Chapter 15 Chapter 16

Chapter 15 Chapter 16


Fenrir’s POV

I didn’t move.

Not immediately.

Because the moment I reacted wrong—too fast, too aggressive—I could make things worse.

And right now, I didn’t know what worse looked like.

Aveline stood in front of me, her body still, her breathing steady in a way that didn’t match what had just happened. Her eyes were locked on mine, but there was something behind them now. Something that hadn’t been there before.

Something that didn’t belong.

“Aveline,” I said again, quieter this time.

Her head tilted slightly.

Slow.

Measured.

Like she was studying me.

Not recognizing me.

Studying.

My fingers twitched slightly at my side, the urge to grab her, to shake her out of whatever this was, building under my skin—but I forced it down.

That wouldn’t work.

Not on this.

“Say something,” I added.

For a moment, she just watched me.

Then her lips curved.

Not wide.

Not dramatic.

Just enough to make something in my chest tighten.

“You’re… different up close,” she said.

The voice was hers.

And not.

Layered.

Like something else was speaking beneath it.

I didn’t like that.

“Enough,” I said, stepping forward slightly. “Whatever this is—stop it.”

Her smile didn’t fade.

If anything, it deepened.

“You think this is something I can turn off?”

My jaw clenched.

“Then fight it.”

A pause.

Then—

“Why would I?”

That hit harder than it should have.

Because that didn’t sound like her.

Not the Aveline I had been watching. Not the one who stood her ground even when she had nothing left.

This was something else.

Something colder.

Behind me, I heard Luca shift.

“You’re wasting time,” he said quietly.

I ignored him.

All my focus stayed on her.

“You don’t mean that,” I said, my voice steady.

Her gaze flickered slightly.

Just for a second.

But I saw it.

And that was enough.

“She’s still in there,” I added, more to myself than to her.

Her expression didn’t change.

But something in the air did.

A subtle shift.

Like something tightening.

“You’re persistent,” she said softly.

“I don’t quit.”

Another pause.

Then—

“I can see why.”

That made my stomach twist slightly.

“See what?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Her eyes moved over me slowly, like she was looking at more than just what stood in front of her.

Like she was seeing something deeper.

Something I couldn’t see.

“You’re stronger than most,” she said. “That’s why it noticed you.”

That word again.

It.

My jaw tightened.

“Then it can notice me from a distance,” I said coldly. “Because it’s not getting her.”

Her smile faltered.

Just slightly.

But it was there.

A crack.

I stepped closer.

Slow.

Careful.

Watching her for any sign of resistance.

She didn’t move.

Didn’t step back.

Didn’t attack.

She just watched me.

And that was worse.

“Come back,” I said quietly.

For a moment—

Nothing.

Then—

Her fingers twitched at her side.

Small.

Barely noticeable.

But I saw it.

And something in my chest eased slightly.

“Aveline,” I said again, softer this time.

Her lips parted.

And for a second—

Just a second—

Her expression shifted.

The coldness cracked.

Confusion flickered through her eyes.

“Fen…rir…”

It came out uneven.

Strained.

Like she was fighting through something.

Good.

That was good.

“You’re still here,” I said.

Her breathing hitched slightly.

“I…” she started, then stopped, her brows pulling together.

Pain flashed across her face.

Sharp.

Real.

Then—

It was gone.

Just like that.

Replaced by that same cold calm.

“Interesting,” she murmured.

My chest tightened again.

No.

Not again.

“You don’t get to take her,” I said, my voice dropping.

Her gaze snapped back to mine.

Sharp.

Focused.

“Take her?” she repeated.

There was something dangerous in that tone now.

“Do you think she belongs to you?”

I didn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

The word came out before I could stop it.

Before I could think it through.

But the moment it left my mouth—

I didn’t take it back.

Her expression stilled.

Something unreadable flickering behind her eyes.

“Careful,” she said softly. “That kind of thinking leads to ruin.”

“I’ll take that risk.”

Silence stretched between us.

Thick.

Heavy.

Then—

She stepped closer.

Closing the distance between us until there was barely space left.

Close enough that I could feel the heat of her skin.

Close enough that I could see every detail of her face.

And still—

That wasn’t what unsettled me.

It was the way she looked at me.

Not with fear.

Not with anger.

With curiosity.

Like I was something new.

Something worth examining.

“You don’t understand what you’re dealing with,” she said quietly.

“Then explain it.”

“I could,” she said. “But you wouldn’t like the answer.”

“I don’t care if I like it.”

Another pause.

Then—

“It doesn’t choose weak vessels.”

