The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate-Chapter 136: Fragments Of His Memories

As they passed through the narrow layne, another tremor shook the ground, making the fine grains of sand above rain down on their shoulders and hair.

Esme and Cora kept moving, and each step seemed like an eternity until they finally made it to the second door.

Unfortunately, it was barred from within, so they opted for the iron, manhole cover above.

With a forceful push, Cora heaved the heavy lid aside and quickly climbed up, with Esme following close behind, and once they were out, she covered the hole as quietly as she could. Both of them emerged from the narrow opening, only to find themselves on the fortress’s ground floor.

The howling of wolves, faint but chilling, echoed from somewhere outside, along with voices barking orders. It stirred Esme’s instinct, but she was brought back to her senses when Cora gestured that they needed to keep moving.

Silently, they made their way up the staircase to the second floor, their steps slow and cautious. The air grew thick, tense, as they carefully adjusted their steps, wary of what, or who might be waiting for them above.

"Where do we start searching for Zach?" Esme asked, glancing at Cora as they both moved from one room to another on the fortress’s second floor. "This place is hauntingly large."

Cora sighed as she closed the door, and she replied, "Each wing has an endless number of rooms, and shouting for Zach could be disastrous." She cast a wary look over her shoulder, fully aware of the risks that came with creating too much noise.

For now, it seemed the demon wolves hadn’t breached the gate, and it was more than enough reassuring sign they needed to know that Donovan and his warriors were holding their ground.

Esme on the other hand, could feel her suspicion grow the more she recalled the way Thadius had described the demon he’d encountered to Donovan. His voice had trembled throughout the entire confession, and Esme couldn’t shake the feeling that the demon in question might be none other than the true bearer himself.

Who else would covet Lennox’s throne? Every other existing demon followed the true bearer’s rule; he had both the power and authority to orchestrate such a plot.

But if he was truly that desperate to seize Lennox’s throne, why hadn’t he come forward himself?

Why is the true bearer so excessively discreet with his image? Nothing seemed to add up, and the unanswered questions gnawed at her. She needed to remember the exact room Thadius was tied in and press him for answers.

In the end, Esme and Cora agreed to split up to search each floor, and she made her way towards the third floor.

The rooms she had access to resembled quarters designed for the nobles Thadius had invited, and she remembered that this same floor had been where the warriors had bound Thadius.

Stepping into a particular chamber, a wave of dread washed over her. To her horror, she found Jason’s lifeless body sprawled on the cold floor.

A dark pool of his own blood surrounded him, and his once-vibrant skin had turned a sickly pallor. His eyes were hooded and devoid of life, as if he had endured unimaginable agony.

Esme knelt beside his frozen form, and the only thing she felt for him was pity. She reached out to check his pulse, but there was no sign of life within him — his skin was disturbingly cold beneath her fingertips too.

"He’s... dead. But where is Thadius?" Alarm flared in Esme’s eyes as she scanned the room, suspicion gnawing at her as she convinced herself that Jason’s death might be linked to Thadius’s absence.

The ropes that had once restrained Thadius lay discarded in the corner of the room. Esme’s mind then raced with the possibility that either Thadius had managed to free himself... or someone else had done it for him. Whichever one it was, it certainly wasn’t a good one.

Striding towards the door to exit the room and warn Cora, a hand seized her arm with brutal force. It yanked her back so hard that she tumbled on the floor.

Dazed, Esme looked up, and her eyes went wide when they looked with Thadius — except, Thadius had changed.

Thadius, who was barely good-looking, was now a hulking demon with a grotesque proportion. His body was covered in dark runes, his skin cracked with a sickly greenish tint that glowed faintly in the shadows.

His face twisted into a terrifying sneer, with sharp, yellowed fangs and eyes that glowed a dull red, filled with malice. His eyes remained locked on Esme, and there were voices in his head - voices whispering in compelling tones that he should kill Esme.

’Kill her, and you will be free!’ The voice told him.

His gaze darkened when the voice made him believe he could return to his original state, and his eyes moved onto Esme as she forced herself to sit upright.

The chaos was still unfolding outside, and when another explosion caused the ground to crack and shift, neither were unfazed.

"You’re a real nuisance for someone so pretty," he sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "Because of you, he made me look like this!"

With a sickening crack, his nails elongated into deadly claws. "I became a monster because of you! So you must die!"

Before Esme could react, he lunged, his claw swinging viciously, and Esme could barely duck in time. She rose swiftly to her feet, dodging his heavy, clumsy attacks as he came swinging forth, knocking off glass, chairs, tables and whatever got in his way.

Her heart pounded as she sensed him right behind her, those claws slashing through the air with murderous intent, as if he couldn’t wait to tear her in two.

She moved instinctively, evading each lethal swipe without enough time to process her own moves.

Call it survival instincts, but she knew she would be damned if those nails touched her.

"Just die, you wretch!" He roared, attempting to grab her, but Esme moved faster, grabbing a wooden table and thrusting it between them, using it as a makeshift shield against his relentless strike.

He was far stronger, no doubt, and her arms were already beginning to tremble under the strain.

"Is this really what you want?" Esme’s voice cut through the tension as she tried to stall for a moment to catch her breath. "You’re blindly following a demon who refuses to reveal himself to anyone."

She met his gaze, "One who cursed you and turned you into this. You’re risking your people and all of Illyria if you bow to his wishes. Can’t you see he’s manipulating you? He’s feeding off your desperation and you don’t even realize it!"

She gasped and ducked when his fist punched the wall inches away from her head. Thadius growled as she slipped away once more, a guttural sound that echoed through the room. "I told you, he only appears for two reasons; to kill or strike a deal."

With that, he thrust his hand forward, unleashing an unseen force that slammed Esme against the wall. The impact left her stunned, and she crumpled to the ground. In that moment, the petal sword Donovan had given her slipped from her waist, and it clattered into a pool of Jason’s blood nearby.

A wave of weakness washed over Esme due to the hit, but she gritted her teeth, fighting to push herself up. Her eyes found Thadius’s burning, ominous eyes as he watched her struggle, and there was a hint of satisfaction in his gaze.

"You have no idea how distorted the stories have become. The death of your father... he was a very powerful Alpha... Did you really think that demon, Zephyr was capable of killing him? Let me tell you something you don’t know. Alpha Zephyr wasn’t the one who ended your father’s life, but it was the true bearer. Your father succeeded in his mission and killed Alpha Zephyr, thinking he was the true bearer, but... the real force struck when he least expected it."

He chuckled aloud, the sound dark and creepy. "Can you imagine how your father must have felt? So much you’re unaware of. See... now that I’m a demon, I possess fragments of the true bearer’s memories, and now that I know what happened, everything is falling into place!"

Abruptly, his laughter ceased, his eyes distant, as if the memories played vividly in his mind. "Alpha Zephyr was hiding a massive secret, you know. And not just him. There’s someone else who has encountered the true bearer."

His expression turned contemplative. "It was someone I never would have expected. It all... makes perfect sense!"

In three swift strides, he closed the distance between them, his hand seizing her neck and lifting her clearly off the floor. Esme clawed desperately at his grip, struggling for breath, but she shut her eyes tight when Thadius raised his claw hand, letting it descend on her.

A sudden, sickening thrust was heard, and Esme felt the hot spray of blood splatter across her face. Her eyes flew open in shock.