34

The road stretched before them, winding through the dense forest like a snake slithering toward its lair. The truck’s engine hummed, steady and quiet, but the tension inside the cabin was anything but.

Aria sat in the back, her body stiff beneath the Shadow Order’s stolen uniform. The heavy fabric clung to her, thick with the scent of blood and sweat—a soldier’s second skin.

It felt wrong.

Like she was wearing a lie.

Lucian drove, his silver eyes fixed on the road ahead, his hands steady on the wheel. Beside him, Sebastian sat in silence, his green eyes sharp and calculating, his fingers resting too close to his hidden blade.

He still didn’t trust Lucian.

He probably never would.

And honestly? Aria couldn’t blame him.

Behind them, Kai and Dante were seated in the second truck, Cassian and his wolves in the third. The freed prisoners were hidden beneath the floor panels, tucked away from sight. If this worked—if they made it inside without being discovered—they would finally be one step ahead.

If it didn’t…

Aria clenched her fists.

She wasn’t going to think about that.

Not yet.

The radio crackled.

Lucian flicked it on, his voice calm. “Go ahead.”

A sharp, clipped voice responded. “Checkpoint ahead. Confirm cargo and clearance code.”

Aria’s stomach tightened.

This was it.

Lucian didn’t hesitate. “Convoy 16A. Transferring high-value prisoners. Clearance code: Omega-973.”

Silence.

Aria held her breath.

Then—

The static buzzed again. “Proceed.”

Aria exhaled slowly.

Lucian smirked. “Too easy.”

Sebastian didn’t look away from the road. “Don’t get cocky.”

The headlights of the checkpoint loomed ahead, glowing in the misty night air. Shadows moved along the perimeter—armed guards, watching.

The barrier lifted.

The truck rolled forward.

They were inside.

The moment the gates sealed behind them, Aria felt it.

A presence.

Something dark. Heavy.

Selene.

She was here.

Aria’s pulse quickened, but she kept her expression neutral, forcing herself to move like she belonged.

The convoy came to a stop inside the fortress courtyard. The space was massive—high stone walls, watchtowers armed with snipers, soldiers patrolling in perfect, disciplined formation.

Lucian shut off the engine.

Then—silence.

One of the guards approached, his sharp eyes scanning them. “Prisoners in the back?”

Sebastian nodded. “Need verification before transfer.”

The guard frowned. “We weren’t informed of any new prisoners arriving tonight.”

Lucian’s smirk didn’t falter. “That’s because you’re on a need-to-know basis.”

Aria resisted the urge to tense.

The guard’s expression darkened. “Wait here.”

He turned, heading toward the command tower.

Aria’s stomach twisted.

Something was wrong.

Lucian muttered under his breath, “We’ve got five minutes, maybe less.”

Sebastian’s voice was ice. “Then we make them count.”

Aria nodded, reaching for the hidden blade beneath her uniform.

Then—

The air shifted.

A cold, sharp presence sliced through the courtyard like a blade through flesh.

Aria’s breath caught.

Selene.

She stepped into the light, her crimson eyes glowing in the dimness. The soldiers around her stood perfectly still, their gazes locked forward, their bodies rigid with discipline.

She owned them.

Controlled them.

And now, she was looking directly at Aria.

Her lips curled.

“Well,” she murmured. “Look what we have here.”

Aria moved.

Before Selene could blink, she lunged—her dagger flashing toward the woman’s throat.

Selene smiled.

Then, with inhuman speed, she caught Aria’s wrist mid-strike.

Pain shot through Aria’s arm.

Selene’s grip tightened, her fingers crushing like iron.

“Predictable,” she whispered.

Then—she twisted.

Aria cried out as she was flung backward, her body slamming into the truck with brutal force.

Her vision blurred.

Dante and Kai exploded into motion, their weapons flashing as they charged.

The fight erupted.

Sebastian’s claws slashed through the nearest guards, his movements a blur of lethal precision. Cassian and his wolves struck from the shadows, knives and arrows finding their marks.

But Selene?

She didn’t flinch.

She moved through the chaos like a specter, her speed unnatural, her presence suffocating.

Lucian lunged at her.

She caught his blade with her bare hand.

Lucian’s silver eyes flashed. “You always did like showing off.”

Selene smirked. “And you always did like losing.”

Then—she drove her knee into his ribs.

Lucian crashed to the ground.

Aria forced herself to move, her limbs screaming in protest. She saw Selene turn toward her again, saw the amusement in her crimson gaze.

Like she was playing with her food.

Aria’s blood boiled.

She pushed off the truck, dodging a soldier’s blade, twisting as she slammed her dagger into his gut.

Selene sighed. “Is that the best you can do?”

Aria’s breath came hard, fast.

She needed more.

She needed power.

She felt it again—that force deep inside her, buried, waiting.

Selene smiled knowingly.

“There it is,” she whispered.

Aria’s pulse spiked.

Selene raised a hand.

And suddenly—

Aria couldn’t move.

A cold force wrapped around her limbs, holding her in place, crushing.

She gasped, trying to break free, but her body wouldn’t respond.

Selene stepped forward. “Do you feel it?”

Aria struggled.

Selene’s voice was soft. Too soft.

“This power inside you?” She tilted her head. “It isn’t meant for you to control.”

Aria’s vision blurred.

Her heart pounded.

The force around her tightened.

Then—

A roar.

Not from her.

From Lucian.

He struck like a storm, slamming into Selene with enough force to send both of them crashing through the courtyard.

The grip on Aria broke.

She gasped for breath, falling to her knees.

Dante was beside her in an instant. “Aria—”

She shoved herself up. “I’m fine.”

She wasn’t.

But there wasn’t time.

The courtyard was still burning with battle.

Selene was gone.

Lucian was bleeding, but still standing.

Sebastian grabbed her wrist.

“Now,” he growled. “We run.”

Aria’s head snapped up.

The reinforcements were coming.

Too many.

They wouldn’t win this fight.

Not here.

Not now.

“Go!” Cassian shouted.

Aria didn’t hesitate.

She ran.

Through the chaos. Through the flames. Through the fortress that had once held her fate in its hands.

She ran.

And as the walls of the Shadow Order’s stronghold faded into the distance, one thing was clear.

Selene had won this round.

But the war?

The war was far from over.