Bride Of The Night

Chapter 20

### **Chapter 20: Unraveling the Thread**

Lana woke to the sound of something breaking—shattering glass, the sharp crack of splintering wood. The noise was distant, muffled by the thick stone walls of the mansion, but it was enough to pull her from the depths of a restless, dreamless sleep. She sat up, heart pounding, her skin slick with sweat as the echoes of the dream lingered in her mind. It had been another vision, a glimpse of a future she could neither understand nor escape.

The same vision that had haunted her for days: standing in the heart of a dark, ancient throne room, surrounded by shadows. Morpheus standing before her, eyes filled with something she couldn't read—disappointment? Rage? His cold hand on her shoulder, pulling her back from the edge of a precipice, as if she were about to fall into an abyss of her own making.

Lana didn't want to see that future. She didn't want to be a pawn in some dark game she didn't understand. And yet, the power inside her—the power of her bloodline—was pulling her toward it. Toward him.

*Enough.*

Shaking off the remnants of the dream, Lana stood from the bed and walked toward the window. The moonlight streamed through the open curtains, illuminating her in a soft, ethereal glow. She wasn't going to let this consume her. She had to find a way to break free of the bond, to regain control over her destiny.

And she would start by understanding everything—the dark, hidden truths about herself, Morpheus, and the power she had been forced to inherit.

Her hand closed around the handle of the door as she left her room, determined to get answers, no matter how dangerous it might be.

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The hallway was eerily silent as she made her way down the stairs. Ian and Emma's quarters were at the far end of the hall, but they weren't the ones she needed to talk to right now. She needed to find the answers herself.

Passing by the training room, Lana paused for a moment. She had been practicing, honing her control over the power that surged beneath her skin, but it felt like a losing battle. Each day she spent training, the hunger grew stronger. Every time she meditated to center herself, she felt something darker whispering, urging her to let go, to *embrace* it fully.

She knew it was dangerous. But what was even more dangerous was the idea that she could lose control and become just another puppet of Morpheus's design.

A flash of movement caught her eye. She turned, her senses sharpening immediately. It wasn't Ian or Emma—it was someone else. Someone she hadn't expected.

Lana took a cautious step back into the shadows, her heart racing. The figure was tall, clad in dark robes, their features obscured by a hood. They moved with an unsettling fluidity, like they were one with the shadows, and for a split second, Lana thought she might have seen a flicker of something purple beneath the hood—lavender eyes. Her pulse quickened.

"Who's there?" she called out, her voice steady, despite the panic rising in her chest.

The figure paused, and for a moment, the air seemed to hold its breath. Then, in a smooth motion, the stranger lowered their hood.

Lana's breath caught. The person standing before her was neither human nor vampire. She was something else entirely.

A woman. Dark hair, pale skin, eyes the color of twilight—lavender, like her own.

"You..." Lana whispered, taking a step back. "You're like me."

The woman smiled faintly, a sadness in her expression. "Not quite like you," she replied, her voice soft but rich with an ancient power. "But close enough."

Lana's mind raced. "Who are you?" Her voice was firm now, demanding answers.

The woman's smile widened, though it was tinged with melancholy. "My name is Seraphine. I was born long before you, before Morpheus's reign. But I know what you are. I know the power inside you." Her eyes flickered, almost knowingly. "And I can help you."

Lana's instincts screamed at her to be cautious. This woman was a mystery, and every part of Lana's new existence told her to be wary of anyone who knew too much about her power.

"Help me? Help me with what?" Lana took a step closer, her voice lowering. "Why would you help me?"

Seraphine regarded her with a knowing look. "Because, my dear, you are not the first to be chosen by him. Morpheus has been using that same tactic for centuries—binding his chosen ones to him, making them his tools, his instruments of power. You're just the latest in a long line."

Lana's heart skipped. "You were... one of his chosen ones?"

Seraphine nodded, a faint sorrow crossing her face. "I was his before you. But I broke free." Her eyes locked onto Lana's. "And you can too."

Lana felt a flicker of hope rise in her chest, but it was quickly tempered by suspicion. "And why would you help me? What's in it for you?"

Seraphine sighed, her gaze distant as if she was seeing something beyond the walls of the mansion. "What's in it for me?" she repeated softly. "Everything."

The silence between them stretched long and heavy. Lana took a deep breath, her mind racing. "You don't just want to *help* me, do you?"

The woman's smile was sharp, her eyes glinting with something dangerous. "No. I want you to understand what you're up against. What Morpheus is really after."

Lana's heart pounded harder, her instincts bristling. "What is he after?"

Seraphine's smile faded, replaced by a grim expression. "Morpheus doesn't just want control of the vampire courts. He's not content to be a king. He's seeking something far older, far more dangerous. Power that could reshape the entire world—vampire and human alike."

Lana's chest tightened. She didn't know what kind of power could do that, but the cold, calculating look in Seraphine's eyes told her that it wasn't something she wanted to be caught in the middle of.

"You need to understand, Lana," Seraphine continued, her voice low. "You are his *key*—his weapon. He's bound you to him for a reason. He doesn't want you as a daughter, as a protege. He wants you as a *tool*. A weapon to wield in the darkest of games."

Lana shook her head, her breath shallow. "I won't be anyone's weapon."

Seraphine stepped forward, her gaze softening just a little. "Then you must break free. You must sever the bond, before Morpheus's power consumes you, before you become a pawn in his game forever."

Lana swallowed hard, her mind spinning. There was so much she didn't understand, so much she had yet to learn. But one thing was becoming painfully clear—Morpheus had never intended for her to be free. He had always planned to use her.

*No more.*

"I'm ready to learn," Lana said, her voice steady and determined. "Help me break this bond. Help me take back control."

Seraphine's eyes brightened, a flicker of something dangerous dancing in her expression. "Good. Then it begins."

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