Chapter 167. Not Strong Enough

Aurora’s POV

I had just begun to feel it—the power coursing through me, building with each passing moment. For the first time, I felt like I could hold my ground, like I wasn’t the naive girl I once was. Every step I took felt like it was in sync with something ancient, something vast. My hands buzzed with a quiet hum, an energy I had never experienced before, and for the first time, I felt confident. The chains of my past were starting to break, and in their place, my true self was emerging.

I was just about to speak, to tell Lucas and Harmona that I was done being their puppet, when it happened.

Before I could even react, Lucas was on me, his hand shooting out like a viper’s strike. His fingers wrapped around my throat with a force that stole the air from my lungs. I gasped, my feet lifting from the ground as he held me there, suspended by his grip. His eyes, black as the void, glared into mine with an intensity that made my heart stutter. His breath was h