CHAPTER TEN — “THE FIRE WITHIN”

The training grounds were older than the mansion itself.

Stone pillars circled the open arena, etched with symbols that hummed faintly beneath Aria’s feet. The air felt heavier here, thick with power that had soaked into the ground over centuries of battles, trials, and bloodshed.

Aria stood at the center of the ring.

Across from her was the woman the council had summoned. Tall. Calm. Dangerous in the way only someone who had survived too many wars could be.

“My name is Seraphina,” the woman said evenly. “And if you wish to live through what is coming, you will listen to me.”

Luca stood just beyond the boundary, arms crossed, eyes never leaving Aria. His presence anchored her, steady and familiar amid the unfamiliar weight pressing down on her senses.

“I don’t trust you,” Aria said honestly.

Seraphina’s lips curved slightly. “Good. Trust gets people killed.”

The woman circled her slowly, studying her like a weapon not yet sharpened. “Your power is not gentle. It was never meant to be.”

Aria swallowed. “My mother hid it from me.”

“She suppressed it,” Seraphina corrected. “There is a difference.”

Luca shifted. “Enough talk. Start.”

Seraphina stopped in front of Aria. “Close your eyes.”

Aria hesitated, then obeyed.

“Feel your blood,” Seraphina instructed. “Not the fear. Not the noise. The heat.”

At first, there was nothing.

Then a warmth bloomed in Aria’s chest, spreading slowly through her limbs. Her breathing deepened instinctively as something ancient stirred awake.

“Good,” Seraphina murmured. “Now release it.”

Aria opened her eyes.

The power surged violently, flaring outward in a blinding wave that cracked the stone beneath her feet. The pillars shuddered. Dust rained from above.

Luca stepped forward sharply. “Aria.”

She gasped, losing control as the force ripped through her again, wild and untamed.

“Stop fighting it,” Seraphina snapped. “Command it.”

“I don’t know how,” Aria cried.

Luca’s voice cut through the chaos, low and unwavering. “Look at me.”

Her gaze locked onto his.

The bond flared instantly, warm and steady, pulling her back from the edge. She clung to it, breathing in time with him, grounding herself in the connection they shared.

Slowly, the storm within her stilled.

The ground stopped shaking.

Silence fell.

Seraphina studied her intently. “You anchor through him.”

Aria nodded faintly, exhausted. “He keeps me from breaking.”

Seraphina glanced at Luca. “That makes you both powerful and vulnerable.”

Luca met her gaze without blinking. “Then we protect each other.”

A flicker of something like respect crossed Seraphina’s face.

Training continued for hours.

Aria learned how to draw her power inward instead of letting it explode outward. She learned to feel the difference between rage and resolve, between instinct and intention. Each lesson left her shaking and drained, but stronger.

By the time the sun dipped low, her legs barely held her upright.

“That’s enough for today,” Seraphina finally said. “Any more and she risks burning herself from the inside out.”

Luca was at Aria’s side instantly, lifting her into his arms as though she weighed nothing.

She rested her head against his shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper. “I hate that I need help.”

“You don’t,” he said quietly. “You choose it.”

That felt different.

Back in Luca’s chambers, Aria sank onto the bed, exhaustion pulling her under. Luca knelt in front of her, carefully removing her shoes, his movements gentle in stark contrast to the power he commanded outside these walls.

“You’re quiet,” she murmured.

“I’m thinking,” he replied.

“About what.”

“About how many people will try to use you.”

Her eyes opened fully. “Including my mother.”

Luca’s jaw tightened. “Especially her.”

Aria pushed herself up on her elbows. “You knew her, didn’t you.”

Luca hesitated. Just a fraction. Enough.

“Yes,” he admitted. “Before she disappeared.”

Her chest tightened. “Why didn’t you tell me.”

“Because the truth would have dragged you into this sooner,” he said. “And because she is not who you remember.”

Aria’s voice trembled. “Tell me now.”

Luca exhaled slowly. “Your mother was once part of an alliance that tried to overthrow the council. Hybrids and Alphas together. When it failed, she vanished with you.”

“And now she’s back,” Aria whispered.

“And she wants you,” Luca said. “Not as a daughter. As a weapon.”

Tears burned behind Aria’s eyes. “What if she’s right.”

Luca reached out, cupping her face. “Then she has already lost. Because she taught you to survive. I will teach you to rule.”

The words sent a shiver through her.

Before she could respond, a sharp knock sounded at the door.

A guard entered, his face pale. “Alpha. We have a problem.”

Luca rose instantly. “Speak.”

“We intercepted a message. Your mother’s forces are not retreating.”

Aria’s heart began to pound. “What are they doing.”

The guard swallowed. “They are heading toward the lower districts. Toward civilians.”

Silence slammed into the room.

Aria stood. “They’re baiting me.”

Luca’s eyes burned with fury. “They’re threatening my city.”

She stepped closer to him, her voice steady despite the fear roaring inside her. “Then we stop them.”

Luca studied her for a long moment.

Then he nodded once. “Prepare the pack.”

As they moved toward the door, Aria felt it again.

The pull.

The heat.

Her blood answering a call only she could hear.

Somewhere in the darkness, her mother was waiting.

And Aria knew, with terrifying certainty, that the next time they met, blood would be spilled.