thuds of his boots connecting with my flesh reverberated through the corridor. He aimed for my face, shattering my lip and sending a spray of warm blood across the grey stone. He kicked my chest, and I heard the sickening crack of a fragile rib giving way. He stomped on my fragile stomach, causing my vision to swim with dizzying, dark spots. Jaxon laughed maniacally. He took a twisted, sick joy in my suffering, his relentless assault matching the erratic, failing rhythm of my heart.

I teetered on the very edge of unconsciousness. The edges of my vision blurred into blackness. The pain became a distant, echoing roar in my ears. I welcomed the encroaching void, praying for the release of death.

Just as the darkness threatened to claim me, Sybil mercifully, yet mockingly, lifted her spell with a casual flick of her wrist.

The suffocating blue haze dissipated into thin air. I gasped, frantically sucking in lungfuls of air, only to choke and sputter on the warm, metallic taste of my own blood pooling in my mouth. I rolled onto my side, coughing up scarlet splatters onto the pristine floor I had just cleaned. Every drawn breath felt like swallowing broken glass. I curled into a tight, trembling ball, wrapping my bruised arms around my shattered ribs in a futile attempt to protect myself from further harm.

"What are you two doing?"

The icy, authoritative voice of my Father pierced the heavy atmosphere of the room. Jaxon and Sybil froze in their tracks. Jaxon lowered his boot, stepping back with a feigned look of innocence, while Sybil hurriedly smoothed the front of her expensive silk gown.

For a fleeting, pathetic second, I looked up at him through swollen, tear-filled eyes. I desperately hoped for a sliver of salvation. I prayed for a spark of paternal protection to ignite in his cold gaze. I reached out a trembling, bloody hand toward his polished leather shoes, silently begging for him to act like a father just this once.

Instead, his imposing presence only delivered my ultimate doom. He stared down at my broken form, his eyes burning with an intense, unbridled rage and deep-seated disgust. He did not see a daughter bleeding on the floor. He saw a pest. A rat infesting his grand halls.

"You will both be glad to know that we’re finally getting rid of this thing."

He spat the words out like venom, refusing to even address me as his child. The finality in his tone sent a fresh wave of terror crashing over me.

"I can finally make a name for myself, a proper one without the foreshadows of this curse!"

He ignored the broken, pathetic croaks escaping my bloody lips. I tried to beg, but my vocal cords refused to cooperate. Reaching down, his strong hand clamped around my thin, bruised elbow in a crushing grip. He hoisted me upward, my legs dragging uselessly beneath me. He began to drag me across the floor toward the heavy oak doors of the main entrance. My knees scraped against the stone, leaving a faint, smeared trail of red in our wake.

Amidst the chaotic dragging, a small, terrified voice broke through the tension.

"Father! Please stop! Leave her alone!"

The high-pitched cries of my nine-year-old brother, Finn, echoed down the grand staircase. I managed to turn my head just enough to see his small, pajama-clad figure clinging to the wooden banister. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks. His wide, innocent eyes were filled with absolute fear. He was the only person in this wretched castle who had ever shown me a shred of kindness.

Father was deaf to Finn's tears. He did not even pause his relentless stride. He yanked the heavy oak doors open with his free hand and callously shoved me forward.

I tumbled out into the biting, freezing rain of the night. The storm hit me like a physical blow. The icy downpour soaked through my thin, tattered clothes in seconds, chilling me to my very bones. I shivered uncontrollably, my teeth chattering as the fierce wind whipped my wet hair across my bruised face.

Father stepped out into the storm, his dark cloak billowing behind him. His grip on my elbow never loosened as he dragged me relentlessly over the sprawling castle grounds. We left the smooth cobblestones behind, entering the rough, unpaved paths that led away from the estate. The sharp stones and jagged gravel tore through my thin clothes. The rough terrain sliced deeply into my skin, shredding my knees and shins as I struggled to keep up with his massive strides. I stumbled and fell repeatedly, but he merely yanked my arm harder, nearly dislocating my shoulder to keep me moving.

We plunged deeper and deeper into the pitch-black, bitter forest. The towering, ancient trees blocked out the faint moonlight, plunging us into a suffocating darkness. The howling wind drowned out my pathetic, breathless whimpers. Mud and freezing slush coated my bleeding legs. The forest felt alive, its twisted roots reaching out to trip me, its thorny branches whipping against my exposed arms.

Finally, with a grunt of exertion, Father stopped. He roughly threw my bleeding, shivering body onto the muddy ground. I landed face-first in the freezing slush, tasting dirt and metallic blood. I pushed myself up onto my trembling elbows, spitting out mud as I tried to orient myself.

