"My... daughter?" Luca's voice cracked.
The ritual chamber fell silent. Aria couldn't look at him, her gaze fixed on Betty's terrified face and the thin line of blood where Emily's blade pressed against her skin.
Emily laughed. "Oh, this is delicious, so you didn't know?" Her eyes gleamed, “the mighty Alpha Luca, feared throughout three territories, and you couldn't recognize your own blood?"
Betty glanced between them, confusion mixing with fear. Candlelight flickered across ritual markings on the floor painted with ancient symbols arranged in patterns that made Aria's skin crawl.
"Let her go," Aria growled, taking a careful step forward. "Don't do anything you'll regret Emily, this is between the two of us"
Emily tightened her grip on Betty's hair, making the child whimper. "Stop ri
