Chapter 131: WHEN DARKNESS KNOWS YOUR NAME - THE DON'S SECRET WIFE

CHAPTER 131: WHEN DARKNESS KNOWS YOUR NAME

The thunder outside the compound rolled like a warning drum. Not rushed. Not frantic. Slow. Heavy. Measured. Each rumble shook the ground a little harder than the one before it, as if something enormous walked just beyond sight.

The Patron was coming.

The air inside the suite tightened. A soft vibration crept through the floor, climbing into the walls and settling into the ceiling. The candles along the bedside trembled, their flames bowing inward as though pushed by invisible breath.

Aria felt it before anyone else.

She stiffened in Luca’s arms, her hand instinctively flying to her stomach. The baby responded instantly with a firm kick, strong but not frantic.

"She knows," Aria whispered.

Luca held her tighter. "She is safe. You both are."

But Aria shook her head, her voice strained. "No. She knows he is near."

Vescari moved quickly to the table, shuffling through ancient pages. "The bond is anchored now, but the Patron will test it. He will push. He will try to break it before it fully settles in your blood."

Nico looked toward the shuttered window. "If he comes inside, then what?"

Vescari’s expression darkened. "Then we all pray that the bearer is strong enough to stop him."

Aria took a shaky breath. "I am trying."

Luca brushed her hair back gently. "You are doing more than anyone has ever done."

The lights flickered again.

Then died.

Total darkness swallowed the room.

Rosetta gasped.

Nico cursed under his breath.

The candles stuttered, their flames bending toward the floor as if suffocating. Aria’s heartbeat quickened under Luca’s palm. He pressed closer, grounding her.

A deep voice echoed through the compound.

Not loud.

Not shouted.

Just there.

Aria.

Her breath caught.

Rosetta clutched her rosary so tightly the beads cracked. "He is inside the walls."

Vescari shook his head. "Not inside. But near enough that his voice travels through the bloodline he once guarded."

Another rumble of thunder followed the name.

Aria.

This time it was sharper. More urgent. More commanding.

Aria doubled over with a sharp cry.

Luca grabbed her, easing her back onto the pillows. "Look at me. Do not listen to him."

Her hands trembled against her stomach. "He is calling at the door again."

Vescari turned pale. "Impossible. The ritual should hold."

"He is not calling it to open," Aria whispered. "He is testing it. Pushing against the edges. Trying to find a weakness."

The candles flared to life suddenly, their flames stretching tall and thin, casting long shadows that moved without direction.

Aria flinched. "He is angry."

Luca leaned closer. "Then let him scream."

As if responding, the candles extinguished again.

Nico strode toward the door. "I am checking the hall."

The moment he touched the handle, a deep crack resounded through the building.

Not thunder.

Not wind.

Something striking the outer wall.

Hard.

Rosetta froze. "What was that?"

Vescari’s voice shook. "The sentinels."

Nico’s eyes widened. "They are attacking the compound."

Another blow followed.

Then another.

And another.

Luca stepped in front of Aria, his body tense, eyes sharp. "Can they break through?"

Vescari hesitated.

Luca snapped, "I asked you a question."

"Yes," Vescari admitted. "If they are commanded with full intent, yes."

Aria gasped. "The Patron will not break the walls to get in. He is breaking them to break me."

Rosetta turned to her, horrified. "Child..."

Aria shook her head. "He is trying to frighten the lineage inside me. Fear is how the door was opened in the past. It is how it responds."

Luca knelt beside her again. "Then we do not give him fear."

Another slam shook the building, rattling loose tiles from the ceiling.

Dust fell onto the floor.

Aria flinched again. "He is closer."

Luca cupped her face. "Stay here with me. Stay grounded."

She nodded, but her breathing was quickening. "I feel the pull again. It is faint, but it is there."

"Look at me," Luca whispered.

She forced her gaze upward.

Her eyes filled with tears. "Luca, I do not want to feel him."

"You will feel only me."

She clutched his shirt with shaking fingers. "Hold me."

He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her gently from the pillows, pulling her into his chest so her heartbeat pressed against his.