Right at my feet stood a silent, towering figure.

The stranger was draped in a heavy, dark cloak. A massive hood obscured his features, leaving only the sharp, intimidating line of his jaw visible in the gloom. He radiated an aura of pure danger, a heavy, oppressive energy that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The rain seemed to slice right off his massive shoulders, leaving him unaffected by the raging storm.

"As promised, she’s all yours."

Father announced the transaction with a voice devoid of any emotion or regret. He stood tall, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at me one final time.

The hooded stranger did not speak a word. He simply reached deep into his heavy cloak and tossed a heavy, clinking bag through the rainy air. The bag sailed through the darkness, landing perfectly in Father's outstretched hands.

Father caught it effortlessly. He untied the thick leather strings and greedily inspected the thick bundles of money inside. The dull gleam of coins and paper illuminated his greedy, satisfied smirk. He weighed the bag in his palm, giving a curt, approving nod to the menacing stranger.

As Father turned to leave, he uttered the final, devastating words that destroyed the very last, lingering fragments of my shattered soul.

"When you’re done with her, don’t bring her back here."

My vision blurred with a fresh wave of hot, stinging tears. I watched the only parent I had left turn his back on me. He walked away, his dark silhouette blending into the shadows of the twisted trees. He was leaving me here to die. He had sold me to a monster, and he did not care if I survived the night.

"Father! Please don’t!"

I screamed, my voice tearing through my raw, bleeding throat. I scrambled forward in the thick, freezing mud. My bleeding fingernails clawed desperately at the stranger's thick, leather boots. I grabbed the hem of his soaked cloak, trying to pull myself past him, trying to run after the man who had abandoned me.

The stranger moved with terrifying speed. His massive, gloved hand shot down, clamping around the scruff of my neck. He hoisted me off the muddy ground, his grip bruising and unrelenting. He immediately began dragging me further into the absolute dark of the woods, moving in the opposite direction of my home.

"No father please! Please… I’m sorry..."

I begged, offering empty apologies for my very existence. I sobbed uncontrollably, my desperate pleas echoing off the thick trunks of the ancient trees. I promised to work harder. I promised to be quieter. I promised to let Jaxon and Sybil beat me without making a single sound. I begged for mercy, for a second chance, for anything other than this terrifying unknown.

But my futile, agonizing cries echoed emptily through the dense, indifferent trees. Father's silhouette faded into the storm, vanishing from my life forever.

In that exact moment, as the realization of his ultimate betrayal sank into my bones, something deep inside the core of my being snapped.

It was a physical sensation, like a heavy, iron chain shattering within my chest.

Suddenly, the chaotic, howling wind of the storm stilled. The driving rain froze in mid-air for a fraction of a second before dropping to the forest floor in a muted, heavy thud. An eerie, unnatural vacuum of silence swallowed the woods. The crickets stopped chirping. The rustling leaves froze. The very air around us grew thick, heavy, and impossibly suffocating.

A terrifying, blistering rage swelled explosively within my chest. It was a heat hotter than anything I had ever felt, a raging inferno that instantly burned away the freezing chill of the storm. The despair and fear that had ruled my thirteen years of life evaporated, replaced by a pure, unadulterated need for vengeance.

The ancient suppression runes carved into my wrists, which had been dormant and dull my entire life, suddenly began to burn. Searing heat radiated from the scars. They glowed with a blinding, menacing purple light, casting eerie, dancing shadows against the wet trunks of the surrounding trees. The magic I had never been allowed to touch surged through my veins like liquid fire, demanding to be released.

I stopped struggling against the stranger's grip. I hung suspended from his heavy hand, my body going terrifyingly limp as the dark magic fortified my shattered bones. Still staring into the pitch darkness of the path where my father had retreated, my tears stopped. The salt dried on my cheeks, baked away by the unnatural heat radiating from my skin.

I whispered into the unnatural silence. My voice lacked the tremor of a scared child. It dripped with a coldness and a promise of vengeance that sent a violent shiver down my own spine.

"I won’t forget this."

The stranger holding me stiffened.

"Shit!"

The hooded man muttered the curse above me, clearly sensing the dangerous shift in the atmosphere. He felt the sudden surge of raw, untamed magic rolling off my small frame.

Before I could even turn my head to face him, before I could unleash the burning power building in my veins and tear the forest apart, the stranger reacted. A brutal, crushing strike connected squarely with the back of my skull.

The impact shattered my concentration. The glowing runes flickered out. The deafening howl of the storm instantly crashed back into the forest, breaking the unnatural silence. The searing heat in my veins vanished, replaced by an explosive burst of blinding agony in my head, instantly sending my entire world pitching into an endless, heavy blackness.