As the day went on, the forest became darker. The atmosphere was chilly, unnatural, and had nothing to do with the night but everything to say with their past. With a quick breath, Isabelle followed Gabriel as they passed each other, their energy level maintaining. Neither of them spoke. No more words to speak. This was it. The site of her demise. Where she had been reborn. What she had become was waiting for her in the open. Gabriel moved forward, his gaze fixed on the ground, tense and prepared for battle.' With sparkling eyes, he gazed into the distance, his hand on the dagger at his waist. He wasn't taking chances. Neither was she. She had not left the location since the last time. Why? A clearing illuminated by the moon was visible as the trees grew in size. The ground was uneven, with splintered branches and scorched earth. Standing a few feet away, he could see 'a huge altar made of stone half buried in the ground with cracks from time to time'. Isa
Isabelle let out sharp gasps of air as she quickly pushed up and down. Despite having never experienced anything like the wild fire within her, this time was different. It had disintegrated, no longer within her control. Gabriel held her tightly, unwaveringly. Although his emerald eyes burned into her, they were not full of anger. They weren't filled with arrogance. They were filled with fear. No fear of the Shadow Order.? Not apprehensive of the might she had recently exercised. Fear of her. Her stomach twisted violently. That was not the way she wanted to be.". The thought that she felt the growing, twisting, and waiting within wasn't a suitable one. His voice was low, controlled and tinged with danger as Gabriel spoke. "What's happening to you?" asked. Her throat was dry as she swallowed with great force. "I'm not sure.". His jaw clenched. "Don't be untruthful to me.". She wasn't lying. She truly didn't know. She was unaware of anything that had changed within her..
My heart is burning. It's like a living being curled up around my chest, floating beneath me. It doesn't fade. It doesn't rest. It waits. It watches. It doesn't know what it wants from me. Or maybe I do. Perhaps I don't feel like confessing it. Gabriel advances, his movements resolute, and his body in an unapologetic state.' Although he hasn't looked back at me since we left the clearing, it's not necessary for him to. I can feel it. He has an entire presence that is restrained. He's holding something back. I'm not sure if it's because of his protective behavior. It. He's attempting to shield me from harm. I'm unable to stop my breathing while my hands are tied tightly as I touch them, but the pressure in my chest is becoming more intense. I find it harder to ignore the rumors that echo in my thoughts. "You're not what you embodied.". I hear the voice move in and out of my mind like a serpent coiling around my skull. I flinch, my breath catching. It's not my voice.
The air was too still. As we walked through the thick forest, I sensed something unseen pulling on our backs. The wind didn't make the leaves rust. The crickets had stopped singing. Something was waiting. Gabriel felt it too. With an awkward posture, his shoulders were slanted and the dagger in his right hand. His senses were more precise than any wolf I'd ever encountered, and even if he was uncomfortable, we were in peril. But the worst part? It wasn't just the thing in the trees that disturbed me.. I had it inside. We had left the clearing and now the fire was getting hotter. The smoldering was no longer flowing slowly. It was alive, in motion, twirling like a monster deep within me, restless and impatient. "Let me out. ". I flinched. After that, it was silent. Nevertheless, it now moved down my skull, smooth and familiar, as if it had always been.'". Like it belonged. "You can't fight forever. ". I bit my lip, trying to keep my breath in check. Gabriel couldn't know.
