Chapter 37 — Her Name Was Liora

Chapter 37 — Her Name Was Liora
The storm lasted all night.

By morning, the sky was heavy with gray clouds, and the air felt too still — like the world was holding its breath. I stood at the window in my room, watching the wind move through the trees.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it in my chest.

The Ravenwood estate had always been quiet in the mornings, but today it felt… silent in a different way. Like the house itself knew what was coming.

Kael knocked once before entering.

His jaw was tight, eyes sharp. “You need to come downstairs. Now.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He didn’t answer.

Just turned and walked away.

I followed him, my stomach tight. We moved quickly down the long hallway, past the portraits and locked doors, until we reached the main stairs.

Darius, Ronan, and Elias were already in the grand hall.

And they weren’t alone.

She stood in the center of the room like she owned it.

Long black coat. Silver-blonde hair twisted into a braid that looked like it had been dipped in ice. Her eyes — pale blue and cold as stone — met mine the second I entered.

I knew.

Before anyone spoke, I knew.

“Liora,” I whispered.

She smiled. “So you do know my name.”

My steps slowed. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Even the fire in the hearth behind her flickered like it was afraid of her presence.

No one spoke.

Not even the brothers.

Liora tilted her head. “You look just like your mother.”

I stopped in place.

“What?”

“Ah.” Her lips curled. “They didn’t tell you everything, then.”

Elias stepped forward. “You’re not welcome here.”

She barely looked at him. “This house belongs to Ravenwood blood. I have more right to be here than most of you.”

“She’s Ravenwood blood,” Darius said, pointing at me.

“Yes,” Liora replied. “And I’ve come for her.”

“No,” Ronan said firmly. “You won’t touch her.”

Liora laughed. It was soft but sharp. “You really think you can stop me?”

I could feel the tension rising. The air felt thick. Electric.

“What do you want with me?” I asked, my voice low.

Liora’s eyes returned to me. “Your power. Your truth. Your choice.”

“I’ve already chosen.”

She smiled again. “No. You’ve only been shown part of the truth. The rest… is still locked inside you. I can unlock it.”

“I don’t trust you,” I said.

“You don’t have to trust me. You just have to listen.”

Kael growled low in his throat. “Get out.”

But Liora didn’t flinch. “Soon, Aria will need to decide if she wants to live in a cage… or rise as the storm she was born to be.”

“She’s already chosen,” Elias said, stepping in front of me.

Liora looked over them like they were nothing but shadows.

“I’ll be back,” she said, her voice calm. “And when I come again, it won’t be as a visitor.”

She turned and walked to the doors. They opened before she touched them. The wind rushed in behind her — cold, fast, full of warning.

And then she was gone.

The doors slammed shut.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Until Darius turned to me. “Are you okay?”

I nodded slowly. “Who is she really?”

Ronan stepped closer. “Your mother’s sister. A Ravenwood who wanted the power for herself. She was exiled years ago.”

“Why?”

“Because she made a deal with something dark,” Kael said. “Something that should never have touched our bloodline.”

“She’s not just dangerous,” Elias added. “She’s cursed.”

I sank into the nearest chair, my hands trembling.

Liora was my family.

And she wanted to break me open from the inside.

Later that day, I sat in the library. The storm outside had passed, but something inside me still felt heavy. Like Liora had left a piece of her cold behind.

Darius found me there.

“She wanted me to ask you something,” he said, taking a seat across from me.

“Who?” I asked.

“Your mother.”

I looked up sharply.

He handed me a small envelope — aged, yellow at the corners. “We found this in the east wing. It’s addressed to you.”

I stared at the handwriting. It was soft, looping. I had never seen her write before, but somehow… I knew it was her.

My hands shook as I opened it.

Inside was a short letter.

“Aria,

If you’re reading this, then the truth has finally started to wake up in you. I wanted to tell you everything — but I didn’t have time.

They tried to protect you. I let them.

But one day, you’ll have to face Liora. She is strong, but she is not you. Your heart is the key. Never forget that.

Choose wisely, my daughter.

With all my love,

Mother.”

The paper fell from my hands.

And I cried for the first time not out of fear or confusion.

But because, for the first time, I remembered who I really was.

Not just the girl with the bloodline.

Not just the maid who was lied to.

I was her daughter.

And I was going to end this.

One way or another.