CHAPTER 20 - Blood on the Wall.”

Damon stared at the words. His knees buckled. He grabbed the edge of the wall like it was the only thing holding him upright.

“No,” he whispered.

Lucian cursed softly behind me.

I felt a cold spread through my chest. Not a shock. Recognition.

“You knew,” I said quietly.

Damon shook his head. “I didn’t.”

“You did,” I said again. “Some part of you did.”

His voice cracked. “She told me it was mine.”

“And you believed her,” I said.

“I wanted to,” he admitted.

The silence pressed down on us.

Lucian spoke then. “Blood magic doesn’t lie.”

Damon’s hands trembled. “They wrote it for me.”

“They wrote it for everyone,” Lucian replied. “To cause chaos.”

I stepped closer to the wall. I didn’t touch it. I didn’t need to.

“This wasn’t mercy,” I said. “It was a strategy.”

Damon slid down until he was sitting on the floor. His face was buried in his hands.

“I failed her,” he whispered. “I failed both of you.”

I wanted to say something comforting.

I didn’t.

“Feel it,” I said. “Don’t hide.”

He looked up at me. His eyes were red. Raw.

“I was ready to burn the world for that child,” he said.

Lucian’s gaze sharpened. “And now?”

Damon swallowed. “Now I don’t know who I am.”

I exhaled slowly. “That’s how this begins.”

Lucian moved closer to the wall. “This message isn’t about the truth. It’s about doubt.”

“They want us divided,” Damon said.

“They already succeeded,” Lucian replied.

I knelt beside Damon. Not touching. Just close enough.

“Listen to me,” I said. “They don’t get to decide what breaks you.”

His jaw clenched. “They took her.”

“Yes,” I said. “And they want me to panic.”

Lucian nodded. “Fear makes mistakes.”

Damon looked up sharply. “You’re not going after her alone.”

I met his eyes. “I wasn’t planning to.”

Something shifted between us. Not trust. Not peace.

Resolve.

I stood.

Then I felt it.

A pull. Low. Deep.

I turned slowly.

“There,” I said.

Lucian followed my gaze. His expression changed. Focused.

“What do you see?” Damon asked.

I crouched. My fingers hovered over the floor. I didn’t touch it.

“Tracks,” I said.

Lucian nodded. “Wolf.”

Damon’s voice was hoarse. “Whose?”

I swallowed. “More than one.”

Lucian straightened. “They didn’t use cars.”

“They wanted time,” I said. “They wanted her scared.”

Damon stood abruptly. “I’m coming.”

Lucian’s tone was flat. “You’ll be a liability.”

Damon snapped, “She’s my”

He stopped.

The word died in his throat.

Lucian didn’t push.

I stepped between them. “Enough.”

Both men fell silent.

“They want my child,” I said. “Whether they believe it exists or not.”

Damon stiffened. “Aria…”

I raised my hand. “Not now.”

Lucian’s eyes flicked to my stomach. Then away.

“They think fear will make me trade,” I continued. “They think confusion will make you reckless.”

Damon laughed once. It broke halfway through. “They’re right.”

“No,” I said. “They’re late.”

Lucian tilted his head. “You’re learning fast.”

“I had to,” I replied.

Damon looked at me. “If the child isn’t mine…”

I met his gaze. “It was never about ownership.”

His shoulders sagged.

Lucian spoke quietly. “We move before dawn.”

Damon nodded. “I know where the council keeps its shadows.”

I frowned. “You still answer to them?”

“No,” he said. “But they think I do.”

Lucian smiled thinly. “Good.”

I took one last look at the message on the wall.

THIS ISN’T HIS CHILD.

“They don’t know what they started,” I said.

Lucian’s eyes gleamed. “They never do.”

Damon inhaled sharply. “Aria… if they hurt her…”

I placed my hand on his chest. Firm. Steady.

“If they did,” I said, “they will answer to me.”

A distant howl cut through the air.

Lucian turned toward the sound.

“They’re moving,” he said.

I straightened.

“So are we.”

As we stepped outside, the tracks split in two directions and one set turned sharply toward my scent.

The scent pulls me forward.

It isn’t fear that drives me.

It’s clear.

Lucian walks beside me without speaking. He doesn’t rush. He doesn’t slow me down. He lets me lead.

“You’re sure,” he finally says.

“I am,” I reply.

Not a question. Not a guess.

He studies my face. “Your senses are sharpening.”

“They were always there,” I say. “I just didn’t know how to listen.”

He nods once. “That’s how it begins.”

I stop suddenly.

Lucian stops with me.

“It’s here,” I whisper.

He looks around. “I see nothing.”

“That’s because you’re looking,” I say. “Not feeling.”

I lower my hand. The pull is strong now. Heavy. Wrong.

“There,” I say.

Lucian’s eyes narrow. “A door.”

Not marked. Not guarded.

Hidden.

“Whoever built this didn’t want permission,” Lucian mutters.

“They never do,” I reply.

My heart beats faster. Don't panic. Recognition.

“This place smells like lies,” I say.

Lucian glances at me. “You’re learning fast.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

I push.

The door opens with a low sound. Like it resents being touched.

Lucian steps in front of me. “Stay close.”

“I won’t hide,” I say.

He looks back at me. “I know.”

We move forward.

The air shifts.

I gag. “Blood.”

“And metal,” Lucian adds. “And fear.”

I press my palm to my chest. My stomach twists.

“They experimented here,” I whisper.