Chapter 5 Hunted

The chamber erupted into chaos.

Wolves lunged. Vampires hissed. Shadows twisted.

Aria barely had time to react before the first attacker was on her-a massive werewolf with fur like obsidian, claws outstretched, fangs bared.

Her instincts took over.

She ducked low, her body moving faster than she ever thought possible. The wolf's claws slashed through air where her head had been just moments before.

Then, without thinking, she thrust her hand forward.

A blast of black fire shot from her palm, slamming into the wolf's chest. He howled in agony as the flames wrapped around him, burning without consuming, draining him instead.

Aria staggered back, her own breath catching.

She could feel his strength flooding into her, the raw power of his being feeding the fire inside her.

It felt too good.

Too right.

"Aria!"

Lucian's voice snapped her out of it. He was moving like a blur, ripping through the attackers with savage grace, his fangs gleaming, eyes wild with battle-lust.

"Don't lose yourself to it," he warned, his voice thick with something dangerous. "Not yet."

Aria clenched her fists, trying to control the hunger surging within her. She couldn't afford to lose herself. Not now.

Another vampire lunged, dagger flashing.

Aria twisted aside at the last second, catching his wrist mid-air. But the moment her fingers touched his skin, a shockwave of energy erupted between them.

The vampire's face contorted in horror as his veins turned black, his body convulsing.

Aria's own eyes widened.

She could feel his essence, his very life force, trying to fuse with hers-like it was hers to take.

Like she was meant to take it.

She shoved him away, gasping. The vampire collapsed, unmoving.

"She's absorbing them," one of the wolves whispered in terror.

Lucian grinned. "Yes. She is."

The remaining attackers hesitated now, stepping back. Uncertain. Afraid.

Aria took a shaky breath. They feared her.

And that was almost as terrifying as the power pulsing in her veins.

But before she could think, a new presence filled the room.

Cold. Ancient. Overpowering.

The very air stilled. The torches flickered. The shadows deepened.

Then-

"Enough."

The voice was smooth, calm. And yet, it commanded everything.

The remaining wolves and vampires froze, their bodies rigid, as if their very souls were being held in an invisible grip.

Aria turned-and her heart stopped.

A man stood in the doorway, draped in black. His presence was absolute, drowning out even Lucian's overwhelming aura.

His eyes-deep, crimson pools of ancient hunger-locked onto Aria.

And she knew.

He was the one watching her.

From the beginning.

Lucian stiffened, his smirk vanishing. "Ah," he murmured. "So the King himself has finally come out to play."

Aria's blood ran cold.

The Vampire King.

And he had come for her.

The King's Claim

The chamber fell silent.

The presence of the Vampire King demanded it.

His eyes-deep, crimson pools of unfathomable hunger-pinned Aria in place, as though he had reached into her very soul and held it in his grasp.

He was tall, draped in a dark cloak that seemed to absorb the light around him. His pale skin contrasted sharply with his ink-black hair, and when he moved, it was with the kind of lethal grace that spoke of centuries of dominance.

Aria's breath hitched.

Her body screamed at her to run-to escape this overwhelming force of nature. But her wolf and the darkness within her did something far worse.

They recognized him.

"Mine," a whisper curled through her mind, ancient and possessive.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

Lucian was the first to move, stepping in front of her. His smirk was gone, his muscles coiled tight.

"You're a little early," Lucian said smoothly, though tension laced his words. "I was just starting to enjoy myself."

The Vampire King ignored him.

Instead, he took one step closer, and the room darkened. The torches lining the chamber flickered before snuffing out entirely.

The shadows moved.

No-not moved. Obeyed.

"You've played long enough, Lucian," the King said, his voice smooth as silk yet sharp as a blade. "Step aside."

Lucian laughed, but there was something sharp in it. "Now, why would I do that?"

The King tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning-

Lucian flew backward.

His body slammed into the far wall with a force that cracked the stone, and he crumpled to the ground with a low groan.

Aria's breath caught.

The King hadn't moved.

Not a single step.

Lucian, as powerful as he was, had been dismissed with nothing but a flick of the King's will.

Fear coiled in Aria's stomach.

She was not ready for this.

The Vampire King's gaze returned to her.

"You," he murmured, stepping closer.

Aria felt an invisible force tighten around her chest, like unseen chains binding her in place.

"You have no idea what you are, do you?" His voice was almost gentle, but there was something dangerous beneath it. Something hungry.

She fought against the invisible grip, her body trembling from the effort. "I-" she swallowed. "I know enough."

The King chuckled. "Do you?"

With a slow, deliberate movement, he raised his hand-and suddenly, everything inside Aria ignited.

The black flames surged from her veins, spiraling out of control, clashing with the darkness pressing in on her.

She screamed.

Pain. Power. Something breaking free.

And the last thing she saw before the darkness took her-

Was the Vampire King smiling.

The Awakening

Darkness.

It surrounded Aria like a living thing, pressing in on her, seeping into her bones. But deep within the abyss, something stirred.

A pulse.

A whisper.

"Wake up."

Her body arched as fire roared beneath her skin. The black flames from before hadn't vanished-they had settled inside her, curling through her veins, simmering with power she didn't understand.

The last thing she remembered was the Vampire King-his piercing crimson eyes, his voice like velvet and steel.

Now, she was floating in the void, suspended between reality and something else.

"You cannot hide from what you are."

A sudden flash-images burned into her mind. A crown of shadows. A throne of fire. A war, bathed in blood.

She gasped.

The world slammed back into focus.

She was not where she had been.

The stone chamber was gone. Lucian, gone. The Vampire King-

He was here.

Standing before her, watching.

His expression was unreadable, but his gaze held something dark. Something knowing.

Aria scrambled back, her breath ragged. The room around them was grand-ancient pillars, dim torchlight, walls carved with symbols she didn't recognize.

"Where-?" she started, but her voice cracked.

"You're awake."

The Vampire King took a slow step forward.

She felt his presence before he even moved. It wrapped around her like a second skin, suffocating yet irresistible.

"Where am I?" she demanded.

"My castle," he said simply.

Her stomach twisted. "You kidnapped me?"

He chuckled, low and smooth. "You collapsed. I merely brought you somewhere... safer."

Safer. The word felt wrong coming from him.

She glanced around again, looking for an escape. "Take me back."

"No."

Her hands clenched. "I didn't ask for this!"

"You didn't have to." His eyes darkened. "Your power called to me. You belong here, Aria."

She shook her head. "I belong nowhere near you."

His lips curled into something resembling amusement. "You don't even know who you are, do you?"

"I know enough," she shot back.

"Do you?" His voice dropped lower, and suddenly-

A rush of air.

One second, he was several feet away. The next-

He was in front of her.

So close.

She staggered back, but his fingers brushed her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze.

"Then tell me, little wolf," he whispered, "why does your blood hum when I'm near?"

A shiver raced down her spine.

Because it did.

Her heartbeat wasn't just pounding in fear. It was answering him.

Somewhere, deep in the forgotten corners of her soul-something recognized him.

His thumb ghosted over her jaw.

"You are not just a wolf, Aria," he murmured, watching her with an intensity that made her knees weak.

Something inside her snapped.

Heat surged through her veins, and before she could stop herself-

The black flames erupted from her hands, wild and uncontrolled.

The Vampire King smiled.

Not in shock.

Not in anger.

But in satisfaction.

"Good," he whispered. "Now, let's begin."