T.W: violence, blood, trauma, death.
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(Unedited)
Thousands of years ago...
After uncovering the White Dragon's scale that hauled the tiniest speck of Almighty's power, the coven of dark witches mobilized their best to search for the one worthy enough to wield it. Although it took them hundreds of years, the witches refused to give up and when they realized they needed something far stronger for their task, they used their magic to create the most vile and brutal hunters to have ever existed. These hunters were creatures with immense powers who had willingly given up their lives to serve the coven and in return, through an extremely fatal and the most unbearable process, they were granted the abilities of several supernaturals. Unfortunately for the coven, only a few out of a thousand volunteers could survive the ritual, but those who did were superior to almost all their peers.
It was the leader of the hunters who found Esme.
"Are you sure this is the place?" spoke Orion, his face marred with disgust as he gazed at the small village that smelled worse than it looked, and the one standing beside him nodded calmly.
"Yes, sire, I am sure. All tales lead to this village--" the servant had not even finished his words when Orion's large hand was choking the life out of him and the other hunters simply watched.
"If your words prove to be false, I will make you wish you had died at this moment," Orion told him in the most sinister voice, his eyes fully black as he looked at the terrified servant, and when he let go of him, the human ran away from them at once.
"Must we do this? Anyone who comes out of this dirt can surely not be the one," spoke another hunter, Grimma, and Orion grunted unhappily when she clung to his arm suggestively, pushing her away without trouble.
"Our orders were clear, Grimma. Do not forget why you are here!" he hissed at the woman then, noticing the fear and submission in her eyes, and they all stayed put when he began walking towards the village.
On his way inside the village, Orion bumped into someone.
"Oh, my apologies! I did not see you there," it was a human, Orion could tell and the way they smiled at him made his skin crawl, causing him to glare at them before continuing to walk.
"I hate humans," Orion grumbled under his breath before using his shapeshifting powers only to take the human's face since he knew they were leaving the village and he ignored anyone who waved his way as he continued his search.
Pulling the hood of their black cloak that was the symbol of hunters over their head, Orion hissed under his breath for he hated the way everyone was smiling at him or greeting him. He realized he must have chosen the worst human face to steal. But Orion refused to let that hinder him as he subtly sniffed the air, trying to pick up on any unique scents or light magic, and when he had swept the whole village only to discover nothing, he used his unnaturally developed telepathy to demand his hunters to fetch the human servant. Of course, Grimma was the most eager to satisfy him so he could return the pleasure later that night and Orion spit on the ground as he decided to return to the coven, knowing the head witch would be utterly disappointed in him.
Orion had taken only a single step forward when he heard screams.
"Help! Somebody help me! My son is drowning!" a woman was screaming somewhere not that far away from him and while the humans remained unaware, Orion found himself following the screams at once.
"Help! Somebody, please!" the woman's yelling became clearer the more he walked, a strange intrigue pinching his lungs, and he soon found the drowning child whose mother was weeping at the bank of a furious river.
Orion knew it would not be long before the child died, the branch he was holding onto for dear life was just about to break apart from its tree, and the mother's screams brought a smile to his face, the darkness inside him buzzing. Within seconds, the branch gave away and the mother screamed loud enough to make Orion close his eyes in ecstasy, the darkness inside him thrived on pain and it was relishing in it too. A strange noise alerted Orion, someone had jumped into the wild river, and he moved closer to the scene only to see a mane of brown locks struggling underneath the brutal currents. The woman screamed as she ran along the bank, following whoever was laboring to save her child, and Orion glared at the scene, detesting whoever had ruined his moment. Furious about the whole ordeal, Orion raised their hand to punish the savior but before they could do so, the mother screamed in relief.
