Chapter 13: The Weight of Shadows

The Weight of Shadows

The journey back to the Nightfall Pack was silent. The storm had passed, but the tension between Alexander and Aria had only thickened. The battle with the Shadowborn had rattled the warriors, but something deeper unsettled them—the way the creatures had spoken Aria's name, the way Alexander had reacted.

He had been willing to tear through the darkness itself to protect her.

Aria didn't know how to feel about that. Her body ached from the fight, but the wound inside her—the one caused by the knowledge that the Shadowborn would never stop coming—was far worse. She could still hear their whispers slithering through her mind. She is already ours.

Alexander hadn't spoken to her since they left the Eldest's compound. His jaw was locked tight, golden eyes fixed ahead. He was furious, but not at her—at fate, at the Council, at whatever force had cursed them both.