h4Chapter 356: Revenge or Love/h4

strongVincent/Vaelthor~/strong

Seeing my sister—my fierce, unbreakable Sylthara—crumpled on the forest floor like a discarded shadow, her body wracked with sobs and her breathsing in shallow, desperate gasps, shattered something deep inside me. The mud we’d smeared on ourselves for camouge now streaked her face like war paint from a lost battle, mixing with her tears into dark rivulets. Her eyes, usually so enigmatic and cold to the world, pleaded with me in a vulnerability she reserved only for these rare, private moments between us. "Vaelthor... please... take me back to Nick. I can’t... I can’t do this."

The pain in her voice mirrored the thorns twisting in my own chest, a demonic agony that felt like my very essence was being ripped apart fiber by fiber. Leaving Kat behind had ignited this torment—a mate bond, she called it, though for a demon like me, it was more like a curse woven into my blood. But Winter... she was crumbling under it, her nightmare-weaving powers useless against this emotional storm. I couldn’t let her suffer like this. Revenge be damned; if we didn’t turn back, I’d lose her here in the dirt.

"Alright, Syl," I whispered, my voice rough with emotion, kneeling beside her and scooping her trembling form into my arms. She was light as a whisper, her body limp from the pain. I shifted her onto my back, her arms draping weakly around my neck, her head resting against my shoulder. "Hang on tight. We’re going back. But we can’t go like this—demons in the open. You need to shift back to your human disguise. Can you do that for me?"

She whimpered, her fingers clutching at my shirt. "It hurts, Vaelthor... everything hurts so much. I don’t know if I can..."

"You have to try," I urged, panic rising in my throat like bile. My own body screamed in protest as I started moving, each step sending jolts of fire through my veins. The separation from Kat was a living hell, making my shadows writhe uncontrobly beneath my skin, my horns aching as if they were being forcibly retracted. But I had to lead by example. "Watch me, Syl. I’ll go first."

I gritted my teeth, forcing the shift. My demonic form resisted, the horns receding with a grinding pain that felt like bones splintering. Shadows uncoiled from my limbs, retreating into my human guise, but every inch was torture—my enhanced senses dulled to a mortal haze, my strength ebbing like blood from a wound. Sweat poured down my face, mixing with the mud, and I staggered, nearly dropping to my knees. "See? It’s... it’s possible. Even through the pain. Please, Sylthara, try. For us. We can’t let them see us like this—they’ll kill us on sight."

She nodded weakly against my back, her breath hot and ragged on my neck. "Okay... I’ll try." I felt her body tense, a soft groan escaping her lips as she began the transformation. Her darkness maniption flickered erratically, shadows peeling away like shedding skin. She cried out once, a sharp, heart-wrenching sound that echoed through the trees, her fingers digging into my shoulders hard enough to draw blood. But slowly, agonizingly, she changed—horns vanishing, her form slimming back to the slender, enigmatic girl the surface world knew as Winter. By the end, she was panting, exhausted, but human again.

"Good girl," I murmured, pride and relief flooding me despite the agony still wing at my insides. "Now hold on. We’re running."

I broke into a sprint, my legs pumping as fast as the pain would allow. Branches whipped at my face, leaves crunching underfoot like brittle bones. The forest blurred around us—a maze of twisted oaks silvered by moonlight, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and pine. Every stride sent fresh waves of torment through me, like invisible chains yanking me back toward the estate. My heart thundered, not from exertion—demons like us could run for days—but from the raw, emotional void of being apart from Kat. Winter’s weight on my back was a grounding force, her asional sobs spurring me on. "Just a little farther, Syl. Hang in there."

As we neared the edge of the woods, the pain began to ebb. It started subtly—a loosening in my chest, the thorns dulling to mere pricks. The closer we got, the more it faded, like a storm cloud parting to reveal the sun. Winter felt it too; her grip tightened with hope. "Vaelthor... it’s getting better. I can feel it."

And then, through the thinning trees, I saw them: Kat and Nick, pacing the manicuredwn near the balcony’s edge, their figures silhouetted against the distant glow of the party. Kat’s reddish-blonde hair caught the moonlight like fire, her blue eyes scanning the darkness with frantic worry. Nick stood beside her, his ck hair tousled, dark eyes narrowed in brooding intensity.

Winter slid off my back the moment she spotted Nick, her legs wobbling but finding strength. "Nick!" she cried, her voice breaking as she bolted toward him.

He turned, his vampire speed blurring him forward. "Winter!" He caught her in his arms, engulfing herpletely, not caring that mud smeared his crisp shirt or streaked her face. She buried her head in his chest, sobs shaking her frame. "Shh, I’ve got you," he murmured, his cocky facade cracking into something soft and protective. "What happened? Why’d you run?"