I was still lit up by the blaze, its flickering ferocity across the ground and my shadows against the trees. The cloaks' figures were still standing. Not because they were afraid. Because they were waiting. Waiting for me to break. Predicting that I will become what they desired. I was pushed back again by Gabriel's clawed arm. His grip was firm, but not due to his anger. Out of fear. Not for himself. For me. I wasn't breathing properly. There was a sensation of being too tight, too heavy, and like something was crawling beneath me, trying to escape. "Let me out. ". No. No, I couldn't. I locked my jaw tightly, causing the fire to break down and stay still. It was so satisfying. The task was similar to trying to keep the tide at bay with my bare hands.' The Shadow Order leader lowered his head, his empty sockets clutching me. Can you feel it, oh please?' Comments. His voice wasn't mocking. It was curious. Intrigued. He perceived me as a mystery. You are not theirs,'
The air between them was thick with tension, charged with something neither of them wanted to acknowledge. The forest around them had fallen into complete silence, as if the world itself was holding its breath.Isabelle stood her ground, fists clenched at her sides, her jaw tight. She could still feel the lingering heat beneath her skin, the fire that had almost consumed her back there. The Shadow Order had retreated, but their words remained, echoing inside her skull."You were never meant to be theirs."She hated that she couldn’t push them away.Gabriel watched her carefully, his dagger still clutched in one hand, his stance relaxed but ready. His emerald eyes studied her, sharp and assessing, as if trying to figure out whether she was still herself—or something else entirely.She exhaled sharply. "Fine," she muttered. "You want to stick around? Then we do this my way."Gabriel raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering across his face. "Your way?""No orders. No controlling me. And n
The deal had been made.Neither of them spoke as they moved through the darkened forest, their steps the only sound cutting through the heavy silence. Gabriel led the way, his posture stiff, his senses on high alert. Isabelle followed, her mind clouded with a thousand thoughts she couldn't untangle.She had agreed to let him stay.Not because she wanted him around.But because deep down, she knew she had no other choice.The Shadow Order wasn’t done with her.Neither was the fire inside her.Every step she took, she could feel it simmering beneath her skin, coiling, restless, waiting. It was no longer just a part of her—it was something separate, something alive, something that was watching."You cannot escape me."A sharp pulse of heat flared through her chest. Isabelle stumbled slightly, but she forced herself to keep moving, swallowing back the panic rising in her throat.She wouldn’t let it control her.She couldn’t.Gabriel suddenly stopped. Isabelle barely caught herself before
Blake stumbled back, his gaze flickering between Isabelle and the scorched earth beneath her feet. The heat from her power still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating, a warning of what was to come.But Isabelle wasn’t done yet.Not even close.She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, her golden eyes glowing with an unnatural light. Every muscle in her body was coiled, vibrating with the fire inside her—a fire she no longer wanted to suppress.Blake had taken everything from her.And now, she was going to watch him break."You look surprised," she said, her voice eerily calm. "You shouldn’t be."Blake's jaw clenched, but he quickly masked his emotions, his lips curling into a smirk. "I should’ve known you’d turn into something unnatural. I mean, you were always a disappointment as a mate. Guess I did the right thing getting rid of you."Isabelle laughed softly.It wasn’t a real laugh.It was cold. Amused.Deadly."You think you got rid of me?" Her head tilted slightly, eyes narr
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝑰𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒎. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆. 𝑨 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆. 𝑨 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒉?
The room was smaller, the air thick with unseen chains as Caitlyn's guards took a step forward. The booted feet slamming into the ground issued a quiet warning—this was no longer a negotiation.This was a trap.Isabelle lifted her chin, refusing to let them see even a flicker of fear. She had been here before—cornered, betrayed, outnumbered. And yet, she had always found a way out. She wouldn’t give Caitlyn or her treacherous ex-lovers the satisfaction of seeing her break."You’re making a mistake," Isabelle said, her voice steady despite the war raging inside her.Caitlyn smiled a soft smile. "Oh, Isabelle. I think the mistake was ever leading you to think that you controlled your fate."The guards moved one more step closer, and Isabelle's body tensed.They thought she was helpless.They thought she was the same woman they'd discarded years ago.Fools.Blake didn't say anything, but his eyes pierced hers as if searching for something—a reaction, maybe even an apology. But Isabelle h
Isabelle held steady beneath the oppressive weight of the betrayal bearing down upon her. The room was too small, the air thick with unspoken danger. Violetta, Caitlyn, and Blake—all of them gathered before her like phantoms of her own past, to eat her whole. Her fists balled at her sides, nails digging into her palms, grounding her. She had already been to hell and back. She had struggled free of shadows before. And if they thought she would crack now, they were mistaken. Caitlyn tilted her head, looking at her with sharp amusement. "I must admit, I'm impressed," she thought. "Despite everything, you're still here. Still so stubborn." She breathed dramatically. "You were always a stubborn little girl." Isabelle's jaw clamped. "And you were always a coward." Caitlyn's eyes flickered with something evil, but her smile never wavered. She turned instead to Violetta, waving her hand languidly in her direction. "Tell me, dear, does it hurt? Seeing her again?" Violetta's eyes narrowed
