All Chapters of Fated In Darkness: Chapter 231 - Chapter 240

NatalieI didn’t say another word to Arya. There was no reaching her, not anymore. She wasn’t just angry. She was hollowed out, resigned. And the fact that she’d done this meant she knew there was no going back. This wasn’t some impulsive betrayal. She’d thought it through. She’d made her choice.And she’d chosen to burn every bridge behind her.By the time we landed, I was blindfolded and carried like cargo. The sting of a needle dulled my fight, the drugs dragging me down until I couldn’t hold my eyes open anymore.When I finally came to, I was on cold stone. A cell. No windows. No door. Just four walls and silence.I didn’t call out. I didn’t scream. What was the point? If they wanted me to rot here, then I’d rot. And as much as I wanted to believe Adrian would find me, he always had, it would take a miracle to track me now.And miracles… were for other people.The scrape of footsteps pulled me upright. A key turned, a heavy lock clicked, and Arya strode in with someone beside her.

Adrian“Come on,” Dimitri said, moving quickly down the corridor. “There aren’t many windows in this place. Once I hit the emergency lock, all doors and windows will seal with titanium. Then Lancly and I can fight without worrying about sunlight exposure.”He sounded almost eager.I wasn’t.I didn’t care about logistics or strategy. I wanted Arya. I wanted Natalie. And I wanted this to end.We moved swiftly, entering a private chamber just off the main corridor. It had the look of recent use, scents lingered, warmth still hung in the air, but it was empty now.“Take him to the banquet hall,” Dimitri said, nodding at Carson. “Once you're inside, I’ll trigger the lockdown.”Lancly gave a small nod and moved to lead us out.“If we activate now,” Dimitri added, lowering his voice, “they’ll know something’s wrong. We need surprise. Blend in. Find the bitch. Then we move.”I understood. He wasn’t wrong. A premature alarm would alert everyone, especially Dragomir, if he was here.And we weren

AdrianI walked out of the hall without urgency.No need to rush.Everyone inside was already dead.The sky had darkened completely now, deep, clean night. No need for titanium locks. No need for shadows.I stepped through the grand entrance like I owned the place, because tonight, I did.And that’s when I heard it.The noise. The snarling. The violence.I moved fast.Rounding the courtyard, I saw them, fledglings, dozens of them, feral and reckless, attacking in waves. They swarmed Dimitri, Lancly, and Carson, tearing at them with sharpened claws and gnashing teeth.They weren’t strong enough to win.But they were enough to stall.Enough to delay.Arya stood near the edge of the courtyard, motionless under my command, her face frozen with horror.Her eyes met mine, and I saw it.She knew.This wasn’t a fight she would survive.Not because of the fledglings.Because of me.I prepared to end the Strigoi the quickest way I knew, swift, clean annihilation.But then a voice cut through th

AdrianI held Natalie close, shielding her, whispering words I couldn’t even hear myself say.And then Martina’s voice echoed one last time.“Should she survive,” she called down, “she’ll never be like you. You’ll never have what I lost. No mate to spend eternity with. She’ll be barren. Lifeless. Cold. Meant for the dark alone.”Her voice cracked, gleeful and broken all at once.“That is my gift to you, Balshov.”I didn’t look up right away.Didn’t need to.When I finally did,She was gone.So was Dragomir.The rooftop was empty.And I was left kneeling in the dirt, Natalie in my arms, as her tears mixed with mine.For the first time in a century,I cried.Not from pain.Not from rage.But because I couldn’t protect the one thing that ever made me human.“Everything will be okay…” Natalie whispered, her voice fragile, breath slowing.Her eyes fluttered. Heavy. Fading.She wasn’t like my mother.She couldn’t survive this the same way. Only two outcomes existed now, death… or the slow, c

Adrian The door flung open, banging against the stone wall, and my mother rushed in like a storm. Her eyes fell on Natalie, and the gasp that tore from her lips sounded like the breaking of glass.“They hurt her,” she whispered, horror spilling into her voice as she hurried to the bed. Her hands trembled as she reached for Natalie, brushing a strand of hair from her pale face. She bent close, stroking her cheek with aching gentleness. “They hurt her,” she said again, her voice breaking, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.I sat on the floor with my back pressed against the cold wall, my eyes fixed on Natalie. The silence between us was suffocating, a silence filled with the weight of things I had not done, of choices I had not made.“Martina bit her,” I confessed at last, my voice heavy with fury and shame. The words seemed to shatter something in my mother. She gasped, her body stiffening as she turned to me. For the first time in centuries, I saw true fear in her eyes.“I shoul