CHAPTER ELEVEN — “WHEN NIGHT CHOOSES SIDES”

The city looked different from the rooftop.

Aria stood beside Luca, the wind tugging at her hair as lights glittered below them like restless stars. Somewhere beneath that beauty, fear was spreading fast. She could feel it now, threading through her senses, sharp and cold.

“They’re scared,” she said quietly.

Luca’s gaze swept the streets below. “They should be. Someone is using civilians as leverage.”

Aria clenched her fists. “My mother knows exactly what she’s doing.”

“She always did,” Luca replied.

That answer settled heavy in her chest.

Below them, Luca’s men moved with precision, spreading through the lower districts to secure evacuation routes. Wolves blended seamlessly with the night, shadows among shadows.

Luca turned to her. “You stay close to me. No heroics.”

She met his eyes. “I won’t run.”

A flicker of something warm crossed his face. Pride. Trust. Maybe both.

“Good,” he said. “Neither will I.”

They descended into the streets together.

The closer they moved toward the lower districts, the louder Aria’s blood hummed. Her pulse matched the rhythm of the city, beating faster, sharper, like a warning drum.

Then she felt it.

A presence.

She stopped abruptly, fingers digging into Luca’s sleeve. “She’s here.”

Luca raised a hand, signaling his men to halt. The street ahead was empty, too quiet, the kind of silence that crawled under the skin.

A slow clap echoed from the darkness.

“Well done,” a familiar voice called softly. “You felt me.”

The shadows shifted.

Her mother stepped into the light.

She looked exactly as Aria remembered and nothing like it at the same time. Her posture was calm, controlled, her eyes burning with quiet authority. Around her stood wolves Aria had never seen before, their energy strange, untethered.

Hybrids.

“You brought an army into my city,” Luca said coldly.

Aria’s mother smiled. “I brought family.”

Aria’s chest tightened. “You’re using people as bait.”

“I am waking them,” her mother corrected. “You lived among wolves long enough to forget what they fear most. Change.”

Luca moved subtly closer to Aria, his presence solid at her back. “You will leave. Now.”

The woman’s gaze slid to him. “You still command well. But you always lacked vision.”

Aria stepped forward before Luca could stop her. “Why are you doing this.”

Her mother’s eyes softened. “Because you are stronger than all of them. Because you were never meant to kneel to councils or packs.”

“I don’t want to rule through fear,” Aria said.

Her mother tilted her head. “Neither do I. Fear is simply the language power understands.”

The air vibrated suddenly as a surge of energy rippled through the street. Civilians screamed nearby as shadows twisted unnaturally.

Luca swore under his breath. “She’s forcing awakenings.”

Aria felt it then. Dozens of sparks flaring to life. Untrained. Uncontrolled.

“They’ll tear themselves apart,” Aria whispered.

Her mother watched calmly. “Unless guided.”

“By you,” Aria said bitterly.

“By us,” her mother replied.

The pull was immediate.

Aria’s blood surged violently, responding to the call. She gasped, stumbling forward as power rushed through her veins, fierce and intoxicating.

Luca grabbed her instantly. “Aria.”

Her mother’s voice slid into her mind like silk. Come to me. Feel what you were meant to be.

For one terrifying moment, Aria almost did.

Then Luca’s arms tightened around her, his breath warm against her ear. “You choose who you are. Not her.”

The bond flared, steady and grounding, anchoring her to the present. To him.

Aria planted her feet, forcing her power inward instead of outward. The surge slowed. Then steadied.

She lifted her head.

“No,” she said clearly. “I won’t be your weapon.”

Her mother’s expression hardened. “Then you stand in my way.”

The street exploded into chaos.

Hybrids surged forward. Wolves lunged to intercept. Power clashed violently, cracking pavement and shattering windows.

Luca moved like a force of nature, commanding and striking with lethal precision. Aria stayed close, instinctively shielding civilians as blasts of energy tore through the night.

She felt herself changing with every breath.

Stronger. Faster. More aware.

A hybrid lunged toward a child frozen in fear.

Aria reacted without thinking.

She reached out.

The world seemed to pause.

Power flowed from her hands, controlled and precise, forming a barrier that stopped the attack cold. The hybrid slammed into it and collapsed unconscious.

Aria stared at her hands in disbelief.

Luca turned sharply. “You did that.”

She nodded, breathless. “I didn’t lose control.”

Pride burned in his eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t.”

Across the street, her mother watched intently, something like awe flickering across her face.

“You are learning faster than I expected,” she called. “Come with me now and I can make you unstoppable.”

Aria shook her head. “You already made your choice. You left.”

Her mother’s jaw tightened. “I protected you.”

“You abandoned me,” Aria replied. “And I survived anyway.”

Silence stretched between them, thick and painful.

Then her mother smiled sadly. “So be it.”

With a sharp gesture, she signaled her forces to retreat. Smoke curled around her form as she stepped backward into the shadows.

“This ends soon,” she said softly. “One way or another.”

Then she was gone.

The street slowly fell quiet.

Sirens wailed in the distance. Wolves checked on civilians. The night exhaled shakily.

Aria sagged against Luca, exhaustion crashing over her all at once. He caught her instantly, holding her close.

“You were incredible,” he murmured.

She pressed her forehead to his chest. “I was terrified.”

“And you still stood your ground,” he said. “That is strength.”

She looked up at him, her eyes searching. “What happens now.”

Luca’s expression turned serious. “Now the council knows your mother will not stop.”

“And you,” Aria said softly. “Will they challenge you for choosing me.”

He met her gaze without hesitation. “Let them try.”

She smiled faintly, emotion swelling in her chest.

As Luca carried her away from the ruined street, Aria felt it again.

The pull.

Stronger than before.

But this time, it did not frighten her.

Because she knew who she stood with.

And the night itself seemed to bow as they passed.