Chapter 180

“It’s time.” The growling voice was like a ripple in the air, an ominous echo that didn’t leave room for doubt.

The earth beneath our feet cracked further, cold seeping into my bones in an alien embrace. Dane’s grip on me tightened, his body coiled and tense, ready to shield me from whatever was coming.

Before we could act, the air in the cell shimmered with an unnatural light, and we were both torn apart by some invisible force. I hit the floor hard, the breath knocked out of me, as Dane struggled against unseen bonds pinning him in place.

“No!” I cried, reaching for him.

But the Nameless’s voice boomed again, cutting through the thick tension. “Hush now, my dear. We’re just beginning.”

The cell shifted, its oppressive energy growing denser, and the cracks in the ground seemed to radiate with dark magic.

“I see your people are worried about you… they don’t know what is coming for them, do they?” the Nameless shrieked and laughed out loud.

I stared at him in confusion. I balled up my fist and managed to get on my knees. “How do you know…”

“Ohh… maybe I should show you.” He spread out his hand, and a dark smoke came out of his clawed fingers. The smoke circled up to me, and I sniffed as it hung in front of me. Figures formed inside it, and I widened my eyes in shock. I saw Trajan and Evander in the war room. Shit, so this scum could see our every move.

Trajan paced the war room, his claws half-extended, his jaw set in a grim line. Evander stood at the table, staring down at the hasty map they had drawn of the Nameless’s lair.

“She’s been gone too long,” Trajan growled, slamming his fist against the table.

“We should have stopped her,” Evander shot him a sharp look. “And how would you have done that? You know Aurora. When she makes up her mind, nothing stops her. Our job now is to get her back.”

Trajan’s golden eyes flickered with frustration, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he turned his attention back to the map. “We’ll take the eastern side. The defenses there should be weaker. If we’re quiet…”

Evander cut him off with a dry laugh. “Quiet doesn’t work with the Nameless. He’ll know we’re coming.”

Evander’s lips pressed into a thin line before he nodded. “I’m in. But we need to move now. Every second we waste, she’s further away from us.”

The two men burst into their wolf forms, bodies lengthening and rippling with muscle, fur bristling. Then, without another word, they leaped into the night, swift and silent despite their size.

As I watched them come near the lair of the Nameless, my heart throbbed within my chest as I screamed, “No!! Don’t come.”

But they couldn’t hear me. I could only watch and pray. The darkness twisted unnaturally, seeming to shift of their own accord. Trajan growled low, his sharp eyes caught the little glow, which was a magic barrier ahead.

Spreading out, each in wide circles, they searched for an opening. Evander found it, the energy of the barrier weaker just here, a slit only, and he went in first, motioning for Trajan to take point.

But it was different inside: the heavy silence gave way to a deafening roar; dark figures emerged from the dark, their eyes glowing and fixed on the intruders.

“Ambush!” Trajan snarled, his claws swiping through the air as the first wave of darkness fell upon them.

Beside him, Evander fought, their combat a fatal battle of fangs clashing.

“We must fall back!” Evander shouted, his voice breaking.

“No,” Trajan growled. “We will not leave her!”

But the moments were too short to make a decision. The darkness closed over them, thickening into a living thing; the struggle was beyond them. Trajan’s growls weakened into pained snarls as he was forced to the ground, parts of darkness lashing his limbs tight. And Evander didn’t even struggle, the darkness washing over him entirely.

No!!! I yelled within me, but it was of no use. If I wanted to save them, I had to save myself first. But how do I save them? When trying to save just Dane, I had gotten in trouble myself.

I placed my palms together and said a silent prayer. Help me, Moon Goddess.

The Nameless appeared in front of me, his smokey body forming from the darkness. “I see you’ve been busy,” he said, silky and smiling.

Dane strained against the invisible bonds holding him tight, his muscles weak, his jaw clenched.

“Stay away from her, please,” he growled. “Come to me instead.”

The Nameless burst out laughing, a cold, wicked sound that ran chills down my spine. “Oh, but it’s so much more entertaining when she’s involved. Don’t you agree, Aurora?”

I shot him a glare, refusing to give him even the satisfaction of a response. He stepped closer, his towering form suffocating. “You’ve caused me quite a bit of trouble, my dear. But now, I have a proposition for you. A choice, if you will.”

Dane’s growl grew louder, but the Nameless silenced him with a flick of his hand, and the restraints wrapped tightly around him.

The Nameless turned to me, the smirk spreading across his face. “I have two of your loyal little wolves, Trajan and Evander, so…”

My heart skipped a beat, and I shook my head. “No…”

“Oh, yes,” he said sarcastically. “And I’m afraid their futures aren’t shining too bright. You see, I’ve decided to give them the same gift I bestowed upon Dane. Unless, of course, you choose another path.”

I didn’t want to hear it, but he stepped closer, his voice a poisonous whisper. “Marry Holden. My chosen. Become his, and I’ll spare your dear friends from a fate worse than death.”

Holden, his chosen?

Dane’s roar filled the cell, his fury evident even through the restraints. “You scoundrel!”

The Nameless ignored him, his gaze fixed on me. “The clock is ticking, my dear. You have until sunrise to decide.”

Tears welled in my eyes as the weight of his words crushed me. I looked at Dane, his face contorted with anger and despair, and my heart broke.

The Nameless chuckled, his form melting back into the darkness. "Think carefully, Aurora. The fate of your friends, loved ones, and yours rests on your answer.”

And with that, his form dissolved into the dark, and the cell was silent once more. I fell and sat on the floor, as I let the tears fall.

Dane struggled against his bonds, voice harsh as he called my name. “Aurora… don’t listen to him. We’ll find a way.”

But I couldn’t answer. My mind was reeling with fear and doubts, and the ticking of an unseen clock echoed loudly in my ears.

Sunrise felt like it was a lifetime away, and yet it was so near, too.