It was a woman, Orion noticed, and she had pushed the child towards the riverbank, allowing the mother to latch onto him, before pulling herself out of the loud river too. Unlike them, Orion could hear that the child's heart was not beating and he did not even get to ponder on that for too long when the brown-haired woman began pumping his small chest with all the strength her fragile human body could allow. Her bony arms trembled, her white dress clinging to her brown skin and making it see-through, and the mother sobbed as she sat beside them, too traumatized to do anything but watch. Orion knew it was of no use, he could sense how cold the child's body was even from miles away, but neither the mother stopped sobbing and begging, nor the woman trying to save him gave up on him.
Bored, Orion had turned around to leave when he heard her speak.
"Almighty hear me," spoke the softest, most gentle, voice Orion had ever heard in his life and his feet stopped moving on their own, his body taut as he stood there, all his senses honing in on the one muttering weakly.
"Please, show mercy and save this child. For you are the only one we pray to and believe in, please, Almighty, bless us with a miracle and bring him back," Orion turned around again, his dark eyes going straight to the woman whose voice did not tremble once even her body was shaking like a leaf.
"Please, Almighty, I beg of you. Show us your mercy, please, do not let her lose her only son. Do not desert her, Almighty. Do not abandon us," she whispered her prayer, causing Orion to scowl and his magic to hiss in anger, and the mother gasped loudly when her boy suddenly gasped, coming back to life as he coughed water.
The woman who had not stopped until then finally moved away, allowing the mother to tend to her son, and Orion watched as she heaved on the muddy ground, coughing water herself. The mother grabbed her son, holding onto him strongly as she wept, and when the woman calmed down, she nodded her way as she mumbled a thanks. The woman nodded in return, pushing herself to stand on her weak legs, and as soon as she did, her light brown eyes came straight to Orion who did not even realize how near he had walked to them. Orion had never seen anything like it before, at the sight of him the woman's already soft features relaxed further while hardening at the same moment and he tensed as the woman began approaching him with an unbound eagerness.
Orion was prepared for everything but that what happened next.
"Zephyr!" the woman had wrapped her arms around him with fervor, holding onto him so tight that he was surprised the woman did not break, and he remained frozen in his place, looking at the now smiling boy.
"I was so scared. The boy almost did not make it," the woman sounded as if she was crying, pressing her face into his ribs because that was as far as her head reached, and Orion realized that the darkness inside him was eerily silent.
"I am glad he is okay now," the woman pulled away at last and when she looked up at him, for the first time in over a thousand years Orion remembered that he owned a heart too for it had stuttered in the most painful yet scary way.
The woman's eyes were the lightest shade of brown Orion had ever seen, they reflected everything around them most eagerly, and as he found himself unable to look away from them, he realized that they shone in the most brutally perfect manner underneath the daylight. For a reason entirely foreign to him, the woman's supple lips lifted at the corners and her head tilted just the slightest as she gazed up at him in a way no one ever had. Every nerve ending in his body was on fire as Orion felt the woman's bony hands moving up her arms before resting above his chest and as if she could hear just how fast his heart was beating, she gave him the most viciously taxing smile. The woman was treacherous, Orion acknowledged with a stuttering heart, but for once in his life, he found himself uncaring as he simply stood there and looked into her owning eyes.
Orion loathed the way his chest sunk when she leaned closer to him. L
"Why are you looking at me as if you have ever seen me before?" she jested sweetly, her smile warm and loving, and Orion's eyes widened slightly as he finally realized that it was his face that the woman recognized, not him.
"Thank you, Esme. We shall never forget your brave deed," the mother and her son had found them, causing the human named Esme to pull away from Orion and he scowled deeply for something inside him withered.
"You do not have to thank me, I did what anyone else would have done... Next time do not try to test the river like that, Rio. It is unwise to go against nature," kneeling before the child she had just saved, Esme smiled at him and Rio hugged her strongly, promising to obey her better.
"It is true what they say, you truly are Almighty's favored. If it were anyone else, my Rio would have never made it," the mother told her in deep gratitude, and while Esme shook her head with a smile, Orion's lungs ceased functioning.
