Aria's POV
Lucian saved me.
Again.
The masked assassins came fast, silent, deadly, their blades glinting with poison and before I could even scream, he was there.
Like a shadow.
Like a storm.
One moment I was frozen, the next I was covered in blood that was not mine.
His claws dripped.
His eyes burned.
His growl shook the walls.
Then… silence.
And now, here I was. In his palace.
In his control.
"You are under my protection," he had said after dragging me out of that cell.
"But you are also under guard.
Don't test me, Aria."
"Was not planning on it," I muttered back, but he had already walked away, leaving me with two silent guards and a mind full of questions.
Why protect me if you hate me?
Why save me if you reject me?
Why does your voice still make my chest ache?
The palace was colder than I expected.
All stone and steel, no warmth.
Even the windows looked sharp, like they were cut from ice.
I was not allowed to roam freely. My schedule was tight, eat, sleep, train, repeat.
They wanted to control me. Shape me. Maybe even break me.
Too late for that.
I was not that broken girl from the omega quarters anymore.
Not after what I did.
Not after what I survived.
"Again!" barked the trainer.
I pushed myself up from the ground, spitting blood.
My arm throbbed.
My ribs ached.
But I stood.
I always stood.
"You are improving," he muttered.
"That will be all for today."
"Next time, I am the one landing the punch," I said, wiping sweat from my brow.
He almost smiled. Almost.
As I stepped off the training mat, I felt them again.
The shadows. Watching. Whispering.
They curled near my feet like smoke. Not threatening.
Not exactly. But… alive.
And they listened when I was angry.
I did not tell anyone that.
Not yet.
Later that afternoon, the palace gates opened with a trumpet's cry.
Nobles stood straighter.
Maids rushed to adjust flowers.
Even the guards looked nervous.
"She is here," someone whispered.
"Who?"
"The Alpha King's fiancée.
Evangeline Graythorn."
Oh.
Her.
I stood near the training hall, still sweaty and bruised, when she walked in.
Goddess, she was beautiful.
All silver hair and blood-red lips.
She didn't walk, she glided.
Dressed in white silk with gold threading, like she already wore a crown.
She spotted me instantly.
And smiled.
It was not a kind smile.
"You must be the little omega," she said sweetly, stepping toward me like a cat toying with a mouse.
"I heard you caused quite a scene at the Silverfang feast."
I kept my expression blank.
"You heard wrong."
Her eyes glittered.
"Oh, but I also heard you are his mate.
That must be… uncomfortable. For you."
"Not really," I lied.
Her gaze dipped to the mark on my collarbone, the royal crest that burned itself into me the night of my awakening.
It had faded slightly, but not enough.
"Well," she said softly, "you won't be here long. He always tires of his pets."
"I am not a pet," I snapped.
Her smile widened.
"No," she whispered, stepping close enough for only me to hear.
"You are a threat."
Then she walked away, perfume trailing like smoke behind her.
I hated her.
But more than that… I hated how much of her words felt true.
That night, as I limped back to my room, a piece of folded parchment slipped beneath my door.
My heart jumped.
It read:
"Come to me. I can help you escape. —R"
Ronan.
I didn't know how he was even still alive after what happened in the dungeon but the note was real.
His handwriting, sharp, messy, fast.
I should not have gone.
But I did.
The dungeons were quiet.
Colder than the palace above.
My footsteps echoed as I slipped past the guards using the shadow trick I had been practicing.
Just a small push of power, a flick of thought and their attention drifted elsewhere.
I found Ronan in his cell. Bruised. Bleeding. Smiling.
"Took you long enough," he said.
I stepped close to the bars.
"You sent the note?"
"Of course.
You are the only fun thing in this cursed castle."
"Flatter me again and I will leave."
He chuckled.
"Fine, no flattery. Just truth.
You are stronger than you think, Aria.
And you are not safe here."
"No kidding."
He stood, wincing.
"Lucian's council wants you dead.
You are not just an omega. You are Nightveil.
A threat to their bloodline.
They know who your parents were."
I froze. "You know?"
"I knew your mother.
She was fierce. Kind. Dangerous in all the right ways."
My throat tightened.
"They said she was a traitor."
"They lied."
I gripped the bars tighter.
"What else do you know?"
"That you are more powerful than anyone in this palace. Including him."
I stepped back.
"You are lying."
"No.
I am offering you the truth. And maybe... an escape."
He slipped something through the bars. A key. Small. Silver. Old.
"Think about it."
I stared at it. Then at him.
And then, I don't know what came over me, I kissed him.
Soft. Fast. Just once.
Maybe I wanted comfort.
Maybe I wanted to feel something other than fear.
Maybe I wanted to hurt Lucian the way he'd hurt me.
But the second I pulled away
A deep growl filled the room.
My blood turned to ice.
I spun around.
Lucian stood in the doorway, fists clenched, eyes pitch-black with rage.
"Touch her again," he said in a voice so low it shook the walls, "And I will rip your throat out."
Ronan didn't move. But his smirk faded.
Lucian stepped into the cell.
The guards behind him looked pale.
I could barely breathe.
Lucian's eyes burned into mine.
"Go to your room. Now."
I didn't move.
"Aria," he growled. "Now."
So I ran.
Not because I was afraid of him.
But because I was afraid of what I had seen in his eyes.
Possession.
Not hate.
Not disgust.
But something else.
Something darker.
And I did not know if it scared me… or thrilled me.