The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation (Valeria) novel Chapter 340

KATHERINE

I squeeze it in my hand, feeling a tingling sensation, my mind sharper; the words pour out like an uncontrollable river.

I close my eyes and focus on them. In the darkness of my mind, a small spark ignites, rare golden flashes. I try to take control of them.

They're moving! They dance in my consciousness like playful children made of light.

A crazy idea crosses my mind—I try to guide that primordial magic, letting it flow from my neck to my heart and then through the veins stretching down my right arm to my hand, where I clutch the powders.

I'm doing it!

Sweat beads on my forehead, my breathing turns heavy; it's harder than I imagined, but I persevere…

"Zyrelin talyra anithor… Zyrelin talyra anithor…" I repeat the incantation in my mind over and over.

I clench my teeth, my vision blurs, a wave of dizziness crashes into my senses, and my temples throb…

Damn it! Come on, work, work!

"Zyrelin talyra anithor… Zyrelin talyra anithor… anithor, anithor!"

—Ah, sshhh! —I let out a muffled cry, quickly stifling it, afraid of waking Lavinia.

My eyes darted to the bed; she seemed to be asleep.

Then I looked at my hand, where the dark fabric glowed with a red light, burning my palm for a second before slowly fading.

Sweat poured down my body, my dress clinging to my skin, drenched. Shaky breaths escaped my lips.

I pressed my free hand to my head, closing my eyes for a moment to calm the dizziness.

Just a small spell, and it felt like the veins in my head were going to burst, my heart pounding like a stampede of wild horses.

Finally, I focused on the small pouch, which had returned to normal.

Curious, I opened it.

In truth, my palm only itched slightly. I slipped two fingers inside and pulled out a sample of the powder—once black, now a reddish hue, radiating warmth.

At my touch, it gave off a sense of calm and peace.

"Goddess of the supernatural, I hope this truly worked… and there's only one way to find out."

I murmured to myself, rising to steal one last glance at my daughter—my greatest motivation for this madness.

*****

That dawn, I took another scented bath, just in case. I dressed in a heavy robe, but beneath it, my body was bare and ready to consummate my marriage.

I walked through the dim corridors in silence, careful not to run into any night watch servants.

Reaching the Duke’s quarters, I peeked under the door.

No light. My cold hand gripped the doorknob. I had a clumsy excuse ready in case he caught me.

Who knew? Maybe I wouldn’t even need to use the spell.

Still, I stepped through the antechamber, which looked more like a small library.

I moved almost blindly—I had never been inside this chamber before. The Duke slept with his doors open.

Good, because that way, I saw him: his massive silhouette sprawled across the bed, his steady breathing filling the silence.

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