wind pulling at her coat, the skyline soaked in dusk and neon. It should've felt like a victory-Ca

ed the darkness

blood-stained, his shirt half-torn, but his presence-still

ind," he said, holding

opene

faintly with a red glow, and a

riting scrawled ac

kill her," A

u wouldn't,"

roke t

But if you're reading this, then you've chosen the path I could neve

er was a map. Ma

f a k

warlock faction still l

list," Luca

d it. "It's unfi

per than ever. "I've decoded the Circle's mainframe. Cassandra had alliances e

ike first,

d. "Aria... there

rned t

coat. "This came from the Vault

file made her bl

ct Se

ents. Test subjects. Notes

hem... w

ines," Luca said. "Mixing

weren't just born into pow

as a child. Tubes in her arms

on me," she murm

the perfect heir," Luca

rising. "So what am I n

atever she planned-you broke it. You chose your p

didn't fe

etrayed. Hunt

, very d

surviving packs. The room buzzed with tension-no one knew what

to the head of the

ng like steel. "Daughter of Cassandra. Slayer

s brok

tinued, "because war is coming. And it won

pped bes

a be

trinity-witch, w

l monsters out there. If we don't un

wood Pack stood. "An

n," Aria said. "But I

er si

app

hunde

grow

ept

quiet of her apartment, A

ng gleamed o

looked the same

anym

rms around her waist. His warmth grounded her,

to carry this al

said. "Because t

of her neck. "The

eyes locki

a throne," s

"I've never been

nce. It was sharp

hunger that had nothing to do with power and everything to do w

rned behind

e monster inside her w

omething

d beneath the Alps, a woman in crimson robes wat

ing Aria's image in the f

ns of black-robe

," she said softly. "Because when

es exploded