Chapter 66 — Aria's POV The extraction chamber had become my personal hell. Today they'd added something new — corruption crystals that resonated with my curse marks, creating loops of pain.“The hybrid's spiritual wavelength is destabilizing,” one of Azrael's researchers reported, monitoring magical readings. “The corruption is reaching deeper layers.”They'd refined their methods over endless sessions. Learned exactly how to target each aspect of my hybrid nature. The vampire weaknesses were exploited with corrupted silver. Angel light was broken down with twisted moonlight. Wolf instinct with wolfsbane. Witch powers bound with tainted iron. Demon fire smothered with corrupted holy elements.“Watch this,” Vivian demonstrated a new technique, using her corrupted marks to directly interface with mine. The pain was exponential.“Note the color change,” Azrael pointed to where my silver scars were darkening. “The corruption spreads faster when introduced through similar mark patterns.”
Chapter 67 — Aria's POV Everything hurts.Not the normal kind of hurt, either – the kind that comes after training too hard or taking a beating in a fight. This was different. Deeper. Like every cell in my body had been ripped apart and stitched back together wrong.I woke up to the cold floor. Harsh lighting watered my eyes, trying to focus them on the room. My whole body felt like it had gone through a meat grinder, getting run over by a truck, and thrown off a cliff-just to make sure.The opalescent scars covering my skin flickered weakly, like dying Christmas lights. Every pulse sent little waves of exhaustion through me. Whatever that transformation in the extraction chamber had done to me, it had definitely taken its toll. I could barely lift my head without the room spinning.“Way to go, Aria,” I muttered to myself. “Really nailed that whole 'transcendent power' thing.”I tried to push myself up, and that went worse. My arms shook all over the place, as if I'd done a thousand
Chapter 68 — Aria's POV My whole world narrowed to her face. Now that I knew, I couldn't understand how I hadn't seen it before. The same sharp cheekbones. The same raven hair. Even bruised and battered, even unconscious, she was inhumanly beautiful in the same ways I sometimes saw in my own reflection.“No,” I breathed, voice shaking. “They're dead. Both died. There was a fire.”Azrael's laugh cut through my shock like a knife. He moved closer, studying us like we were specimens in a lab. Which, I guess, we were. “The truth is far more interesting.”My scars flared to life with my rising anger, but I was too weak to do anything about it. “What did you do?”“I removed a threat,” he said matter-of-factly, as if he were discussing the weather and not murder. “Your father was becoming problematic. Too many questions about my research. Too many moral objections.” His lip curled in disgust. “As if advancing supernatural science should be constrained by human ethics.”Every word was anothe
Chapter 69 — Aria's POV “Come on,” I muttered, staring at my reflection in the white wall. “Someone answer me.”Nothing. No wolf growling at the edges of my mind, no vampire strength humming under my skin, no witch power tingling in my fingertips, no demon fire burning in my core. Just silence where my aspects used to be.The emptiness hurt worse than any physical pain, like losing a limb or five.Mom's head rested in my lap, her breathing shallow and irregular. The corruption marks had spread further in the past few hours, turning more of her silver scars that sickly black color. Dark veins spread from each corrupted mark like poison through her system. Time was running out.“Please,” I tried again, reaching for that place inside where my aspects lived. The hollow space where they should be. “I need you. She needs you.”Silence answered. Again.I'd been trying for hours. Days, maybe. Hard to tell in this stupid white box with its endless artificial light and sterile walls. Every tim
Chapter 70 — Zane's POV The maps were starting to blur together. I'd been staring at them for so long, the marked locations had stopped making sense. My fingers traced the same paths over and over, like somehow I'd find something new this time.“Zane.” Kane's voice broke through my focus. I hadn't even heard him enter the war room. “Victor found something.”I stood up from the chair so fast my vision swam. Lack of sleep was really starting to mess with me. “What?”Kane spread out a new set of documents — blueprints, security protocols, guard rotations. “Three facilities matching the energy signatures from where we lost her trail.”Hope flared in my chest for the first time in days. It hurt. Everything hurts since Aria disappeared.“Show me.”Liora was already there, analyzing the blueprints with that laser focus that made her our best strategist. “The security patterns are similar to other Azrael operations we've tracked. Look at these power grid connections.”Victor pointed to speci
Chapter 71 — Kane's POV The moment I felt Zane's pain explode through our bonds, I knew something had gone terribly wrong. His anguish hit me like a physical blow, nearly bringing me to my knees. Only Victor's quick reflexes kept both of us standing as the vampire hauled us to our feet.The pack bonds were screaming. Every wolf connected to me felt it – that sudden, devastating emptiness where Aria's presence should be. It was as if someone had ripped out a piece of our collective soul.“She's not dead,” Victor said firmly, his pale features set with determination. Being the oldest vampire in our alliance sometimes gave him insights we missed. “Think about it. Azrael wanted her powers. Her potential. He wouldn't just kill her.”I watched my twin struggle to form words, his face twisted in agony. “The bond…” That was all Zane could manage before his voice broke. The mating bond between us and Aria was new, still strengthening. To have it suddenly severed like this… I feel the pain he
