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Chapter 20: The Heart of Darkness
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2025-02-03 20:26:00The silence was deafening. Adrian stood frozen, his face ashen, his body rigid, his eyes glowing with a furious, yet controlled, fire. The weight of the last few moments—of Lena’s betrayal, of the realization that she was no longer his—hung heavy between them like a shadow too dark to escape.
Lena’s pulse thundered in her ears as she stood across from him, the distance between them wide, almost unbearable. She had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable, yet something deeper—a strange, instinctive pull—held her grounded in place. No matter how far apart they stood physically and emotionally, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were irrevocably intertwined. "Adrian…" Her voice trembled, but she refused to let him see her fear. "Please…" He didn’t speak for a long time. Instead, his gaze bore into her, like he was searching for the woman he thought he knew, the woman he trusted. His eyes softened for a brief, agonizing moment. But then th
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The wind howled through the broken window, sending a chill through Lena’s bones as she stood frozen in place. Adrian’s arms wrapped protectively around her, his grip firm, yet she could feel the tremor in his hands. Whatever they had just faced—whatever dark force had clawed its way into their world—it wasn’t over.The shadows in the room still pulsed, shifting like living things, waiting, watching. The presence of Lucien’s claim still lingered, burning in Lena’s chest like an invisible chain tethering her to him. The name had left her lips before she even understood its weight.Lucien.The man with eyes black as the void. The man who had bound her to something far greater than she could comprehend.Adrian’s breath was ragged against her ear. “We need to leave. Now.”She barely had time to react before he scooped her into his arms, his movements swift, desperate. He wasn’t running—he was escaping. And that terrified her more than anything.Adrian never ran.The moment they stepped out
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Lena’s world was a swirl of darkness, voices whispering in a language she didn’t understand. The weight of unseen hands pressed against her chest, pulling her deeper into the abyss.“You are mine.”Lucien’s voice echoed in the void, sending a shiver through her soul. She tried to scream, to claw her way out, but the darkness wrapped around her like a cocoon, holding her prisoner.And then—Light.A sharp, burning sensation shot through her body, jolting her awake. She gasped, her lungs desperate for air as she shot upright. Her vision blurred, but she could make out the dim glow of candlelight flickering around her. The scent of herbs and aged parchment lingered in the air.A presence loomed beside her.Adrian.He was gripping her wrist, his knuckles white, his eyes wild with a mix of relief and fear. “Lena.” His voice was hoarse, raw. “You’re awake.”Her heart pounded, still caught in the echoes of whatever had just happened. She blinked rapidly, trying to ground herself in the prese
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The world around Lena was spinning. The weight of her memories pressed down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She gripped the fabric of Adrian’s shirt, her body trembling in his arms.“I was his,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.Adrian’s grip tightened around her, his breath hot against her temple. “You are not his.”But the truth was undeniable now. She had stood in a grand hall, had pledged herself to Lucien, and had belonged to him in ways she didn’t yet understand.The realization made her stomach churn.She pulled back, searching Adrian’s face. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked like it might shatter. His golden eyes burned with something raw—something dangerous.“I should have known,” he muttered. “The way he’s drawn to you, the way he claims you.” His fingers curled into fists. “He isn’t just hunting you. He’s reclaiming you.”Lena shook her head. “No. No, I don’t—”The air around them thickened.A cold, suffocating presence slithered into the room. The can
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Lena’s world tilted on its axis.Lucien had claimed her before—body, soul, and blood. And if what Adrian said was true, he wasn’t done with her yet.The weight of that realization crushed her, filling her lungs with something cold and heavy.She paced the length of the room, her thoughts colliding like a storm. The vision Adrian had shown her replayed in her head over and over again. The way Lucien had looked at her—like she was his lifeline, his obsession, his undoing—was burned into her memory.It wasn’t just possession. It was devotion.A terrifying, consuming devotion.Adrian stood stiffly near the door, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was watching her, his golden eyes dark with something unreadable.“This changes everything,” she muttered, raking her fingers through her hair. “I was his mate. That means—”“It means he thinks he still owns you,” Adrian said, his voice edged with something dangerous.Lena turned sharply. “But why take my memories?”Adrian hesitated.
