The Alpha's Sacrifice

Shadows Fight

​The cellars were freezing, dripping with water and ancient secrets. Shadows lengthened around Aria as she pressed her back against a cold stone pillar, forcing her breath to remain silent. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rust.

​Soft, deliberate footsteps echoed from the darkness above. Julian was not running; he was tracking her, enjoying the hunt.

​"You run remarkably well for a timid mountain dove," Julian's voice drifted through the darkness, impossibly close. "Did your tribe teach you that prey must always run?"

​Aria reached into the folds of her ruined dress, her fingers wrapping around a small hunting blade she had concealed before her departure from the North. It was a crude piece of steel compared to the castle's fine silver, but it was forged in the mountains. As a figure materialized from the gloom, Aria struck out, driving the blade forward.

​Julian caught her wrist easily, but the unexpected fight in her eyes made him pause. The blade grazed his palm, leaving a thin crimson line. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the mark—not out of anger, but out of a sudden, strange respect.

To be continued....