Chapter 14

Aria's POV

I woke with a start, my heart hammering in my chest. The air around me was damp and cold, the scent of earth and pine thick in my nostrils. Panic seized me as I bolted upright, my hands shaking as I scanned my surroundings. 

Where am I? 

The world felt strange, unfamiliar. The soft hum of the forest that usually comforted me now felt alien, like I didn't belong here. I wasn't in the packhouse anymore. The bed was gone, replaced by a rough patch of moss beneath me. My breath hitched as the fog in my mind cleared enough to realize that I had no idea how I'd gotten here. 

Fear twisted in my gut, and I fought to steady my breath. My memories were still fragmented—jumbled pieces that refused to make sense. But one thing was certain: I needed to get back. 

"Lucas…" I whispered his name, the sound of it sending a wave of longing through me. He had been there, so close, but now… Now I was alone. 

I scrambled to my feet, my legs unsteady as though I hadn't used them in years. I glanced around, trying to orient myself, but the forest seemed endless. I could smell the faint trace of a trail, but it was old, nearly faded. 

And then, the silence shattered. 

A rustling sound behind me. 

I whipped around, but there was nothing there. Nothing but shadows. My pulse quickened, and I instinctively took a step back, my body bracing for an attack that never came. 

But the presence… the presence was real. I could feel it. 

My heart raced, my eyes darting from one dark corner of the clearing to another. Slowly, I reached for the dagger tucked in the waistband of my pants, the familiar weight grounding me in this foreign place. 

"Aria," a voice called softly, so softly that I wasn't sure if it was real. 

I froze. The voice—it was his. 

I turned slowly, my breath catching in my throat. 

Finn stood there, the shadows clinging to him like a second skin. His eyes gleamed in the low light, his lips twisted into a knowing smile. 

"Finn," I breathed, confusion swirling in my mind. "What… What's going on? Where am I?" 

"Safe," he said, his voice smooth like silk. He took a step toward me, his movements graceful, predatory. "You're finally where you're meant to be." 

A chill crawled down my spine as I instinctively stepped back, my fingers tightening around the dagger. 

"I don't understand," I whispered, my chest tightening. "Where's Lucas? What have you done to him?" 

Finn's smile faltered, but he quickly recovered. "Lucas isn't here, Aria. He's far away, struggling with something he'll never win. You, on the other hand…" He took another step, closing the distance between us. "You're exactly where you need to be." 

"Stay away from me," I warned, my voice trembling but defiant. "What do you want from me?" 

Finn's gaze softened, almost affectionately. "I want you to remember, Aria. Remember everything." 

I shook my head, the weight of his words suffocating me. "I don't want to remember. I want to go back. I want to go home." 

He didn't flinch. "This *is* your home." His voice was a whisper, a command laced with dark power. "You've always been meant for this. For me." 

A sharp pang lanced through my chest. *Meant for him*? The words sounded foreign and wrong, but part of me—a part I couldn't explain—felt them like an echo in the pit of my soul. 

"No," I breathed, shaking my head harder. "I don't want this. I'm not yours." 

His smile returned, wider now, almost too pleased. "You're wrong. You've always been mine, Aria. Your blood, your power. It calls to me. It always has." 

I took another step back, my heart racing in my ears. The more he spoke, the more the fog in my mind threatened to lift. There were fragments of memories, fleeting and hazy, of him. Of the way his touch felt like fire, of the way his voice had once made me feel like I was drowning. 

But it wasn't right. It couldn't be. 

"You're lying," I whispered, my voice shaking with the force of my denial. 

Finn's gaze darkened, the warmth in his eyes turning cold and predatory. He took another step toward me, and I felt the air thicken with an oppressive force. The dagger in my hand felt useless, an inadequate defense against the pull of his presence. 

"You don't remember, do you?" he asked, his voice low, dark with malice. "But you will. I'll make sure of it. You'll remember everything, Aria. All the things Lucas doesn't want you to know." 

"Shut up," I spat, my hands shaking as I held the dagger out in front of me. "You won't control me. You won't get inside my head again." 

Finn's smile faltered for a brief moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "You can fight me all you want, Aria. But you're not strong enough. Not without me. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner you'll be free." 

My heart pounded in my chest, the desperation to escape rising like a tide. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't let him win. But my body betrayed me. I couldn't move. His words echoed in my mind, clouding my thoughts, feeding my fear. 

"Why can't you just accept what you are?" Finn's voice was gentle, almost coaxing. "I'm the one who can unlock your true power, Aria. I can show you who you really are." 

The words cut through me like a knife. There was truth in them. I *did* feel something inside me—something buried deep. But it wasn't him I wanted to be with. It wasn't him who I trusted. 

I shook my head again, more forcefully this time. "I'm not yours, Finn. I never will be." 

His face twisted with frustration, and in the blink of an eye, he was on me, his hand closing around my wrist, the pressure of his touch enough to send a jolt of panic through my veins. 

"I'll make you remember," he growled. "And when you do, you'll see that I was right." 

But even as he spoke, I could feel something inside me stir—a spark of defiance, a reminder of who I really was. 

"I won't be yours," I repeated, this time with more conviction. 

Finn's grip tightened, and the darkness in his eyes flared. "You will be. Soon enough." 

But before he could say anything more, a distant howl rang through the trees—powerful, primal. 

And for a moment, I thought I heard Lucas's voice.