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Chapter 318
~Aira’s POV~
Storm.
He ran up to her, shaking her, trying to get her attention—but she didn’t move. She didn’t react.
"You see. Why won’t she answer him?" I asked.
Zade clenched his jaw. "She can’t. See? She wasn’t in control. If the Shadow Clave or Thorned Crescent is involved, then they hypnotised her."
"But no one is there," I argued.
"Dark magic can co in many ways, honey."
We looked at the video again and this ti noticed Storm placing a phone on his ear and away from Zara.
And then, from the left side of the screen, a tall man approached Storm.
Zade sucked in a sharp breath.
And then I saw him.
My stomach dropped. Kane.
I knew that body. I knew the way he moved, the way he carried himself. I had spent years loving that man.
Tears burnt my eyes as I whispered, "That’s Kane. I’d know him anywhere."
Zade exhaled sharply, his eyes flickering with emotion.
I forced myself to swallow, ignoring the lump in my throat. "That ans... the video does implicate Zara a lot but clearly shows she was out of it."
Zade nods his head. He ran a hand down his face, his voice laced with regret.
"She was being used. And I let her think she was delusional. I let her feel alone. Fuck. I ssed up. I never told her about who she truly was and thus did not protect her well. It’s all on ."
"So... Are you saying they are working together? Thorned Crescent, Shadow Clave and Kane?"
Zade turned to face . "I dunno. It is a calculated guess, but this just ans Zara was unknowingly used, and I accused her. I-I... Aira..."
A tear slipped down my cheek as guilt settled deep in my chest. "I pushed her away too. I accused her."
Zade’s expression softened, his blue eyes heavy with emotion. "She needs to hear this from us."
I wiped my tears, my voice hoarse. "Go to her. Please. Tell her I’m sorry."
Zade smiled softly and pulled into a hug. We had all made mistakes. But now, it was ti to fix them. "I will."
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~Storm’s POV~
I woke up with a headache.
A big, ugly, pounding headache that made my eyes squeeze shut and my stomach feel all twisty.
The ground under was cold and rough like when I fell on the gravel at the training grounds. My little fingers curled against the stone, feeling the dust stick to my skin.
Where was I?
My eyes fluttered open, and I blinked at the dim light around . The place slled weird—like old tal and sothing damp, like when it rained too much and made the basent sll funny.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my head. Everything felt a little... off. My arms were sore, and my legs felt heavy.
And then the headache ca again, sharp and deep, like sothing was squeezing inside my brain.
I groaned, gripping my head. "Ow..."
What happened?
I tried to think, tried to rember.
I was at the park.
Yes. The swings, the rope bridge, running around with the other kids.
And then...
"Auntie Zara," I whispered, my heart racing.
She had been standing still. Not blinking, not moving. Just staring at sothing I couldn’t see.
I had called her and shaken her.
She didn’t answer .
She didn’t even look at . That was so different from the Zara I knew.
She loved how cute I was and it was another reason I loved her so why would she ignore like that? Did I do sothing to annoy her?
Sothing was wrong.
I had felt it in my chest, in my tummy. That bad, bad feeling. So I did what Daddy always told to do when sothing didn’t feel right.
I had called him.
I patted my pockets quickly, panic rising in my throat—until I felt it.
My phone.
It was still there.
With shaking hands, I pulled it out, pressing the power button. The screen flickered to life, and I let out a shaky breath.
I quickly found Dad’s contact and pressed call, my tiny fingers gripping the phone tightly as it rang.
Co on, co on, co on...
Then, finally—
"Storm?" Dad’s voice ca through, strong and steady like always.
My lip wobbled. "Dad..."
"Storm. Where are you guys? We’ve been looking for you two, and Zara isn’t answering her cell."
I swallowed, looking around the scary place again. "I... We ca to the park. Daddy, Zara is acting funny. She—"
My heart nearly stopped as a shadow moved in front of as if I had witnessed another spooky film. However, the shadow was a man.
I sighed, placing my hand on my chest.
I wasn’t alone, but that wasn’t the problem. "Wha..."
His deep voice humd. "Hello, little champ."
I gasped as I stared up at the man standing in front of , my little fingers gripping my phone tightly.
He was big. His shoulders were broad, and his dark hair was pulled back, showing a face that looked kind of like mine... but not.
Sothing about him felt... wrong.
Like the stories Auntie Zara told about monsters pretending to be people.
His lips curled into a smirk. "I finally get to et my son."
My breath caught in my throat. Son?
I shook my head quickly. "My daddy is Snow."
The man growled low in his throat, making the hair on my arms stand up. I wished I could have been like Daddy Snow right now, but I was a little too small to shift without a wolf.
"Your mother has filled your head with lies," the man said, taking a step forward.
My feet stepped back on their own.
He noticed—and smiled.
"Hey, look, buddy," he said, his voice softer now, but his eyes were sharp. "I don’t know what your mom told you, but you have my blood flowing through your veins. Didn’t she tell you that?"
I shook my head. I could feel my heartbeat getting louder in my ears. "No."
He sighed dramatically. "Figures. Aira always was stubborn."
My fingers twitched against my phone. If I could just get the call back to Daddy—
But Kane’s eyes flicked to my hand, and I knew I had to be smart.
I let my hand drop to my side like I wasn’t holding anything important, then slowly slipped my phone into my pocket.
Kane’s smirk widened like he knew exactly what I was doing.
"Good boy," he murmured. "You’re learning."
I swallowed but I didn’t let the fear show on my face. I needed to be smart. Just like Uncle Snow always told .
"How do I know you’re not lying?" I asked, lifting my chin.
Kane raised a brow, clearly amused. "Oh? You want proof?"
I nodded.
He chuckled, then reached for the buttons of his shirt. "Alright, kid. Look at this."
He pulled the fabric aside, revealing his left shoulder.
My breath caught.
A birthmark.
A big one, shaped like a distorted star. My hands clenched into fists because I knew that shape. I had seen it before.
On myself. Every ti I looked in the mirror.
Kane’s gaze locked onto mine, and for the first ti, I felt sothing else beneath his cold expression.
Sothing dangerous.
I barely had ti to react before he moved.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆
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