Selene stood with her arms folded, her piercing gaze locked onto Melly.
"So, tell me," she said, her voice laced with curiosity. "If any of us disobey you… will you make us bow to your command too?"
Melly narrowed her eyes. "That's not what this is about."
"Isn't it?" Selene took a step forward, tilting her head. "First Morganna. Then Kulture. And now Arkins and the rest of us? You've been proving your power to everyone. Sooner or later, the whole city will see you as a threat."
Melly scoffed, shaking her head. "For once, they made me look like I'm the monster. First it was Morganna. Then Kulture. Now it's you, Arkins, and your entire family. But tell me, Selene—" she stepped closer, her voice cold. "Who was the monster when they belittled me? When they acted like I was nothing? When they kept testing me as if I wasn't strong enough to stand beside them?"
Selene didn't answer.
Melly let out a bitter laugh. "That's what I thought."
She turned her back to them, her chest rising and falling with anger.
"If you all see me as a threat," she continued, her voice steady, "then I'll leave."
Arkins' eyes widened. "Melly—"
"No." She cut him off, spinning to face them all. "Fight this battle without me. Besides, I have my own war to fight in the mortal world."
Selene frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Melly's gaze darkened. "I have a revenge to take—for my family."
The air grew heavy. Even Zyren and the others, who had been watching silently, exchanged wary glances.
Melly lifted her chin. "I'm not like any of you. I wasn't raised with a family to protect me. I raised myself—suppressing trauma, pushing down the pain, surviving every day in silence. And after everything I've been through, do you really think I'm just going to stand here and let people walk over me?"
No one spoke.
Arkins' hands curled into fists at his sides. "Melly…"
But she was already turning away.
"If this is how things are going to be," she said over her shoulder, "then I don't belong here."
And with that, she walked away, leaving them all in stunned silence.
Chapter 29: The Storm Within
Arkins shot Selene a sharp glare, his jaw tightening. "You shouldn't have said that."
Selene crossed her arms, unfazed. "She needed to hear it."
"No," Arkins snapped, stepping closer, his fangs threatening to show. "What you did was awaken something she's spent years trying to bury. You don't know what she's been through, Selene. And now… you've made it worse."
Selene frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "I didn't mean—"
"It doesn't matter what you meant," Arkins interrupted, his voice like ice. "You reminded her of everything she's tried to forget. Now she's going to have a bad day—even though it already started that way."
Zyren and the others stood in silence, watching the tension unfold.
Selene sighed. "I was just trying to—"
"Don't," Arkins cut her off, shaking his head. "Just… don't."
He turned away, his frustration bubbling over. His instinct was to chase after Melly, to pull her back before she did something reckless. But he knew her well enough to understand that right now, she needed space.
Zyren finally spoke, his tone cautious. "What do we do?"
Arkins ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "We let her cool off." His eyes darkened. "But I swear, if anyone else tries to push her, they'll have to deal with me."
Selene pursed her lips but said nothing. She knew she had made a mistake.
Melly was already fragile from everything—her past, her revenge, the weight of her power. And now, she was out there, alone, with all those emotions threatening to consume her.
Arkins clenched his fists.
If Melly's past was resurfacing… then things were about to get much worse.
Later that day selene went to Melly and told her she didn't mean to cause any chaos or bring back her bad memories and so she should forgive her ....and Melly replied.. "that's of no use selene , save your breath for what's next and you don't own me an apology ."
"But Melly I just wanted to let you know I didn't mean to " ...she also said..
"It's okay, am fine and I want you to call everyone else here , I have an announcement to make." Melly said with a little creepy smile .
Selene hesitated for a moment before nodding and stepping back. Melly's words weren't cold, but they carried a weight that made it clear—she wasn't here to argue or explain herself anymore.
She was done proving who she was.
Selene sighed and pulled out her phone, calling Arkins and the others. Within minutes, Arkins, Zyren, Ezra, and the rest of the group arrived, their expressions unreadable as they faced Melly.
Melly stood tall in the center of the room, her gaze sharp and unwavering. The air around her felt different—not angry, not vengeful, but resolute.
"Enough," she said, her voice steady. "Enough of referring to me as some wicked sorcerer. I've already had enough."
