IVY'S POV
"By nightfall, they would all be watching."
The thought didn't come gently. It hit hard, knocking the air from my lungs.
There was no escaping it anymore.
But then Seraphina…
Why did she ask about my childhood?
The question lingered, sharp and intrusive, dragging up memories I had buried long ago. Cold dinners. Distant glances. Punishments that needed no explanation.
My fingers curled tighter.
"Not today"!
Of all things, this was the last thing I should be thinking of.
*******
The moon rose slowly, dragging silver light across the floor inch by inch until it reached me, cold and unforgiving.
The door opened.
I didn't turn immediately. I already smelt who it was.
Seraphina stepped inside, the soft rustle of fabric drawing my attention. When I finally looked, my eyes fell on the gown in her hands, it was pure white, untouched, almost glowing under the moonlight.
The gown of punishment.
So this was it.
I stood up too quickly, my legs unsteady as I stepped toward her, my hands lifting instinctively to take it but she didn't let go.
My fingers hovered awkwardly in the air for a second before falling back to my sides.
"Come, let me help you," she said gently.
She guided me toward the mirror, her hand light on my arm but firm enough that I followed without thinking.
I stopped in front of my reflection.
My eyes were swollen and rimmed red, still heavy with tears I couldn't fully stop. Faint tracks marked my cheeks, like my face hadn't caught up to the fact that I was supposed to be done crying.
That Maria was gone.
My throat tightened instantly. I swallowed, but it only made the ache settle deeper.
My lashes were damp, my breathing uneven as I stared at myself, trying to steady something inside me that kept slipping.
Seraphina moved behind me, her presence close enough to interrupt me in a way that made everything inside me feel a bit at ease.
Her fingers reached for the simple robe I wore, loosening it with slow, careful movements before letting it slide from my shoulders.
The fabric slipped down my arms and pooled at my feet, leaving my bare skin exposed to the cool night air. I sucked in a quiet breath, a tremor passing through me as the cold settled against my skin.
Her hands brushed lightly along my arms as she lifted the gown. The touch was so soft it almost didn't feel real.
Almost.
She slid the white fabric over my head, the material whispering against my skin as it fell into place, soft and deceptively gentle.
It settled over my shoulders and chest first. As she adjusted the neckline, the back of her hand grazed softly across my left nipple.
A strange, warm flutter twisted low in my stomach, unfamiliar and confusing. I watched her in the mirror without knowing why, my breath catching.
"Maybe I just am not used to such care" I thought.
Her hands moved to my back, finding the laces of the corset, and she began to pull them tightly and slowly.
Each pull forced a quiet breath from my lungs, the gown shaping itself to me, lifting and defining the curve of my breasts, the dip of my waist, the flare of my hips.
Her fingers lingered longer than necessary at the small of my back, smoothing the fabric down in slow strokes.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I reached back and gently caught her hands, stopping her.
"Let… let me handle it from here," I whispered, voice shaky.
Seraphina paused. She looked up slowly in the mirror, her blue eyes meeting mine. For a heartbeat, something unreadable flickered across her face.
Then she smiled, understanding, almost tender.
"Of course," she said quietly.
She stepped back and gently sat across the bed, watching me.
In the mirror, I could see her clearly. She sat with perfect posture, legs crossed, her gaze fixed on my half-naked body as I fumbled with the laces.
She didn't look away. She watched every movement, the way the gown clung to my chest, the curve of my waist, the tremble in my hands.
Her eyes were calm on the surface, but there was something deeper in them, something that made my stomach twist with discomfort I couldn't name.
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"Hmm… hmm… done," I mumbled, finally tying the last lace.
Seraphina's smile widened, gentle and reassuring.
"Well, you look all set now," she said softly. "Let's head out. Everyone is waiting downstairs."
I nodded faintly, though I wasn't sure she needed the response.
When we stepped into the hallway, everything felt too quiet, like the house itself was holding its breath.
Each step down the staircase echoed louder than it should have, my heart beating in uneven bursts as the reality of what was coming settled deeper into my bones.
"That white gown of yours makes you look like a sacrifice."
Layla's voice cut through the silence, sharp and mocking.
No one laughed.
No one even looked at her.
"Now let's go," Father barked.
His voice snapped something tight inside my chest.
Seraphina's hand found mine, her grip gentle but grounding. "You can do this," she whispered.
I didn't answer because I couldn't.
I just held on.
*******
Outside, the air felt different and heavier.
We all looked up at the moon at the same time, and the moment it reached its peak, something shifted.
The world blurred.
Shadows swallowed us whole.
And then in minutes we were at the forests.
The meeting ground stretched before us, ancient and suffocating. Massive blood oaks twisted toward the sky, their branches clawing at the moonlight as it spilled down in thin, broken beams onto the circle of white stones below.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, old blood, and something older… something watching.
"The Vampire Lord has arrived," an elder announced.
The words echoed.
Father walked forward without hesitation, every step measured, powerful, inevitable. Marcus and Layla followed with quiet arrogance, taking their places as if they belonged above everyone else.
I didn't move, I knew the rules
Not until I felt a hands guiding me.
Pulling me forward into the center.
The moment I stepped into the circle, the moonlight hit me fully, cold and blinding, and my body reacted instantly. My legs trembled, my breath hitching as panic surged up my throat, sharp and suffocating.
They were all here.
Every single one of them.
Faces I knew. Faces that had once laughed, watched, judged. Eyes that now burned into me, heavy, relentless, stripping me down to nothing.
My pulse spiked.
I couldn't breathe properly and then I saw another lady in white stading beside me.
Her name came to me faintly.
Elara Voss.
Her lips were cracked, her breathing uneven, like she had been starved or punished long before tonight. Her hands shook uncontrollably at her sides, fingers curling inward as if trying to hold onto something that wasn't there.
Her eyes met mine for a brief second, it was wide and her lips shook uncontrollably.
Then she looked away.
I swallowed hard.
This wasn't just punishment.
This was judgment
Seraphina's hand slipped from mine.
I felt it immediately.
The loss of it.
She moved away, taking her place beside Father, her expression composed, untouched, as if none of this affected her.
The clearing fell silent.
Completely silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Father rose.
And the moment he did, the air changed.
"People of the Velistra bloodline," he began, his voice low, carrying effortlessly across the clearing, "we all know why we are gathered here."
My chest tightened. His gaze found me.
Locked onto me.
It felt like being pinned in place, like something heavy pressing down on my ribs, crushing the air from my lungs.
"Our daughters has brought disgrace to the bloodline," he continued, calm, controlled, "and as usual… a punishment awaits."
My vision blurred.
The words rang in my ears, distant and too loud at the same time.
He turned slightly. "Mr. Sebastian."
An elderly man stepped forward, an ancient book clutched in his hands. The pages looked worn, stained with time, with history… with judgment.
"Today we have here Miss Ivy Richardson of the Velistra bloodline," he began, his voice dry, unfeeling, "daughter of our Lord, standing before us for the crime of"
He stopped.
Then he walked toward me.
Slowly.
Each step louder than the last.
Until he stood right in front of me.
Too close.
His eyes lifted and met mine.
"Speak your crime in front of all this people," he said quietly.
The world tilted.
My knees threatened to give out as panic as i looked around the familiar faces.
Every gaze was on me, and I didn't know how to explain this !