Chapter 135. Illusions or Reality?

Xerina’s POV

The scent of blood lingered in the air, thick and metallic, clinging to my skin like a second layer. Leon’s body lay at my feet, broken and lifeless. His eyes were wide, staring up at nothing, the betrayal frozen on his face.

He never stood a chance.

I stepped over him, barely sparing his corpse a glance. It wasn’t personal. It was necessary. He was in my way. The old me might have hesitated, might have wept for the man who had once been an ally, a friend. But that woman was long gone, buried beneath the power that surged through my veins, hot and intoxicating. I had no room for regret. Only destruction. Only the path Zane had carved out for me.

Zane. He had watched the whole thing from his perch, his gaze never wavering, cold and calculating. Even now, I could feel his eyes on me, watching, waiting, always waiting for something. His approval meant nothing to me anymore. He was a means to an end, just as I was to him.

I could feel th