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The wind roared through the night like a beast set loose from its cage.Lena felt it first—the shift in the air, the sudden pressure in her chest. It wasn’t just the cold seeping in through the cracked window. It was him.Lucien was coming.Adrian must have felt it too because his grip on her arm tightened. “We need to move. Now.”But Lena couldn’t move.Her body swayed as if she were weightless, untethered. A strange emptiness clawed at her insides, like something had been ripped away. And it had.The bond between her and Lucien was gone.But in its place was a terrible, aching void.The connection had been a chain, yes—but it had also been a tether, something familiar. Now, she felt exposed. Incomplete.Her stomach churned, a wave of nausea hitting her as Adrian pulled her forward. “Lena, we have to—”BANG!The door to the cabin exploded inward, shards of wood flying in all directions.Adrian moved fast, yanking Lena behind him, but the blast of power that followed sent them both sp
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The ruined cabin felt smaller, suffocating under the weight of the presence that had just entered. Shadows clung to the corners, stretching unnaturally, as if drawn to the power Selene carried.Lena's breath hitched as the woman's dark gaze swept over her. The air around them shifted—thick with something ancient and suffocating. The power was different from Lucien’s raw, consuming energy. This was something colder, more insidious. More dangerous.Lucien tensed, his broad frame moving subtly in front of Lena, shielding her from Selene’s scrutiny.Adrian groaned as he pushed himself upright. Blood trickled from a cut on his temple, but his eyes burned with recognition—and anger."You," Adrian muttered. His fists clenched at his sides, shoulders rigid with tension. "What the hell are you doing here?"Selene’s lips curved into an amused smile. "Adrian. Always so charming." She tilted her head, studying him like a cat watching a wounded bird. "You look terrible."Adrian didn’t react. His g
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Lena’s heart pounded, the weight of Selene’s words crashing over her like a tidal wave.You belong to me.No.No, that couldn’t be true.She yanked her wrist away from Selene’s cold touch, stumbling back. “You’re lying.”Selene only smiled, a slow, patient curve of her lips that sent a shiver down Lena’s spine. “Oh, sweetheart, I don’t need to lie.” She glanced at Lucien. “You can ask him yourself.”Lena’s gaze snapped to Lucien. Her chest tightened at the way his jaw tensed, at the dark, unreadable look in his silver eyes.He didn’t deny it.Lucien never stayed silent unless it was the truth.Her stomach twisted violently. “Tell me she’s wrong,” she demanded, voice barely above a whisper. “Tell me you didn’t—”Lucien’s throat worked as he swallowed hard. “I didn’t have a choice.”The words struck her like a slap.“No choice?” Lena repeated, her voice rising. “You gave me away, Lucien!”“I saved your life,” he snapped, his control fracturing. “You don’t understand—”“Then make me unde
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His Hunger, My Curse Chapter 134: The Fall
Darkness swallowed them whole.Lena’s breath caught in her throat as the air rushed past her, cold and unrelenting. The abyss stretched endlessly below, an empty void that felt like falling through time itself.Ronan’s grip on her wrist was iron-tight. He refused to let go.Cassian was just ahead, his body twisting midair, trying to prepare for whatever awaited them below.But there was no ground.No end.Just falling.The Rift’s presence coiled around Lena’s mind, whispering in a voice that sounded so much like her own.You are home.You were never meant to run.The air shimmered.Lena gasped as reality split apart.For a single, horrifying second, she saw it—the Rift in its true form. A world between worlds. A chasm of shifting energy, pulsing with life and death, beginning and end.And at the center—a throne.A throne waiting for her.Her blood burned. The mark on her skin pulsed in time with the Rift’s heartbeat.It was trying to pull her in.No. No, I won’t—“Lena!”Ronan’s voice