"I... I couldn’t stay away," she whispered, clinging to him. "It hurt too much. Please, don’t let go."

"I won’t let go, I promise. I felt the pain too. I thought I was the only one hurting." Nick cried into her neck as well.

Kat’s eyes locked on mine, and she ran too, her werewolf grace closing the distance in seconds. "Vincent!"

fnae5b Th?s chapter is updated by FιndNovel/fnae5b

I didn’t hesitate—I pulled her into my arms, crushing her against me, mud be damned. Her warmth seeped through the grime, her scent of sunlight and wild honey overwhelming the forest’s decay. For a moment, the world narrowed to just us, her heartbeat syncing with mine, her reddish hair tangling in my fingers. "Kat," I breathed, my voice hoarse with relief.

She held me tight at first, then pulled back just enough to look up at me, tears glistening in her reckless blue eyes. Her fist thumped against my chest—not hard, but enough to sting—once, twice. "Why did you run away?" she demanded, her voice cracking with emotion. "One minute we’re kissing, and it’s... it’s everything, and the next you’re gone? Dragging Winter away like that? What the hell, Vincent? Do you know how much that hurt? I mean physically hurt?"

I winced, not from the hits but from the hurt in her eyes. How could I exin? The shes, the whispers, the fear of exposure as demons in a world that hunted our kind? The revenge burning in my blood for our parents’ fate? It all tangled in my throat. "I... I’m sorry, Kat. I panicked. The crowd, the shes of light—it felt like everything was closing in. I didn’t know what else to do. I’m so sorry."

She hit me once more, lighter this time, her tears falling freely. "You scared me half to death! I thought... I thought maybe you didn’t feel it too. The mate bond. But you do, don’t you? That’s why you’re back. It hurt so much when you left, didn’t it?"

"I do," I admitted, pulling her close again, my constant fear giving way to raw honesty. "More than anything. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. I promise."

She sniffled, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, smearing a bit of mud across her cheek in a way that almost made me smile despite everything. "Please, Vincent, don’t run from me again. Whatever it is, we can face it together. Okay?"

"Okay," I whispered, though doubt gnawed at me.

She stepped back slightly, still holding my hands, her expression shifting to determination. "Come with me. Back home. I sneaked out toe to this party—my parents think I’m sleeping or somethingme like that. But now, with this... this bond between us, and the pain when we’re apart? We have to tell them. They’ll understand. Mom’s the sweetest person I know; Dad’s the same and they’ve dealt with crazier stuff than this. They can exin why it feels like dying when we’re separated."

I froze, still clinging to her like she was my lifeline. The idea of facing her parents sent ice through my veins what if they didn’t like me. Revenge was our path; getting to the Lycan King and Queen was the only n Winter and I ever allowed ourselves to have, but not like this? "Kat, I... I can’t. Winter and I, we have something we need to do. It’s important. We can’t just follow you home."

Her brow furrowed, hurt shing in her eyes again. "What could be so important that you’d risk that pain again? Vincent, please. Come with me. We can figure it out together."

"I wish I could exin," I said, my voice low, calcting mind racing for a way out without revealing too much. "But it’s not that simple. Our... our lives aren’t like yours. We have obligations."

She shook her head, gripping my arms tighter. "Well, I can’t follow you either. My parents would kill me if I just disappeared. Dad’s got that whole overprotective father thing, and Mom... she’d probably prophecy my doom or something. We’re stuck like this? Clinging in the mud, not knowing what to do?"

We stood there, lost in each other’s eyes, the night air cool against our skin, the distant party music a mocking soundtrack to our turmoil. Her blue gaze searched mine, desperate for answers I couldn’t give. I pulled her closer, burying my face in her hair, the ache of the bond warring with my ambition.

From nearby, Nick’s voice cut through, brooding and firm. He still held Winter, her face pressed to his chest, his hand stroking her back gently. "I don’t care what you two decide," he said, his dark eyes meeting mine with a maic intensity. "Argue all night if you want. But one thing’s certain—I’m not leaving Winter. Not now, not ever."

Winter looked up at him, her cold facade softened, a small, vulnerable smile breaking through. "Nick..."

Kat nced at them, then back at me, her expression a mix of hope and fear. "See? We can make this work. Somehow."

But as the moon climbed higher, casting long shadows across thewn, I felt the weight of our secrets pressing down. Revenge or love? The choice loomed like a storm on the horizon, and I wasn’t sure which would break us first.