All Chapters of The Wolf They Rejected, The Hybrid Who Chose Her: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"Run from me."Kael's voice barely sounded like his own. I froze. Every instinct inside me screamed to move, but my body refused to listen.He stood several feet away, shoulders rigid, fists clenched so tightly that his claws had pierced his palms. Black veins crawled beneath his skin like ink spreading through water. And his eyes, god, they were completely black. No silver. No blue. No trace of the man who had looked at me as if I were the only person in the world. Just darkness."Elira," Seraphine whispered.My sister was staring at Kael too. For the first time since I'd known her, she looked genuinely afraid."What is happening to him?" she asked.Seraphine didn't answer. That frightened me more than anything.I swallowed. "Kael?"His head snapped toward me. The movement was so fast I flinched. Something in his expression changed. For one brief second, I saw him. Kael. The man who had caught me when I fell. The man who had held my injured hand carefully. The man who had told me he

"Because…" Kael's voice shook in the darkness. "…that's not the only version of you down here."My blood turned cold. I stood completely still. Something breathed behind me. Slow, wet, close enough that I felt the warmth of it against the back of my neck. Every instinct screamed at me to turn around. I didn't."What do you mean, version?" I whispered.Kael didn't answer immediately. I could hear him breathing somewhere ahead of me."Kael?""Keep your eyes forward."I swallowed. "What is behind me?""A mistake."The thing behind me moved. One step. Closer. My fingers curled into fists."That's not an answer.""It's the only one I can give you without making it worse."A soft laugh came from behind me. My laugh. I squeezed my eyes shut."Alira." The voice whispered my name. I felt tears prick my eyes. It sounded exactly like me."Don't listen to it," Kael said.The voice behind me giggled. "Why not?"Kael went silent. I slowly opened my eyes. At the far end of the chamber, the woman who

The voice beneath us sounded like mine. But it wasn't me. It came from somewhere deep below the chamber, vibrating through the stone until I felt it in my bones."And I've been waiting for you to come home."The floor cracked again. I stumbled. Kael caught me around the waist before I fell. For a second, neither of us moved. His arm was firm around me, his body pressed against mine, and despite everything happening around us, my heart reacted to his touch exactly as it always did. Too fast. Too hard.His eyes met mine. "Are you hurt?"I shook my head. "No."His hand remained at my waist. Neither of us acknowledged it.Then the ground moved. A deafening roar tore through the chamber. Kael pulled me against him. "Stay behind me.""I'm getting tired of hearing that."A faint smile touched his mouth. "Good."I blinked. "Good?""It means you're still you."The smile disappeared almost immediately. A massive section of the floor collapsed. Black stone dropped into the darkness below. The re

"Took you long enough to figure that out."My voice. Again. I turned slowly. Kael moved in front of me."Stay behind me."I almost laughed. Even now. Even after everything. That was still his first instinct. Protect me.But my eyes were fixed on the woman standing across the chamber. She looked exactly like me. Again. Except this time, she wasn't smiling. She looked tired. Almost sad."You're the original?" I asked.She nodded. My stomach twisted. "Then what am I?""A copy."The word landed harder than a slap. I shook my head. "No.""You were made from me.""That's not the same thing.""It is to them."Kael's voice cut through the room. "Who are you?"The woman looked at him. "You already know."His expression hardened. "Say it."She smiled faintly. "You used to call me Aria."My heart stopped. Kael didn't move. But I saw his fingers curl into fists."You're lying.""Am I?" She looked at me. "Ask him."I turned toward Kael. He wouldn't meet my eyes. My chest tightened."Kael."Silence

I couldn't breathe. Kael's fingers were locked around mine."Don't turn around," he repeated.Behind us, something breathed. Slow. Steady. Almost human. Almost.I stared at Kael. He stared back. For the first time since I'd met him, I could see genuine terror in his eyes. Not fear for himself. Fear for me."Is it really you?" I whispered.His brows pulled together. "What?""The thing behind us."His jaw tightened. "No."The breathing continued. A voice followed. My voice. "Alira."I closed my eyes. Kael stepped closer. "Don't answer."The voice laughed softly. "You always tell her what to do."I felt Kael's body tense. The thing behind us spoke again. This time in Kael's voice. "Run."My heart twisted. Kael's eyes widened. "That isn't me.""I know.""Do you?"I looked at him. "I know you."Something shifted behind us. The floor creaked. Kael pulled me against his chest. "Stay with me."The words barely left his mouth before the creature appeared in front of us. I gasped. It was Kael.