Katie
The infirmary was too bright.
Katie sat on the edge of the bed, her knuckles wrapped in fresh bandages, her ribs aching from the fight. The silence between Liam and Lucian was louder than any scream. Liam paced like a storm contained, and Lucian leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, his silver eyes fixed on her with unreadable intensity.
"You didn't have to come," she muttered, her voice hollow.
Lucian's voice rolled through the room, low and sharp. "You think I'd let you suffer alone?"
Liam halted, looking between them. "You could've killed her, Katie."
Katie looked down at her hands. The memory of Marissa's blood wouldn't wash away. "She deserved it," she whispered. "You don't know what she's done to me all these years."
Lucian pushed off the wall, his jaw clenched. "Next time, let me do it."
Liam scoffed but didn't disagree. "Might be the only thing we've agreed on so far."
Katie stood. "I need air."
No one stopped her.
She walked into the fading light, dusk wrapping around her like a familiar cloak. Her body throbbed with pain, but her mind spun faster. Every footstep away from the pack house felt like walking off the edge of something permanent.
And then she felt it.
A presence. Cold. Watching.
She turned quickly.
A man leaned against a tree, half-shrouded in shadow. A hood cloaked most of his face, but what she could see was chiseled and grim. His aura rolled out like storm clouds. Ancient. Powerful. Dangerous.
Rachel snarled.
Daya hissed.
Syla went deathly still.
"You're stronger than I expected," the stranger said. His voice was smooth, deep—like ice cracking beneath velvet.
Katie's spine straightened. "Who are you?"
He stepped forward slowly, his face still mostly in shadow. "Call me Caelum."
The name struck something deep inside her—too deep.
She frowned. "Why are you watching me?"
"I've been watching you for a long time," he said, tilting his head. "You're not like the others. You're... something new. Something broken. Something beautiful."
Katie's fingers twitched. "You don't know me."
"Oh, but I do. More than you know."
He stepped forward again and the air turned brittle. He didn't touch her, but the space between them crackled.
"I see the fire in you, Katherine. I see what the others fear. They don't want you to rise. But I do."
Her eyes shifted—red for Daya. Gold for Rachel. Silver for Syla. Then all three at once.
Caelum's lips curled. "You're waking up. Good."
And then he vanished.
Just like that.
Katie stood frozen, heart pounding, hands shaking. His name echoed inside her like an old lullaby turned nightmare.
She didn't know him. But something in her blood did.
Caelum
He watched her from the trees long after he vanished from her sight.
Katherine.
The name rolled through his head like thunder. She was stronger than he thought, her aura a terrifying fusion of night and flame. Power oozed from her pores. Not yet mastered—but close.
He didn't know why he was drawn to her. Only that he was.
There was something about her eyes…
And something in his chest tugged painfully when she spoke.
He clenched his jaw.
He whispered her name into the night. Not the one she answered to now.
But the one she bore before.
"Katie…"
Then, with one final look, he disappeared into the dark.
Chapter Eight: Blood and Silence
Lucian
The moonlight painted everything in silver and blue, but Lucian's world burned crimson.
Katie hadn't returned yet. He leaned against the cold stone wall of the east tower, arms crossed, watching the forest like a predator waiting for his prey—or his mate.
She'd changed. He could feel it in the bond. Something about her had snapped wide open. Her power flared brighter now, a triple flame that pulsed in his veins.
And then he felt her.
She appeared from the woods, walking like she was half in a dream. Her body was bruised and her aura sang with chaos. But her eyes met his, and they steadied.
Lucian moved without thinking. "Where were you?"
"I needed air," she said, voice tired. "And then... I met someone."
His entire body tensed. "Who?"
"A man. He called himself Caelum."
Lucian's heart dropped into his gut.
Caelum.
That name was carved in the history of war. A ghost of death. A whisper in old vampire scrolls. Dangerous didn't even begin to describe him.
"He didn't hurt you?"
Katie shook her head. "No. But he knew things about me. Things he shouldn't."
Lucian cupped her face gently. "If he touches you again, I will kill him."
Her breath hitched.
Liam appeared behind them. "You found her."
Lucian didn't look away. "She found something else too."
Katie lowered her eyes. "He said I'm waking up."
Liam stepped closer. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But I think… I think something big is coming."
Caelum
From the cliffs above the forest, Caelum watched the three of them—Katie and her mates.
The sight twisted something in his gut.
He didn't know why it hurt.
But he knew one thing:
He would take everything from them. All of it.
And when the truth came to light—
It would destroy them all.