tween them was

he thunderous pounding of his heart, the shift in Lucian's stance as

entities she barely understood. She wanted to run, to hi

g at her like he didn't

otions she couldn't read-anger, f

toward him

rely caught it. One second, he was frozen. The nex

wasn't

ice was rough, low, dangerous. "T

a breath. "I

n his face

see the battle raging in his eyes. But then, as if real

iled as though he was barely keep

ae

ists. His wolf was raging inside him-she could feel it. "

is," she shot back,

d to face her again, and for the first time, she saw raw co

gh the tension. "She's n

m, his fangs elongating, his

miled, comple

reater than you. Greater than all of us." His gaze slid back to Aria. "A

"Not if I ki

hen you'd only be

hed as the air shi

we

nt power wa

the room. The torches flickered. The wa

ow, wicked smile curling hi

"What the hell

wed. "The world is re

the shad

adows W

he stone walls. The temperature dropped, and the air became so th

ng was

s elongated, his eyes glowing a deadly gold. Protect

other hand, s

he murmured, tilting his head as if l

re from her transformation-it was something else, something ancient. She cl

the shad

dows flicker when ligh

o

hered. They crept,

n, they

xara

Twisting, overlapping, echoing from every dark c

tepping in front of

deepened. "Th

lently, and from the da

faces-only eyes. Some red like bl

ves. And somethin

h caught in

what th

rgotte

res and werewolves. Creatures erased from history because

y weren

d been

es called her name a

to deny it, to run, to scream that she w

adows knew

ever just

red eyes gleaming. "They

nines elongating. "L

hed-a chilling,

y begun, Alpha,"_ they whispered.

hrough the room, and

ht for

e nearest shadow, but his hands passed

ci

st wa

. The shadows wrapped around her ankles,

d into her mind, i

up, Nyx

er who y

th

ing wen

kne

drownin

iving chains, pulling her into an abyss with no end. She wanted

she wasn'

t of the darkness,

xara

't just a name-it was a command, an invitation,

the void. Ancient.

slept lon

chest, and she gasped. Her eyes shot open, b

in an endless,

in every direction. There was no ground, no sky-only a vo

front o

d menacing. Its edges glowed faintly with

it sat

e Aria-but she

black, her long dark hair flowing like liquid shado

d, rising from the throne.

e returne

ep back. "Who-

ilted her h

am y

e, of fire, of blood. An army bowing before her. Creatures of the n

n-a bet

en ripped out of her long ago. A piece

xa

ome girl caught b

once rul

head. "This isn't real. I'm just

yxara-stepp

You were never just anything. Y

ght of her past-of this truth-was pr

ould speak, the

was pullin

voice-roared th

! WAK

ld shat

-

convulsed, her skin burning as if set on fire. She w

pping her shoulders, his face filled

unreadable-but his red eyes gleamed

se he

all k

just Aria

Queen of the F

had just