Bride Of The Night

Chapter 13

### **Chapter 13: Embrace the Night**

The mansion was quiet again. Too quiet.

Lana sat on the edge of a plush armchair in one of the many lavish rooms Emma and Ian had shown her upon her arrival. The fire crackled softly in the corner, casting flickering shadows across the walls. She had learned quickly that silence wasn't always comforting. Not when you were alone with your thoughts. Not when those thoughts were filled with doubts, fears, and the gnawing, relentless hunger that had taken root deep within her.

She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. She could feel it again, the familiar surge of power inside her. It pulsed in time with the rhythm of her body—her heart, her breath, everything—but there was something unnatural about it. It wasn't the beat of a living heart. It was something darker, something more insistent, crawling beneath her skin.

The hunger.

The need.

The thirst.

And Morpheus's words echoed in her mind like a drumbeat: *You are mine. You will learn to embrace it.*

*No,* she thought, clenching her fists in her lap. She would not let that be her fate. She was not some pawn to be controlled by him.

But the whispers were louder now. They weren't just his words anymore. They were a part of her. The hunger had a voice, and it was growing stronger by the day. She could feel it tugging at her—pulling her toward something darker, something she didn't understand.

Lana opened her eyes and stood up, moving toward the window. The moon hung in the sky, full and bright, casting a silver glow across the landscape. The forest beyond the mansion, dense and shadowed, seemed to beckon her, just as the hunger within her did.

For a long moment, she stared out at the world beyond, the tension in her body slowly rising. She could feel the pull, the *call* of the night, calling to her from deep within.

"Don't fight it."

The voice came from behind her, soft but firm, and she spun around, startled. Ian stood in the doorway, his presence as steady as ever, though his expression was more serious than usual.

"Don't fight it?" she echoed, her brow furrowing. "You mean... give in? Let it consume me?"

Ian didn't immediately respond, instead crossing the room to stand beside her at the window. He, too, gazed out at the night, the shadows of the forest stretching far beyond the mansion walls. His eyes darkened with something unreadable.

"You don't have to give in," he said softly. "But you have to understand the nature of what you are now. You can't deny it forever. The hunger is a part of you. You don't have to let it control you, but you can't pretend it's not there either."

Lana clenched her jaw, unwilling to let him see the flicker of fear that passed through her. She could feel the hunger twisting inside her again, like an ache deep in her core. It wasn't just physical. It was something primal, something instinctual, and it was growing stronger with every passing minute. She had never felt anything like it before.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked, her voice low, almost broken. She hated the vulnerability in her tone, but she couldn't stop it. This was real. This was happening, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, it wouldn't go away.

Ian stepped closer, his gaze steady, his eyes never leaving hers. "You have to *embrace* it. But only when you're ready. When you understand it. The hunger is a reflection of what you are now, but it's not who you are."