Chapter 176

AURORA

The air still smelled like smoke and blood from the battle as I wandered past the treeline near Broken Ridge. I ran as fast as I could upon hearing Dane’s instruction despite others telling me to stay and be strong.

I told Trajan I needed to clear my head, but in truth, I couldn’t shake the memory of the way the darkness around Dane had surged during the fight. It was different, alive in a way I hadn’t seen before. And it wasn’t just the Nameless’s power. The pearl pendant at my throat hummed faintly, a comforting pulse against my skin. It was as if the goddess herself were urging me forward.

My feet carried me through the forest almost without thought, the quiet stillness broken only by the crunch of leaves underfoot. The pack was regrouping, and I knew Trajan or Evander would be furious if they realized I’d slipped away again. But I had to know.

The darkness had retreated after the battle, but something about it lingered in the air, like a whisper just out of earshot. I paused in a clearing, my eyes scanning the trees. The crescent moon cast long shadows, and the faint scent of something… wrong… drifted toward me.

“Dane,” I whispered under my breath. Was he still fighting? Or had the Nameless punished him for whatever hesitation I’d seen in his eyes? My chest tightened. I couldn’t let myself believe he was gone, not when I’d felt his presence so strongly during the fight.

The pearl at my neck grew warmer. I reached up and wrapped my fingers around it, feeling its steady pulse. It was almost like a heartbeat. And then I felt it. It wasn’t just the pendant. It was something else, a faint tug at the back of my mind.

The bond between Dane and me was still there, even if it was fragile. For a moment, I froze, unsure if I was imagining it. But no, it was real. His emotions filtered through, faint but undeniable. Restlessness. Frustration. And… fear? My breath caught. Dane didn’t fear easily. If he was afraid, something was happening. I stepped forward instinctively, my hand tightening around the pendant.

“Dane, what’s happening?” I whispered, though I knew he couldn’t hear me. The bond pulsed faintly in response, like a thread being tugged on.

My feet moved on their own, carrying me deeper into the forest. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but the pull was undeniable. And then, the atmosphere shifted.

It was gentle at first, like the air had grown heavier. My skin itched, and a shiver ran down my spine. The trees seemed darker, their shadows stretching unnaturally long. I hesitated, my instincts screaming at me to turn back. But there is something I sense.

How can I sense Dane’s presence so close when he was on the battlefield? Did he follow me?

Then, this atmosphere seemed strange all of a sudden. I should have changed to get away from here, but I couldn’t. Not when Dane’s presence felt so close.

“Luna,” a voice whispered. It was so soft, almost melodic, but it carried an edge that made my blood run cold. I spun around, my heart hammering in my chest. “Who’s there?”

The shadows seemed to ripple, and a figure stepped forward. It can’t be Dane. It was taller, its form shifting and insubstantial, like a smoke-given shape. My stomach dropped.

“Ah, Aurora,” the figure said, its voice dripping with mockery. “So brave, so foolish.”

The Nameless.

My breath caught, and I took a step back, my hand flying to the pendant at my neck. Its warmth surged, but it didn’t feel like enough. “What do you want?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I felt.

The Nameless chuckled, a low, guttural sound that sent chills down my spine. “Want? My dear, you’ve walked straight into my hands. There’s no need for want. Only inevitability.”

I turned to run, but the shadows moved faster. They surged around me, thick and suffocating, cutting off my escape. Panic clawed at my chest as I struggled against them, but they were like smoke, intangible yet unyielding. “Let me go!” I snarled, my wolf instincts kicking in despite the fact I had no wolf to shift into.

The Nameless’s form loomed closer, his glowing eyes narrowing as he watched my struggles with amusement.

“You’re predictable, Aurora. Always led by your emotions. It’s what makes you so delightfully easy to manipulate.”

I thrashed harder, but the shadows only tightened around me. My breath came in short gasps as the air seemed to grow thinner. Far away, I felt the bond with Dane pulse again, stronger this time. It wasn’t just restlessness now—it was anger, a deep, primal rage that seemed to echo through the connection.

The Nameless tilted his head as if sensing it, too. “Ah, your dear Dane. Do you think he’ll save you?” He laughed, the sound reverberating through the clearing. “He’s as much mine as you are now.”

I froze, my chest heaving as I glared at him. “He’ll never be yours.”

The Nameless’s smile widened, cruel and knowing. “We’ll see.”

The shadows surged again, and I felt myself being lifted off the ground. My heart raced as I struggled, but it was useless. The Nameless’s magic was too strong. And then, just as quickly as it started, everything stopped. The darkness held me suspended in the air, and the Nameless leaned closer, his voice a venomous whisper.

“Welcome to your trap, Aurora.”

My stomach twisted as realization washed over me. This had all been a setup. The Dane who asked me to run, and the one I just felt his presence, it was all fake. The suspicious movement, the lingering darkness, it was bait, and I’d walked right into it.

The Nameless chuckled as he saw the understanding dawn in my eyes. “Oh, don’t look so surprised. Did you really think I wouldn’t anticipate your every move? You’re predictable, my dear. So painfully predictable. Dane is your weakness.”

The weight of my mistake crashed down on me, and for the first time in years, I felt truly powerless. Far away, through the faint bond, I felt Dane’s anger flare like wildfire. But he was too far. No one could help me now.

The Nameless raised a hand, and the shadows began to close in around me. I gasped, my vision blurring as the air grew impossibly thin. And then everything went still.

Not dark, not silent, just still, as if the world itself had paused. At that moment, one thought echoed in my mind, clear and sharp as a blade: