Chapter 181 AURORA

The Nameless’s deadline weighed on me like a heavy load crushing my chest. Sunrise was hours away, but it felt as though the light would never come. My thoughts raced, each one more hopeless than the last.

Trajan and Evander were in unimaginable danger, and Dane looked as defeated as I’d ever seen him. I sat opposite him in the dark cell, my knees to my chest.

I could not bear the silence any longer. “Dane,” I whispered, leaning forward. My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. “We have to do something.”

His head lifted slightly, his jaw tight as he stared at me. “You think I don’t know that?” he muttered, frustration etched into every line of his face.

“Then help me think!” I snapped, the words sharper than I intended. I immediately softened. “Please, Dane. You’re the only one who’s ever outsmarted him. You have to come up with something."

Dane exhaled heavily, pressing the heels of his hands to his face. “Aurora, I’ve been trying,” he said in a low, hoarse voice. “But every time I think I’ve found a crack in his plans, it closes. It’s like he’s always three steps ahead.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine. The Nameless wasn’t just powerful; he was calculating, always waiting for us to make a mistake.

I inched closer to Dane, desperate to reach him. “Then we have to find a way to surprise him. There has to be something he doesn’t expect. Something he hasn’t planned for."

Dane looked at me, his eyes heavy with sorrow. “He didn’t expect me to rebel,” he said bitterly. “And look where that got us. I’m chained, Trajan and Evander are his pawns, and you’re stuck here because of me.”

I swallowed and said, “Stop it. Don’t you dare go and blame yourself. None of this is your fault.”

Dane’s gaze suddenly locked onto mine, gentling. “Aurora,” he whispered roughly, his voice breaking, “I don’t know if I can protect you from this.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I fought them back. “Then don’t think about protecting me,” I said. “Think about surviving this. Together.”

His hands tightened around mine, his grip steadying me even as doubt threatened to consume us both.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he said finally. “But you can’t give in to him, Aurora. No matter what he says. No matter what he does to me or anyone else.”

I nodded, though the promise felt like a thread tightening around my neck. “I won’t,” I whispered, even as fear clawed at the edges of my resolve.

Time stretched to eternity. I sat silent, trying to hold onto the fragile hope Dane’s words had given me, yet with every minute that passed, the increase of the magical energy inside the cell chewed away at my defenses.

Every thought seemed magnified, every doubt amplified. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Trajan and Evander were bound and suffering because of me.

The cell door creaked open, and I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding. The Nameless stepped inside, his shadowy form towering over me. His golden eyes gleamed with malice as his lips curled into a mocking smile.

I clenched my fists and made myself meet his gaze. “You won’t break us,” I said, though my voice shook.

Nameless let out a cold, hollow laugh, and chills ran down my spine. “Oh, Aurora,” he said, taking another step closer to me. “You’re already broken. You just don’t realize it yet.”

He turned to Dane then, his face darkening. “And you,” he sneered. “The great betrayer. How does it feel, knowing you’ve failed at every turn? Knowing your rebellion was nothing more than a pathetic gamble?”

Dane glared at him, his jaw tight. “You haven’t won yet,” he said through gritted teeth.

The Nameless smirked, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “Haven’t I?”

He waved his hand, and the air around us began to increase. An image appeared, a vision of Trajan and Evander bound in chains, screaming in pain. Their faces contorted in twisted agony as shadowy monsters wrapped around them, seeping into their very being.

“No!” I cried, my hands flying to the image as if somehow I could reach them.

Not surprisingly, the Nameless chuckled, a low rumble that caused my bones to quiver.

“They’re quite resilient,” he said. “But even the strongest Werewolves break eventually. And when they do…” He trailed off, his smile broadening further.

I finally turned to him, my chest heaving with anger and desperation. “What do you want from me?” I demanded.

The Nameless stepped closer, his golden eyes locking onto mine. “I’ve already told you,” he said, his tone almost gentle. “Marry Holden, and they are free. Refuse, and their suffering will be endless.”

My breath hitched as the weight of his words sank in. “You’re a monster,” I whispered.

He leaned in closer, his dark silhouette looming. “And you, Aurora, are nothing but a pawn in my game.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I turned away, my mind racing. I couldn’t let him win. I couldn’t let him destroy the people I cared about. But what choice did I have?

The Nameless straightened, a cold, mirthless smile twisting his face. “Once again, you have until sunrise,” he said, his voice booming in the tiny cell. “Choose wisely.”

With that, he turned and left, the door to the cell slamming shut behind him.

I sank to the floor, my head in my hands as sobs wracked my body. Dane knelt beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

“We will find a way, you don’t have to marry him,” he said, his tone steady though despair danced in his eyes. “I promise.”

But as the hours ticked by, the weight of this decision finally crushed me. The ultimatum of the Nameless beat over me like some terrible dark cloud, until I could see no clear way out.

And when the first rays of sunlight crept into the cell, I realized the time to make a choice was over.