The room fell into silence.
Melly's eyes flickered with intensity. "Kulture pushed me to the wall and got on my nerves, and I won't apologize for defending myself. But you all know I am not some kind of evil witch who abuses her power like a villain from a fairy tale."
Arkins frowned, stepping forward. "Melly—"
"No," she interrupted, raising a hand. "Let me finish."
She took a breath, steadying herself. "I've spent my whole life suppressing who I am, making myself smaller so people wouldn't fear me. But I see now… no matter how much I try to prove myself, people will always see what they want to see. And if that's the case, then I refuse to keep explaining myself."
Ezra exchanged a glance with Zyren, both of them sensing the shift in her aura.
Melly met their gazes, unwavering. "I will never bow to anyone again. Not to vampires, not to sorcerers, not to anyone who thinks they can define who I am."
Her words echoed in the room like a declaration of war.
Arkins stepped closer, watching her carefully. "And what does this mean for us?"
Melly looked at him, her expression unreadable. "That depends on you. I'm still fighting this battle, but from now on, I'm fighting my way. I won't be questioned, doubted, or underestimated anymore. If you stand with me, good. If not…" She exhaled. "Then stay out of my way."
A charged silence followed her words.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Zyren smirked. "Damn," he muttered. "I think I like this version of her."
Ezra chuckled, shaking his head. "I have to admit, I respect it."
Selene lowered her gaze, regret flickering in her eyes. She hadn't meant to push Melly this far, but now that she had… she could see there was no turning back.
Arkins, however, remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Melly met his eyes, waiting for his response.
And for the first time, she didn't care if he agreed or not.
Because she had finally chosen herself.
The tension in the room was thick, but Melly was far from done. She crossed her arms, her fiery gaze sweeping over everyone before landing on Arkins.
"And secondly," she continued, her voice laced with irritation, "stop referring to me as Arkins' girlfriend. I'm not here for some high school drama, and I sure as hell didn't come to this city to fight over some apple that belongs to Snow White—aka Morganna."
For a split second, silence filled the room.
Then, Zyren and Ezra lost it.
Laughter burst from the two brothers as they clutched their sides, nearly doubling over.
"An apple—?!" Zyren wheezed. "She really called Morganna Snow White!"
Ezra wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, struggling to breathe. "Nah, this girl needs an Oscar! That was gold!"
Even Selene, who had been trying to keep a straight face, bit her lip to stop a chuckle from escaping.
Melly stood firm, completely unbothered by the reaction. If anything, she was waiting for Arkins to say something, but he just stood there, arms crossed, looking at her with that unreadable expression.
"Are you done?" he finally asked.
Melly huffed. "That depends. Are you going to do something about your so-called best friends interfering in my business? Because I swear, if one more person tests me, I—"
Ezra cut in between laughs. "No, no, keep going! I'm taking notes at this point."
Zyren clapped a hand on Arkins' shoulder, grinning. "Damn, bro, I think she just called you Prince Charming in the middle of a vampire war. How does it feel?"
Arkins sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "You two are not helping."
"Not trying to," Ezra shot back, still grinning.
Melly shook her head, exhaling sharply. "I'm serious, Arkins. Handle it. Because if they come at me again, I won't be as nice as I was with Kulture."
That shut everyone up.
Zyren and Ezra exchanged glances, their laughter fading slightly. Even Selene straightened up, sensing the weight behind her words.
Arkins met Melly's gaze, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "Noted," he finally said. "I'll handle it."
Melly held his stare for a moment longer before turning toward the door. "Good," she muttered, and without another word, she walked out.
The room was silent for a few beats.
Then Zyren nudged Ezra. "Okay, but you tell Morganna she just got demoted to fairy tale side character status."
Ezra grinned. "Oh no, that honor belongs to Arkins. Dude's officially playing Prince Charming in Sorcery Love: The Vampire Chronicles."
Selene sighed. "Can you two not make everything a joke?"
But even she couldn't hold back the small smirk creeping onto her lips.
Arkins just shook his head, exhaling. "You guys are insufferable."
Zyren grinned. "And yet, you love us."
Arkins didn't reply—he was already heading out the door, following after Melly.