Free Web NovelChapter 204: Chapter 204
Daphne’s POV
Days after I had left Obsidian Veil for Crescent Hollow, everything that has happened since then still feels unreal when I sit down and think about it properly.
When I first arrived and saw Ethan and Wendy in an unhealthy relationship -
I will not lie, I was relieved when I saw it.
It made things easier for me.
If they had been united and strong together, convincing Ethan to go along with anything risky would have been harder especially when it involved Riley.
But now, things were different. They were already breaking apart, and all I had to do was push in the right direction.
We had discussed about my brothers-Cane, Caden, and Gunnar..
Killing them was not just difficult. It was almost impossible.
Ethan knew that. Wendy knew that too. And I knew it more than anyone.
That was when I brought up Emberkin to them.
The moment I had said his name. Ethan’s expression had hardened immediately, and Wendy had looked like she wanted to shut the idea down before I could even finish speaking.
"You’re serious?" Ethan asked me, his voice low but firm.
"Yes," I replied without hesitation. "We need someone who can match them. Someone they won’t expect. Someone they can’t overpower easily."
"And you think that’s him?" Wendy asked, her tone filled with doubt.
"I know it is," I said. "You do too."
They both went quiet after that. It was not because they agreed immediately. It was because they were thinking about the same thing I was thinking about.
There was no better option.
Getting to Emberkin was not easy.
The place where his kind lived was not somewhere people just walked into and came out of without consequences. The vampire clan did not welcome outsiders. They tolerated very few people, and even then, it was only when it benefited them.
We had to plan carefully before going there and we actually did.
When we arrived, getting close to their territory felt wrong. I could tell Wendy was uncomfortable, and even Ethan was more alert than usual, his body tense like he was ready for a fight at any moment.
But we did not turn back.
We kept going until we were finally allowed inside.
Meeting Emberkin was worse than I expected.
He did not look like someone you could easily read. His expression was calm, but there was something in his eyes that made it clear he was always thinking, always calculating. He did not waste time with unnecessary words, and he did not pretend to be anything other than what he was.
"Why are you here?" he asked us directly.
I stepped forward before Ethan could say anything.
"We want your help," I said.
That made him slightly interested, but not impressed.
"People always want something," he replied. "Why should I care about yours?"
I explained everything.
I told him about my brothers. I told him about what they had done and what they were capable of. I told him what we wanted him to do.
He listened without interrupting me, which was already more attention than I expected him to give.
But what surprised me the most was when I mentioned Riley.
That was the moment his expression changed.
It was small, but I noticed it.
"You said Riley?" he asked, his voice still calm but more focused.
"Yes," I answered carefully.
He leaned back slightly, studying me like he was trying to decide something.
"That changes things then," he said.
That was when I understood.
He had an interest in her.
I did not ask why, and I did not need to. The reason did not matter. What mattered was that it worked in my favor.
Ethan had made it clear and reminded me immediately that Riley was not to be harmed.
"You can have your deal," Ethan said firmly, "but Riley is off limits remember."
I nodded in agreement at the time.
"I understand," I said. freewebnσvel.cøm
But deep down, I meant none of it.
Riley had always been the problem. She was always in the way, always at the center of everything. Even when she was not present, everything still somehow led back to her.
I was tired of it.
I was tired of her.
And I knew that once everything was done, I would not hesitate.
I would kill her myself if I had to.
The deal with Emberkin was simple on the surface, but it came with conditions.
He wanted full involvement.
He wanted to know everything.
And most importantly, he wanted Ethan and Wendy present so that nothing would be hidden from him.
At first, Ethan did not like that idea, but he eventually agreed. We did not have the luxury to refuse.
So we planned together.
Every detail.
Every step.
We knew we could not just walk into Obsidian Veil and start a fight. That would end in failure before it even began. We needed something that would give us an advantage.
That was when Anna came into the plan because Ethan brought her up and said she was Riley’s closest friend.
Using her was not difficult. We did not even need her to actually be there.
We only needed Riley to believe she was.
Emberkin taught Ethan a spell.
It was not something Ethan should have learned.
It was forbidden for an Alpha to use learn nor use magic like that, especially something that involved changing appearances. It went against everything they stood for.
But Ethan did not care.
He learned it anyway.
And he used it.
Watching him transform into Anna was unsettling, even for me. The way his face changed, the way his body adjusted and even his voice changed to Anna’s, it was too real. If I had not known it was him, I would have believed it completely.
"That’s enough," Wendy had said at the time, clearly uncomfortable.
But Ethan ignored her.
"We don’t have another option," he replied.
And he was right.
We used that to our advantage.
We made Riley believe Anna had come to Obsidian Veil by calling her.
We knew she would not question it too much. She trusted too easily, and that was exactly what we needed.
Everything was falling into place.
Every part of the plan was working exactly how we wanted it to.
Which is why I cannot let it fall apart now.
Not after everything we have done. Not after everything we have risked.
Right now, something is wrong. Ethan is not responding the way he should.
"Say something, Ethan!" I shout, my voice filled with frustration as I wait for him to agree to what Emberkin just said.
All he has to do is agree.
Just agree, and we move forward.
But instead, he turns slowly toward Emberkin.
And then he snarls.
The sound is sharp and full of warning.
For a second, I think I misunderstood what just happened.
But I did not.
"Oh my God," I mutter under my breath, my chest tightening. "This is not happening."
Emberkin does not react immediately.
He just looks at Ethan, his expression shifting into something that almost looks like amusement.
"Wait," he says slowly, his voice calm but dangerous. "You want to fight me, Ethan?"
Ethan does not step back.
He does not apologize.
He does not even hesitate.
His body is tense, his eyes locked on Emberkin like he has already made up his mind.
Emberkin lets out a small laugh. It is not loud, but it is enough to make the situation feel worse.
"Then you’re asking for your death so soon."