"Rio is safe because Almighty willed it so, not because I am favored in any way... You should take him to the healer. She will make sure he recovers easily," Esme patted the boy's head, smiling at him, and the mother nodded before leaving them at last.
Esme sighed before turning to Orion, not knowing who he was.
"Have you been waiting for too long? Forgive me, my love. Had Rio not decided to test the river, I would have found you sooner," she smiled up at her lover's face, grabbing onto his hands, and Orion looked down at them, the cussed organ in his chest not working right.
"Zephyr? What is it, my love? What-- Are you upset with me? Oh no... Did I worry you?" Esme had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach her beloved's face and the warmth of her palms against his cold skin made Orion close his eyes instinctively.
"Forgive me, my love. I would never willingly maim your precious heart, you know I could not... Please do not be upset with me?" Esme's heart ached as she gazed at her beloved's handsome face and Orion opened his eyes at once, unsure what was happening to him.
"Zephyr?" Esme's eyes became heavy with worry then, not sure why her lover was so silent, and Orion stepped back from her, causing the woman's beautiful features to become marred with a worried frown.
"We found the human, Sire. Come back so we can play with him," Gramma's voice was sultry and suggestive when she whispered through their mind link, and Orion gulped harshly, his fingers twitching at his sides.
"Zephyr?" Esme's voice was panicked and teary when she spoke again and Orion groaned loudly before pushing his hood off, his dark eyes glaring at the grass below his feet as he struggled to get his mind back on track.
"Zephyr, please--" As soon as Esme's hand grabbed his arm, Orion grabbed it in a harsh grip and the woman cried out in pain, looking up at him only for her eyes to widen in horror at the sight of his pitch-black eyes.
"Y-You are not my Zephyr-- what have you done to them?! Where is my Zephyr?" gone was the softness and love in her eyes, Esme now glared up at her captor with anger and fear and Orion was once again utterly alarmed when instead of enjoying it, his dark magic hissed at him to let her go.
"Let her go," a voice that Orion had never heard before snarled in their head, causing them to pull away from Esme at once, and when the woman began running away from him, he used his magic to capture her at once.
"Who are you?" Orion growled at whoever was taking over him, walking over to a terrified Esme with heavy steps, and the voice inside his head chuckled as if it found him amusing.
"You are so weak it is pathetic," the voice hissed at him, causing him to growl loudly, and Esme looked up at Orion with fear in her eyes, unable to speak or make a sound.
"I do not have time for this. You are coming with me, human," Orion muttered before trying to grab Esme but his hands stopped moving before he could even touch her and the hunter glared at them in shock.
"Do not do this. You will put her in harm's way if you do," the voice was calmer now, slightly panicked even, and Orion glanced at Esme when it said that, the feeling in his chest becoming even more noticeable.
"She could be the one," Orion mumbled lowly, his voice unsure too as he gazed at Esme who was weeping as she struggled to free herself, and the voice inside his head sighed as if he had said something stupid.
"We do not care! She must be protected at all costs! She is vital to us!" Orion hissed in discomfort when the voice yelled that, causing his anger to spike once more, and just as he was about to reply, he felt someone approaching.
Grimma had followed his scent and her eyes were hungry.
"What is keeping you from me, master? I have been waiting for you... I need you, my--" The woman had flitted over to him at once, not even realizing they had company, and Orion's hands grabbed her shoulders roughly when she tried to touch him.
"Do not touch me!" Orion's voice was mixed with the one he had heard in his head, his eyes deadly, and Grimma looked terrified as she pulled away quickly, her eyes finally finding Esme on the ground.
"Is that-- Did you find her? Is she the one?" Grimma forgot all about his cruelty, excited at the idea of being the ones to discover their target and the voice inside Orion's head shouted at him to stop her before it was too late.
"She has potential," Orion replied roughly, ignoring the voice inside his head as it roared in pure rage, and he scowled when Grimma kneeled before Esme, her smile evil as she observed the human.