Chapter 1 — Aria's POVI saw my reflection in the broken mirror leaning against the wall. My long, dark hair is all tangled, and my violet eyes look scared, as they usually do. I'm short for a wolf, just over five feet tall, with a body that some might think is delicate. But I know the truth — I'm just weak.“Nyx,” I whisper to my wolf. She stirs within me, a presence both comforting and frustrated. Nyx is everything I'm not — strong, fierce, and unafraid. Sometimes I wonder if she got stuck with the wrong human.Sighing, I quickly braid my hair and pull on a threadbare t-shirt and jeans. No point in trying to look nice. No one would notice.I quietly leave my room, trying not to make any noise. The pack house is quiet at this time, but I know better than to wake anyone. The last time I accidentally woke someone, I got a black eye that took weeks to heal.The kitchen is my first stop. It's my job to have breakfast ready. For the higher-ranking wolves before they wake up. I turn on th
Chapter 2 — Aria's POVMate.Why did I say it out loud? Me, Aria Ravenshadow, the pack omega, claiming the Alpha as my mate? Maybe I've gone insane.Jaxon's gray eyes lock onto mine, and it feels like I'm sinking. He looks even better close up – Nyx, my wolf, is acting crazy. She's howling and clawing, desperate to be closer to him.But then his face changed. The shock fell away, replaced by a cold and hard expression. My heart had soared a moment before and now sank to my feet.“What did you just say?” Jaxon's voice was low and menacing.I opened my mouth but nothing came out. The pack was silent around us, all holding their breath.Jaxon moved a step closer toward me, and I instinctively moved a step backward. My mind was filled with memories of the constant disparaging remarks Jaxon made when I failed in tasks, debilitating chores he handed out to me, and how he looked through me as if I did not exist.“I. I.” I stuttered, my voice little more than a whisper.“Speak up, omega,” gro
Chapter 71 — Kane's POV The moment I felt Zane's pain explode through our bonds, I knew something had gone terribly wrong. His anguish hit me like a physical blow, nearly bringing me to my knees. Only Victor's quick reflexes kept both of us standing as the vampire hauled us to our feet.The pack bonds were screaming. Every wolf connected to me felt it – that sudden, devastating emptiness where Aria's presence should be. It was as if someone had ripped out a piece of our collective soul.“She's not dead,” Victor said firmly, his pale features set with determination. Being the oldest vampire in our alliance sometimes gave him insights we missed. “Think about it. Azrael wanted her powers. Her potential. He wouldn't just kill her.”I watched my twin struggle to form words, his face twisted in agony. “The bond…” That was all Zane could manage before his voice broke. The mating bond between us and Aria was new, still strengthening. To have it suddenly severed like this… I feel the pain he
Chapter 70 — Zane's POV The maps were starting to blur together. I'd been staring at them for so long, the marked locations had stopped making sense. My fingers traced the same paths over and over, like somehow I'd find something new this time.“Zane.” Kane's voice broke through my focus. I hadn't even heard him enter the war room. “Victor found something.”I stood up from the chair so fast my vision swam. Lack of sleep was really starting to mess with me. “What?”Kane spread out a new set of documents — blueprints, security protocols, guard rotations. “Three facilities matching the energy signatures from where we lost her trail.”Hope flared in my chest for the first time in days. It hurt. Everything hurts since Aria disappeared.“Show me.”Liora was already there, analyzing the blueprints with that laser focus that made her our best strategist. “The security patterns are similar to other Azrael operations we've tracked. Look at these power grid connections.”Victor pointed to speci
Chapter 69 — Aria's POV “Come on,” I muttered, staring at my reflection in the white wall. “Someone answer me.”Nothing. No wolf growling at the edges of my mind, no vampire strength humming under my skin, no witch power tingling in my fingertips, no demon fire burning in my core. Just silence where my aspects used to be.The emptiness hurt worse than any physical pain, like losing a limb or five.Mom's head rested in my lap, her breathing shallow and irregular. The corruption marks had spread further in the past few hours, turning more of her silver scars that sickly black color. Dark veins spread from each corrupted mark like poison through her system. Time was running out.“Please,” I tried again, reaching for that place inside where my aspects lived. The hollow space where they should be. “I need you. She needs you.”Silence answered. Again.I'd been trying for hours. Days, maybe. Hard to tell in this stupid white box with its endless artificial light and sterile walls. Every tim
