Raven sat on the rooftop of a burned-out warehouse, the city lights flickering below like a restless heartbeat. Her storm had calmed, but the adrenaline still coursed through her veins. The warehouse battle was over, yet the war was far from finished.
Alfa was beside her, silent and watchful. "You've grown stronger," he said softly. "But this power… it will draw more eyes, more danger. You can't stay unprepared."
Raven shook her head, chest tightening. "I don't even know who I can trust anymore."
Storm appeared from the shadows, amber eyes softening as they met hers. "You have us," he said firmly. "You don't have to decide tonight, but you can't keep running either. The storm is yours, but we're here to guide it—and you."
Her mind raced with thoughts of Jethro, whose crimson eyes haunted her. The vampire prince's hunger and obsession were constant, a pull she couldn't ignore, even as danger loomed. "And him?" she whispered, voice barely audible. "He won't leave me alone."
"You'll have to face him," Alfa said, silver eyes gleaming. "But you're no longer the same girl he first hunted. You've changed. You're stronger. Wiser. Dangerous."
Tylif appeared then, her dark gaze steady. "The factions are aware now," she said. "You cannot hide. But the choice is yours: will you embrace your storm, your power, and claim your place in this world… or let it consume you?"
Raven's fingers tingled as she felt the energy inside her, the storm that was hers and hers alone. She thought of Alfa, of Storm, of Jethro, and realized something crucial: it wasn't about choosing a lover—it was about choosing herself, and the path she would carve in a world that wanted to control her.
Her storm pulsed in response, alive and waiting. Raven stood, the wind whipping through her dark hair, and made her decision. She wouldn't run. She wouldn't hide. She would face the factions, the chaos, and the tangled threads of desire and power head-on.
And as she descended from the rooftop, the city seemed to hold its breath, waiting to see what the girl who called herself the storm would do next.