"Such a pity, you would have made a beautiful pet. I would have enjoyed my time with you too, that is before I--" Grimma once again found herself being manhandled by Orion and her werewolf side growled in anger as she tried to push his rough hands away, failing.
"How dare you?" Orion's eyes were darker than they had ever been, scaring Grimma enough to make her freeze because she knew that he was the strongest of them and she sighed in relief when other hunters found them.
"Master?" the hunters looked between their leader and Grimma in alarm, fearing for her, and Orion roughly pushed the woman away before glancing down at Esme who was shaking in absolute fear.
"For your sake, human, I hope you are the one," Orion mumbled lowly, causing his hunters to grin for they took his words as wicked but Grimma knew better and she frowned at him, noticing something no one else did.
Orion used his magic to knock Esme out and he leaned down before picking her up in his big, muscular, arms only to begin walking away. As they wandered out of the small village, the humans looked on in fear and worry, but the hunters killed anyone who even dared intervene and Orion only looked away from Esme's face when he heard a familiar voice. Zephyr was running towards them as fast as their legs allowed, their eyes only on Esme, and just as they were about to reach within a meter of her, someone grabbed them only to hold them back. Zephyr screamed, fighting against the people holding them back, and Orion watched them as long as they could, knowing they were the human that the woman in his arms adored in a way he may never be able to comprehend.
Zephyr's screams followed Orion and company until they were out of reach.
Nobody was shocked when Orion— the strongest and best of the hunters —returned to the coven lands with a potential, the witches and wizards of dark magic patting his broad back as he carried Esme to the coven-head's residence. On his way, Orion's dark eyes clashed with an older witch's, noticing the frown that took over her wrinkly face as soon as that happened, and he looked away from her when her gaze became too heavy. Orion stopped outside the head witch's door, a whole crowd of rowdy soccerers standing behind him, and when the coven head finally graced them all with her presence, everyone fell to their knees in respect. Orion did not even realize that he had not placed Esme's body on the ground until Grimma cleared her throat loudly before glaring at him sharply and he struggled to let go of the human, the voice in his head louder than ever.
Orion could not breathe as his leader moved closer to Esme.
"A human... Interesting... Time to wake you up," the coven head, Itaria, spoke in her usual calm and collected voice, and as soon as she removed the spell from Esme, she began waking up with a soft groan.
"Zephyr," Esme whimpered her lover's name, wincing as she tried to fight the strongest headache she had ever experienced, and Itaria watched her closely, her sharp eyes noticing the human's eyes going straight to Orion.
"Zephyr? Are you alright--" Esme's mind cleared as soon as she recalled what had happened before and she gasped loudly, her eyes widening as she looked at Orion in utter terror.
"You forgot to change your face," said a sweet and gentle voice, causing Orion to finally realize that they had not shifted back into their true form and Esme looked around at her peers in fear, shaking.
"Wh-- What is it that you want from me? Why have you taken me against my will?" there was horror in Esme's eyes and voice as she asked that, clenching the fabric of her now-dry dress in her fists and Orion squeezed their jaw shut as Itiaria approached her.
"Worry not, dear human. You are safe here with us. We mean you no harm," Itaria's voice was poisonously sweet, her eyes deep and sharp, and Esme felt compelled to believe her, nodding as she glanced at Orion who still wore Zephyr's face.
"T-Thank you, I-I do not belong--" Esme's voice left her as soon as Itaria came to a halt before her and the poor human struggled to keep eye contact with her, her heart racing like that of a caged prey.
"May I?" Itaria smiled a sweet smile, holding out her hands, and the voice inside Orion's head began screaming at him to take the woman away from her, but he did not do it as he watched Esme nod shakily.
Itaria gasped loudly as soon as she grabbed Esme's hands.
"Finally," the woman whispered with a deranged look in her eyes, squeezing Esme's hands to the point of pain, and Orion's hands shook at his sides, his breathing becoming labored while the crowd began murmuring happily.
