All Chapters of The Fire That Chose Me : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The moment Evelynn stepped through the arch with Aiden, the world shifted. The air changed, thick with the scent of pine and smoke, alive with a hum that vibrated against her skin. Light spilled from unseen sources, soft and golden, bending the shadows into shapes that seemed to move when she wasn’t looking.Her hand tightened around Aiden’s. “This place…” Her voice trembled. “It feels alive.”“It is,” he said simply, his thumb stroking her knuckles. “This is where my kind come to bind themselves — to the fire, to the earth, to the wolf. It doesn’t welcome outsiders.”She glanced up at him, her chest aching. “And me?”His lips curved into the faintest smile, a softness she had only ever seen when he let his walls fall. “You’re not an outsider. You’ve carried my fire since the night I touched you. This place already knows you.”Evelynn swallowed hard, her throat tight with emotion. For so long, she had felt like she was standing on the edge of something she didn’t understand. But here,

The forest was still. Too still.Ash drifted like snow through the golden clearing, settling on Evelynn’s hair, her lashes, the tremble of her hands. Her fire had gone quiet, the last sparks fading into her skin. For a moment, it was as though the world had exhaled after holding its breath for too long.Aiden stood with her cradled against him, his chest still rising hard from the fight. Blood streaked down his arm, a long gash across his ribs, but he didn’t flinch. His focus was only on her, as if the wounds didn’t matter so long as she was standing.“You’re hurt,” Evelynn whispered, her voice hoarse.He huffed a small laugh. “Not the first time.” Then, softer, his thumb brushing the ash from her cheek: “But you. You almost burned yourself hollow.”Evelynn pressed her forehead to his chest, letting his steady heartbeat ground her. The truth was, she had come close. At one point, she thought the fire would consume her entirely, leaving nothing behind but smoke. But his voice had pulle

The hollow was too quiet. Even the wind seemed to falter at the edges of the clearing, as if afraid to touch what lay at the center. The stone pulsed faintly, veins of red light crawling across its black surface like cracks in dying embers. Each throb echoed inside Evelynn’s chest, an unwelcome heartbeat that wasn’t hers.It wanted her.She could feel it—its pull in the marrow of her bones, in the restless flame that surged inside her veins. The longer she looked at it, the louder it seemed to whisper, silent but insistent, a promise of power if she would just surrender.Aiden moved in front of her, breaking the spell. His broad shoulders blocked the glow, his stance protective, defiant. His hand hovered near the hilt of his blade, but his eyes were fixed on the stone with a predator’s focus.“It’s not alive the way we are,” he said at last, voice low, almost reverent in its steadiness. “It’s a vessel. Something poured itself into that rock—something foul. That’s what twisted the wolv

The forest was quieter than it had been in days. Without the cursed stone’s pulse infecting the air, the trees no longer groaned as though under some invisible weight. Yet Evelynn couldn’t rest. Her skin tingled, her chest tight, and though the fire inside her had gone still, she felt its echo in every breath.Aiden’s hand never left hers as they walked, his warmth a tether through the dimness. She could tell he was holding back his own exhaustion, his strides measured to keep her steady, his shoulders tense. He’d been strong for her since the first night they met, but tonight he carried the weight of something heavier.“You’re too pale,” he murmured, glancing down at her. “You’re pushing yourself past the edge.”Evelynn gave a faint, wry smile. “I’m breathing, aren’t I?”His lips curved, though only slightly. “Barely.”She tugged gently on his hand, stopping him. He turned to her, ash and sweat still streaking his face, but the moment their eyes met, her chest eased. She reached up,

The kiss lingered, fierce and fragile, as though Evelynn’s lips alone could hold Aiden together while the world threatened to tear him apart. His hands trembled against her, not from desire this time but from the storm of emotions clawing at him. She could taste the fear he tried to swallow, the weight of secrets he had carried for too long.When he finally broke the kiss, his forehead rested against hers, his breath uneven. “You should hate me for keeping this from you.”Her fingers brushed his cheek, tender but firm. “I don’t. I could never.”His laugh was low, broken. “That’s because you don’t see what I see when I close my eyes. His face. His voice. The things he did.” He stepped back, scrubbing his hands over his face like he could wipe away his bloodline. “I swore I’d never let him touch my life again. But here we are, standing in his shadow.”Evelynn’s fire stirred, protective and sure. She crossed the space between them and took his hands, pulling them down from his face. “You