The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate-Chapter 139: Exactly My Type

Esme’s footsteps already carried her close to the place where Vivienne had collapsed, knees on the ground, and her body wracked with sobs.

But just as she neared, she suddenly stopped.

For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to go any closer. As much as she longed to believe that this figure was truly her Vivienne, a chill swept over her.

The instincts honed within her warned her that something was amiss, and her hands clenched tightly at her sides, fighting the fierce pull to comfort her dear friend.

Instead, Esme retreated slowly, deliberately, and she stooped down to retrieve the Lycobane serum she had dropped, gripping it as though it were the only anchor holding her steady.

The real Vivienne would never become a demon. The Vivienne she knew would rather face death than allow herself to be twisted into one of these hollow, sickly creatures.

It immediately became clear to Esme that someone was definitely using Vivienne’s form as a sick play to manipulate her senses, a disrespect to her lost friend she could not abide.

As if sensing Esme’s sudden hesitation, the figure’s sobs slowly trailed off, leaving the corridor hauntingly still. Vivienne’s tear-streaked gaze met Esme’s, her lips parting in silent desperation as Esme pointed the serum in her direction with trembling hands. She shook her head in denial, a final warning that even the tears in her eyes could not sway her from the truth she knew in her heart.

"You’re not Vivienne," her voice trembled slightly as she voiced out the truth, though a part of her foolish heart still clung to the futile flicker of hope that it would turn out to be a lie, wishing against all valid reasoning that somehow, this was truly Vivienne, and that she could still be saved.

Vivienne on the other hand, frowned deeply at her comment, and what seemed like pure hate brimmed in those dark inky black eyes, and she yelled, "You ungrateful, wolfless wretch! After all I’ve done for you, even sacrificing myself to save you and your brother, you stand here and question the authenticity of who I really am? Just because I’m a demon?"

Esme’s resolve shook at the hurt in her voice – the pain, disbelief, betrayal – all of it she sensed in her voice. Her instincts were warning her to ignore it, to avoid the guilt and fire the serum, but her fingers hesitated on the trigger.

"If you won’t believe me, the one you once called out to be your sister, then what chance does Donovan have if he ever turns into a demon? Are you going to kill him as well... same way you want to kill me right now? I never imagined a Montague to be so heartless."

"You’re not Vivienne." Esme’s voice rang out, steady, but laced with a silent fury, her anger mounting as the demon continued its sick charade. "Vivienne would never say such words to me, and she knows nothing about who Donovan is... you’re nothing but an imposter wearing the reflection of someone close to me. How dare you dishonor her death?!"

The demon wearing Vivienne’s face rose from the ground, claws extended in one swift motion, and she clicked her tongue in mock pity. "You don’t deserve to stay alive if you’re going to cling to such naivety," she sneered. "Forget about bonding with the man in question, but if you can’t accept a demon, then you’re unworthy of someone destined to become one. Or are you too blind to notice all those marks on Donovan’s skin?"

She chuckled as though the idea of it fascinated her. "Those marks aren’t there for show, foolish girl! Compare the cursed marks of a demon with that of Donovan, it’s quite similar, isn’t it? But his people are different from him, why so?"

Her eyes rested on Esme, those pairs of dark pools chilling and menacing. "His fate was sealed long ago, when he made a deal..." the demon’s voice trailed off all of a sudden, her gaze narrowing as if catching herself, and her words switched. "But why waste my breath? You wouldn’t believe a demon now, would you? Not even if I told you the truth of who I really am!"

"Stop talking!" Esme’s control eventually snapped, and acting out of impulse, she hurled the serum at the demon, aiming directly for her heart. The vial cut through the air like a dart shot by a professional, but to Esme’s unexpected shock, the demon caught the serum mid-flight in her grasp. With a smirk, she crushed the glass in her grip, the shards scattering to the ground.

Esme could barely believe her eyes.

"For your information," she sneered, her fangs glinting as they emerged. "I am not like the rest of those useless demon wolves you slay every now and then. You may address me as Karnath, third pillar of the abyssal pack. Consider yourself privileged, I don’t easily get involved with things like this, but you are frustrating the hell out of me that I just decided to pop up like this. For that, I’ll grant you the latest honor of uttering my name before you draw your last breath."

A twisted smile contorted the demon’s lips, and it was tainted with a cruel satisfaction.

