Aurora’s PO.V

    1 freeze. Every inch of me tenses, a rush of cold fear coursing through my veins. I don’t dare look at him, but his presence ifills /ithe room, suffocating and oppressive. His cruelughter echoes through the space as the walls seem to close in on me.

    “We’re not just toys for your amusement, Lucas,” Ashton spits, his jaw clenched. He struggles against his binds, trying to keep his voice steady, though I can hear the tremor in it. “This won’tst. We’ll get out, no matter what you do.”

    Lucas steps closer, his voice mocking as he speaks again, his words cutting deep. “Oh, how sweet. You think you have a choice? You’re all just pawns in my game. But trust me, it won’t be long now. The ritual is about to begin.”

    I feel my stomach drop, the panic swirling inside me, but I force myself to take a deep breath. I can’t fall apart–not now. Not in front of the others.

    Violet’s sobs grow louder, and I know I need to be strong for her. For all of us. bI /bswallow the lump in my throat, trying to keep my voice steady as I look back at Violet, who looks so small and fragile in the middle of this nightmare.

    I looked up to find Lucas pacing the room. He had changed into ck robes now, and there was a certain presence about him that made my skin crawl. He was standing in front of the captives— people who, like me, were caught in this mess, this nightmare that he’d crafted. The sharp, steel glint in his eyes told me everything I needed to know: there was no escaping this.

    “Let them go, Lucas,” I demanded, my voice tight, but firm. I couldn’t let fear control me, not now. We had to get out of whatever twisted nightmare this was.

    His eyes flickered toward me, a cruelugh escaping his lips. It sent a shiver down my spine. “Let them go?” He chuckled again, the sound unnervingly low. “You think I’m just going to walk away from this? After thirty years of nning, of waiting… of sacrifice? You really think I’m going to give it all up now?”

    I felt the weight of his words hit me, my stomach sinking. Thirty years. Thirty long years of whatever

    and twisted game he’d been ying, and I had no idea. I thought I had figured him out, that he was just some kind of psychotic stalker and a witch who liked to experiment. But I had it all wrong. This was

    much more than that.

    “What are you doing, Lucas?b” /bI asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I hated how weak my voice sounded, how I could barely hold myself together as I stared at him. “All of this… what’s it for? What do you want? What’s your endgame?”

    Lucas straightened, the air around him suddenly thick with something darker. His expression, though, was unreadable. “I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “Waiting for the right time, the right conditions. And now?” bHe /blet out a breath, his lips curling into a grin. “Now is the moment when everything changes. No more hiding. No more ying by your rules.” He stepped closer, and I could feel the weight of his every word press against me like a physical force. “I’m not stopping now. Not when I’vee this far.”

    His words hit me like a punch. What exactly was he nning? What was all this even about. No matter what happened, I had to find out what he was really ying at.

    “And what do you n to do to us?” I asked. “What happens now?”

    He stepped closer, too close, and I felt a knot of fear twist in my chest. “You really want to know?” His eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, I saw something I hadn’t seen before: the raw hunger, the obsession. “Because this is bigger than you. Bigger than all of them. This is about power. About control. About making sure that no one ever tells me what to do again.”

    I shook my head, my heart pounding in my ears. I wanted to walk away, to run, but I couldn’t. We were all bound and helpless, pawns in his twisted game, and yet, we hadn’t found out what this was

    all about.

    “I won’t let you do this,” I whispered, but I didn’t even believe the words. What could I do against someone like him?

    Lucas smiled, and there was no warmth in it. “You’re toote, Aurora,” he said softly. “The pieces are already in ce. It’s already done. There’s nothing you can do to stop it now.”

    I felt a chill settle deep in my bones. Something big was about to happen, and I felt helpless to stop olliit. /li/ol

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