Semua Bab Bloodbound Heir: Bab 1 - Bab 5

Ayla Roth had never believed in ghosts—not until the night her grandmother died and left her a mansion that shouldn't exist.She stood at the rusting gates of Ebon Hollow, rain dripping from the edge of her hood, staring at the towering silhouette carved from stone and shadows. The place had been wiped from city records, tucked behind miles of forgotten forest and fog. And yet, somehow, it bore her name now. The last Roth.The key had come in a black envelope with no stamp, sealed with crimson wax bearing a crest she didn’t recognize: a wolf pierced through the heart by a sword.She shouldn’t have come.She knew that from the moment the front door creaked open on its own.But curiosity? It had always been her worst habit.~~~~~The inside of the mansion smelled like dust, roses, and something older—like old paper and memory. Her boots echoed through the marble foyer. Paintings lined the walls: all somber eyes, pale skin, faces that felt too real. One of them looked like her. Too much

The floorboards trembled.Not like a storm. Not like thunder.This was alive.Alya’s breath caught as the groaning sound rose again—ancient, deliberate. Like something beneath the mansion had heard them.Lucien was already moving.“Stay close,” he snapped, grabbing her wrist and yanking her toward the hallway.Alya didn’t argue.The hallway stretched unnaturally long now, the shadows crawling along the walls like they had claws. The air was colder. Denser. Each step felt like it pulled her deeper into something not meant for the living.“I thought the wraith was the worst part,” she muttered.Lucien didn’t look back. “That wasn’t the worst. That was the warning.”They stopped at a narrow stone stairwell hidden behind a tapestry. Alya hadn't even noticed it before.Lucien stared at it like it was poison. “It was sealed. She sealed it.”“She? My grandmother?”His silence was answer enough.He pressed a hand to the stone. A pulse surged from the ring on Alya’s finger—warm this time. Eage

The silence didn’t last.It never does.One breath. That’s all Alya had before the ground beneath the altar shivered—not from power, but from footsteps.She turned sharply, heart slamming against her ribs.Lucien’s sword was in his hand before she could blink. “We’re not alone.”They weren’t.From the shadows beyond the broken altar, figures emerged—hooded, cloaked in ash and dust, their eyes burning gold beneath the veil of their hoods. Not vampires. Not human. Something older.Lucien cursed under his breath. “The Ardent Order.”Alya tensed. “What is that?”“They were supposed to be dead.”The lead figure stepped forward. A woman. Tall. Regal. Her voice was sharp and smooth like poisoned glass.“The King is gone. And in his place… something worse has risen.”Her eyes landed on Alya. Not hate. Not awe.Hunger.“You broke the chain,” she said. “You took the bloodthrone. You are the Herald now.”Alya’s voice was raw. “I didn’t take anything. I ended it.”“No, child.” The woman’s smile w