"Sleep human," as soon as Itaria said that, Esme fell to the ground unconscious and she then walked over to Orion only to smile up at him, it was the happiest he had seen the woman in all his life.
"Orion, my son, you have done it. You have accomplished what no one could in over a thousand years," Itaria's words made Orion's eyes widen slightly, he had never been on his mother's good end and he could not even reply before his mother turned to her mate.
"Come here, my love. Our son has made us proud today," Itaria beamed at her mate with pride, causing Leyra to approach them at once and Orion ignored his mother's knowing gaze, his chest congested.
"We celebrate tonight our victory! And tomorrow we begin our walk to eternal triumph!" Itaria yelled at the crowd, causing everyone to cheer in unison, and while her mate turned to the hunters, Leyra looked only at Orion, following his gaze to the fainted human.
"You have done well, my hounds. Now, I need you to return to whichever land of pity you this human in and fetch anyone that knows her or could be important to her. Knowing how tenacious the humans can be, she may never do our bidding without leverage. Go," Itaria's eyes bled with excitement, she could not wait for the next day, and she turned to Leyra before kissing her roughly, her long dark hair cascading around her mate's face.
"Come, my love, while our people enjoy their feast, I am going to have my way with you," she mumbled against her mate's lips, causing Leyra to moan softly, and Itaria turned to Orion before they could leave.
"Throw her inside one of the cells, Orion, and then choose whomever you wish to warm your bed. Tonight, you are free to have whomever you wish, even if she has a mate," Itaria laughed at her own words, earning chuckles from nearby people too, and Orion gulped harshly once they had walked away.
"You are going to spend an eternity regretting this decision, and I will enjoy watching you do so," the voice hissed viciously as Orion picked Esme again and the hunter ignored every word or look he received as he walked back to his room.
Entering the small space he had spent all his childhood in, Orion placed Esme on the bed made of clay and stones before sighing heavily. A part of him worried for the human, wondering if she would get hurt from sleeping on something so uncomfortable, but then the other side of him took over and he simply walked away from her. He took the next hour or so taking a bath, cooking food for himself, and it was only once he was done did he remember to change his appearance. However, standing before the mirror, looking at his reflection, Orion paused and he roamed his tired eyes on the face that the woman sleeping not too far away from him loved and desired. The voice inside his head scoffed mockingly, making him grunt loudly as he looked away, and he allowed his powers to change him back into the form he felt most at home in.
It was many hours later that Orion heard a knock on the door.
"Orion, let me in, please," came Leyra's calm voice, the witch knew her child was awake, and Orion opened the door before going back to the corner they were sitting in, grabbing the book they had been reading.
"Why is she here? In your bed?" Leyra asked that question as if she already knew the answer to it and Orion sighed before gazing up at the woman who had birthed them.
"Mistress told me I can have whomever I want in my bed tonight. I chose her," it was the sound of Orion's voice that caused Leyra to immediately look at her child, and her eyes hardened at once, her stance changing too.
"Why are you-- You have finally managed to make your mother proud, Orion. Must you risk disappointing her again by taking this form?" Leyra's anger was mixed with fear, and Orion looked down at their hands before sighing deeply, their head lowered.
"I am alone, Mother. Locked in my room where no one can see me as I am... I do not see the harm in taking on the form I feel most at home in," Orion had never understood, why their mothers hated them for wishing to be in a woman's form and Leyra sighed deeply before shaking her head.
"Need I remind you what happened the last time your Mother found out about this?" when Leyra asked that, the scars on Orion's back ached the same as the day they got them and she glanced at Esme, her lips pursing.
"Yield the form you know your mother appreciates, Orion, and take the prisoner where she belongs. Nobody can ever find out that she was here," Leyra commanded then, using the sharp voice she knew her child could not disobey and Orion followed her orders even when they did not want to.
