The halls of the Nightbloom estate were quiet — too quiet.
Aurelia sat up in bed, eyes wide, breath shallow. The whisper hadn't just been in her head. She heard it. She felt it.
"Aura…"
That name again.
Not Ori.
Not Lia.
Not Rea.
Not Ria.
Just… Aura.
It rolled off his tongue like silk dipped in danger.
She slipped out of bed, her bare feet silent against the cold marble floor. Outside her door, she could hear Aero and Ren murmuring — standing guard as usual. Loyal. Fierce. Protective.
But this… this was something she couldn't explain to them.
Something only she could feel.
The flame in her fireplace cracked again.
And then…
Smoke.
It rose like a mist, curling into a shape — tall, lean, elegant. Piercing eyes formed in the smoke. A ghost of a face.
A voice echoed around her.
"You're not safe here, Aura."
She staggered back. "W-Who are you?"
"You've already met me… even if you don't remember."
"My name is Caelum."
Her lips parted. She had heard that name before — whispered by Tessa once when speaking to her father in the shadows.
"Vire." The prince of a rival clan.
A boy with silver eyes and a black heart.
"Why are you calling me that?" she asked. "Aura?"
The voice chuckled.
"Because it's who you are, little wolf. Not who they've told you to be."
The window burst open suddenly, wind howling into the room. Her hair whipped around her face, her nightgown fluttering. The smoke thinned — then reformed right beside her bed.
He stepped through it.Real now. Solid.Caelum Vire.
Silver hair, moonlight eyes, a dark velvet cloak swirling around him like a crown of shadows.
He looked at her — like he'd waited centuries.
"You felt it, didn't you?" he murmured. "The emptiness. The ache. The pull."
"That was me, Aura. Calling you home."
Aurelia's legs trembled.
"I don't know you."
"You will," he promised, stepping closer. "And when you do… you'll never be able to forget me again."
She tried to back away, but he caught her wrist — gently, but firm enough to still her heart.
The heat of his skin against hers sent a jolt up her spine.
"You saved me, didn't you? From the horse."
His expression darkened, sharp with emotion. "That beast was sent to kill you."
Her eyes widened. "Mireya…"
"She doesn't matter. You do. You always have."
Before she could answer—
BANG.
Her door flew open.
Ren.Aero.
Both brothers stormed in, blades unsheathed, eyes blazing.
"Step away from her," Aero growled.
Caelum turned, smiling coldly.
"Ah… the pets. So eager to protect what doesn't belong to them."
"She's our sister," Ren hissed.
Caelum's eyes flicked to Aurelia.
"She was never just your sister."
And then—
Smoke. Flash. Gone.
He vanished, leaving behind only heat and chaos.
Aurelia stood frozen, heart pounding.
Who was Caelum Vire?Why did it feel like… she already knew him?And why did her soul feel like it was screaming for more?
END OF CHAPTER 18