Chapter 68 — Aria's POV My whole world narrowed to her face. Now that I knew, I couldn't understand how I hadn't seen it before. The same sharp cheekbones. The same raven hair. Even bruised and battered, even unconscious, she was inhumanly beautiful in the same ways I sometimes saw in my own reflection.“No,” I breathed, voice shaking. “They're dead. Both died. There was a fire.”Azrael's laugh cut through my shock like a knife. He moved closer, studying us like we were specimens in a lab. Which, I guess, we were. “The truth is far more interesting.”My scars flared to life with my rising anger, but I was too weak to do anything about it. “What did you do?”“I removed a threat,” he said matter-of-factly, as if he were discussing the weather and not murder. “Your father was becoming problematic. Too many questions about my research. Too many moral objections.” His lip curled in disgust. “As if advancing supernatural science should be constrained by human ethics.”Every word was anothe
Chapter 67 — Aria's POV Everything hurts.Not the normal kind of hurt, either – the kind that comes after training too hard or taking a beating in a fight. This was different. Deeper. Like every cell in my body had been ripped apart and stitched back together wrong.I woke up to the cold floor. Harsh lighting watered my eyes, trying to focus them on the room. My whole body felt like it had gone through a meat grinder, getting run over by a truck, and thrown off a cliff-just to make sure.The opalescent scars covering my skin flickered weakly, like dying Christmas lights. Every pulse sent little waves of exhaustion through me. Whatever that transformation in the extraction chamber had done to me, it had definitely taken its toll. I could barely lift my head without the room spinning.“Way to go, Aria,” I muttered to myself. “Really nailed that whole 'transcendent power' thing.”I tried to push myself up, and that went worse. My arms shook all over the place, as if I'd done a thousand
Chapter 66 — Aria's POV The extraction chamber had become my personal hell. Today they'd added something new — corruption crystals that resonated with my curse marks, creating loops of pain.“The hybrid's spiritual wavelength is destabilizing,” one of Azrael's researchers reported, monitoring magical readings. “The corruption is reaching deeper layers.”They'd refined their methods over endless sessions. Learned exactly how to target each aspect of my hybrid nature. The vampire weaknesses were exploited with corrupted silver. Angel light was broken down with twisted moonlight. Wolf instinct with wolfsbane. Witch powers bound with tainted iron. Demon fire smothered with corrupted holy elements.“Watch this,” Vivian demonstrated a new technique, using her corrupted marks to directly interface with mine. The pain was exponential.“Note the color change,” Azrael pointed to where my silver scars were darkening. “The corruption spreads faster when introduced through similar mark patterns.”
Chapter 65 — Aria's POV Cold. That was my first coherent thought. Bone-deep, cold that made even my vampire side shiver.I forced my eyes open. Bad idea. The cell walls were covered in corrupted curse marks, their dark energy making my silver scars burn. The marks formed intricate containment patterns I'd never seen before — clearly designed specifically for me.“Finally awake.” Azrael's voice made my skin crawl. He stood outside my cell, studying me like a fascinating lab specimen. “Your new evolution is quite remarkable.”I tried to call my power. Nothing. The corrupted marks pulsed, actively suppressing my abilities. Even worse, I couldn't feel Kane or Zane at all. The bonds were completely blocked.“The containment arrays were designed based on your latest transformation,” Azrael explained, gesturing to the marks. “Vivian's intelligence was quite helpful.”Speaking of my least favorite psychopath, Vivian emerged from the shadows. Her marks had changed, corrupted into something th
Chapter 64 — Kane's POV The shadows moved wrong.That was my first warning — watching darkness ripple and twist in ways that defied physics. My curse marks burned in response, resonating with Aria's power as she faced off against Vivian at our border. But something wasn't right. The darkness was too organized, too purposeful.Through our mate bond, I felt Aria's power surge like a tsunami. But before she could unleash it, everything went to hell.The shadow portals opened simultaneously — six of them, spaced in a perfect hexagon around our territory's perimeter. Each one ripped through our outer defenses like they weren't even there. Corrupted curse bearers stepped through in perfect formation, their marks pulsing with sickly dark energy that made my own marks recoil.“It's a trap,” I growled through the pack bonds. Beside me, Zane was already coordinating our warriors, our Alpha power merging seamlessly after years of practice.“Protect the vulnerable. Secure the inner sanctum. Don'
Chapter 63 — Aria's POVI woke up feeling like my skin was trying to rearrange itself. The silvery curse mark were literally moving, shifting patterns under my skin like living tattoos. In the mirror, they formed intricate designs that seemed to tell stories — ancient battles, forgotten magics, secrets written in a language that hurt my eyes to look at.“Stop poking them,” Kane said from the doorway of our training room. His marks resonated with mine, creating weird light shows between us whenever we got close. “We've got work to do.”Right. Training. Because apparently having ancient curse marks, merged supernatural aspects, and whatever the hell happened yesterday wasn't complicated enough. The prophecy chamber's walls were still glowing, and random objects around the territory kept spontaneously developing magical properties. Fun times.I stood up from the training mat, trying to ignore how the room's shadows seemed to lean toward me. That was new. Like having a bunch of eager pupp