My stomach tightened.

“It chooses those who can survive it.”

My gaze didn’t leave hers.

“And what happens to those who don’t?”

Her smile returned.

Faint.

“They don’t matter.”

I didn’t like that answer.

Not one bit.

Behind us, Luca let out a quiet breath.

“She’s changing faster than I expected.”

That did it.

I turned on him instantly, grabbing him again and slamming him against the wall.

“What did you do to her?” I demanded.

“I told you,” he said, his voice strained slightly now. “I didn’t do this.”

“Then stop talking like you understand it.”

“Because I do.”

My grip tightened.

“Then start explaining.”

His eyes flickered past me again.

To her.

“You don’t have time for explanations.”

My jaw clenched.

“Try me.”

He exhaled slowly.

“It doesn’t just take control,” he said. “It merges.”

That word hit differently.

Merges.

“With what?” I asked.

“With her.”

I went still.

“That’s not possible.”

“It already happened.”

I released him slowly.

Not because I believed him.

Because I didn’t want to.

But because something in the way he said it—

Calm.

Certain—

Made it hard to ignore.

I turned back to her.

She hadn’t moved.

Still standing there.

Still watching.

But now—

There was something else in her expression.

Not just curiosity.

Something deeper.

Something calculating.

“Fenrir,” she said softly.

My chest tightened again.

Because that—

That sounded closer to her.

But not quite.

“You need to decide,” she continued.

“Decide what?”

Her head tilted slightly.

“Whether you’re going to stand in my way… or stand with me.”

The words settled heavily in the air.

Wrong.

Completely wrong.

“That’s not a choice,” I said.

“It is.”

“No,” I said firmly. “Because I’m not letting you become this.”

Her expression darkened slightly.

“You think this is something bad?”

“I think it’s not you.”

Silence.

Then—

“You’re wrong.”

The temperature in the room dropped again.

Subtle.

But there.

Like something reacting to her emotions.

Or maybe—

Feeding off them.

“This is me,” she said quietly. “More than I’ve ever been.”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“You don’t know me,” she said.

That hit harder than anything else she had said so far.

Because there was truth in it.

I didn’t know her.

Not fully.

Not yet.

But I knew enough.

Enough to know this wasn’t right.

“Maybe not,” I said. “But I know this isn’t something you chose.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“And if I did?”

“You didn’t.”

“And if I want it?”

I stepped closer again.

Ignoring the way the air shifted around her.

Ignoring the warning in the back of my mind.

“Then I’ll remind you why you shouldn’t.”

Her eyes flickered.

Just for a second.

And in that second—

I saw her.

Not whatever this was.

I closed the remaining distance between us.

Reaching for her—

Slowly.

Carefully.

Giving her time to pull away if she wanted to.

She didn’t.

My hand wrapped around her wrist.

Her.

“You’re still here,” I said quietly.

Her breath caught.

Barely.

But I felt it.

“You can fight this.”

Her eyes dropped briefly to where my hand held her wrist.

Then back up to my face.

And for a moment—

Everything else faded.

The darkness.

The pressure.

The presence.

It all pulled back.

Like it was waiting.

Watching.

Her lips parted.

“Fenrir…”

My grip tightened slightly.

“Come back.”

Silence.

Then—

Her fingers curled slightly against my hand.

A small movement.

But enough.

Enough to tell me she was still there.

Still fighting.

“I…” she started.

And then—

Everything snapped.

The air cracked violently around us.

A force exploded outward from her, throwing me back several steps before I could react.

I hit the stone wall hard, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.

By the time I recovered—

She was no longer standing where she had been.

The center of the cell was empty.

My chest tightened.

“Aveline?”

No answer.

The shadows in the room twisted.

Shifted.

And then—

They moved.

Not toward me.

Not toward Luca.

Away.

As if something had taken her—

Or she had gone with it.

My pulse spiked.

No.

No, that wasn’t happening.

I pushed off the wall immediately, mo
ving toward where she had been standing—

But there was nothing.

No trace.

No sound.

Nothing.

Behind me, Luca exhaled slowly.

“It’s done.”

I turned on him instantly.

“What did you mean, it’s done?”

His gaze met mine.

Calm.

Too calm.

“She’s been taken.”

Every muscle in my body went rigid.

“Taken where?”

A pause.

Then—

“To where it came from.”

My hand tightened into a fist.

“And where is that?”

Luca held my gaze for a long moment.

He smiled.

My chest burned.

Because for the first time since this started—

I had no idea where she was.

Or how to get her back.

And that—

That was a problem.