Chapter 16

The Heart of the Storm

The clearing around the old oak was a battlefield, strewn with blood and bodies, the mist swirling like a shroud over the fallen. Aria crouched at the edge of the tree line, Rollan pressed tightly against her chest, his mark pulsing with an eerie light that seemed to hum with the chaos around them. Her shoulder throbbed from the rogue’s claw, but the pain was secondary to the fear gripping her heart. Caden fought Victor in the center of the clearing, their blades a blur of steel and fury, while Kael lay crumpled in the grass, his breathing shallow, his life slipping away.

Aria’s eyes darted between them, her mind racing. Kael had sacrificed everything to protect her and Rollan, and Caden—despite his anger, despite her betrayal—was fighting for their son. But Victor’s sigil, glowing in his palm, was a dark mirror to Rollan’s mark, and its power pulsed through the air, making her skin crawl. The prophecy’s weight pressed down on her: Rollan could break her curse or unleash chaos, and Victor was determined to wield him as a weapon.

“Caden!” Aria shouted, her voice cracking as she saw Victor land a vicious kick, sending Caden staggering. The Alpha recovered quickly, his blade slashing across Victor’s arm, drawing blood. But Victor’s laugh was chilling, his golden eyes gleaming with madness.

“You’re nothing without your wolf,” Victor taunted, dodging another strike. “And your son? He’s mine now. The mark answers to me.”

Aria’s blood ran cold. She couldn’t stay hidden, couldn’t let Victor’s magic bind Rollan. Clutching her son, she stepped into the clearing, her voice trembling but resolute. “Victor, stop! He’s just a child!”

Victor’s gaze snapped to her, his smile twisting. “A child with power you can’t comprehend, sister. Step aside, or I’ll take him from your corpse.”

Caden roared, lunging at Victor with renewed fury, but a rogue tackled him from the side, pinning him to the ground. Aria’s heart lurched as she ran toward Kael, desperate to help. She knelt beside him, her hands shaking as she pressed against his wound, blood seeping through her fingers.

“Kael, hold on,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. “Please.”

His eyes fluttered open, pain clouding their usual sharpness. “Aria… get Rollan… away…” His voice was barely a whisper, his hand gripping hers weakly. “Tell Caden… I’m sorry.”

“No,” she choked out. “You’re not dying. Not for me.”

But Kael’s grip slackened, his eyes drifting shut. Aria’s sob caught in her throat as she felt his pulse weaken. She looked up, her vision blurring, to see Caden break free from the rogue, his blade slicing through its throat. He charged Victor again, their fight a whirlwind of rage and steel.

Aria stood, Rollan’s weight grounding her. She couldn’t lose them both—not Kael, not Caden. She scanned the clearing, her eyes landing on a fallen rogue’s dagger. Her hands trembled as she picked it up, its cold weight unfamiliar but necessary. She wasn’t a warrior, but she was a mother, and she’d fight for her son.

“Victor!” she shouted, stepping closer, the dagger raised. “Leave them alone, or I swear I’ll end you myself.”

Victor’s laugh was sharp, but his eyes narrowed as he parried Caden’s strike. “You? A cursed nobody? You can’t stop me.”

Caden’s gaze flicked to her, a mix of shock and warning. “Aria, stay back!”

But she didn’t. She moved closer, Rollan’s mark flaring brighter, its light syncing with Victor’s sigil. The air crackled, and Victor stumbled, his face twisting in pain as the magic faltered. Aria’s heart raced—she didn’t understand the prophecy, but she felt its power, coursing through her son, through her.

“Caden, the mark!” she called. “It’s weakening him!”

Caden seized the moment, driving his blade into Victor’s shoulder. The rogue leader roared, his sigil dimming as he staggered back. “You can’t stop it!” Victor snarled. “The prophecy will claim you all!”

But Caden was relentless, his strikes precise and unforgiving. With a final thrust, he drove his blade through Victor’s chest. The rogue leader gasped, his golden eyes wide with shock, before collapsing to the ground, his sigil fading to ash.

The clearing fell silent, save for the patter of rain and Aria’s ragged breaths. Caden stood over Victor’s body, his chest heaving, blood dripping from his blade. He turned to Aria, his eyes searching hers, a storm of emotions raging within them.

“Is he safe?” he asked, his voice raw, nodding toward Rollan.

Aria nodded, tears mixing with the rain on her face. “Yes. But Kael—”

Caden’s gaze shifted to his Beta, lying motionless in the grass. He crossed the clearing in long strides, kneeling beside Kael, his fingers pressing against his pulse. “He’s alive,” Caden said, his voice tight. “Barely. We need to get him to a healer.”

Aria’s relief was fleeting as she looked at Rollan, his mark still glowing faintly. Victor was dead, but the prophecy remained, its meaning unclear. She met Caden’s gaze, her heart aching. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “For everything.”

Caden stood, his expression unreadable. “We’ll talk later. Right now, we get Kael and Rollan to safety.”

As they carried Kael back to the keep, Aria held Rollan close, the weight of the prophecy pressing down on her. Victor was gone, but the traitor’s words lingered. The mark can amplify or destroy. With Kael’s life hanging in the balance and Caden’s trust still fragile, Aria knew the battle for her son’s future—and her place at Caden’s side—was far from over.