A new figure stepped out of the darkness, her high heels tapping against the cold stone ground.Isabelle's stomach twisted into a knot the instant she recognized the familiar mess of dark hair, the same icy eyes that had once been warm but now burned with something hard.Violetta.A woman who had been her best friend. The one she had chosen for a sister. The one she had trusted above everyone else.And the one who had betrayed her in the most heinous of ways."Surprised to see me, Isabelle?" Violetta's lips curled into a sneer as she approached.Isabelle's breath stalled, her entire body freezing at the memories that came crashing over her like a tidal wave.The allegations. The gossip. The way Blake's eyes had turned to ice that night he believed she had betrayed him. The way she screamed, begged him to believe her. The way her reputation as Luna had been taken from her, her pride shattered.And Violetta just stood there and watched and smiled as Isabelle had been purchased by Gabrie
The castle gates slammed open with a deafening roar. The cold night air swept inside, reeking of blood and steel. Isabelle barely had time to realize what was happening before the first attacker shoved forward.Gabriel moved like a specter, swift and certain. His sword was a slash of silver as he rushed to engage the invaders. Steel met steel, the clash of it ringing through the air, resonating through Isabelle's very marrow.She stepped back, her heart pounding. The slain guard still lay on the floor in front of her, his empty eyes staring into nothing.A gloved fist closed on her wrist.She whirled around, reflexes overriding her, but before she could strike, she was swept into the solid body of a chest. Gabriel."Stay behind me," he growled, shoving her back as another attacker swung. The knife whizzed inches from her nose, but Gabriel was already battling back, cutting the man down with vicious efficiency.The battle burst out around them.Gabriel's men stormed the hall, steel fl
The air inside Gabriel's castle was thick, weighed down with tension so sharp it could cut. The return ride had taken some time, but Isabelle barely noticed the passage of time. Her head was a whirlwind, revolving around the same question over and over.What now?Gabriel had saved her. He had fought for her. And yet she was smart enough not to conflate his behavior with something so transitory as love. This was survival. A kill-or-be-killed, power play, strategy game, and dominance.She was still a pawn on the board. The only question was: whose game?As she stepped into the grand halls of the castle, the weight of it all fell upon her breast. The torches flickered and threw dancing shadows on stone walls, but even the warmth of the fire could not thaw the ice in her heart.Behind her, Gabriel dismounted, his footsteps following hers like a silent demand. He had been watching her the entire way back, and now, she could feel the unspoken questions hanging between them."You’re awfully
The atmosphere was tense that evening, thick silence between Gabriel and Isabelle as they rode through the thick woods, their entourage riding steadily towards the castle. The rhythmic thud of hooves against the earth road failed to mask the unspoken words that hung between them.Gabriel gripped the reins tightly, his mind a battlefield of conflicting emotions. His entire life had been spent believing he could not love, that his heart had been forged hard by bloodshed, duty, and betrayal years ago. And yet, when he looked at Isabelle—her soft features shining in the light of the silver moon—he felt something shift inside of him.He'd been stupid to have rejected it for so long.She was under his skin, inside his head, in every gasp he breathed. The flame of her passion called to the shadows of his own, and however much he fought against it, he knew—he was hers.But he couldn't. He wouldn't.Gabriel gritted his jaw and willed his eyes straight ahead, trying to ignore the rapid beating
The tension from Caitlyn's visit lingered in the air like smoke.I paced the length of the room, curled fingers into tight fists, jaw clenched.I had dealt with jealous women before.I had dealt with enemies before.But Caitlyn?She wasn't angry.She was calculating.She wasn't going to attack me head-on.She was going to wear me down from the shadows, piece by piece, until there was nothing left.And I was not going to stand for that to happen.I took a deep, deliberate breath, forcing my body to relax its tension.Fine.If Caitlyn wanted a war, she would have one.---Later That Day – The Dining HallThe grand dining hall was packed full by the time I arrived.**Warriors, council members, high government officials—**all those persons who mattered in Gabriel's existence took their proper seats, voicing themselves quietly.And at the head of the long, shining table?Gabriel.His broad shoulders unstrained, his emerald green eyes calm but unreadable.And beside him—Caitlyn.She sat too
Gabriel's presence hung heavily in the room, pressing against my skin like the warning of a storm about to break.He was standing too close.The air between us was heavy, loaded with something unsaid, something undeniable.I should have stepped back.I should have said something cutting, something to remind him that I wasn't intimidated by him.But I didn't.Because I wasn't sure that I wanted to.His green eyes pierced mine, expressionless, intent. His breathing was measured, slow, but his fingers twitched at his sides, betraying the tension he fought to maintain.For an instant—no more than that—his eyes left mine and looked at my lips.A spiking, unwelcome fire shot through my spine.No.I was not going to do this.I was not going to let him into my head.I took a slow breath, tilting my chin."Was there a reason you burst into my room, or did you merely miss me?"His jaw tight.Then finally, he drew back—not very far, but far enough so I could regain my breath."Caitlyn," he spoke