Page 16 of Her Fated Alpha Prince (Royal Dragons of Blackwater Islands #1)
She stood before the mirror, fingers trembling as the chill clung to her skin.
The liquid glass rippled again, and this time the shapes inside became clearer—faint images, like memories folded in shadow.
Faces she didn’t recognize, places she had never seen, and symbols that stirred something deep within her chest.
Ariana swallowed hard, struggling to keep her breath steady. The voice inside her heart had spoken twice now, both times urging her to remember. But what exactly was she supposed to remember?
Her mind flashed back to the dream—the jungle, the silver flames, the vines that caught her fall like old friends. She hadn’t understood it then, but now a thread began to pull through her thoughts, weaving the past and present together in a delicate, dangerous tapestry.
The mirror shimmered once more, and a new image surfaced. It was a woman—tall and regal, her hair like spun silver, her eyes fierce and commanding. She looked at Ariana not with judgment, but with a weighty understanding, as if she saw the cracks and the strength both.
Ariana’s breath caught. The woman’s face was hauntingly familiar, yet impossible to place.
A sudden noise behind her made her spin. A shadow moved near the door, silent as a breath.
“Who’s there?” Ariana called, voice steadier than she felt.
From the darkness, a figure stepped forward—V. The silver-haired man whose name she barely dared to speak. His eyes, sharp and calculating, held a flicker of something unreadable.
“You should not be here,” he said quietly, eyes flicking to the mirror. “This place is not safe for you yet.”
Ariana squared her shoulders, gripping the dagger more tightly. “I need answers. I can’t wait anymore.”
V studied her for a long moment, then nodded reluctantly. “Very well. But know this—the deeper you go, the harder it will be to return.”
He stepped aside, motioning toward a narrow staircase concealed behind the far wall. “Beneath this manor lies the Heart Chamber. It holds the secrets of your bloodline and the power you carry, whether you believe it or not.”
Ariana’s heart hammered, equal parts fear and anticipation. The chamber sounded like something from the stories Kael had whispered, something ancient and dangerous.
“Lead the way,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm.
As they descended, the air grew colder, heavier with the scent of earth and forgotten things. The walls seemed to hum with power, and distant echoes whispered in a language she almost recognized.
At the bottom, a heavy iron door barred their path. V placed his hand against the cool metal, and the runes carved into it glowed softly, then faded. The door groaned open, revealing a chamber bathed in a pale blue light.
In the center stood an altar, covered in dust and scattered with wilted flowers. Symbols glowed faintly on the floor—runes she felt resonating in her bones.
V turned to her. “This is where your ancestors bound their power. Where your fate was sealed.”
Ariana stepped forward, her gaze drawn to the altar. She could feel the energy pulsing beneath her skin, the same energy that had stirred in her dreams and in the garden outside.
Her fingers brushed the altar’s surface, and a surge of heat shot through her. Images flooded her mind—visions of battles fought, promises made, and a destiny she could no longer deny.
She pulled back, breath shallow but steady.
V’s voice was soft now. “The choice is yours, Ariana. Embrace it, or walk away forever.”
Her eyes locked on his, determination hardening in her chest.
“I’m not walking away.”
The chamber seemed to pulse with approval, and somewhere deep inside, something long dormant began to awaken.
Ariana’s fingers trembled as she unfolded the ancient parchment, its edges brittle beneath her touch.
The faded ink was nearly illegible, but the symbols — familiar now in a way they hadn’t been before — seemed to glow faintly under the moonlight filtering through her window.
Her heart hammered, not from fear, but from a fierce, aching curiosity that clawed at her very core.
She had always known she wasn’t ordinary. Not just because Kael said she was dangerous, or because the garden bloomed unnaturally beneath the moon’s gaze. There was something deeper — something waiting to be unlocked.
The words on the parchment told a story she hadn’t been ready to hear.
“Born of the silver bloodline, the flame within will awaken when the moon’s shadow falls thrice. The bearer holds the key to the balance — between creation and destruction, light and dark.”
Ariana’s breath caught. The silver bloodline. That was the phrase Elder Varos had used when he’d introduced her to Kael, when he’d hinted at things she hadn’t understood. Was this what he meant? Was this the reason she felt the fire burning just beneath her skin, the power that hummed in her veins?
