AT LATE EVENING
ISABELLA
The corridor was quiet, almost unbearably so, except for the faint clatter of my heels against the marble floor. My heart thrummed in my chest, erratic and desperate, as I walked toward him, Zavier, the alpha I had loved, desired, and foolishly trusted. Today, I thought, I would finally speak to him, maybe even, just maybe, finally claim a moment that belonged to me, but the moment I turned the corner, my chest seized in disbelief. There they were.
Zavier, my mate and my destined alpha, and Wanessa, my stepsister, her lips pressed shamelessly to his. Her hands threaded into his hair as if she had any right, as if she dared. My entire body froze, my breath hitched and my heart twisted, splitting in two.
For a moment, I couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't even scream. I watched as Zavier's hands lazily roamed her back, as if she were already claiming him, and then… the unthinkable happened. He pulled back slightly, lifted his head, and in a voice that shattered my soul, he announced her to the world.
"My Luna… Wanessa."Zavier said lovingly.
The words hit me like ice water, freezing every part of me, my knees trembled. My vision blurred and my blood roared with fury, humiliation, and heartbreak all at once, I wanted to scream, I wanted to charge at them and I wanted to tear them both apart with my bare hands, but instead… I did the only thing I could think of, fueled by desperation and rage.
I stepped forward, my presence suddenly magnetic and dangerous, and grabbed Zavier by the collar. Before Wanessa could even blink, I crashed my lips onto his, tasting him him, my mate on mine. I marked him there, on the spot, my scent blazing into his senses. Every alpha instinct in him screamed in recognition, claiming, mine, but I could see the struggle in his eyes. Confusion, desire, and conflict. Wanessa's face twisted in fury, rage lighting her eyes like a wildfire.
"You dare-!" She hissed.
"Quiet." I said, my voice low, deadly, and dripping with venom. My lips curved into a cruel smile as I stepped back, letting him feel the weight of my dominance. "He's mine. You have no claim, and you-" I turned to Wanessa, letting my eyes burn into her. "-will pay for this."
Her grin was cold, venomous, and terrifying. Slowly, deliberately, she stepped closer, her hand producing a small vial that gleamed green in the sun, a wolfbane. My entire body screamed in warning at the sight of it, she was about to end me here.
"Zavier, my sweet Zavier." She ordered, her voice silk wrapped around steel. "Do it, kill her, and prove your loyalty towards me."
Zavier's eyes flickered between us, panic and desire warring within him, I could see it, I could feel it, but she had won. That alpha control, that twisted loyalty she had manipulated… he obeyed. My own mate, the one I had kissed, lifted his hand toward me, trembling with the force of betrayal.
"No… Zavier, don't-" my voice cracked.
Too late. His hands moved as if in a dream, holding the vial, obeying her command instead of his heart. The wolfbane touched me, cold and burning at once, sliding into my veins like liquid ice. My body screamed, muscles trembling, chest tightening as the venom spread. Pain unlike anything I had ever known tore through me, sharp, cruel, relentless. I fell to my knees. My hands clawed at the marble floor, scraping it desperately, leaving thin streaks of blood and terror. Zavier's eyes met mine for a fraction of a second, glazed and haunted by the spell of obedience, before he looked away, unable or unwilling, to stop the fatal act. Wanessa's laughter rang in my ears, sharp and triumphant, slicing into my soul.
"Goodbye, Isabella, he was always mine." She whispered, venom in every syllable. "You were always too weak to claim him. Too weak to survive."
My body convulsed, my vision blurred, I reached out for Zavier, for anyone, for something, but it was useless. The poison burned, cold and merciless, and I felt the life leaving me, piece by piece. I could see Zavier shocked look as he saw my eyes closing and regret in his eyes. I screamed not with my lungs, but with every fiber of my being. I would not die quietly. I would not disappear unnoticed.
The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me was Zavier, the alpha I had marked, my mate who now obeyed another, and Wanessa, victorious, dripping with triumph, and in that final, shattering moment, I swore one thing that this was not the end, and then, the last thing I heard clear and unnatural cut through the haze: "Isabella Bloodheart… welcome to the Lust System."A voice said.
The words were cold, metallic. Yet intimate, almost hungry, and they vibrated through my entire being. My body convulsed violently as the world went black, the last sensations of death and betrayal melting into something else something… alive.
I woke to the smell of wet earth and damp leaves. My eyes fluttered open. The sky was a soft gray above me, the wind rustling through thick forest foliage. My body ached in every way, but alive I was alive. I touched my chest and felt it immediately: a faint, jagged scar, the mark of my first death, a reminder of the poison, of Wanessa's betrayal, of Zavier's obedience. Pain and rage flared hot and deliciously in me.
And then I heard it again, the system's voice, omnipresent and silky in my mind.
"Welcome, Isabella Bloodheart. You have been granted a second life. Your previous failures have been recorded. Your main mission: survive, seduce, dominate, and rewrite your fate. Rewards will be given for… effective execution. Do you accept?"System asked.
I curled my hands into fists, nails digging into the dirt, a low growl rising in my throat.
Rage, lust, desire… and a burning hunger for revenge. I whispered it aloud, though no one could hear me.
"I… will… make them pay. All of them. Wanessa. Zavier. Everyone who thought they could end me. I will survive. I will rise. And I… will own everything they ever thought they deserved."I said.
The system hummed, approving.
"Good. Your first mission begins now. Learn your surroundings, harness your power, and prepare for seduction, manipulation, and conquest. Your enemies will be your entertainment."The system said.
I pushed myself up. My legs wobbled, but I did not care. My heart beat with a deadly rhythm, rage, lust, ambition, and the intoxicating thrill of power. I ran my fingers across the scar on my chest, savouring the memory of my first death. It would not be my last defeat. Somewhere in the distance, the forest whispered secrets. The air smelled of opportunity, danger, and temptation, and I smiled. Because Isabella Bloodheart was back and this time… no one would ever control her.