The moon, in its full glory, seemed to heighten the turmoil within him, amplifying the demonic presence that lurked beneath his skin.
“Damn it!” Zarion breathed a curse. His hands intertwining mine are now shaking. Without warning, his demeanor immediately shifted, and a surge of malevolence radiated from him.
“Z-Zarion…” I gasped as his features contorted, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light. It was a chilling sight, as if a veil had been lifted, revealing the true nature of the Alpha.
My Alpha.
“Zarion!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Elliot glanced at us, he was so focused on what he was doing that he couldn’t afford to be shaken up by what's happening between me and the Alpha.
“Everything alright there, Cassidy?” he shouted. But nothing came out from my mouth to answer him aside from Zarion’s name. “Z-Zarion…” I whispered, my voice trembling as fuck.
Fear consumed me, but I couldn't tear my gaze away from Zarion's demonic visage. The air grew thick with otherworldly energy, and I felt as though I stood on the precipice of my own demise.
I don’t want to die yet.
Suddenly, Zarion's hand shot out, fingers closing around my throat with a bone-chilling grip. Panic surged through my veins, my vision blurring as I struggled for breath.
“Z-Zarion… no—please…” The weight of his strength bore down on me, threatening to snuff out the flickering flame of my life.
“Listen to me, love. Hey! Hush, it’s okay. It’s me, Cassidy!”
Still, nothing would stop him from choking me. I couldn’t breathe anymore. “It’s me, Cassidy—” I repeated again despite my rugged breathing, “your mate…” I continued, whispering at him, tears flowing on my cheeks as we stared at each other.
“C-Cassidy?” he asked, making a low growling sound. I nodded, my eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes, it’s m-me… love.”
In that fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still. Thoughts raced through my mind, flashes of my past, and the dreams I had yet to fulfill. “Please, stop it. Stop it, Zarion. D-Don’t… hurt… me…” I gasped for air, my lungs burning as the demonic Alpha's grip tightened around my throat. The world around me blurred. My vision became hazy as the edge of the cliff loomed before us.
The feeling of impending doom washed over me, a chilling realization that he intended to push me into the abyss while choking the life from my very being.
“Who… are… you?” Zarion’s voice now sounds like a real demon. His eyes turned into red that reflected the moonlight.
“Ca… ssi… dy…” My mind raced, desperately seeking a way to escape this malevolent fate.
Nervousness surged through my veins, mingling with a potent cocktail of adrenaline and survival instinct. The wind howled, echoing the sinister intentions of the alpha, heightening the intensity of this vicious moment.
My thoughts became a flurry of fragmented memories and regrets, flashing before my eyes like a series of disjointed images. Zarion was the first man I loved, and I hope this will not be the last time I see him.
But things are different right now. There were things left unsaid, dreams yet to come true, and a life that seemed destined to be cut short on this desolate cliff…because the man whom I thought would take care of me for the rest of my life is now threatening my existence.
As the Alpha's demonic aura intensified, his grip on my throat became suffocating, restricting the precious air that my body desperately craved. Each passing second felt like an eternity, the world around me fading into darkness as my consciousness teetered on the precipice of oblivion.
In that moment, a surge of defiance coursed through me, empowering me to fight against the encroaching darkness. With every ounce of strength I could muster, I clawed at Zarion’s hand, desperately trying to loosen his grip. To create a sliver of space through which I could draw breath. “S-Stop… this… Zarion…. Don’t listen to your inner demons.” Zarion is still growling, so I shrieked louder. “Stop it! You can do it!”
As my fingertips grazed his skin, a flicker of surprise flashed across his twisted features. It was a momentary distraction, a crack in the facade of his all-consuming rage. Seizing this opportunity, I gathered the remnants of my strength and twisted my body, breaking free from his powerful hold. “I love you, Zarion…” I whispered again, desperate to get out of his arms. I don’t want to die on this cliff. Not here. Not now.
“Ah!” I stumbled backward, my heart pounding against my chest, my body teetering dangerously close to the edge of the precipice. Panic surged through me as I fought to regain my balance, to escape the clutches of the demonic presence within Zarion and the impending fall into the darkness below.
With enough determination, I lunged away from the edge, my body propelled by a fierce will to survive. I crashed onto the cold, unforgiving ground, the impact jolting through me but relief washed over me in waves. I recovered immediately. Now that I was free from the immediate threat, I was no longer under the Alpha's suffocating grasp, I heaved a deep breath.
As I lay there, gasping for breath, a myriad of emotions flooded my being. Gratitude for my escape mingled with anger at Zarion’s merciless intent.
This wasn’t the Zarion I loved. This wasn’t the man I chose over my grandmother and left her for god to watch over.
This encounter will forever change me, leaving me with a scar both seen and unseen. Slowly, I rose to my feet, my body trembling with exhaustion and adrenaline.
I cast a wary glance back at the demonic Alpha, his eyes still burning with a toxic mix of fear and frustration and worry. All of it.
“Zarion!” was the first word that came out of my mouth.
“Where is he?” The battle was far from over, but I was determined to continue finding him despite what he did to me, to defy the darkness that threatened to consume me.
I know that he’s still there, the man I handsomely love.
In that moment, a fire ignited within me, fueled by the strength of survival and an unwavering resolve.
And so, with renewed determination, I turned away from the cliff's edge, leaving behind the chilling memory of the demonic alpha—who was not Alpha Zarion. I convinced myself that it was not him. It cannot be him.
Walking into the unknown, the echoes of that perilous moment reverberated within me, a constant reminder of the fragility of life and the indomitable spirit that resides within the human soul, I sighed. Prayed to the Moon Goddess above that what my heart is telling me is true.
“Oh shit,” I whispered when realization hit me. “The ritual!” I hissed, shutting my eyes close.
I broke the realm Elliot had created in the ritual… and now all of our efforts were gone.
Fucking. Gone.