The four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mighty warriors of theThree Sisters of Fateand the inevitable harbingers of humanity’s doom.
Conquer, War, Famine, and Death.
The fourare supposed to be fearless, yet here I am, broken beyond repair, and cursing another day when no one comes to my rescue. But the dead can’t save you, can they?
One night, Visha walked into my cell, and my heart sank when I noticed the wicked glint in her eyes. I knew her well enough to know her happiness always stemmed from someone else’s pain. And I was right when she revealed the reason behind her glee.
The Crescent Moon pack had just returned from annihilating all four Horsemen kingdoms. Visha was so overjoyed she could barely stand still. The last step in her master plan was to ruin me completely. And she succeeded.
The thought of losing Papa, the people I grew up with, the people I was destined to take an oath to protect, was already agonizing, but then Visha took one last swing at what was left of my soul.
During the attack, she recognized a man from her visions as mydestined mate, who had figured out where I was being held. Visha was happy to tell me my mate was left in pieces for trying to free me.
Visha kindly threw his torn arm in my lap so I could mourn the man I was supposed to spend my life with. Holding his severed, bloodied arm, I cried myself to sleep. I cried for the fall of my kingdom, for the pain I caused Papa, and the life I could’ve had with my mate.
The next night, I helped my best friend escape and start over. I was done watching my loved ones suffer because of my cursed destiny. I wasn’t going to let Visha destroy the last piece of my heart.
I tear a corner from the blanket and try to scrub the dirt and blood from my face, but no matter how hard I wipe, the stains cling to me like they are a part of me.
I look down and see similar stains on the kid. The rage that simmers just below the surface of my skin itches for revenge. My heart aches to see his sunken cheeks. I hate how quickly those monsters dimmed his light.
Our stories are similar. Ripped from our families and locked away for a destiny out of our control.
There were more of us whose purpose was cruelly snatched away before being slaughtered in the most gruesome ways imaginable. All because Visha won’t stop abusing her power to destroy a future she doesn’t want.
I rub my eyes when my vision turns glassy, and dig deep for the last scraps of strength left inside me to push myself up.
My head is reeling with tattered stories from my past, but when I finally find my footing, I don’t block them out this time. The familiarity of my father’s voice soothes the ache in my heart.
I’m grateful for the distraction as I limp toward the coven’s border.
I vaguely remember Papa telling me about the first time the Three Sisters of Fate glimpsed into the future since the universe was created. They never told a soul what they saw, but whatever it was, it rattled them enough to make some changes.
That’s when they announced it—the gift of procreation.
The news took Heaven by storm. Fates were offering everyone in heaven a chance to have soulmates and families like the mortals in the human realm. It was an opportunity to live a life different from the one they were created for… being a soldier.
God resisted at first. It took centuries of watching his firstchildren slowly get poisoned by power before he stepped aside and allowed the Fates to take the reins.
In God’s absence, Heaven was split in two. Some clung to immortality and preached eternal loyalty to Heaven, while others chose the gift.
The Archangels who chose Heaven declared that anyone who stumbles from their original destiny will no longer have any right to Heaven or their creator.
When the disagreements escalated into war, Lucifer, the defiant son of God, stepped forward to bear the burden of leadership and created a whole new realm for his brothers who had been cast out.
Right after the split, the new king created several supernatural species, like demons, vampires, and dragons, to populate and bring life toHell.
Heaven viewed the act as retaliation, and it sparked a cold war between Heaven and Hell that continues to this day.
As time passed, the brutality of the war steadily escalated until a ruthless act of bloodshed unleashed so much celestial energy in the universe that it almost destroyed the human realm.
Sensing the end of his precious humans, God freed the souls of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to guide them to the next plane. But before my ancestors could finish what they were summoned for, the Sisters of Fate intervened at the last second and stopped doomsday.
With humanity’s end on hold, the Horsemen were now trapped in existencemillenniabefore their services were needed. And since they belonged to neither realm and refused to take sides, the Horsemen decided to build a home hidden among the very humans they were destined to erase one day.
Over time, my ancestors became the sole link between Heaven and Hell. They work with both sides and are answerable to neither.
However, in the last few decades, the Horsemen found an ally in Hell when Papa metUncle Elijah Luciferand the twobecame fast friends.
