Bride Of The Night

Chapter 26

### **Chapter 26: Shattered Bonds**

Lana had always been a fighter. But what she hadn't realized until this moment was that sometimes the hardest battle wasn't with the enemy in front of you—it was the one within yourself. The one that came from the dark, tangled web of emotions, fears, and old connections that couldn't be so easily severed. And even though she had cut the bond, there was a part of her that was still tethered to Morpheus, a lingering echo of his presence within her soul.

The feeling had faded—almost entirely. But not completely.

She stood in the training hall now, the large room silent save for the soft scrape of her boots against the marble floor. It was late, the moon casting long, pale shadows through the high windows, and she couldn't seem to sleep. Too much was spinning in her mind. Too much was changing, and the weight of it all threatened to swallow her whole if she let it.

It had been a week since she'd severed the bond. And every day, the sense of power growing within her, expanding like an ever-rippling tide, was both exhilarating and terrifying. Morpheus was still out there, a shadow on the horizon, waiting. She knew that.

But for the first time in weeks, Lana felt... free.

She flexed her fingers as she stood before the large, gilded mirror, staring at the reflection of herself. Her eyes glowed faintly, lavender light pulsing at the edges of her pupils. Her hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, and her face—once so uncertain, so fragile—now had a hardened edge to it, a quiet confidence.

She wasn't the same person she had been before.

The sound of footsteps echoed from behind her, and she turned swiftly, sensing Ian's presence before he even spoke.

"You're awake?" His voice was soft, concerned. His gaze flickered over her, assessing, as always, the toll the last few days had taken on her.

Lana gave a small, tight smile. "Couldn't sleep."

Ian stepped into the room, moving closer until he stood beside her, eyes focused on her face. "You've been pushing yourself too hard."

"I have to," she replied, her voice sharp, though not unkind. "I need to be ready."

Ian didn't answer at first. Instead, he studied her quietly, his hands clasped behind his back. After a moment, he spoke, voice low. "You've already done more than enough. Morpheus knows that, Lana. You're not the same person he turned all those months ago. You're stronger now. And whatever happens next, we'll face it together."

Lana took in a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slowly as she absorbed his words. "But what if it's not enough?" she asked quietly, her gaze dropping to her hands. "What if Morpheus is too much? What if I can't hold on to who I am... once I face him again?"

Ian's gaze softened. He moved a step closer and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "You won't lose yourself. You've already faced the hardest part of this—accepting what you are, what he made you. Now, you just need to embrace it fully, not as something that controls you, but as something that empowers you."

Her heart ached at his words, because they were both true and not true. She had embraced the vampire that she was becoming, but Morpheus still held a piece of her—one she wasn't sure she could ever fully claim for herself.

"Where are the others?" she asked, trying to change the subject, to avoid the gnawing doubts in her mind.

Ian smiled faintly, though his eyes still held that deep concern. "Emma's with Seraphine in the library. They've been working on a way to help you tap into your bloodline's powers more effectively. You've got an incredible well of strength inside you, Lana. The connection you have to your ancestors, to the vampire nobles... it's something most don't ever come close to. But you've been hesitant to really lean into it."