And then, once again, Orion found themself carrying Esme in their arms and the voice inside their head fell silent, their eyes staying on the human as they walked to the dungeons. There was a heady scent of sex in the air, loud moans of pleasure echoing all around them, and on any other day, the beast inside Orion would have compelled them to take more than one of the maidens to their bed only to let them leave once they were fully sated. But tonight all they felt was disgust, their spirit as dull as their eyes and they glared at the guards who tried to take Esme from them, walking inside the cell before placing the human on a bed that was a bit better than the one they had been using. When the time came to leave, Orion struggled to go and the guards watched them, unsure of what the notorious hound was doing.
Calling on their werewolf half, Orion growled at them.
"Leave and do not return until I tell you to!" as soon as they commanded that, the guards scattered away because they knew how easily they could kill them should they wish it.
"Pests," they grumbled under their breath, allowing their huge body to slump beside the sleeping human, and then they simply sat there, listening to the sound of her gentle heartbeat that lulled them into a strange dazed state.
Orion only realized that they had fallen asleep when the guards woke them up, their eyes full of fear as they told them that their mothers were asking for the human and they sent them away at once before turning to Esme. The voice inside their head screamed at them, begging them to just grab Esme and run, but Orion had not even been able to entertain the thought when Grimma and others found them, surprised at their presence. Orion ignored them all, carefully holding onto Esme, and Grimma frowned as she watched them leave, she could smell the human all over them. Ignoring her instincts, Grimma commanded the rest of the hunters to follow her and they all strolled to the field where the White Dragon's scale awaited them. While Orion's feet almost halted in shock, Grimma grinned proudly as she observed the throes of humans that were kneeling on the field: all bound and bloodied.
Itaria grinned at her child before looking at Esme.
"Time to see just how pure you are, human... Put her down, my hound. It is time," at her command, Orion had no other choice but to obey as they placed Esme on the once-barren-now-green land and Itaria woke her up at once.
"Zephyr," Esme gasped her beloved's name as soon as she woke up, causing Zephyr to thrash against their binds as they tried to get her attention and Itaria smiled wickedly, realizing she had found her weakness.
"Let them go, please! I will do whatever you ask! Please--" Esme's words ended in a gasp as soon as her lovely eyes found her adopted mother and she was about to run to her when Itaria grabbed her harshly.
"Now now, silly human. Where do you believe you are going?" the woman cooed at the human girl, looking down at her with the most evil look in her eyes, and Orion grabbed their wrist behind their back to stay put.
"Now I know how tenacious your kind can be and I really do not have the patience to wait any longer. So, I will be smart and give you a peek into what will happen should you choose to go against my wishes, yes?" Itaria grinned as she said that and Esme gasped when she was suddenly struck with the vision of her whole village on fire.
"No!" the poor woman screamed as if she could stop her people from dying, and everyone laughed in pleasure, their dark magic enjoying the human's grief as they buzzed with excitement.
"Oh, poor human. Weeping for those who are already turned to dust," Itaria was every bit evil as she was born to be and Esme sobbed when her visions showed her Rio and his mother impaled by a single spear.
"That is enough, Itaria," came a strong voice that halted Itaria and Esme glanced up at the one who had spoken only for her eyes to find a man with the most bright red eyes she had ever seen.
"I have not waited all this time just for you to play around when victory is nigh. Let us continue," as he spoke, Esme noticed the strange patterns of red on his skin and Itaria glared at the man before roughly pulling the woman towards him.
"Very well, then, Ilayo. Do us the honor, will you?" Itaria hissed at the man only a few knew the truth of, causing Ilayo to step aside at once, and Esme watched as he grabbed the black cloth that was hiding something from everyone.
"Shields!" Leyra yelled loudly, causing the newly turned hounds to grab magical shields before forming a wall around the coven members and Itaria let go of Esme only to walk away from the scene, joining her mate in safety.
