The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate
Chapter 228: Who Wins

Chapter 228: Who Wins

"So that’s what happened," Donovan murmured quietly when Esme was done recounting what had unfolded at the inn. His expression was unreadable, but Esme could see the weight of it in his eyes. If he wanted to be honest– he had chosen those warriors specifically for this same reason. They were the type of men who were more than willing to lay down their lives for what they believed in. And they had.

But Ultima... it never occurred to him that the bastard would show up. Not to Esme at least.

"He took the book," Esme continued in a soft whisper. "Everything happened so fast during the attack. I— I didn’t even think to grab it. By the time I realized, it was already too late to do anything."

Donovan pushed himself off the wall, his jaw tightening. "So what do you intend to do about it? Do you have any plans?"

"Me?" Esme’s gaze dropped to the floor. Her thoughts immediately swirled with guilt, each one more suffocating than the last. "I don’t know. I’m too afraid to think of anything right now. I keep making the wrong choices. Maybe it’s better if I stop offering solutions altogether."

"What are you saying?" Donovan’s expression shifted slightly as he took a step forward. "Is that it then? You’re just going to give up and give Ultima exactly what he wants?"

Esme shook her head softly, turning to him with tired eyes. "No, that’s not what I meant. But people are dying, Don. Ultima is always one step ahead of us– always. He even knew exactly what inn we were staying at. Everytime we try to fight back, we lose someone else. How am I supposed to stand up against something like that?"

Esme shifted her gaze to the window, watching the rain as it fell in a quiet, steady rhythm. "You know," she began, her voice low, "the true bearer... he’s tied to Uncle Irwin too. I learned everything after I arrived– about their history, and the truth Irwin has been hiding."

She turned to face Donovan, her expression troubled. "Aunt Clandestine told me the truth. The true bearer is a Morgrim, just like you. And because of his connection to Irwin, that makes him one as well. It explains so much now... his ill state... the decline. He could be suffering from the very same thing your father tried so hard to escape."

Donovan opened his mouth to speak, but she cut in gently.

"Given how fractured your bloodline is, I suppose it was easy for him to disappear into the background. No one ever questioned his lineage that much, because your family... they never truly acted like one."

Those words struck Donovan harder than he expected. She was right, and deep down, he knew it. His strained relationship with Leonardo was another thing. Still, he couldn’t believe he had missed something so significant. He always knew Irwin was unwell, even before the man admitted to him that he was, but he never would’ve guessed the cause.

"Your father and Irwin were related," Esme continued. "That alone makes Irwin a Morgrim, which means he’s vulnerable to the curse– one your father bent time and fate trying to avoid."

"Irwin is—"

"A Morgrim. Yes," she confirmed softly.

"Then why didn’t he–"

"Because Ultima has been planning this for a long time," Esme interrupted. "He’s been playing this game in silence, and now... the ball is right in his court. I don’t blame Irwin for hiding something so important, we don’t understand the situation he was in at that time, so we can’t point fingers yet."

She paused before adding, "Ultima told me there’s something inside me– a wolf– that he wants. He said it’s the only thing that’s stopping him from ascending... from becoming a god."

Donovan’s pupils dilated, "You have a wolf?"

"I’m not sure," Esme shook her head. "I can’t trust the nonsense Ultima is spewing, but what kind of wolf makes one ascend? Like that? Into something godlike?

Donovan moved closer, settling beside Esme on the edge of the window. His voice softened. "Ultima plays mind games, sure. But if he says you have a wolf, then maybe there’s some truth in it. Were you able to go through the book before it was taken? Do you remember what was inside?"

Esme’s gaze flicked toward Donovan, and for a moment, the memories seemed to drag her under.

"Yes... there was a ritual," she replied softly. "In my family, there was a prophecy tied to our bloodline. They believed it could be stopped if my father summoned something called the blood wolf. I’d never heard of it before. But it was summoned based on the king’s orders. My father tried to bind it, but during the ritual, something went wrong. The wolf’s spirit broke free on that night, and it lashed out. In the middle of the chaos, that’s when..."

She paused, drawing in a deep breath. "....it found me. I don’t know how but I absorbed it. Or maybe it consumed me instead. I’ve been falling sick ever since. I think the reason no one knew was because in the book, it wasn’t stated that the wolf chose me, I just happened to have seen it for myself. I can’t tell if it’s still inside me, and a part of me hopes it isn’t."

"This isn’t mission impossible," Donovan said softly as he pulled Esme over, holding her hand in his. "One way or another, we’ll make things work. There are hard times in life where we’ll be faced with challenges, and the choices we’ll have to make in those moments are just as unbearable, even if it means having to lose others. Their death shouldn’t be our weakness, but a reason for us to keep going."

He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, guiding her gaze to meet his. "You must be tired."

Esme leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She rested her head against his chest.

"I’m fine," she murmured. "Right here is where I need to be."

A smile ghosted across his lips, and he wished he could stay by her side and leave with them at dawn. But, aside from the fact he knew she’d scold him if she still found him here, he needed to make sailor enquiries with Leonardo.

Thinking back to everything she told him, he wondered what prophecy she spoke about.

—--

"One shall rise with a heart split in flame,

Carrying ruin in a lover’s name.

When the stars weep and rivers dry,

The world shall end with a kiss or a cry.

To save the light, love must fall—

And one must die to save them all."

Ultima clicked his tongue when he read the prophecy, and he tore the book in half. His violet eyes gleamed with cruel intent as he stood at the edge of the mountain top.

"Let’s see who wins at the end of the race, either you or me, moon goddess."