Chapter 31. Return of the Stepfather

The triumphant wave of relief that had swelled in the aftermath of the Flame Wolf essence fusion shattered—sudden, brutal, and cold—as a metallic CLANG echoed from the main gates. The noise carved through the sanctified hush that had just settled over the room, jarring Kade and Aria from the afterglow of their newfound bond.

It wasn’t just a noise. It was a hostile declaration—a reminder that the world outside had not been transformed by their miracle. Something worse waited, something that did not care about sacred moments or hard-won peace.

Kade and Aria turned as one, their bond already moving through them like a current—steady, unbreakable. The copper-gold heat that throbbed in Aria’s chest was her shield and lifeline; where terror had reigned for days, now there was only clarity. She was stable. She was whole. She was anchored to him.

But the outside world did not care for her sense of safety. Jules, her face shadowed by the weight of years negotiating with th