Chapter 71

AriaThe cold morning air in the sanctuary’s deep stone hall bit through my clothes, but it was nothing compared to the freezing emptiness inside my chest.My arms were trembling. My legs felt like lead. Every breath I took tasted like dust and ash."Again, Aria," Oracle Elora’s calm voice echoed off the high, ancient walls. "Focus your mind. Clear away the noise of the world. Tap into the light that resides in your core."I stood on the woven reed mat in the center of the training pavilion, staring down at my open hands. I squeezed my eyes shut. I tried to do what she asked. I tried to find that tiny, glowing spark of silver power that had saved my life just days ago. I tried to pull it up from my belly, through my chest, and out into my palms.Nothing happened.Not even a flicker. Just a dull, hollow ache in my ribs."I can't," I whispered, my voice raspy. My throat burned. "I can't find it today, Elora. It's gone.""It is not gone, child," Elora said softly. She sat cross-legged on

Last Updated : 2026-09-30

Chapter 72

AriaBy mid-afternoon, the heavy atmosphere in the sanctuary had shifted. The weather outside turned sour, dark storm clouds rolling over the jagged mountain peaks surrounding the holy grounds.I walked out into the central courtyard, wrapped in a thick wool cloak to keep out the mountain chill. My heart was still fluttering from my breakthrough with Elora, but as soon as my eyes landed on the tall figure standing near the grand archway, my stomach tightened.Valerius.He was wearing his dark leather riding armor, his long silver-black hair tied back, framing his sharp, breathtaking jawline. He was talking in low tones with Kaelen and Cassian, his royal advisors, but the moment he sensed my presence, his head snapped in my direction. His intense, golden-silver eyes met mine across the courtyard.He said something brief to his men, and then he began walking toward me. His long, confident strides carried him across the cobblestones until he stood just a few feet away."Aria," he spoke,

Last Updated : 2026-09-30

Chapter 73

AriaNight fell over the sanctuary, heavy and dark. The storm outside raged on, rain hammering against the high stained-glass windows.I sat on the edge of the large wooden bed in our private quarters, wrapping a thick blanket around my shoulders. I couldn't sleep. Every time the wind howled outside, I thought I could hear Leia's faint wailing from the underground dungeons.Suddenly, the door creaked open.Valerius stepped into the room. He was bare-chested, wearing only loose dark trousers. My breath caught in my throat. Across his broad, muscular torso, several heavy, jagged cuts were raw and inflamed. Blood was still slowly seeping from a deep gash near his ribs."Valerius!" I gasped, tossing the blanket aside and rushing to his side. "You're hurt! Why didn't you go to the healers?!""The healers were busy tending to the sanctuary guards who were wounded in the raid," Valerius said gruffly, trying to offer a faint, reassuring smile. "It is just a scratch, Aria. Lycans heal quickly.

Last Updated : 2026-10-01

Chapter 74

AriaThe final two days at the sanctuary passed like a whirlwind.Despite the heavy security and the distant, haunting echoes of Leia weeping from the lower cells, which Valerius firmly reminded me to ignore for my own safety, my training with Oracle Elora reached heights I had never imagined possible.On our second-to-last day, we stood once again in the high pavilion. The air felt different now. I was no longer fighting my power; I was letting it flow like a river."You have grown remarkably fast, Aria," Elora said, her voice filled with genuine pride as she watched me effortlessly summon bright spheres of silver light that danced around my fingertips. "Your mind is clear, and your heart is anchored. It is time to grant you tools to help channel your expanding gifts."Elora gestured toward a long wooden table near the back of the room. On top of it lay several exquisite objects: a glowing crystal orb, a carved ivory wand, and a golden medallion etched with ancient runes."Close your

Last Updated : 2026-10-02

Chapter 75

AriaHe didn't tell me where we were going.Valerius led me out of the sanctuary's great hall and into the cold mountain night, his hand wrapped tightly around mine as if he was afraid I might vanish between his fingers. The stars above us were impossibly bright, scattered like spilled silver across a black velvet sky."Where are you taking me?" I asked, breathless from the climb."You'll see," he said again, that maddening smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.We climbed a narrow stairway carved into the cliffside, one that I had never noticed in all my days of training. It twisted upward, past ancient stone lanterns that burned with a soft, blue-white flame. The wind whipped my hair across my face, but Valerius kept me close, his body a wall of heat against the chill.After what felt like forever, we stepped through a low archway — and my breath caught in my throat.We were standing in a hidden garden.It was a perfect circle of earth carved into the mountain itself, open to the

Last Updated : 2026-10-03

Chapter 76

AriaI sat up so fast my head spun."What?"Valerius didn't move. He stayed on his back on the moss, one arm behind his head, staring up at the stars like a man reading his own death sentence in them."Elizabeth is alive," he repeated. "She has been alive for twenty-two years."I stared down at him, my heart hammering. "You told the entire realm she was dead. You mourned her publicly. There is a tomb in the royal catacombs with her name carved into it.""There is." His voice was flat. "I had it built myself. I stood beside it while the whole court wept, and I did not shed a single tear, because I knew the coffin was empty.""Why?" I demanded. My voice came out sharper than I intended. "Why would you do that? Why would you let the world think your mate died, when she was out there somewhere, breathing?"He was quiet for a long moment."Because I needed her to stay gone," he said at last.A cold dread crawled down my spine. "What did she do, Valerius?"He sat up then, slowly, and pushed