Chapter 25
Kora’s POV
The moment Aaron stepped into the dim light, I felt the world shift beneath me. There was no time for questions, no time to process what was happening. Every fiber of my being screamed that we needed to act, but the weight of his presence rooted me to the spot. He stood there, eyes gleaming with an unsettling calmness, as if he had all the time in the world. It made my stomach churn, a quiet dread settling in my chest.
“Did you really think you could run forever?” Aaron’s voice sliced through the night air like a cold wind, smooth and taunting. It was a voice I had come to associate with cruelty, with power. A voice that had once made me tremble in fear, but now... now it made my blood boil.
I gripped the dagger in my hand tighter, readying myself for whatever was coming. Edward shifted beside me, his eyes locked on Aaron, but he didn’t make a move. The pack was spread out behind us, poised and ready, their eyes scanning the surroundings, their bodies tense, as if waiting for a signal.
I couldn’t understand why Aaron was here. If he was hunting us, why not just attack? Why this show of power? Why stand there, as though he were a predator playing with his prey?
“Where are your manners, Kora?” Aaron continued, taking a slow step forward. The moonlight glinted off his mask, giving him an even more unsettling, ghostly appearance. “No ‘hello’? No ‘how have you been?’”
I gritted my teeth, trying to suppress the anger rising in me. “What do you want, Aaron?” My voice came out sharp, but I couldn’t help it. Anger was the only thing keeping the fear at bay.
“Oh, what I want...” He paused, glancing around at the pack, his lips curling into a smirk. “That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Because what I want, Kora, is everything. You. The stronghold. Everything.”
His words hit me like a blow to the chest. The stronghold. He knew where we were headed. He must have been following us for longer than I had realized.
“I’m not giving you that,” Edward’s voice was calm but edged with something darker, something primal. His stance was rigid, his muscles coiled like a spring, ready to spring into action.
Aaron tilted his head slightly, considering Edward’s words. “You don’t have much choice, do you? I know what you’re doing, and I know you’re almost out of time. You’re running out of places to hide, out of people to trust.”
He took another step forward, his eyes flicking over the pack. I could see the uncertainty in their gazes, the fear they were doing their best to hide. It wasn’t just Aaron’s presence that terrified them; it was the fact that they knew he had the power to make good on his words.
“We’re not running,” I said, taking a step forward, though my heart was hammering in my chest. “We’re fighting. And we’re going to win.”
Aaron chuckled softly, a low, menacing sound that echoed through the quiet forest. “You think you can win? You think you can defeat me and take back what’s mine? You’re naive, Kora. You’ve always been naive.”
My eyes narrowed. “You’ve been following us this entire time. You’re not going to stop us.”
“Oh, I’m not stopping you, sweetheart,” he said with a wicked grin. “I’m just making sure you understand who’s in control. Who’s really calling the shots here.”
He took another step, and I could feel the air around us thicken, as though the very forest was holding its breath. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him, trying to read him, trying to figure out his next move. The tension in the air was palpable, and I knew it wouldn’t take much for things to break.
“I don’t have time for your games, Aaron,” Edward said, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. “We’re done playing. You and me, right now. No more posturing.”
Aaron’s eyes gleamed, and for a moment, I saw something shift in them—a flicker of something, maybe amusement or perhaps a hint of respect. “You’re brave, Edward,” he said quietly, his tone suddenly almost casual. “But that won’t save you.”
Before anyone could react, Aaron’s figure blurred, his speed almost too much to follow. In an instant, he was standing between Edward and me, his body mere inches away, his hand reaching out with deadly precision.
I moved without thinking, lunging at him, but Aaron was faster. He grabbed my wrist with an inhuman strength and twisted it, forcing me to my knees. My breath caught in my throat as pain shot up my arm, but I didn’t give in. I clenched my teeth, refusing to show weakness.
“You really think you can take me down?” Aaron’s voice was a low whisper, full of mockery. “You’re nothing.”
I felt a surge of power in my chest, a flash of energy I couldn’t explain. Before I even realized what I was doing, I forced myself to break free, twisting out of his grip with a speed I didn’t know I had.
He looked surprised for a split second, but the smirk returned almost immediately. “I see. So, you’ve found your claws, huh?” He raised his hand in the air, and I barely had time to react before a blast of force hit me in the chest, sending me sprawling to the ground.
The wind was knocked from my lungs, but I pushed myself up, gasping for breath. The others had moved in, but Aaron had already turned his attention to them, his eyes flicking to each of the pack members like he was sizing them up.
“We’ll do this the hard way then,” Aaron said, his voice laced with venom.
A low growl rumbled in Luka’s chest as he stepped forward, his posture defensive. The others mirrored his movements, positioning themselves between Aaron and me, preparing for whatever came next.
“You don’t have to do this, Aaron,” Luka said, his voice calm, but there was a tension in his words that spoke of the danger we were in. “We don’t want to fight you.”
Aaron’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Oh, but I do. You don’t get to walk away from this. None of you do.”
In an instant, he moved again, faster than I could follow, and before anyone could react, he grabbed Luka by the throat, lifting him off the ground with terrifying ease. Luka gasped for air, his fingers scrambling at Aaron’s hand as he struggled to break free.
“Luka!” I shouted, feeling my heart drop in my chest.
Edward leaped forward, but Aaron spun, tossing Luka aside like a ragdoll. He slammed into a tree with a sickening thud, and I could hear the pained groan that escaped his lips.
“I warned you,” Aaron sneered, turning his cold gaze back to us. “This is your last chance to walk away.”
But there was no way we could back down now. Not after everything we had sacrificed to get this far.
I stood tall, despite the tremor in my legs. “We’re not backing down, Aaron. Not now, not ever.”
Aaron’s eyes flashed, the cold fire in them burning with a fury I hadn’t seen before. “Then you’ll all die.”
And just like that, the battle was upon us.
Please Log In or Sign Up to continue reading.
Unlock all Chapters with 3$
Proceed to payment to unlock all chapters and continue reading.