Chapter 45: Bound By Fate

Bound By Fate

The aftermath of the battle still clung to the air like the remnants of a storm—electric, raw, and unsettling.

Aria could still feel the pulse of energy that had surged through her when she had touched the Shadowborn, the way it had recoiled as though burned. Her body still hummed with the memory of it, a power she didn't fully understand, but one that had recognized her in return.

She should have been shaken. Should have been terrified.

But all she could think about was him.

Alexander stood near the fire at the heart of the war room, his silhouette sharp against the glow. He hadn't spoken a word to her since returning from the battle. Hadn't looked at her the way he had before.

He was retreating.

Pulling away.

The connection between them was as tangible as the air in her lungs, yet he was forcing distance where there had never been any before. And Aria couldn't take it anymore.