Aurora’s POV

    Iy there, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. It felt like I hadn’t slept in days, but every time I tried to close my eyes, my mind refused to rest. The exhaustion was pulling at me, but it was like I couldnt surrender to it. The small clock on the bedside table ticked away in the silence of the night, each second reminding me of how much I needed sleep. But the minutes stretched on, dragging me deeper into an anxious state, as if the night itself was

    refusing to let me go.

    Then, right when it seemed like the world would finally give me a break, I heard a soft knock on the door. It barely made a sound, but I froze immediately, my heart racing. I sat up, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes, when the door opened just a crack. Ashton and Maggie stepped in, their faces a mix of urgency and something else-something I couldn’t quite ce.

    I couldn’t hide the worry in my voice when I asked, “Is it really safe for you to be here at this hour?”

    Ashton stepped closer, his usual calm demeanor recing any tension. “It’s fine. You’re okay.” His voice was steady, but I could hear the undercurrent of something deeper. “Between two and three a.m. is called the Witching Hour. Witches and wizards meditate during this time to connect with their magic. For the next forty minutes, we’re safe. Nothing can harm us.”

    1 stared at him, trying to process what he’d just said. “You’re telling me it’s safe because of the time?”

    Maggie nodded, her usual quiet presence not matching the seriousness in her eyes. “Exactly. It’s like a protective window. During this hour, everything aligns. Trust me, we’re not in any danger.”

    I still wasn’t entirely convinced. “But whye here now?” My voice was shaky. “What if we’re being watched?”

    Ashton gave me a reassuring look, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We just need to talk, Aurora. There’s something important we need to discuss.”

    I wasn’t sure what to make of it all, but I had a feeling this wasn’t just about the time. Something else was going on, and I had a sinking feeling it was about to change everything.

    1 motioned for them to hop onto the bed, my voice steady despite the chaos swirling in my mind. The two of them didn’t flinch as they crossed my mother’s ss coffin, didn’t hesitate. They just moved, their feet hitting the ground lightly as if they’d done this a thousand times before. I could see it in their eyes -the same unease I felt, but they were already used to the horror of it. We all were.

    I forced myself to swallow the unease. I couldn’t let myself spiral. There were too many questions I needed answers to. I met Ashton’s gaze, his eyes dark, distant, haunted. Is everyone like this?” I asked, my voice soft but heavy with the weight of the question. “Did we all suffer because of him?”

    Ashton’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he exhaled slowly, looking, at the ss case, then back at me. “Yeah, we all did.” His voice was t, but there was an edge to it. Lucas made sure of that. And we were too powerless to stop it.”

    Maggie, who had been silently taking it all in, finally spoke up. Lucas has been doing this for a long time, Aurora. Her words hung in the air hke smoke. “All these children, all these hybrids. He’s creating them for a reason. He’s feeding off of them, drawing power, trying to build something. She paused, her face tightening with frustration This It’s an experiment. A sick, twisted one.

    i swallowed hard, my throat burning I have so many questions. I don’t even know where to begin, I admitted, my head spinning. Every inch of this ce, every story they told, felt like a puzzle piece I couldn’t put together