Chapter 3 A Choice That Cannot Be Undone

The courtyard exploded into chaos.

Kael lunged first, his claws slashing through the air. The vampires moved as one, shadows twisting as they met his attack head-on.

Aria barely had time to think before one of them was on her.

She ducked-too fast.

Her body reacted before her mind could process it. A movement so fluid, so unnatural, that even the vampire hesitated.

What am I?

She didn't have time to wonder. The vampire recovered, lunging again, his fangs gleaming under the moonlight.

Something inside her snapped.

A force-ancient, wild, hungry-erupted from her core.

Her vision blurred, her heartbeat deafening.

And then-

The vampire stopped.

His red eyes widened in fear.

Aria felt it before she saw it.

A soft glow-**silver, unnatural-**illuminated her hands.

The vampire staggered back, his skin smoking where the light touched him.

"Impossible," he rasped.

Aria's chest heaved. She didn't understand what was happening, but she didn't care.

She turned her palm toward him-and the light surged.

The vampire screamed as his body was engulfed.

Kael barely had time to react. He snapped another vampire's neck before turning to her, his golden eyes wide. "Aria... what did you just do?"

Lucian's laughter cut through the air.

Slow. Amused. Knowing.

"Fascinating," he murmured. "I was right about you."

Aria clenched her fists, forcing the glow to fade. "Stay away from me."

Lucian took a step forward, ignoring the chaos around them. "Why would I? You belong with us, Aria. You feel it, don't you?"

She did.

And that was the problem.

Something inside her was waking up, something dark and ancient-something that didn't belong to the world of wolves or vampires.

Lucian's gaze burned into her. "Come with me, and I'll tell you what you are."

Kael snarled, stepping between them. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Lucian sighed. "Such a good little guard dog."

He flicked his wrist.

A force slammed into Kael, sending him flying across the courtyard.

Aria gasped. "Kael!"

Lucian didn't even look at him. His focus was entirely on her.

"Your power is still sleeping, Aria," he said softly. "But soon... you'll wake up."

The ground shook.

Aria's breath hitched as the air around her seemed to bend, pulling toward Lucian like a storm gathering around its center.

The vampires felt it too.

They backed away.

Even Kael-injured but standing-froze in place, his golden eyes locked onto Lucian with rare uncertainty.

Aria's fingers tingled. Not with fear.

With recognition.

Lucian smiled, as if he could sense it too. "See? You already know the truth."

His hand extended toward her.

"Come with me, Aria. Before it's too late."

A cold wind swept through the courtyard.

Aria's pulse pounded.

Something inside her wanted to take his hand.

To know the truth.

To know what she was.

But Kael's voice snapped through the moment.

"Aria-don't."

Lucian's silver eyes gleamed. "Choose, little one."

And Aria made her choice.

A Choice That Cannot Be Undone

Aria's breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.

Lucian's hand was still extended toward her, his silver eyes gleaming with amusement-and certainty.

He knew she was hesitating.

He knew something inside her was tempted.

Kael's voice was firm, steady-desperate. "Aria, don't trust him."

Lucian chuckled. "Don't trust me? I'm the only one offering her answers." His gaze flickered to Kael. "What are you offering, wolf? More running? More lies?"

Kael growled low in his throat, but Aria barely heard him.

Her fingers tingled. That same pulse of power-wild, unfamiliar-was still there, thrumming just beneath her skin.

Her whole life, she had felt like something was missing. Like she was a puzzle with a missing piece.

And now, here was Lucian, offering her the truth.

Her fingers twitched.

Lucian's smirk widened. "Yes. That's it, little one. You can feel it, can't you?"

Kael's body tensed, his golden eyes burning into hers. "Aria, don't do this."

Aria's heart pounded.

She wanted answers.

She wanted to understand.

But then-

She remembered.

She remembered Kael standing over her protectively when the vampires first attacked. She remembered the way he had fought through everything just to get to her.

She remembered the way his voice had shaken when he said her name.

Aria exhaled sharply-and made her choice.

She stepped back.

Lucian's smirk vanished.

Kael lunged, grabbing Aria's arm and pulling her behind him. "Wrong move, vampire."

Lucian's silver eyes darkened-and then he laughed.

Low. Amused. Dangerous.

"Wrong move, indeed," he murmured.

The air shifted.

Aria's stomach twisted as a strange, suffocating energy surrounded them. The vampires who had been standing in the shadows dropped to their knees, their bodies trembling.

Even Kael flinched, his jaw clenching.

Only Lucian remained standing-completely unaffected.

Aria could barely breathe. "What's happening?"

Lucian tilted his head, watching her. "Your power is connected to mine. You stepping away? That was a mistake."

A pulse of dark energy erupted from him.

Kael was thrown backward with a snarl, crashing into the courtyard wall.

Aria barely had time to scream before she felt something wrap around her.

Not hands.

Not chains.

But pure energy.

It tightened, pulling her toward Lucian-toward the darkness.

Her heart raced.

She struggled, but it was useless. The force was stronger than anything she had ever felt before.

Lucian took a slow step forward, watching her struggle. "You think you have a choice, little one?" His voice was soft. Deadly. "You don't."

Aria's vision blurred.

Her chest burned.

Her blood burned.

She barely heard Kael's pained growl from across the courtyard.

Lucian's voice was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

"You are mine, Aria."

Awakening in the Dark

Aria's consciousness drifted in and out like waves crashing against a distant shore.

Her body felt weightless, floating in an abyss of darkness.

Then-pain.

A sharp, burning sensation raced through her veins, searing her from the inside out. She gasped, her eyes snapping open-only to be met with endless shadows.

Where was she?

She tried to move, but her body was bound. Not by chains or ropes, but by something stronger. Older.

A force that whispered against her skin, claiming her.

"You're awake."

The voice was smooth, rich like silk-but laced with danger.

Lucian.

Her vision adjusted to the dim light, revealing a vast, gothic chamber. Black stone walls stretched high above, and flickering torches cast eerie shadows across ancient symbols etched into the ground.

A throne sat at the far end of the room-and Lucian was on it.

He leaned back lazily, his silver eyes gleaming as he watched her struggle.

"You lasted longer than I expected," he mused. "Most would have broken by now."

Aria's chest heaved. The burning hadn't stopped-it was getting worse.

"What... did you do to me?" she rasped.

Lucian's smirk was slow, deliberate. "I didn't do anything." He rose from his throne, stepping forward. "You're the one who's changing."

Her breath hitched. "Changing?"

Lucian tilted his head. "Did you really think you were just a werewolf, Aria?"

Something inside her twisted.

His voice was too confident, too knowing.

"You feel it, don't you?" he continued. "The fire in your veins. The hunger in your soul. That is your true self waking up."

Her pulse pounded. "You're lying."

Lucian chuckled. "Am I?"

He lifted a single finger-and the torches around the room flared.

The light flickered, casting shadows that moved on their own.

A cold shiver ran down Aria's spine.

This wasn't just vampire magic.

It was something older. Something forbidden.

Lucian stopped right in front of her, lowering his voice. "You are not just a wolf, Aria. You are something much, much more."

Aria's breaths came in sharp gasps. The pain in her body pulsed again, stronger-more demanding.

And then-

She felt it.

Something inside her cracked open.

Like a locked door being forced apart.

Lucian's silver eyes gleamed.

"Yes," he whispered. "Let it in."

Aria screamed-as the darkness answered.