Chapter 4: let the games begin

The damp, cold air of the dungeon wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud. I sat hunched against the stone wall, my arms wrapped tightly around myself as she fought back the tears threatening to spill. The weight of everything crashed down on me. From Onyx's sudden claim, the shock of the court, and worst of all, the realization that I was once again nothing more than a pawn in the cruel games of the vampire elite.

My mate.

After years of ridicule for being mateless, after enduring whispers behind my back, the smug smirks of other women, and the condescending glances of men who saw her as nothing more than a disgrace, I had a mate. But fate, cruel and twisted as ever, had decided to tie me to the bastard son of Draco himself.

I cursed under her breath.

Footsteps echoed through the stone corridor, breaking me out of my thoughts. My head snapped toward the sound, my breath hitching with a flicker of hope. Was it Onyx? Was he coming to tell me this was all some sick joke and he had no intention of leaving me here? That he would take me away from this wretched place?

But as the figure came into view, my hope died instantly.

It wasn't Onyx.

It was Skye.

He stepped into the dim light, his dark crimson eyes gleaming with something unreadable. His silver hair fell around his sharp features in an almost ethereal way, making him look even more dangerous than usual. Unlike Onyx's playful and rebellious nature, Skye was precise, calculating, and above all else, possessive.

I pressed myself against the wall as he crouched before the cell's iron bars, his gaze locked onto mine.

Slowly, he reached a hand through the bars, his fingers trailing along my cheek, down to my jaw, and then gripping my chin gently but firmly.

"Don't worry, Blair," he murmured, his voice silky and full of unspoken promises. "My half-brother won't ruin what we have."

I swallowed hard, my body tensing at his touch.

What we have.

My stomach twisted painfully. I turned my head away, forcing his fingers to slip from my skin. He let his hand drop, but I could still feel his presence looming, suffocating.

Skye had never been my choice.

He had claimed me when I was at her lowest, convincing me that I had no future beyond him, that no one would ever claim me as a mate.

He had whispered words of comfort on nights I felt like fading away, touching me in ways that made me forget I was nothing more than a slave in his father's house.

He had promised me that when he ascended the throne, I would never be cast aside.

Not a wife. Not a queen.

But his mistress.

And I had let it happen.

Because I had nothing. No one.

I had believed I would never have a mate. I had believed Skye was my only option for survival.

But now... Onyx had come.

My mate.

I clenched my fists in frustration. Why now? Why him?

I had spent so long convincing myself that I didn't need a mate. That I could live with being Skye's dirty secret, that it was better than being alone. But Onyx's arrival shattered all of that. And worst of all, the possessiveness in Skye's eyes told me that he wasn't willing to let me go.

"Skye," I said, my voice was low, "please... don't do this."

His expression darkened, a flash of something dangerous flickering in his gaze. "Do what, Blair? Protect what's mine?"

"I'm not yours." The words slipped out before I could stop them.

A slow smirk curled at his lips, but there was no amusement in it. Only danger. "Aren't you?" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping into something intimate. "You were content being mine before. What's changed?"

I flinched, guilt weighing heavily in my chest.

Before I could answer, another set of footsteps approached.

They were slow.

Confident.

Skye and I turned our heads as the figure emerged from the shadows.

Onyx.

His long black coat swayed as he walked, his piercing blue eyes locking onto Skye with something between amusement and annoyance. His smirk was lazy, but there was something sharp beneath it, something almost predatory.

"Well," Onyx drawled, stopping just a few feet away from them. "Is this a family tradition? Keeping women locked in cages? Or is it just your personal kink, brother?"

Skye didn't move from his position, but I could feel the tension radiating from him.

"This has nothing to do with you," Skye said coldly, standing to his full height. "You should leave before you embarrass yourself any further."

Onyx chuckled, his eyes flickering between me and Skye with growing amusement. "Oh, I don't think I'm the one embarrassing myself. You're standing here, whispering sweet nothings to my mate while she looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. That's a little pathetic, don't you think?"

My breath caught in her throat.

My mate.

He said it so easily. So casually.

Like it was a simple fact.

Skye's jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides.

"She was mine before you," he said, his voice like steel.

Onyx tilted his head, his smirk never fading. "And yet, here I am. Here she is. And we both know what that means, don't we?"

The air in the dungeon grew heavier, thick with tension and unspoken challenges.

I felt my heartbeat pound against my ribs, my body frozen between the two men.

Skye.

Onyx.

My past. My future.

I had spent years accepting that I would never have a mate, that my life was doomed to be a plaything for a prince who would never truly love me.

And now, I had a mate.

One who had no qualms about claiming me in front of the entire court.

One who stood in front of his father and the whole kingdom and said I was his.

The weight of it all was too much.

I closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath.

Onyx sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I'll make this simple, Skye," he said, his voice dropping into something far more serious. "You can either step away now and let Blair come with me, or we can make this really unpleasant for everyone."

Skye's lips parted slightly in shock before twisting into a bitter smirk. "You really think father will let you take her? Do you think the court will ever accept you, let alone her?" He gestured to me, his words laced with venom.

Onyx's expression darkened.

"I don't need their acceptance." His voice was sharp, cold. "And I sure as hell don't need yours."

Silence.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Skye exhaled sharply, taking a step back. He turned his gaze to me, his expression unreadable.

"This isn't over," he murmured.

With that, he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing through the stone halls until they faded into nothing.

I let out the breath i didn't even realize I was holding, my hands trembling in my lap.

Then, slowly, I lifted my gaze to Onyx.

He was staring at me. Watching me.

I swallowed hard.

"What now?" I whispered.

Onyx smirked.

"Now, we get you out of here."

And just like that, the game had truly begun.