Chapter 178 AURORA

“Dane?” I called out. I had just opened my eyes and saw him sitting in a corner of the cell, staring at space.

I blinked and sat up. Dane turned to me, and that was when I recalled what had happened. I had been captured by the Nameless.

“You thought you could get away from me, Dane,” the Nameless mocked, his big body towering over us.

His golden eyes sparkled with cruel pleasure, and the shadows seemed to bend to him as he came nearer.

“And Aurora, so brave, so silly. You walked right into my trap as if it was your destiny… and it was.”

I forced my head up, every muscle in my body trembling with the effort.

“You won’t win,” I said, my voice a rasp against the crushing power. “No matter what you do, we’ll find a way to stop you.”

The Nameless laughed, a sound that reverberated through the cavern like a thunderclap.

“Ah, defiance. How charming. Let me show you how little it will matter.”

With a quick movement of his hand, the darkness around us rushed in, closing in like chains.

Dane, still on his knees, growled as he tried to resist them, his wolf close to breaking free.

“Leave her out of this,” Dane said angrily, his voice deep and rough. “This is between you and me.”

The Nameless tilted his head, looking amused.

“How noble. But you’ve got it wrong, Dane. This isn’t just about you two separately. It’s about breaking you both. Together.”

I felt something pulling me before I could grasp what was going on.

The air buzzed with magic as the shadows around us moved, pulling me closer to Dane.

The Nameless raised his hand, and a dark barrier appeared around us.

It was thick and alive, rippling with bad energy that seemed to emanate from him.

The air of the cell felt weird and heavy, filled with something I couldn’t figure out.

“This cell,” the Nameless said, his voice a quiet threat, “is designed to strip away all pretenses. It will increase your emotions, your weaknesses, and your fears. Let’s see what breaks first: your spirit or your mind.”

He stepped back, his form dissolving into the darkness with a final, cutting laugh.

“Enjoy your time together. It may be your last.”

The oppressive silence that followed was almost worse than his voice.

Dane stood first, breathing fast as he stumbled to his feet.

The faint glow of his wolf’s power flickered in his eyes, but it was tempered by exhaustion and something deeper, something broken.

I stayed on the ground a little longer, trying to find my strength.

The barrier around us felt alive with energy, and the air was hot against my skin.

“Aurora,” Dane said, his voice tense but soft. “Get up.”

I stared at him, feeling the heaviness of everything that just happened. “I don’t need you telling me what to do,” I said sharply.

Dane’s jaw clenched, and he stepped closer. “This isn’t the time to fight. We need to find a way to escape.”

“Do you have a good plan?” I replied, getting up.

My heart was beating fast, and my feelings were a mix of fear, anger, and something like despair. “Because the last one didn’t work.”

His eyes widened, the gold in them shining and fierce. “I was trying to keep you safe.”

“Protect me?” I barked out a laugh, the sound bitter even to my ears. “Dane, you’ve been working with the Nameless for years! Instead of being caring, you are ordering me to stand up. Do you even have any idea how many people have suffered because of you?”

He flinched, my sharp words hurting his anger.

“You think I don’t know that?” he said in a low, rough voice. “Every single day, I feel the weight of what I’ve done. But everything, everything, I did was to stop him from hurting you and the children.”

Thinking about our children made me feel angry, but I also felt feelings.

“Do you think that makes it better?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Do you think that excuses everything?”

“No,” he said, his gaze locking onto mine. “But I didn’t have a choice, Aurora. He would have killed you. He would have taken them.”

The tension between us crackled like the air in a thunderstorm, the magic of the cell increasing with every word, every emotion.

My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

“You should have fought harder,” I said, my voice breaking.

His eyes softened, and for the first time, I saw the depth of his pain. “I did,” he said simply.

The silence that followed was heavy, the weight of everything unsaid hanging between us.

I turned away, my hands trembling as I pressed them against the barrier. The darkness pulsed beneath my fingers, alive and unyielding.

“I’m so tired of fighting,” I whispered.

Dane was behind me in an instant, his presence a steady warmth against my back.

“So am I,” he said, his voice low and rough.

I closed my eyes, and his warmth, the heat from his body, made me feel steady, like I hadn’t in years.

Looking at him, I was calmed by the expression in his eyes.

It wasn’t anger or guilt or even sadness. It was something different, something strong and true.

Before I could think, before I could speak, his hands were on my arms, pulling me closer.

The world around us melted away as his lips met mine, the kiss deep and different, a clash of all the feelings we had been keeping inside.

I gasped against his mouth, my hands holding onto his shirt as the heat between us grew.

He held me tighter, his fingers digging into my skin like he was scared to let go. He caressed me, and God, have I missed his touch.

My breasts came in contact with his chest as I caressed his abs, and now it felt like the world was silent as all that mattered was him in front of me.

We both breathed heavily, our foreheads touching. Then, boom! We heard a scary noise, and I quickly grabbed his arm.

“I’ll protect you, come what may,” Dane whispered, his voice full of feeling.