All Chapters of Fated In Darkness: Chapter 261 - Chapter 270

CarsonI returned to Adrian’s manor after dealing with Michelle’s treachery. Raven was safe now, so I chose to take her back with me. Before leaving, I had intended to see Adrian, to thank him, if nothing else. But word reached me that Natalie had awakened, and Adrian had taken her upstairs.Among the two outcomes, that was the better news. Alive was better than gone. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if Adrian had faced the reality yet, that his mate would walk in darkness from now on. That if she survived, it would be as a Strigoi. A half-life. A cruel eternity. Yet it was still preferable to her death from venom. That was the choice fate had given him. I decided I would return the next day, when perhaps he had come to terms with it. It would be easier to speak with him then, away from raw grief and desperate hope.Raven’s silence weighed heavier than the drive itself. She didn’t want to go back to Alpha Selene, and who could blame her? Michelle’s betrayal had burned that bridge to

DimitriRelief was a strange, fleeting thing. When I learned Natalie was alive, and more than that, that she bore the same rare gift as Margret, I felt its cool wash settle over me. It was something we never expected to see again, a miracle carved out of blood and fate. For once, destiny had leaned in our favor, because any other outcome would have spelled our extinction.Adrian, soothed by her survival, was willing to wait, willing to let us devise a way to put Dragomir back into his eternal slumber. It was a reprieve, but only for the moment. A fragile thread between life and death.Yet something clung to me through it all. In those hours where oblivion nearly swallowed us, I realized how much I, too, longed for more than war, schemes, and survival. I wanted what my father found, connection, a family, something to tether eternity into meaning. I wanted a mate to share the endless nights with, a Dhampir son to walk in daylight and carry my legacy. Mundane things, perhaps, but it was

AdrianAfter the garden meeting, Alester had departed, Dimitri and Lancly had returned to their homes, and I chose what mattered most, I went to Natalie. She was still adjusting to her new self, and though she stumbled with the raw power coursing through her veins, she carried it with remarkable strength. For a newborn anomaly, she was steady, balanced. But there were truths she didn’t yet know, truths I could not allow her to hear from anyone else.Her father.The mission in Alpaca waited for me tomorrow, and I would go without Dimitri, Lancly, or Carson. I didn’t need them. But before I left, Natalie needed to be prepared. She had to know the truth of Brian, and she had to be ready to help her mother endure what was coming. Nicole was still adrift, fragile under the weight of her own transformation, but if Brian returned, perhaps she would find her footing.I climbed the stairs, my steps purposeful, but when I opened the door to our chambers, I stopped.She stood at the window, fram

Adrian’s POV“I found out that your uncle is in Alpaca,” I began, watching her face tighten into a scowl.“He went to Dragomir for help because Dimitri was hunting him for what he tried to do. But that’s not the point…” I exhaled, bracing myself.“Your father is still alive.”Natalie froze, her frown deepening. She stared at me as though I had lost my mind. A short, nervous laugh escaped her lips, then died when she saw I wasn’t smiling.“Don’t joke about things like that, Adrian,” she whispered.“I would never joke with something as sacred as this. You know me better than that.” My voice was firm, absolute. “I’m serious.”Her laughter cut off completely, and she studied me, searching my eyes for any sign of deception. “How?”“Dragomir,” I said, my voice edged with venom. “He was the one who attacked your father. Your father overheard something he shouldn’t have, a conversation between Dragomir and the Strigoi lords of Ashberge. To silence him, Dragomir struck. But he didn’t kill him.

NatalieAdrian’s lips crushed against mine, his kiss fierce and hungry, like a storm that had waited too long to break. His body pressed me into the mat, every hard line of him against me, every ounce of power reminding me who he was, my mate, my Alpha, my Lord.I gasped when his fangs grazed my bottom lip, the sharp sting sending fire straight through my veins. My back arched beneath him, my body betraying me, begging for more. He growled low, the sound vibrating against my chest, as if my reaction pleased him.“Adrian…” I whispered, fingers clawing at his shirt, dragging him closer.“You copy my moves so well,” he murmured against my mouth, his tongue teasing mine. “Let’s see how well you copy this.”Before I could question him, his hand slid down my side, fingers splaying over the curve of my hip before gripping firmly. He rolled his body against mine, a slow, deliberate grind that stole the air from my lungs. Heat flared between us, sharp and undeniable.I moaned, unable to stop m