15: A Fate Neither of Us Chose
15: A Fate Neither of Us Chose
Luca’s POV
She wasn’t supposed to change like this. Not this fast. Not this… violently.
I had always known Isabella was mine.
Before she was born. Before she was even meant to exist.
I had felt it.
The bond. The pull. The inevitable collision of fate and blood.
But this?
This was wrong.
She wasn’t just turning.
She was becoming something else.
Something even I didn’t understand.
And that terrified me.
She had just thrown me across the room like I weighed nothing.
Like she was stronger than me.
That shouldn’t have been possible.
I pushed myself up from the floor, flexing my fingers to make sure nothing was broken—not that it would matter. I healed fast. But the impact of it, the sheer force behind what she had done, sent a cold ripple down my spine.
Not fear.
Not yet.
But something close to it.
The lights still flickered, the scent of burnt electricity mingling with the faint copper tang of blood. My blood.
She stood across from me, panting, shaking, her hands still clenched into fists. Her body trembled from unspent power, her breath uneven, her pulse erratic.
Her eyes weren’t the same.
They flickered between what they had always been—those deep, dark irises I had memorized—and something unnatural.
Something void-like.
She stumbled back against the bed, her skin flushed, pupils blown wide.
She looked at me like I was the threat.
But I wasn’t sure if I was anymore.
“Luca,” she whispered, her voice hoarse, barely more than a breath.
I didn’t move.
Didn’t answer.
Because for the first time since I met her…
I wasn’t sure if I could control her.
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Isabella’s POV
"But not like this."
His words settled over me like ice, slow and paralyzing.
I shook my head, refusing to accept it.
Luca Devereaux—the man who had claimed me, marked me, controlled me—
Wasn’t in control of this.
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Luca wasn’t moving.
Wasn’t speaking.
Just watching me.
His silver eyes burned into me, sharp, calculating, assessing.
Like he was trying to decide if I was a problem he could fix… or something he had to contain.
My body was still too hot, my pulse hammering, an erratic, uncontrollable rhythm.
And then—
I felt them.
The sharp press against my tongue.
Not fully formed.
Not like his.
But there.
Fangs.
I gasped, slapping a hand over my lips.
“No,” I whispered. “No, no, no—”
Luca moved.
Fast.
Before I could jerk away, he was in front of me, towering over me, gripping my wrist with enough force to still me.
"Look at me."
I shook my head, heart pounding.
His grip tightened. “Isabella,” he growled, his voice edged with something raw. “Look. At. Me.”
I did.
I lifted my head, and the second our eyes met, something shifted in the air between us.
It was subtle. A moment stretched too thin.
But I saw it.
Luca’s grip faltered.
For just a fraction of a second, his fingers slackened against my wrist, like he wasn’t sure if he was still the one in control.
Like he didn’t recognize me.
Like he wasn’t sure if I was still his.
And that single moment sent a thrill through me.
Because for the first time since he stole me from my old life—
I saw his control crack.
And that made me feel powerful.
So I did the only thing I could.
I lunged.
Not to run.
Not to escape.
I lunged at him.
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Luca’s snarl cut through the air as I slammed into him, forcing him back. He barely stumbled, but I felt the surprise ripple through his body the second my hands hit his chest.
His fingers locked around my waist, gripping hard enough to leave bruises, but I wasn’t weak anymore.
I wasn’t just a girl caught in a monster’s world.
I was becoming the monster.
And I wanted to know how far I could push him.
His back hit the wall, his hold on me unyielding.
“Interesting,” he murmured.
His voice was steady, but there was something new in it.
Something close to amusement.
I pressed against him harder, tilting my chin up, daring him to react. “Not so untouchable now, are you?”
His silver eyes darkened. “Careful, dolcezza,” he warned, voice low.
"Or what?"
Luca exhaled a quiet laugh. Not a real one. Something sharper, edged with something unreadable.
"Or you might just find out what happens when you provoke me."
My blood hummed, heat coiling low in my stomach, something raw and electric surging between us.
Possession.
Defiance.
Rage.
Desire.
It was suffocating. Overwhelming.
And neither of us moved.
Neither of us looked away.
The balance had shifted.
But neither of us knew which way it would fall.
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Luca’s grip tightened, yanking me even closer, our bodies flush against each other.
The air between us crackled.
His breath ghosted against my lips, his chest rising and falling in tandem with mine.
For a moment, I didn’t know if he was going to kiss me or destroy me.
Maybe both.
"You’re playing a dangerous game," he rasped, voice thick with something darker.
I smirked, my entire body thrumming with newfound power.
"Maybe I like the danger."
Luca’s silver eyes flashed, his jaw tightening just slightly.
Then, slowly, his lips curled.
A slow, wicked smirk.
"Then let’s see how long you last."