Chapter 9: The Edge of Choice
Aria's POV
Roman's icy word reverberated across the holding cages. "I own her." My blood froze. He wanted me, and he was here, alive.
I was left alone with my terror as Darius went out to find the cause of the disturbance. I needed to decide. Let him chase me, run again, and hide?
Or go up, confront him, and take back what was rightfully mine?
With the room covered in lengthy shadows from the dim moonlight, I made my way to the window.
A feeling of dread settled in my gut as I looked out at the shadowy woods. I was unable to run. No more.
I walked back into the room and stared at the Moon Severance, a silver knife, resting on the table. It glistened in the gloom, a sign of sacrifice and a ray of promise.
I kept thinking about what the elders had said. "A sacrifice. A memory that molds you into the person you are.
My heart was racing. What was it I could give up? What aspect of myself could I destroy in order to sever the connection?
I pictured Darius, his touch soft, his eyes powerful and warm. The promise in his eyes, the way he held me through the storm, and the recollection of our first kiss.
Could I take it off? Could I make him disappear?
No. I was unable to. He was my strength and my mooring. I'd be lost without him.
Then Rome sprang to mind. His face, icy and harsh, his words laced with possessiveness.
The terror, the violation, the recollection of the forced bond.
I balled my fists up. I wouldn't allow him to prevail. I refused to allow him to rule me any longer.
The cool metal of the knife contrasted sharply with my shaking palms as I took it up. I looked at it, my resolute stare reflected in the silver blade.
Yes, I would. I would sever the connection. I would take back my independence.
I marched to the door, my steps solid, my determination strong. I needed to locate Darius. I had to inform him of my choice.
Tension permeated the air as I emerged into the corridor. From the holding cells came the sounds of fighting. With my pulse racing, I walked up to them.
When I arrived to the cells, my eyes widened. Wolves lay dispersed over the ground, their corpses ripped and bleeding.
Darius stood in the midst, his sword poised, his eyes fixed on Roman.
Roman was unique. Like the beast from the cave, he shifted and twisted, his eyes glowing crimson. He was no longer merely a wolf. He was something else. Something dark and strong.
"You can't stop me," he muttered, his voice a deep, guttural rumble. "I own her."
With his blade shining in the low light, Darius attacked. Roman shifted his body to dodge the hit and snarled.
The air was heavy with the smell of magic and blood as the conflict raged. My heart was racing as I watched, and I was becoming more scared.
Then I noticed it. The energy swirled around Roman's palm like a black tendril.
He struck out, sending Darius slamming into the wall as the energy struck him.
With a sigh, Darius's body went limp. Roman laughed, a chilly, nasty sound.
"Now," he replied, staring at me. "I own her."
With the black energy whirling around his extended palm, he approached me.
My grip on the knife tightened as I held my ground.
"No," I responded in a firm, powerful voice. "I'm not yours."
He halted, squinting his eyes. "You have no choice," he hissed.
"Yes, I do," I said firmly. "I make my own decisions."
My fingers trembled as I lifted the knife, but my eyes remained glued on his. "I decide to sever the connection."
A glimmer of terror appeared on his face as his eyes expanded. "You wouldn't," he growled at them.
"I would," I responded in a chilly tone. "And I will."
With the knife up, I took a step forward, prepared to attack.
Then a voice, old and strong, reverberated through the cells. "Stop!"
All of us froze, looking in the direction of the voice. With worried expressions on their faces, the elders stood at the door.
One of them remarked solemnly, "This is not the way." "The bond will only be strengthened by violence."
With his eyes focused on Roman and his voice hoarse, Darius whispered, "But he'll kill her."
Another elder said, "There is another way." "A method of severance that involves acceptance rather than coercion."
"Acknowledgment?" My voice was confused as I asked.
"You have to confront your history, Aria," the elder said. "You have to face the hurt, the betrayal, the truth."
"The reality?" With little more than a whisper, I asked.
"The bond's truth," the elder said. The actuality of your emotions. The reality of your... relationship.
My heart was racing. Link. What relationship may I have with Roman?
"It's a dangerous path," the elder remarked. "Vulnerability is necessary. A weakness that may shatter you.
"But it's possible," I responded, my voice filled with a weak optimism. "Can the bond be broken?"
The older said, "It can." However, it needs a guide. Someone capable of guiding you through the shadows.
They looked at Darius. "You," one of them said, "Alpha." You are her partner. Her anchor is you.
Darius looked at me, his eyes filled with a quiet strength. "I'll be with you," he added, his voice gentle. "Every step of the way."
I glanced at him, my eyes filled with a combination of terror and trust. "I'm ready," I responded, my voice steady.
The elders nodded, their features marked with a calm firmness. "Then let the ceremony start."
They moved out of the way, exposing a passageway that led farther into the cells. A road into the unknown that was obscured by darkness.
I inhaled deeply as my grip tightened around the knife. I glanced at Darius, his eyes filled with steadfast support.
I then moved forward into the shadows. deep into my history.
A peculiar energy filled the air as I went. cries from the past, cries of suffering and treachery, echoed through the darkness.
Then someone stepped out of the shadows. A figure of recollection and shadow. Roman. Not the Roman I knew, however.
This Roman was younger, gentle, and had a desperate need in his eyes.
"Aria," he said, his voice laced with haunting sadness. "Why did you leave?"