"Listen to me carefully, human. I am going to reveal an artifact to you and I need you to grab it. Should you fail to do it, I will personally ensure that every person you are so eager to save will suffer the most gruesome death known to your kind... Beginning with them," Ilayo nodded at Zephyr who was struggling the most and Esme wept as she gave her beloved a terrified look, causing Orion's grasp on their wrist to become painful.
Esme nodded at Zephyr, smiling lovingly their way, and then she turned back to the cloth, breathing in shakily. The marks on Ilayo's skin began glowing, his dragon taking over to protect him, and with one last sigh, he peeled off the cover with one swift move. The witches surrounding the glowing artifact hissed, covering their eyes if only to protect themselves, and Orion struggled to look up at Esme when the voice in their head demanded so. As soon as they found her, Orion's breath halted and their heart sprinted because, unlike every single creature present there, Esme remained unaffected as she gazed at the scale with curiosity in her light-brown eyes. After taking a step closer, Esme looked around herself with a confused frown only for her eyes to find Orion's, and the woman halted, her head tilted as she gazed at them for a moment longer, not realizing just who they were.
Orion's heart stuttered again when Esme, for a reason they would never find out, smiled a sweet smile their way and they could only observe as the human turned to the artifact once more before taking a deep breath. Orion was the only one who saw it, Esme's hand latching onto the white scale as if it was the easiest thing she had done, and when the woman yelled in sudden distress, their feet sprinted towards her instantly. Unfortunately, they could not go further than a few steps because the scale Esme was holding onto for dear life began emitting waves upon waves of blinding light energy, and Orion screamed in bone-shattering pain when it hit them. Whatever power Esme had unleashed was killing any and all sources of dark magic within its reach and when the coven realized that, they began running away from the scene like headless chickens.
Leyra screamed when she was struck, causing Orion to rush to her aid and Itaria glanced at her mate but Ilayo did not let her approach her as he pulled her away from the scene while she screamed for her mate. Orion used their body as a shield, covering their mother as she looked up at them in horror and pain, and the light struck them at full force, causing them to hiss but never pull away from their mother. Esme's scream made Orion glance behind, their eyes widening as they found the woman extended in the air while every human around her was passed out and Leyra pulled their face back, fearing they would hurt themself if they did not stop. But Orion did not let it happen and Leyra froze as she watched her child fiercely gazing at the Esme even when it was paining them, realization striking her heart like an iron rod that had been placed on hellfire for over a thousand years.
Orion had almost lost their sight by the time whatever was blasting Esme ceased and they gulped harshly when the woman floated back to the ground. Leyra hissed in pain when Orion moved away from her suddenly and her eyes followed her child only to find them holding onto Esme's unconscious form. Although Orion's sight was deeply damaged, they knew they were not hallucinating when they found Esme's hair changing colour only to turn the most beautiful shade of golden they had ever seen. They could feel her aura changing as well, she was getting stronger than anyone Orion had ever met and the voice inside their head sighed in relief and pride, knowing she would now be able to protect herself from everything and everyone. Orion's gaze became further hazy as their head spun and before they knew it, they were falling limply to the ground as well while still holding onto the golden-haired woman in their arms.
Orion glanced at Leyra when they heard Itaria's scream, their sight almost gone as they watched their mother being cradled by her mate most lovingly and when she commanded her witches to get the healers for her, they sighed softly. Leyra coughed blood as she laid limp in her mate's strong arms, her eyes on her child whose eyes were bleeding too, and Itaria followed her line of sight only to gasp in horror. When her mate yelled at her hounds to cease Esme, simply ignoring their child, Leyra looked up at her mate in alarm but all she did was kiss her forehead before promising her that she would be alright. Leyra gulped before looking back at Orion, noticing the hounds struggling to separate them from Esme as they still clung to her and when she feared her mate discovering the same scene, she screamed loudly in pain. Itaria forgot about everything as she grabbed her mate before running to the healers herself and Leyra looked back only to find Orion still holding onto the woman, knowing one thing for sure.
Esme was Orion's mate...