𝙱𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝙸𝚗 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟶: 𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚂𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛

---

Elara woke with a start, her heart pounding in the

darkness. She lay in bed, tangled in the sheets, the

remnants of another dream—no, nightmare—fading

from her mind. Darius’s presence lingered like a shadow

over her, even though she was alone.

Or was she?

She sat up, her breath shallow as she scanned the room,

but there was nothing. No sign of him. Still, she couldn’t

shake the feeling that he was watching, waiting. Always

there.

The attraction she felt toward him was growing

stronger, more undeniable with each passing day. It

terrified her, but there was something seductive about

the way Darius seemed to have complete control over

her life. The safety he promised, the protection from the

shadow creatures, it came at a cost. But deep down,

part of her was drawn to the danger he represented.

The sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand

snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Lena again.

She hesitated before answering, her voice shaky. “Hey.”

“Elara, I’m worried about you,” Lena said, her voice

urgent. “You’ve been acting so strange, and after what

happened the other night with that guy—”

“I told you not to worry about it, Lena,” Elara

interrupted, her heart pounding. “It’s... complicated.”

“You keep saying that, but you won’t explain anything

to me,” Lena pressed. “Elara, you don’t have to deal with

whatever this is alone. You can trust me.”

But that was the problem. Elara couldn’t trust anyone.

Not anymore. Not with Darius’s constant presence in her

life. He had made it clear that her world was no longer

her own.

“I’m fine, really,” Elara lied,

Elara’s voice wavered, but she pushed the lie forward,

desperate to keep Lena away from the darkness that

now consumed her life. "You just need to trust me, okay?

I’ll handle it."

Lena’s sigh came through the phone, filled with

frustration and worry. "You don’t have to go through

this alone, Elara. Whatever you’re dealing with, I’m here.

Please just let me help."

For a moment, Elara almost broke. She almost told Lena

everything—about Darius, the shadow creatures, the