The city hummed with a restless tension, as if the night itself held its breath. Adrian stood at the edge of the rooftop, staring down at the streetlights that blurred like stars fallen to earth. His jaw clenched every inch the composed vampire prince, yet inside, the war with Kai was far from over.
Kai's absence was a gnawing void in his chest, and the fight they'd just survived wasn't enough to bury the truth that clawed at them both: their fragile alliance was cracking.
Below, the city pulsed with danger. The werewolves and vampires were circling, hunting, waiting for the slightest sign of weakness.
Adrian exhaled slowly, the cold night air filling his lungs. He wasn't just fighting for survival anymore he was fighting for something more complicated, more volatile.
He closed his eyes, and in the dark, he could almost hear Kai's soft, defiant voice.
"We're tangled in more than blood now, Adrian."
Adrian's fingers curled into fists, a low growl rumbling in his throat.
"Then we either break or we burn."
The rooftop felt like the edge of a knife sharp, unforgiving, and dangerously close to falling.
And Adrian wasn't ready to let go.