CHAPTER FOURTEEN — “WHEN POWER ANSWERS BLOOD”

The aftermath of the attack lingered like smoke that refused to clear.

The square had been secured, the wounded attended to, and the crowd dispersed under heavy protection. Yet the air still felt wrong, charged with something unseen. Aria felt it deep in her chest, a steady pulse that refused to fade.

She sat alone in Luca’s private war room, her palms resting flat on the long obsidian table. Symbols carved into its surface glowed faintly beneath her skin, responding to her presence.

That had never happened before.

The doors opened behind her.

“You should be resting,” Luca said quietly.

She did not turn. “I am resting.”

He moved closer, stopping just behind her chair. “Your heartbeat says otherwise.”

She finally looked up at him. “You felt it too, didn’t you.”

“Yes,” he answered honestly. “Something changed tonight.”

Aria swallowed. “When I stood beside you… when our power connected… it felt like the world bent.”

Luca’s expression darkened with something between awe and concern. “That was not just the bond.”

He reached for her hand, turning it over gently. The faint glow pulsed once more.

“This is blood calling to blood,” he said.

Her breath caught. “You mean…”

“Your lineage,” Luca continued. “It is older than we thought. Stronger.”

Aria pulled her hand back slowly. “My father never said anything.”

Luca’s voice hardened. “Your father knew less than you think.”

Before she could respond, Seraphina entered, her posture tense.

“We found something,” she said.

Luca straightened instantly. “Speak.”

“A hidden chamber beneath the eastern compound,” Seraphina replied. “Sealed with magic only blood can open.”

Aria stood abruptly. “Mine.”

Seraphina nodded. “It responded when you arrived within range.”

Luca’s eyes locked on Aria. “This is exactly what she wanted.”

“Who,” Aria asked softly, though she already knew.

“Your mother,” Luca said.

The chamber lay deep beneath the city, untouched for decades. Stone walls etched with ancient runes glowed faintly as Aria approached, the symbols shifting as if awakening from sleep.

Her pulse thundered.

Luca stayed close, his presence steady and grounding.

“Whatever happens,” he said, “you are not alone.”

She placed her palm against the sealed door.

The stone shuddered.

Then it opened.

The chamber revealed a circular room filled with relics, scrolls, and a massive mirror framed in silver and obsidian. The air hummed with restrained power.

Aria stepped inside, drawn forward.

The mirror rippled.

Her reflection shifted.

Then changed.

She gasped as the image showed a woman standing in a battlefield of fire and ash, eyes glowing with the same light now flickering beneath Aria’s skin.

The woman turned.

Her mother.

“You came,” the reflection said softly.

Luca moved forward, fury radiating from him. “Enough games.”

The woman smiled. “Still so predictable, Alpha.”

Aria raised a hand instinctively. “Why.”

The smile faded. “Because you were born for this.”

“For destruction,” Luca snapped.

“For balance,” her mother corrected. “The world is breaking because its leaders cling to outdated rules.”

Aria’s voice shook. “You used me.”

“I prepared you,” her mother replied calmly. “Every threat. Every fear. Every step brought you here.”

Luca growled low in his chest. “You endangered her life.”

“Yes,” the woman said without apology. “Because power requires awakening.”

Aria’s hands trembled. “You don’t get to decide that.”

The mirror pulsed violently.

“Oh, my daughter,” her mother said, “you already have.”

The chamber shook as the vision shattered, leaving silence behind.

Aria collapsed to her knees.

Luca caught her instantly, holding her tightly. “Breathe.”

Tears burned her eyes. “She planned everything.”

“Yes,” he said. “And she underestimated one thing.”

Aria looked up at him. “What.”

“You,” Luca replied.

Days passed quickly.

The city buzzed with rumors. Fear battled hope in the streets. Luca’s authority was being tested not by force, but by belief.

Aria trained relentlessly.

She learned control. Precision. How to listen to the power rather than fight it.

Luca watched every session closely, his protectiveness sharpening with each display of her strength.

One night, as rain poured against the windows, Aria finally confronted him.

“You are holding back,” she said.

He did not deny it. “I am trying to keep you safe.”

She stepped closer. “I do not need a cage disguised as love.”

His eyes darkened. “That is not fair.”

“Neither is war,” she replied. “If I am going to stand beside you, truly stand, then I need you to trust me.”

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, Luca exhaled slowly. “Then listen carefully.”

He cupped her face. “If you fall, this city falls with you.”

Emotion surged in her chest. “Then I will not fall.”

Their bond flared, warm and fierce.

A sudden alarm blared through the compound.

Seraphina’s voice echoed over the comms. “We have a breach. Inner perimeter.”

Luca turned instantly. “This is it.”

They ran side by side through the halls, power humming beneath their skin.

The attackers were different this time.

Stronger. Smarter. Organized.

At their center stood a man Aria had never seen before.

But her power recognized him instantly.

He smiled when he saw her. “Daughter of balance.”

Luca stepped forward, lethal calm in his stance. “State your purpose.”

The man’s gaze never left Aria. “To collect what belongs to us.”

Aria felt the truth strike her like lightning.

This was bigger than her mother.

Much bigger.

She stepped forward, her voice steady. “You do not own me.”

The man laughed softly. “Then prove it.”

Power surged.

The ground cracked beneath Aria’s feet as she stood fully in herself for the first time.

Luca felt it and smiled grimly.

The war had officially begun.