Chapter 123

**ARIA**

The crisp winter air kissed my cheeks as I wandered alone just beyond the palace walls. Wrapped in a thick jacket and an oversized sweater that had once belonged to Adam, I felt cocooned, protected, and free—even if only for a few minutes. Snow crunched beneath my boots as I hummed a soft melody I barely remembered. Something lullaby-like, maybe something my mother once sang to me. The woods that bordered the community shimmered under a dusting of snow, silent and still, wrapped in morning frost.

It was peaceful.

For a moment, I let myself believe that peace could last. That the whispers of war and prophecy and blood would fade into background noise.

But then, the air shifted.

It wasn’t the cold. It was the sensation—sharp and sudden—that someone was watching me.

I stopped walking, pulse quickening. I glanced around, telling myself it was nothing. Paranoia. Hormones. Pregnancy. All very good reasons to feel jumpy. But then I took a step closer to the edge of the forest, peered up toward the trees, and—

Was there something there?

I blinked rapidly, rubbing my eyes. Nothing. Nothing but swaying branches and shadows.

And then I heard him.

"You are very beautiful, Aria."

The voice was low, smooth, and utterly unfamiliar. My blood ran cold.

"Such a shame you’ve found yourself in this situation," he continued. "If I’d met you first, perhaps I would’ve bitten you myself. You’d have had pure blood. But fate, it seems, had other ideas."

"Who are you?" I breathed, turning in a slow circle. I still couldn’t see him.

"A messenger. A reminder," he said. "Tell your little group that the rot isn’t only from the outside. Your community is festering from within. You’ve rooted out one traitor, but there are more. Many more."

My breath caught in my throat.

"I don’t wish to destroy your kind, Aria. I simply wish to restore the natural order. Werewolves with werewolves. Vampires with vampires. No more… hybrids."

I felt my heart thudding painfully against my ribs.

"Tell Adam. Tell Austin. Tell Cassius and Sasha. Leila too. I want your surrender. All of you. Come to me willingly, and there will be peace. Continue on this path, and I promise you—none of you will survive what’s coming."

He paused. I felt him, closer now, though I still couldn’t see him. His presence was like a pressure on my skin, in my bones.

"You’re a hybrid," he said. "And I sense another bond. Austin. He’s crossed over as well. How bold of you all to mock nature this way."

His voice dropped, turning cold.

"And your babies… should never be born. They are an abomination."

I turned and ran.

Fear tore through me, white-hot and urgent. My breath came in short gasps, panic rising. I didn’t know how far I went—just that I had to get back. Back to safety. Back to Adam and Austin.

I burst from the tree line and stumbled toward the nearest building, heart racing, vision blurring.

"Aria!" Adam’s voice cut through the chaos. He was already running toward me.

Austin wasn’t far behind.

They must have felt it—the panic, the fear—through the bond.

Adam caught me just before I fell, arms wrapping around me tightly.

"He was here," I gasped. "Alaric—he spoke to me. I couldn’t see him, but he was there. He knew about the babies. He knew about everything."

Austin growled low in his throat. "Where? Where exactly?"

I pointed shakily toward the trees. "Near the northern edge. I—I was walking and—he started talking to me. He said we had to surrender. That there are more traitors in the community."

Austin didn’t hesitate. He took off toward the forest, shifting mid-stride, his wolf form dark and powerful against the snow.

Adam held me close. "You’re safe now. He’s gone."

But I couldn’t stop shaking.

"He knew everything," I whispered. "He said they shouldn’t be born. That they’re an abomination."

Adam’s eyes darkened, jaw clenched. "Then he’ll never get near you again. I swear it."

But even as he spoke, I could still feel Alaric’s presence lingering in the air. Watching. Waiting.

And I knew this was only the beginning.

**ADAM**

The apartment was quiet, save for the gentle hum of the heater and Aria’s slow, steady breathing. I stood at the threshold of our bedroom, watching her for a few more seconds. She was finally asleep. Rosalie’s tea had done its job, calming her enough to let go of the tension that had gripped her body like a vice since the encounter. I eased the door shut behind me with a soft click.

Austin stepped in through the main door just as I turned into the hallway. His coat was dusted with snow, cheeks flushed from the cold and frustration alike.

"How is she?" he asked immediately, his voice low.

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing. “She’s asleep. Rosalie gave her something to help—some blend with valerian and wild chamomile. It worked.”

Austin nodded, but I could see the question still in his eyes. “And her head? Is she still panicked?”

I shook my head. “She’s calmer now, but she was shaken. I’ve never seen her like that, Austin. Not even after Caedmon.”

He took a step toward me, pulling off his gloves. “I searched the woods. Every path, every scent trail. There’s nothing. Not a broken branch. Not a footprint.
Not even a hint of another presence. Are we sure… I mean, is it possible she imagined the voice?”

“No,” I said firmly. “I asked Rosalie. She didn’t even hesitate. This… the way he taunted her, the things he said—it fits with everything we’ve heard. Alaric’s a
ghost when he wants to be, but he’s not subtle about his ideology. This is his method. Intimate, invasive, psychological.”

Austin leaned back against the wall, jaw tight. “So he really was here. Watching her. Threatening her.”

I met his eyes. “And now we know he’s not far. Which means time’s running out.”