Another blow struck the compound.

Then another.

Nico steadied himself against the wall. "Boss, the perimeter is weakening."

Rosetta trembled. "What can hold against something like this?"

Vescari opened his book again, flipping frantically. "There is one safeguard. One barrier older than the circle itself."

Luca didn’t look up. "Speak."

"The bearer’s vow has power. But the vow is twofold. The bearer must claim protection. But she must also be claimed."

Aria’s breath hitched. "Claimed by what?"

Vescari lifted cold, ancient eyes.

"By the one she anchors to."

Rosetta murmured a soft prayer. "You mean..."

Vescari nodded. "The bond between Aria and Luca is strong, yes. But it is not sealed in the way the lineage understands. For her power to reach its fullest, her anchor must be bound to her by oath."

Luca’s jaw tightened. "You mean marriage."

"No," Vescari said. "Deeper than marriage."

Aria shifted slightly in Luca’s arms. "Explain."

Vescari stepped closer. "Your bloodline recognizes two types of bonds. Blood... and soul. Blood is ancestry. Soul is choice. Your bond with Luca is powerful but unspoken. Unsealed. If he binds himself to you through the ancient vow, the lineage will obey the union."

Luca stared at him. "How?"

Vescari swallowed. "He must speak the vow of anchor. And you must accept it."

Aria looked up at Luca slowly, her eyes wide with fear and hope. "What happens if we do?"

"The Patron loses his pull," Vescari said. "Completely."

Silence filled the room.

Then Luca said, without hesitation, "Tell me the vow."

Aria’s eyes filled instantly. Relief. Love. Fear.

Vescari pulled a thin slip of parchment from the book. "This vow was spoken only once before. By the first bearer and the guardian who betrayed his oath. If spoken again, it binds your souls. Luca, you must mean every word. Aria, you must consent."

Luca lifted Aria’s chin. "I will say whatever keeps you alive."

Aria searched his face. "And if saying it binds you to something eternal."

"I am already bound to you."

Her breath trembled. "Luca..."

Another blow shook the compound.

Vescari lifted the parchment. "Are you ready?"

Aria nodded. "Yes."

Luca nodded. "Begin."

Vescari cleared his throat.

"Luca DeLuca, place your hand over her heart."

Luca pressed his palm to Aria’s chest.

She inhaled sharply.

Her pulse steadied beneath his hand.

"Aria Valencia," Vescari said, "place your hand over his."

Aria covered Luca’s hand with hers, her fingers trembling.

The historian began the vow.

"Luca, repeat the words exactly."

Luca nodded once.

Vescari’s voice deepened.

"I claim your soul as my shield..."

Luca repeated, "I claim your soul as my shield..."

"Your blood as my anchor..."

"Your life as my vow..."

"And I bind my future to yours."

The air thickened.

The candles trembled violently.

Vescari looked at Aria. "Now you."

Aria breathed through her trembling.

"I accept your vow..."

"Your soul as my guide..."

"Your strength as my protection..."

"And I bind my destiny to yours."

The building stilled.

Completely.

The storm outside paused mid-rumble.

The air held its breath.

Then a warm rush of golden light burst from between their joined hands.

It spread over Aria’s chest.

Over Luca’s arm.

Over their bodies like molten sunlight.

Aria gasped.

Luca held her tightly.

The bond is sealed.

The lineage was accepted.

Vescari whispered, "It is done."

Rosetta burst into tears.

Nico exhaled shakily.

Then a deep scream tore across the night.

Not a human scream.

Not a mortal sound.

A roar of rage so powerful it shook the earth.

The Patron.

The vow had cut him from Aria.

And he felt it.

Aria trembled. "He is furious."

Luca lifted her chin gently. "Good."

A final blow slammed against the compound walls.

Then silence.

The fog retreated.

The night went still.

The Patron was gone.

For now.

But as Aria rested her head against Luca’s chest, breath trembling and exhausted, she whispered the truth they all felt.

"He will come back."

And Luca held her tighter.

"Then we will be ready."