All Chapters of Fated In Darkness: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

NatalieUncle Michael studied me for a moment, his laugh dying before it ever reached his eyes. They stayed cold, dark — almost predatory. Nothing about him found my rebellion amusing."Do you even know what world you live in, little girl?" he said, voice low and cutting. "It’s not painted with roses and prince charmings, no matter what fairytales you’ve started to believe. It’s rough. It’s brutal. And no one climbs to the top because they’re smart or hardworking. We get ahead because of what we sacrifice — the things we give up to stay ahead. Freedom, Natalie, is one of those things. It's the price we pay."He stepped closer, and I had to fight the urge to move back."You were chosen. You will be the one to marry into that family," he said, each word dropping like a stone.I narrowed my eyes at him. "What family, Uncle Mike? Who exactly am I supposed to throw myself at? Maybe I’ll go have a nice little chat with him. Let him know he’s about to marry a nightmare," I said, my voice dr

NatalieProfessor Alester’s gaze swept the room, slow and heavy, almost like he was looking for something. Or someone. His dark eyes caught mine for a breathless second, and I had to force myself not to look away.I wasn’t sure if he found what he was searching for. But whatever it was, it made my blood run cold."However," Professor Alester said, his voice dropping low enough that we all leaned in without meaning to, "there was an anomaly. A moment when fate—or perhaps something greater—intervened. One bride, one sacrifice, was unlike the others. The venom did not take her. The transformation failed. But… she did not die."Gasps flickered across the room, but I couldn't even make a sound. My breath stuck in my throat, thick and heavy, as his words sank deeper into me, pressing against my chest like a hand trying to crush me from the inside."She was immune," he said, almost reverently, almost like he feared the very idea."Immune to the venom that was supposed to remake her. And yet,

NatalieProfessor Alester stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, that same smug, knowing smirk playing at his mouth. He watched the chaos unfold—laughter, jokes, nervous banter—as if he were pulling the strings, letting us dance.Then he raised a hand.The room fell into a strained, twitching silence."Very well," he said, his voice slicing through the leftover chatter like a blade. "If it’s so unbelievable, I challenge you: How would you explain a myth like this being true? Hypothetically, of course."He paused, his dark eyes glittering—not with curiosity, but something sharper. Hungrier."If you can’t imagine it," he said, "perhaps you lack the curiosity to consider the possibility."Silence stretched out, thick and sticky. No one moved. No one wanted to be the fool who answered.Except... me.Before I even knew what I was doing, my hand was in the air. Tentative but steady.A ripple went through the room like a rock dropped into water. Heads whipped toward me. Whispers bu

NatalieI watched Adrian for a while, unsure how my next words would land. My throat felt tight, my heart louder than it needed to be. But I said it anyway. "Actually… I’m not hungry."My voice came out softer than I intended — hesitant, uncertain.He paused, slowly setting down the utensils and turning off the stove. Then he looked at me, amused. "So," he said, peeling off the apron, "what do you have in mind?"I opened my mouth, then closed it. Words failed me. I wasn’t the type to take the lead — not like this. And I knew, somehow, he already understood that."You don’t strike me as shy," he said, stepping closer.And then he was between my legs.I was still perched on the counter, his presence suddenly too close and not close enough. I had nothing on underneath his shirt, and when I looked at his face, saw the quiet heat in his eyes, I felt the blush rush up my neck and into my cheeks.He smiled at the sight of it. "I like it when you blush, Little Fox," he whispered

AdrianMilo stood there, my father’s old assistant, holding a carton of wine bottles at his feet.The realization hit me. I had completely forgotten I had instructed him to stock the lake house.But even as relief started to creep in, something else made me pause. Milo was uneasy. Too uneasy for something as simple as a delivery."Master," he said, bowing his head in deference, recognizing not just my power, but who I was — his Sire, his Lord.I stepped back slightly, a grim understanding settling over me.I was not like the others. Not strigoi. Not dhampyr.I was something more. Stronger. Older. A bloodline born pure, untwisted — built from power the strigoi could only envy.I could survive on human food. I could walk freely under the sun. I had forged a new race — my own clan — stronger than anything the old world could birth.But strength came with its burdens.My body was almost invincible. My mind sharper than most. My instincts nearly flawless.And yet, my heart — th