Her gaze drifted to the small pendant resting on her nightstand — a delicate silver flame, the gift from Kael.
She had been in her room and she realized she was just on autopilot, staring.
The pendant brought her back to reality.
Until now, it had been just a beautiful trinket, a symbol of something she couldn’t name.
But now, it pulsed softly, in time with her heartbeat, as if it were alive.
She wanted to run from it, to shove the parchment back under the mattress and pretend she hadn’t read a single word. But the truth had its claws sunk too deep.
Outside, the garden still shimmered under the moonlight, the flowers glowing with an unnatural vibrancy. They were a mirror to the change inside her — unpredictable, wild, and beautiful.
Her thoughts spiraled. If she truly carried the legacy of the silver bloodline, what did that mean for her future? For Kael? For the people who were watching her from the shadows?
The knock on the door startled her, sharp and sudden. She didn’t want to face anyone — not tonight. Not when her world felt like it was unraveling.
But the voice that followed was soft, almost hesitant.
“Ariana… it’s me.”
Kael’s voice.
She hesitated only a moment before opening the door.
He stepped inside, his expression unreadable, but his eyes searching. There was something heavier behind them tonight, a burden she hadn’t seen before.
“Did you find it?” His voice was low, careful.
She nodded, clutching the parchment close like a lifeline.
“We don’t have much time,” he said, stepping closer. “What you carry... it changes everything. Not just for you, but for all of us.”
Her heart twisted. The weight of his words settled between them, thick and suffocating.
“I don’t know if I’m ready,” she whispered.
Kael reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “None of us are. But running won’t keep you safe.”
Her breath caught at the tenderness in his touch. She wanted to believe him. To believe that together they could face whatever was coming.
But deep down, a fierce part of her screamed—what if this was only the beginning of the storm?
Ariana stepped back slightly, the parchment still clutched tightly in her hand. The air between them was thick with unspoken truths and simmering tension. Kael’s presence was both a comfort and a reminder of everything she was about to lose — or become.
“I need to understand this,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “Why me? Why the silver bloodline now, after all this time?”
Kael’s eyes darkened, shadows flickering in their depths. “Because the balance is tipping. Forces long hidden are stirring. You’re the key, whether you want to be or not.”
Her pulse quickened, a mix of fear and something darker — something raw and undeniable. She remembered how his touch had ignited her skin before, how his voice had threaded through her dreams like a promise she couldn’t resist.
“Then tell me everything,” she said, surprising herself with the steadiness in her voice. “No more secrets.”
Kael stepped closer, his breath warm against her cheek. “The silver bloodline isn’t just about power. It’s about sacrifice. About walking a path where every choice could burn you alive.”
A shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't cold. It was the heat of possibility, the dangerous edge of something new.
“Then I’m ready to walk it,” Ariana said, meeting his gaze. “Even if it kills me.”
His lips curved into a slow, almost sorrowful smile. “I hoped you’d say that.”
For a moment, the world outside faded. The moonlight filtering through the window cast silver shadows on the walls, mirroring the fire sparking between them.
Kael reached out, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw, gentle but commanding. “You have no idea what you’re about to unleash.”
Ariana’s breath hitched. The air pulsed with electricity, every nerve ending alive with tension and promise. The promise of danger, but also something deeper — connection, trust, something neither of them dared to name yet.
Slowly, Kael closed the distance, his mouth hovering just above hers. His eyes searched hers, silently asking permission, silently begging for surrender.
She didn’t hesitate.
Their lips met in a collision of heat and need, fierce and urgent. It was the kind of kiss that shattered boundaries, that burned away doubt and fear in a single touch. Her hands found their way to his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart, matching the fire inside her own.
Kael’s hands tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as if afraid to let go. Every inch of her body responded — every whisper of skin, every pulse of breath.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathless, the space between them charged with new energy.
“Whatever comes next,” Kael murmured, his forehead resting against hers, “we face it together.”
Ariana’s heart soared and sank all at once. The path ahead was shadowed and uncertain, but for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel alone.
As the night deepened, they stayed there — two souls caught in the storm of fate and fire, their hands entwined, their breaths mingling in the quiet.
Outside, the garden pulsed with life, the flowers glowing like embers in the dark.
And somewhere, deep within her, a flame had finally been ignited — one that would either consume her or light the way.