Chapter 2 The Awakening

Aria's scream died in her throat as cold fingers tightened over her mouth, muffling any sound. Panic exploded through her chest.

The grip was ironclad-unyielding, unnatural.

Her heart pounded as she thrashed, kicking out wildly, but whoever held her barely flinched. It was like fighting against stone.

A chilling voice whispered against her ear. "Shh... don't struggle, little wolf. You'll only make this worse."

Little wolf?

Fear spiked through her, hot and blinding.

The grip yanked her backward, pulling her into the shadows beyond the courtyard.

Her vision blurred as she struggled to focus, her mind screaming at her to fight, run, do something-

But then, in a blink-

She was somewhere else.

The air shifted. The night sounds of the academy vanished.

Her stomach twisted violently as a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Teleportation.

When her vision steadied, she found herself in a dimly lit room. The air was thick with the scent of aged wood and something metallic-blood.

Her captor finally let her go, shoving her forward. She stumbled, catching herself against a sleek black table. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she spun around.

Lucian.

He stood there, watching her with that same unnerving smirk. Unbothered. Amused.

Behind him, a set of ornate double doors loomed, their dark wood carved with symbols she didn't recognize. Candles flickered against the walls, casting long, eerie shadows.

Aria's blood ran cold.

"Welcome to my home," Lucian purred, spreading his arms. "I'd apologize for the abrupt trip, but-" He tilted his head, silver eyes gleaming. "You wouldn't have come willingly."

Aria's hands clenched into fists. "Where am I?"

Lucian sighed, stepping closer. "Still so many questions," he mused, reaching out.

She jerked back before his fingers could touch her.

Lucian's smirk widened. "Feisty."

"What do you want from me?" she snapped, her voice shaking despite her best efforts.

Lucian studied her, silent for a long moment. Then, he spoke, his voice softer-almost curious.

"I want to know what you are."

Aria stiffened.

"You're not just a girl, Aria," Lucian continued, circling her slowly. "And you're certainly not just some unsuspecting human caught in the middle of a war."

Her stomach twisted.

"Kael thinks you're one of them," Lucian murmured, stopping just behind her. "But I smell something else. Something older. Something that doesn't belong to either world."

Her breath caught.

This wasn't just about werewolves and vampires anymore.

Lucian leaned in, his voice brushing against her ear like a cold whisper.

"And I intend to find out exactly what that is."

Aria's pulse thundered in her ears. She needed to get out. Now.

But as she turned to make a break for the door-

Lucian was already there, blocking her path.

His smile sharpened, fangs glinting under the candlelight.

Aria's pulse pounded as she stumbled back. Every nerve in her body screamed danger.

Lucian stood in front of the double doors, his silver eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. Hunting her without even moving.

"Let me go," she breathed, forcing steel into her voice.

Lucian tilted his head. "Now why would I do that?"

Her mind raced. She had no weapons. No backup. Kael had no idea where she was.

And worst of all-Lucian was right.

She wasn't just human.

The problem? She didn't know what she was either.

Lucian took a slow step forward. "Tell me, Aria... do you feel it yet?"

A shiver crawled down her spine. "Feel what?"

His smirk deepened. "The hunger."

Her throat went dry.

No.

That wasn't possible.

She wasn't-

Her thoughts cut off as heat bloomed in her veins.

A deep, unfamiliar ache curled in her stomach. Her breathing hitched as something shifted inside her, something old and primal.

Lucian watched her like a predator studying its prey. "There it is."

Aria's hands trembled. Her nails tingled-itching-like they wanted to sharpen. The air suddenly smelled too rich, too thick.

Like blood.

Her heartbeat roared in her ears, drowning out every rational thought.

What's happening to me?

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the sensation away. But it didn't listen. It grew.

Lucian's voice curled around her like silk. "You can't run from it, little wolf."

Aria's eyes snapped open. "I'm not a wolf," she hissed.

Lucian's smirk didn't fade. "No, you're not." His gaze burned into hers. "But you're not one of us either, are you?"

A sudden crash shattered the moment.

The doors behind Lucian exploded inward, sending shards of wood flying.

A black blur tore through the wreckage-Kael.

Before Lucian could react, Kael slammed into him, sending them both crashing into the wall.

"Aria, move!" Kael barked.

Her body obeyed before her brain caught up. She bolted toward the ruined doors, her legs screaming for speed.

Lucian snarled, shoving Kael back. "You're interrupting, mutt."

Kael didn't respond. He lunged, eyes burning gold, claws unsheathing mid-air.

Lucian caught his wrist with inhuman speed, twisting it with a sickening crack.

Kael didn't even flinch. He brought his other hand up, claws slicing toward Lucian's throat.

Lucian barely dodged, but it gave Aria the opening she needed.

She ran.

Through the shattered doors. Down a dark hallway. Anywhere but here.

But as she rounded the corner, a figure stepped into her path.

Tall. Pale. Red eyes gleaming.

Another vampire.

A trap.

Aria skidded to a stop. Her heart thundered.

The vampire smiled-fangs flashing.

"Going somewhere, darling?"

Then he struck.

Aria barely had time to react.

The vampire lunged, moving faster than her eyes could track. Cold fingers clamped around her wrist, unyielding as steel.

She twisted, trying to break free, but his grip tightened.

"Feisty," he murmured, amusement lacing his voice. "Lucian was right-you're something different."

Aria's skin burned where he touched her. Not from pain-but from power.

A sudden surge of heat rushed through her veins, overwhelming and foreign.

The vampire's smirk faltered. "What the hell-?"

A pulse erupted from Aria's core, sending a shockwave through the hallway.

The vampire flew backward, crashing into the stone wall with a sickening crunch.

Aria gasped, stumbling back.

What just happened?

The vampire groaned, his body twitching from the impact. He tried to rise-only to freeze when Aria's eyes met his.

She could feel it now.

Something inside her had awakened.

Her fingers tingled, her senses razor-sharp. The dim hallway suddenly felt too bright, the scents in the air too vivid.

And the vampire in front of her?

She could hear the blood rushing through his veins.

Her stomach twisted. No.

This wasn't normal. This wasn't her.

A growl echoed from behind.

Kael.

He was bleeding, his clothes torn, but his golden eyes locked onto her. "Aria, we need to go. Now."

Lucian's furious roar followed a second later.

The air rippled with power as the vampire lord stepped into view. His silver eyes burned with something dark-something dangerous.

Kael didn't wait. He grabbed Aria's arm and ran.

They tore through the labyrinth of hallways, their footsteps echoing against the stone. Aria's heart pounded, her breath sharp.

"What's happening to me?" she gasped.

Kael didn't answer. Not yet.

They burst into an open courtyard, the cold night air slamming into them.

Freedom.

But the second they stepped outside-

A dozen figures dropped from the rooftops.

More vampires.

They were surrounded.

Lucian stepped out last, slow and deliberate. His smirk had returned, but this time-it was edged with something new. Curiosity.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Lucian murmured, watching her closely. "The power."

Aria's hands clenched into fists. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Lucian's smirk deepened. "You will."

Kael's claws unsheathed as he stepped in front of her. His voice was low, steady. "You're not taking her."

Lucian chuckled. "You still don't get it, do you, wolf?" He tilted his head at Aria. "She's not yours to protect."

Aria's breath hitched as Lucian's eyes darkened.

"She's mine."

The night erupted into chaos.