The next morning, Aurelia sat in the grand drawing room, the weight of the night clinging to her like smoke.
She hadn't slept. Not after that.
Not after the balcony.Not after Caelum Vire.
The way he looked at her. The way her name—Rea—fell from his lips like he owned it. It wasn't just seduction.
It was a claim.
She stirred her tea but didn't drink it. Her fingers trembled. Not from fear—but from the ache of wanting something she didn't understand.
"You're too quiet today."
Tessa appeared beside her, balancing a tray of lemon cakes. She didn't sit, only raised a brow in that all-knowing, too-pretty way.
"I'm tired," Aurelia replied.
"You're haunted," Tessa corrected.
"I'm watched," Aurelia whispered.
Tessa's fingers froze above the tray. "Explain."
"I saw him last night. The son of the Devil Duke."
Tessa's eyes darkened like storm clouds. "Did he touch you?"
Aurelia looked down at her hands. "No. But he touched something inside me."
Tessa let out a breath like she'd been holding it for years. "Of course he did. They always do."
"They?"
Tessa leaned closer. "Boys like him don't fall in love, Ori. They consume."
Before Aurelia could answer, a loud bang echoed from the hallway.
Rowan stormed in, rage rolling off him in waves.
"You let him get to you," he snapped. "You snuck out, and he was there."
Lucien followed quietly, his eyes unreadable. "We warned you, Ori."
Aurelia stood, voice rising. "I didn't ask to meet him! I didn't even know where I was going—"
"But your heart did," Lucien said sharply, stepping closer.
That silenced her.
Rowan grabbed the back of a chair like he might shatter it. "He's obsessed. Possessive. Deadly. And worst of all… he remembers everything."
"What?" she blinked. "What does that mean—"
But before either brother could answer, the doors opened.
And in walked him.
Not Caelum.
Riven Drayke.
Taller than she remembered. Even more dangerous. The shadows clung to him like armor.
He was dressed like a rogue, not a noble, and he smelled like pine and fire.
Mireya stood behind him, frozen in the doorway, her expression unreadable.
Riven's gaze locked onto Aurelia, and the room fell silent.
"Leave," he said.
To everyone.
Even the Duke, who had just entered.
Lucien didn't move. "You don't give orders here."
But the Duke raised a hand. "Let him speak."
Rowan protested. "Father—"
"She needs to hear this," the Duke said darkly.
Everyone filed out slowly—except Riven and Aurelia.
She stood there, spine stiff. "You came back."
Riven stepped closer, his eyes stormy. "Did you think I wouldn't?"
"I thought you left," she whispered. "Without a word."
"I had to," he growled. "If I stayed... you would've remembered too soon."
Her lips parted. "Remembered what?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he reached out—his hand ghosting her cheek.
"You're changing, Rea," he said quietly. "Your instincts are waking up. The wolf inside you… it's clawing at the surface."
Her heart raced.
"You know it, don't you?" he whispered, his forehead nearly touching hers. "The hunger. The heat in your blood. The way you crave danger more than safety."
She swallowed hard. "What do I do?"
"Let go," he whispered.
And then he kissed her.
Not soft. Not slow.
It was wildfire.
Burning.
Claiming.
Possessive.
Her knees buckled and her fingers gripped his tunic like he was the only thing keeping her upright.
When he finally pulled back, her lips were swollen, her eyes wild.
"You belong to me," he said, voice low and brutal.
But before she could even breathe—
A gust of wind blew through the open window. And a single black feather floated in.
A shadow moved across the courtyard.
He was here.
Caelum.
Watching.
Waiting.
And smiling.
Chapter 22 End.