Fate betrayal

CHAPTER 25

Chapter 25: Shadows of the Past

Aria’s POV

Tension permeated the air, making it difficult to breathe. It had been days since Selena's warnings concerning Killian's partnership that I had felt really at rest. The reality teased me with pieces I couldn't yet put together, hovering just out of grasp.

Everything weighed more heavily now that the Shadow Pack had crossed our boundaries and was requesting me in particular. The fact that my dreams—or visions, as Selena insisted—had become more intense and intrusive didn't help either. They unexpectedly appeared and drew me into memories that weren't mine.

And the feeling came back tonight when I made an effort to calm down in my room's delicate stillness.

---

The first pull on my awareness was slight, like to a light wind rustling my brain. Before I could resist, it got stronger and swept me under like a sudden flood.

My environment changed. My room's cozy warmth vanished, leaving behind a chilly, desolate scene. I wasn't myself anymore, not completely. My motions were slow, and my body seemed alien.

It was more than a dream. Something caught my attention. No, someone.

When I blinked, the blurry person in front of me became clear. Darius.

His jaw was tensed, and his black eyes were fierce. The moonlight was streaming down on his bleeding hands as he stood in a clearing in the woodland.

His voice was scratchy as he murmured, "I didn't mean for this."

A wave of confusion swept over me. "Darius?"

He didn't even recognize me, much alone respond to my voice. It dawned on me then that I was seeing through his eyes and not really there. Or his brain, maybe.

I could feel the intense, stifling weight of his agony as he took a step forward. My breath froze in my throat as I followed his eyes.

A shattered and motionless person was slumped on the ground. Her dead eyes gazed up at the sky as her hair cascaded in wild waves on the soil.

I was the one.

---

I was jolted with fear at the sight of my own dead corpse. I wanted to scream and claw my way out of this image, but I was unable to do so as my chest constricted.

Darius was kneeling next to me—her, the dead me. His shaking hands lingered over my face and then balled into fists.

"Aria," he gasped. "This is not what I ever wanted."

His sorrow was intense and all-consuming. I sensed something darker behind it, however. Shame.

"Darius, what did you do?" Even though I knew he couldn't hear me, I made the demand.

His shoulders trembled as he hid his face in his fists. He said, "She warned me." "I disregarded the Moon Goddess' warning."

I listened intently, trying to make out what he was saying. However, the scene changed once more before I could put it all together.

---

The vast hall of Killian's mansion took the place of the woodland. The well-known stone walls seemed darker and colder. Darius was also present, pacing like an animal in a cage.

Killian stood close to the fireplace, his face inscrutable.

"She was never meant to die," Darius said in a menacingly low voice.

Killian remained unflinching. "None of this was anticipated. However, we are not afforded the luxury of regret.

With his fists clenched, Darius spun around on him. "You struck a bargain with them! You were aware of the price!

Killian's words fell to a chilly silence as his gaze sharpened. "I agreed to keep this pack safe. to keep her safe.

As the parts started to fit together, my heart raced. They were discussing me, discussing my demise.

"But she's no longer there!" Darius's voice cracked as he yelled. "Killian, you can't solve this. What has been done cannot be reversed!

Something inscrutable was moving across Killian's countenance as his eyes wavered. "No," he muttered. "However, I can guarantee that her sacrifice wasn't in vain."

Make a sacrifice. The phrase sounded like a faraway thunderclap in my head.

---

As if the image itself were dissolving, I was drawn back into the trees once again. I was alone myself this time. The air was heavy with a feeling of dread, and the area was strangely quiet.

I looked around, hoping to see Darius, Killian, or someone else. However, I was merely met with the sound of leaves rustling.

Then I noticed it.

A figure emerged from the shadows, shrouded in black. Their presence was oppressive, even if I couldn't see their face.

With a low hiss, the figure murmured, "You've seen too much."

With my pulse pounding, I stepped back. "Who are you?"

As if delighted, they c****d their head. "The person who determines your destiny."

The figure sprang at me before I could react. The world around me broke like glass as a searing, blinding agony pierced my chest.

---

With a gulp, I woke up, sweating profusely. I half expected to see a cut on my chest as my hand flew there, but my skin was intact.

Even though the room was silent, the vision's echoes could still be heard. I repeated what I had seen, my heart hammering in my ears.

Killian and Darius. The bargain. My demise.

Nothing made sense, but one thing was certain: they were at the core of whatever had happened to me or would happen to me.

With my thoughts racing, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I couldn't continue to be in the dark. I had to face Darius if he knew anything.

I froze as I heard the faint sound of footsteps outside my door. I thought for a second I was dreaming. Then I heard it again, a slow, purposeful footfall.

My heart quickened as I reached for the blade I kept tucked under my pillow.

"Who is present?" I screamed, my voice calm as the terror tore at me.

The sound of footsteps ceased.

There was stillness for a minute. Then, out of the shadows, came a familiar, low voice.

"That's me," Darius said.

I gripped the dagger tighter. "Why are you in this place?"

He paused, and when he did speak, there was something heavy in his voice that I couldn't quite identify. "We must speak. about the past. About... the future.

I felt the weight of his words descend over me like a thunder cloud as the air appeared to become colder.

I kept the dagger raised. I said, "Start talking."

However, he entered the room with a somber look rather than responding. "Unless I show you, you won't believe me."

"Tell me what?"

When our eyes locked, I saw something that chilled me for the first time. Fear.

"The reality," he said. "Why you were destined to die in the first place."

And then the image came back, pulling me down again.