32
The war room was heavy with silence, thick and suffocating, wrapping around Aria like a noose.
All eyes were on her.
Sebastian, standing at the head of the table, his green eyes burning with barely restrained anger. Kai, arms crossed over his chest, his golden eyes flashing with an emotion she couldn’t quite name—betrayal, frustration, maybe even hurt. Dante, standing between them, tense but calm, always the one trying to balance the fire and the storm.
And then there was Lucian.
Still standing, still watching, his silver eyes unreadable as always.
He was used to being the enemy.
Aria wasn’t.
She took a breath. “You want the truth?”
Sebastian’s jaw clenched. “I want to know why you left us.”
The words hit like a dagger.
Because they weren’t about strategy, or war, or the Shadow Order.
They were personal.
Aria swallowed hard. “I left because I needed answers.”
Sebastian’s eyes flashed. “And you couldn’t trust us to find them with you?”
Aria forced herself to meet his gaze. “Would you have let me go?”
Sebastian didn’t answer.
Because they both knew the truth.
No. He wouldn’t have.
Kai exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “That’s not an excuse, Aria. You didn’t just walk away—you vanished. You let us believe you were dead.”
Guilt twisted in her stomach.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” she admitted. “I didn’t know—”
Sebastian scoffed. “You didn’t know what? That we’d come after you? That we’d be willing to burn the entire Shadow Order to the ground just to get you back?”
Her chest ached.
Because she had known.
She had known they would come for her.
And she had left anyway.
Aria took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay steady. “I found something,” she said quietly. “Something about my past. About my parents.”
The room stilled.
Sebastian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his posture shifted.
Kai frowned. “Your parents?”
Aria exhaled. “They were part of the Shadow Order.”
A heavy silence.
Then—
Dante swore.
Sebastian’s face remained unreadable. “Explain.”
Aria clenched her fists. “They weren’t just members. They helped create it.”
Kai straightened, his golden eyes sharp with shock. “That’s not possible.”
Lucian finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. “It is.”
Sebastian’s eyes snapped to him. “And what makes you so sure?”
Lucian didn’t blink. “Because they created me too.”
The weight of his words slammed into the room like a tidal wave.
Sebastian’s entire body went still.
Kai cursed under his breath.
Dante muttered, “Son of a bitch.”
Aria forced herself to keep talking. “They started the Shadow Order, but when they realized what it was becoming, they tried to stop it. They tried to destroy it from the inside.”
Sebastian’s green eyes burned. “And they failed.”
Aria nodded. “Yes.”
Kai let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his dark hair. “So let me get this straight. The people we’ve been fighting—the ones who have been hunting you—are the same ones your parents helped create?”
Aria swallowed hard. “Yes.”
Sebastian’s expression remained cold, unreadable. “And how do we know any of this is true?”
Aria hesitated.
Lucian exhaled. “Because I was there.”
The weight of his words sent a shiver down Aria’s spine.
Lucian met Sebastian’s gaze head-on. “I was raised in the Order. Trained to be their weapon. I knew your enemy before you even knew they existed.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “And now you expect me to trust you?”
Lucian smirked. “I don’t expect anything from you.”
The tension in the room was palpable.
Aria clenched her fists. “Lucian saved me.”
Sebastian’s expression didn’t change. “That doesn’t make him an ally.”
Aria exhaled. “No. But it means we need to listen.”
Dante crossed his arms. “So what’s the endgame here?”
Aria met his gaze. “We take them down. All of them.”
Kai raised a brow. “And how do you propose we do that, exactly?”
Lucian’s silver eyes gleamed. “By cutting off the head of the snake.”
Sebastian frowned. “You mean Selene.”
Lucian nodded. “She’s the one pulling the strings now. If we kill her, we cripple their entire operation.”
Kai scoffed. “And what, you just expect us to waltz in and take her out?”
Lucian smirked. “That’s exactly what I expect.”
Dante muttered, “He’s insane.”
Aria, however, wasn’t so sure.
She turned to Lucian. “You know where she is?”
Lucian nodded. “I do.”
Sebastian exhaled sharply. “This is suicide.”
Aria met his gaze. “So is waiting for them to find us first.”
Sebastian didn’t respond right away.
Because they both knew she was right.
The Shadow Order wasn’t going to stop.
Not until she was dead.
Not until all of them were.
Sebastian finally let out a slow breath. “How many men does she have?”
Lucian’s smirk faded. “Too many.”
Kai groaned. “Great. Fantastic. Love that.”
Aria ignored him. “Then we need to be smarter.”
Sebastian studied her carefully. “You’re serious about this?”
She nodded. “More than I’ve ever been.”
Sebastian’s green eyes burned.
Then—
He nodded.
Kai sighed. “Fine. But if we die, I’m haunting you.”
Dante snorted. “Noted.”
Lucian smirked. “Then let’s get started.”
The war had begun.
And this time—
Aria was leading it.