Chapter 10 The issue

Victoria's POV

I stepped forward, trembling but unbroken. "I belong to no one. Not you. Not my legacy. And certainly not a man who traffics in threats."

Lucien's smile vanished. "You think that little kiss made you brave?" Ronan snarled, stepping between us. "She doesn't need courage. She is the war."

Lucien raised a hand. His men moved. Suddenly, a blast echoed through the air.

Damien entered from the hallway with a security team, guns drawn. "Step back," Damien ordered. "This is your only warning."

Lucien's jaw ticked. "This isn't over."

He turned to me, voice like poison. "You can't hide from blood, Victoria. It remembers." And with that, he was gone. I exhaled...shaking, crying, alive, and I knew one thing: This wasn't the end. It was just the beginning.

I couldn't move. Lucien's figure stood framed in the broken doorway, his presence thick like a storm about to break. But this wasn't fear anymore. It was fury. Fire.

Ronan stepped in front of me like a guard, his voice hard. "You're not taking her."

Lucien's smile was a knife. "You think you can stop me, Ronan? Your weakness has always been your heart."

My fingers clenched the bedsheets. I had trembled before. Not anymore.

"I'm not yours," I said, stepping beside Ronan, shoulders straight. "And I never will be."

Lucien's face hardened, but his words were filled with sour humor. "You'll see soon enough what you are. What you're made for."

Ronan didn't give him the chance to move.

He charged, and the room exploded.

They clashed like thunder. Magic collided-shards of light and darkness danced across the walls. I screamed as energy rippled through the air, knocking over furniture, cracking the floor.

I pressed myself against the wall, trying to breathe.

My hands were glowing. I looked down in fear and awe. Sparks lit my hands.

Ronan was flung across the room, crashing into a cabinet. Lucien reached for me, but instinct surged. A blast of power shot from my chest.

Lucien flew back, moaning as he slammed into the wall. He stumbled to his feet, but didn't try again.

"Your gift is waking up," he hissed. "And so is the bond. Whether you want it or not."

Ronan pushed up, blood dripping from his face. "You don't get to decide her fate."

Lucien's stare burned through me. "We'll see." And then he disappeared, swallowed by shadows.

Silence. I dropped beside Ronan. "Are you okay?"

He exhaled, touching my cheek. "You saved us. That wasn't fear. That was strength."

I shook my head. "I didn't know what I was doing."

He smiled through the pain. "You didn't need to. You felt it. That's enough."

Later, Damien arrived. He scanned the ruins, tense. "It's time. She needs to learn control. No more delays."

Ronan nodded. "Tonight."

The training room was quiet. Sacred. I stood barefoot in the middle, wrapped in soft grey fabric that stuck to my skin, Ronan watching from the edge.

"Close your eyes," Damien commanded. "Focus on the warmth inside you." I obeyed, reaching inward. The fire curled in my stomach like a sleeping spark.

"Feel it. Now let it move." A soft pulse of light glowed under my feet. "Good. Now release it."

I opened my eyes. A target shimmered ahead. I raised my hands, let the warmth rise. A burst of light flew forward...clumsy, bright, fierce.

It hit the goal. I gasped, staggering.

Ronan was at my side. "You did it," he said. I leaned into him. "What if I hurt someone?"

"Then we'll learn together. I'm not leaving." His words were a balm to my soul.

I trained until the stars changed in the sky. Sweat soaked my skin. My arms ached.

Ronan pulled me into his arms when I couldn't stand. He carried me to my room.

He laid me down, brushed my damp hair aside. "You're the strongest person I've ever known."

I blinked back tears. "I don't feel strong." He smiled. "But you are. That's what makes you beautiful."

I reached for him. "Stay." He didn't pause. He climbed into the bed and pulled me into him.

We lay there, hearts matching. No words. Just breath. In his arms, the world finally stopped spinning.

Whispers woke me. Urgent. Close. Ronan stirred beside me. "What is it?"

I pressed a finger to his lips. We crept to the door. I hear s Voices outside. "She's more powerful than expected. If the council finds out..." "They won't. Not if we handle it." Damien. My heart dropped.

Ronan flung the door open. Damien froze. "Handle what?" Ronan demanded. Damien stammered. "It's not what it sounds like." I stepped forward. "Then tell us exactly what it is."

Damien sighed. "The council gave orders. If you lose control, they want you arrested. Contained."

"Like a weapon," I whispered, shaking. Ronan stood in front of me. "Over my dead body."

Damien's voice was low. "If they find out we're hiding her, they'll come for her. And you."

"Then let them come," Ronan snapped. I folded his hand. My voice shook. "We have to leave. Tonight."

He looked at me, fire in his eyes. "Then we run. But this time, we don't hide. We fight." I nodded. "Together." He pulled me close. "Always."

Outside, the night sky stretched wide, studded with stars. Ronan and I stood on the hill behind the estate, two duffel bags slung over our shoulders. My fingers laced with his, my heart beating in both fear and fierce determination.

We didn't talk. There was no need. The silence between us said everything.

As we reached the edge of the woods, I stopped and looked back. The house stood like a dark memory behind us...our pain, our fight, our beginning.

"Are you sure?" Ronan asked, voice low, eyes only on me. I nodded. "This time, we're not just living. We're living."

He smiled, then cupped my face, pulling me into a kiss. It was soft at first, then deeper...full of everything we couldn't say out loud.

When we parted, his face rested against mine. "We'll make our own fate, Victoria. One where no one controls you but you."

"And one where love is more powerful than fear." We turned toward the trees, toward the unknown, and we ran...together.