The forest was eerily quiet after Selena's challenge, the air thick with tension. Aria's fists clenched, but she held her ground. Selena's presence was like a poison — cold, calculated, and dangerous.
Kael, still silent, stepped back, his eyes flickering between the two women. He hadn't intervened, and that stung more than Aria wanted to admit.
"Leave," Aria said, her voice steady but laced with ice. "You're not welcome here."
Selena's smile was dark, and she tilted her head with a mocking glint in her eyes. "I don't take orders from you, little wolf. I came here to remind you of your place — beneath me."
Aria's temper flared. The flames inside her rose to the surface, swirling dangerously, but she kept them in check. For now.
"Leave. Or I'll make you," Aria repeated, her gaze hardening.
Selena's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Is that so? You'll try."
Before Aria could react, Selena lunged — faster than she anticipated, a blur of motion. Aria barely had time to dodge, the air around her crackling with energy. The heat within her surged, fighting to break free, but she held it back, focusing on the immediate threat.
Selena's claws scraped against the stone, and she spun to face Aria, ready for the next strike. The two women circled each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. Aria could feel the power inside her, pulsing, wanting to be unleashed, but she couldn't lose control. Not yet.
"Fight me, then," Selena sneered. "Show me the so-called power of the Lunaris Bloodline."
Aria growled, the fire inside her burning hotter. The air felt charged, like a storm was about to break. Her fists crackled with energy, and without thinking, she swung at Selena, sending a burst of flame toward her.
But Selena was faster, twisting and dodging, her form flickering like smoke. "You're too slow," she taunted.
Aria's frustration boiled over. Why couldn't she land a hit? Her flames weren't enough. She needed more. She needed to tap into the deeper power she could feel stirring inside her — the power she hadn't fully embraced yet.
A voice whispered in her mind, low and ancient.
"Let go."
The words were not Lucien's. They were something else. Something primal.
Aria closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. She felt the fire inside her — not just in her hands, but all around her, ready to consume everything.
Her eyes snapped open, and the world around her seemed to slow. The flames responded to her, not as a force to control, but as a part of her — a part of her very soul.
Selena lunged again, but this time, Aria was ready. The fire surged, wrapping around her body like a protective shield. With a fierce roar, she released it — a blast of intense heat that sent Selena flying backward, crashing into the trees.
The forest shook, the earth cracking beneath the force of Aria's power.
For a moment, everything was still.
Selena groaned as she struggled to her feet, her clothes singed, but her smirk never faltered. "Impressive," she spat. "But you're still too weak."
Aria stepped forward, the fire swirling around her like a living thing, eager to fight.
"I'm done being weak," Aria declared, her voice steady and fierce.
Lucien's voice echoed in her mind. "This is your true power, Aria. You've only just begun."
Kael, who had been silent throughout the battle, finally spoke. "Enough," he said, his voice cold but commanding. "This isn't the place for this fight."
Selena, still breathing heavily, glared at Aria. "We'll finish this another time. But know this, Aria Blackwood — you're not the only one with a bloodline to protect."
Aria's gaze never left Selena's, her body still crackling with power. "And I'm not the only one who can control it."
With a final glance at Kael, Selena disappeared into the shadows, leaving a lingering threat in the air.
Kael stepped toward Aria, his eyes softening just slightly. "You're dangerous, Aria."
Aria stood tall, her chest rising and falling
with each breath, the flames now at her fingertips. "I know."