CHAPTER 211: CHAPTER 211 A DEMON?

So, of course, she was wary of mate bonds now.

How could she not be?

Tonight, as he stared into the eyes of the imposter wearing Addison’s face, a painful clarity settled in Zion’s chest. He felt like he’d caught a glimpse of Addison’s true thoughts, her fear, her resistance, her unresolved pain, and it only made his blood boil.

Because they had almost made a terrible mistake.

If none of them had realized something was wrong...

They might have followed that scent, that pull, that illusion, all the way to ruin. There was something unnatural about it, something too enticing, too perfect. It wrapped around their senses like a spell, clouding their judgment and dulling their instincts.

And that’s what made Zion clench his fists in fury.

They were meant to protect Addison, not be the ones to break her all over again.

"Are you... a succubus?" Zion asked hesitantly, his voice low and wary.

Everything that had happened so far, the overwhelming desire that bubbled in their blood and minds, the loss of control, the haze clouding their minds, began to piece together into one troubling possibility. Succubus were known to feed on men’s vitality through sex, drawing out their strength and sanity through temptation and desire. And right now, that was exactly how they felt.

It was as if the longer they stayed in this room with Addison, the more they lost their grip on reason. Their instincts screamed to claim her, to sink deeper into their carnal urges. It wasn’t just attraction, it felt like enchantment.

Zion’s suspicion grew. The cloying sweetness in the air, the scent of their mate that now seemed almost too intoxicating... it had to be more than just pheromones. Perhaps it was laced with something unnatural, an aphrodisiac, or worse, a hidden magic circle woven into the room itself, amplifying their lust and dulling their senses.

Even their wolves were fooled, swept up in the pull of desire without question.

Maybe he could believe they were surrendering to their carnal desires because of the mate bond, that is, if they had already marked her. If that thread had been fully formed, the connection would’ve been strong enough to justify their overwhelming urges.

But right now, while the mate bond was growing, it wasn’t yet complete. It shouldn’t have been enough to strip away their self-control like this.

Hearing Zion’s words, Maxwell felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. The realization dawned on him, too, that this might really be the work of a succubus.

Succubi could invade a man’s dreams, twisting his desires and weakening his will. Even if they only gained a fraction of vitality that way, it was still sustenance. More disturbingly, lower-level succubi who couldn’t yet form their own bodies were known to possess women, using them as vessels until they grew strong enough to take human form themselves. High-level succubi could walk among humans without detection. But regardless of rank, they were demons.

And demons... weren’t supposed to be able to enter the Royal Capital undetected.

At that moment, Addison froze. Her stunned expression quickly shifted, her eyes began to redden, her lashes trembling as she looked down. Then slowly, she lifted her gaze to Zion, her lips trembling with hurt.

"Z-Zion... don’t you like me anymore?" she whispered, voice soft and cracking. "Why would you accuse me of something so awful?"

Zion froze, truly stunned this time, and doubt crept into his mind. ’Was I just overthinking everything?’ But then his gaze sharpened, a flicker of resolve returning to his eyes.

"Nice try," he said quietly, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "But did you know... Addison hates me right now."

There was a hollow edge in his voice, laced with self-mockery, as if saying it aloud wounded him more than he’d expected. And the moment those words landed, they struck Addison like a slap. She reeled, visibly shaken.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide as they locked onto Zion’s. "Impossible... How could she hate you when—" Addison blurted, then abruptly cut herself off. But it was already too late. The damage was done.

She’d given herself away.

Realizing her slip-up, Addison didn’t bother scrambling to fix it. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and regarded Zion in silence, calculating. She wasn’t foolish enough to answer his earlier question, at least, not yet.

But Zion’s mind was anything but calm. Thoughts swirled in his head, and then, like lightning, another realization struck him.

’Could it be... because Addison doesn’t have her wolf, she’s become vulnerable to demonic possession?’

His brows furrowed. ’Or maybe... this is the work of the Priestess from the Tigren tribe? Could they have orchestrated this all along?’

’Or worse... is this connected to the dark witches and the curse? Did they kidnap Addison back then to seal away her wolf, just so a demon could inhabit her body?’

The deeper he thought, the more everything began to make a terrifying kind of sense.

’Is that why Leon was so drawn to her? Could it be that her transformation earlier had pushed her wolf to its limit, burning through its remaining strength just to protect her from Leon, and in that weakened state, the succubus found its chance to take control?’

The pieces fell into place too neatly, and Zion felt a chill settle in his bones.

He was almost certain now. ’Even if I confront her, she won’t give me answers.’ But if his theory was right... There was only one way to suppress the succubus and force it back into dormancy within Addison’s body:

It had to be fed.

Zion glanced at Maxwell, then at Levi, who was slowly regaining some semblance of self-control and beginning to see the situation more clearly. Their expressions darkened in unison. They were all trapped between a rock and a hard place, and even without exchanging a word, they understood one another with just a look.

If Zion was right... Then they truly might have no choice but to mate with Addison.

The idea alone stirred their desires, but this wasn’t about indulgence. It was about getting her back. Still, no matter how justified the act seemed in the moment, the question that haunted them all was the same:

What would happen when morning came?

Would Addison wake up heartbroken? Ashamed? Would she feel violated, confused, or betrayed? Would she look at them with anger, or worse, with hatred?

That thought alone was enough to make their wolves recoil in anguish, tails tucked and spirits dimmed, as a soft whimper echoed within them. The fear of losing their mate’s trust... the fear of being resented by the one they were supposed to protect, it hurt far more than their current torment.

And yet... what choice did they really have?

Their hands were tied. And the clock was ticking.

A succubus’s appetite for sex was bottomless. If it had been only Levi with her tonight, he might’ve been drained dry, left like a lifeless husk by morning. If he were lucky and had strong vitality, he might recover in a few days. But with the three of them here... would that be enough to satisfy her?

Their minds raced, each thought spiraling into another dead end. No matter how they turned the situation over in their heads, it kept leading to the same conclusion. Sweat began to bead on their brows as each passing second weighed heavier than the last.