The challenge hung in the air, and Esme’s teary eyes blazed with contempt as she charged forward, lashing her whip at the imposter, the sharp tip gleaming as it targeted its victim. But before it could land a strike, the demon lifted effortlessly into the air, dodging her calculated strike with an almost mocking grace.

Mid-air, the demon’s form shifted abruptly, but instead of a wolf, it took the form of a young man. He looked lean and graceful, with his dark hair resting on his shoulders, but those black eyes, dark runes, and pallor skin remained.

A sinister chuckle escaped him as he caught sight of Esme’s shock, and he was the first demon who still looked attractive in his demonic state. She wondered what he looked like before he gave in to the curse. There was one more thing she took note of, and that was his aura... his scent... and she knew she was in deep trouble when those two things made known how powerful the demon before her truly was... and he wasn’t even the true bearer!

Esme’s mind raced, though she had no time to dwell on it. As the demon lunged toward her, a piercing caw echoed overheard, distracting him.

Kangee swooped down, talons extended as it delivered a brutal peck to the demon’s head. "Leave her alone!"

"What the–hey!" irritated, the demon snarled as though it had been provoked, swiping fiercely at the air, but Kangee was quick to evade those lethal claws. Seizing the distraction, Esme snapped her whip towards the demon in a swift, calculated move, refusing to miss it this time around, but to her shocking dismay, the demon twisted nimbly, dropping into a split, whilst her weapon sliced harmlessly through the air above him.

"Nice try, but you can’t kill a pillar that easily." His laughter echoed with the quiet corridor, filled with scorn as he lunged at her, claws bared, and his eyes gleamed with a savage bloodlust – and something darker, unhinged. As his attack came, Esme braced herself, sidestepping at the last second as his deadly claws barely missed, and he gritted his teeth as he missed again.

"I don’t even want you to become a demon," Karnath uttered as he struck again. "You’re not wanted, so after killing you, I’ll feast on your flesh and save your tasty heart for my master!"

Esme reacted instinctively, flipping backward in a somersault just as his claw slashed where she’d been. But Karnath was frustratingly relentless. Nimble and vicious was he, he charged after her, and the two of them remained engaged in a battle that was unintentionally graceful due to the countless stunts, gleaming blades and claws that flashed around them.

"You’re just a worthless, wolfless disgrace.." he sneered, his tone dripping with contempt. "Look at you, struggling to keep up... or is this truly all you’re capable of? I’m quite disappointed really at the outcome, I expected more from someone with Montague blood. It’s no wonder your step brother resents you after knowing you were nothing, a waste of your family’s lineage, undeserving of the blood that runs through your veins. How could someone as weak and cursed as you ever dream of becoming a Luna to someone as powerful and intimidating as Donovan? Pathetic!"

His words slashed through her defenses, and he had her backed against the wall, his claws threatening to pierce her eyes, but she held him back using the chains connected to her whip.

"You should have died instead of that poor friend of yours, Vivienne," he said, forcing Esme to freeze. "She wasted her life on you, threw it all away for someone who isn’t even worth a second thought."

"You don’t know anything about me!" Esme snapped, her gaze ablaze as the chains started to burn, so much so that the demon felt it, to his shock. "You were the ones who took her life and destroyed my pack! You murdered her, then defiled her memories by impersonating her! You are a very disgusting creature, vile and more heartless than you can imagine."

With every rise in her anger, the burns increased, and it got to a point the demon retreated his hand, feeling his palm burn from the heat the chains absorb, which was traumatizing, because fire shouldn’t harm them at all.

"What is this... what did you do?!" He barked, and only then did Esme notice the smoke coming from the chains connected to her whip.

She barely had time to react when a star blade sliced past her vision, its edges gleaming menacingly in the dim light, and it was heading right for the demon. He seemed to have sensed the attack, because he suddenly twisted in a reckless display of agility to dodge the blade, landing on one of the fallen pillars with a smirk.

His gaze shifted to a shadowed corner, where a familiar figure approached, and his expression instantly lit-up. Esme could have sworn she saw a blush color his cheek.

Following his line of sight, Esme turned and saw Donovan.

He was approaching them in his human form, but then Karnath suddenly chuckled out loud, letting his gaze travel over Donovan’s impressive physique in open admiration. "What a pity... you’re exactly my type."

Esme blinked in bewilderment at his scandalous comment.