The whisper slithered through the air like a phantom.
"You can't protect her, Alpha."
Aria's entire body tensed, a chilling shudder crawling down her spine. That voice. She knew that voice.
Alexander snapped his head toward the darkness beyond the shattered wall, his wolf bristling. Elias stiffened beside him, scanning the shadows.
"Who's there?" Alexander growled, his voice low and dangerous.
No response. Just the wind howling through the broken room, but Aria's instincts screamed that they weren't alone.
Her breath quickened, the familiar weight of dread settling over her. She had to face this—whatever this was.
She forced herself to her feet, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs. "Show yourself," she demanded, her voice steadier than she felt.
For a moment, nothing. Silence so thick it was almost suffocating.
Then—a figure stepped out of the darkness.
Tall, cloaked in black, his face partially hidden beneath a hood. But she didn't need to see his features. She already knew who he was.
Darius.
Her heart hammered in her chest as he removed his hood, revealing a face carved from shadows and cruelty. His golden eyes gleamed with amusement, reflecting a darkness that chilled her to the bone.
"Still running, little wolf?" he taunted, his voice smooth as silk.
Alexander stepped between them, his body rigid, his hands clenched into fists. "Who the hell are you?"
Darius smirked, his gaze never leaving Aria. "Someone who's come to collect what belongs to me."
A growl rumbled from Alexander's chest. "She doesn't belong to anyone."
Darius tilted his head, his smirk widening into something far more sinister. "Oh, Alpha. That's where you're wrong." His gaze flicked to Aria, a glint of cruel amusement in his golden eyes. "Isn't that right, princess?"
Aria's blood ran cold. Her fists clenched at her sides, but the words came out as a low hiss. "I am not yours," she spat, her voice shaking with a fury she hadn't felt in years.
Darius tsked, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "That mark on your shoulder says otherwise."
Alexander's sharp gaze flickered to Aria, his confusion deepening. "Explain. Now."
Aria's throat tightened. She couldn't keep hiding from the truth. Not anymore.
She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "The mark isn't just a curse," she admitted, her eyes meeting Darius's cold stare. "It's a claim."
Elias stiffened beside Alexander. "A what?"
Aria exhaled shakily, gathering the strength to say the words. "A Shadowborn blood oath."
Silence fell over the room, thick and heavy. The air seemed to freeze.
Alexander's hands tightened into fists, his eyes flashing with a dangerous mix of fury and confusion. "Explain," he demanded, his voice like steel.
Aria's heart pounded. "Years ago, the Shadowborns tried to create the perfect weapon. A wolf with their darkness in her veins. A wolf they could control. They took me when I was a child. Raised me in the shadows. Forced their magic into my blood, trained me to obey." She paused, her voice cracking. "But I escaped."
Darius chuckled darkly, his eyes never leaving her. "Temporarily."
Alexander's growl rattled the walls. "You're not taking her."
Darius sighed, almost bored. "You think you can stop me?"
Elias stepped forward, his stance unwavering. "Damn right we can."
Darius arched a brow, the smirk never leaving his lips. "Then by all means, Alpha—try."
Without warning, Darius moved.
Faster than any normal wolf, his form blurred—one second standing still, the next he was launching at Alexander with deadly speed.
Alexander shifted in an instant, meeting the blow head-on. The room shook as their bodies collided, claws tearing through flesh, growls reverberating like thunder. Their strength was earth-shattering, their fury untamed.
Elias lunged to assist, but before he could reach them, another presence filled the room.
More Shadowborns.
Figures emerged from the shadows—five, six, seven of them—their eyes glowing, their bodies cloaked in living darkness, as though they were part of the very night itself.
Aria's stomach dropped. This wasn't a fight. It was an ambush.
Elias cursed under his breath. "We're outnumbered."
Aria's mind raced. She couldn't let them take her. Not again. Not after everything she had fought for.
She clenched her fists, her pulse roaring in her ears. She had fought them before. She could do it again. She had to.
With a deep breath, she lunged.
The nearest Shadowborn barely had time to react before she slammed into him, her dagger—hidden in her boot—thrusting into his chest with brutal precision.
He gasped, his eyes wide with shock, before his body dissolved into mist, vanishing as though he'd never existed.
One down.
But there were more coming.
Aria barely had time to turn when she saw Darius slam Alexander into the ground, sending cracks through the stone floor.
"Enough of this," Darius snarled, his voice dripping with malice. His fingers curled, and shadows began to swirl around them like an inky storm.
Aria's breath caught in her throat. She knew what was coming.
"No," she whispered, her heart sinking. She couldn't let it happen. Not like this.
Darius's lips curled into a cruel grin. "Time to finish what we started."
With a flick of his hand, the dark magic surged toward Alexander, a swirling torrent of shadows aimed directly at his chest.
Aria didn't think. She acted.
Faster than she had ever moved before, she threw herself between them.
The magic struck her.
Pain exploded through her body, her skin burning as the dark energy wrapped around her like chains, squeezing the life from her. Her breath caught in her throat as her veins screamed in agony, the darkness seeping into her very soul.
She screamed, but the sound was swallowed by the roar of battle around her.
"ARIA!" Alexander's voice was full of horror, his silver eyes wide with disbelief. He lunged toward her, his body shifting in a desperate attempt to reach her.
But it was too late.
Darius's smirk only grew wider as he watched her struggle. "Oh, princess," he murmured, his voice low and mocking. "That was a mistake."
The pain intensified, her vision blurring, the world spinning around her. She could hear Alexander's voice, distant and frantic, but it was like she was slipping away, being pulled into the depths of the shadows.
And then—nothing.
---
Aria woke with a jolt, gasping for air.
Her body jerked upright, her skin drenched in sweat, her chest heaving with panic. Her fingers clawed at the sheets beneath her, her heart hammering in her chest like a wild animal trying to escape.
It wasn't real. It wasn't—
Her eyes shot to her shoulder, the mark. The mark was burning. Her golden eyes widened in horror.
No. This wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't just a vision. It was a warning.
The Shadowborns were coming. And if she stayed here…
Everything she had just seen would become real.
She didn't have much time.
She had to run.
But where could she go?
Before she could think any further, she heard it—the faintest whisper in the back of her mind, a voice she hadn't heard in years.
"You cannot escape your fate, little wolf."
Her blood ran cold. The game had only just begun.
And the end was closer than she feared.