Page 49 of Her Fated Alpha Prince
Ariana’s smile was a flash of defiance. “Always.”
They surged forward, a tempest of steel and fire, breaking through shadows and lies.
CHAPTER 19
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ARIANA
The air crackled with charged energy, thick enough to taste. Around them, the ruins trembled as ancient magic awoke, responding to the final confrontation. Ariana’s breath came fast, every muscle tight, every nerve alive with the storm brewing inside her.
Kael was at her side, eyes sharp, body poised like a predator. But it was hers to lead now. The power swelling in her veins wasn’t just a flicker—it was a blaze, a promise carved from every sacrifice, every moment of doubt and fear she’d faced.
“Seryna’s coming,” Kael warned, voice low but urgent. “She won’t hold back.”
Ariana’s fingers curled into fists. “Neither will I.”
From the shadows, Seryna emerged like a tempest wrapped in darkness, her eyes burning with the hunger for dominion. Her magic surged forward in waves, tendrils of shadow twisting toward them, intent on suffocating every spark of resistance.
But Ariana stepped forward, stepping into the storm with a calm that stunned even herself. She drew the silver flames up from within—the fire not just of destruction, but of rebirth. Itwrapped around her hands like living silk, swirling in a fierce dance that pushed back the shadows inch by inch.
Kael joined her, his blade gleaming with an otherworldly light, slicing through tendrils of dark energy with swift, practiced precision. Together, they moved as one—fire and steel, light and shadow, an unbreakable force against the encroaching night.
Ariana’s voice rang out, steady and commanding. “You wanted power. But you forgot what power costs.”
Seryna snarled, launching herself at them with renewed ferocity. The clash was thunderous, a tempest of wills and weapons that shook the very earth beneath their feet.
Pain flared sharp and sudden as Ariana deflected a blow meant for Kael, her skin burning where dark magic grazed her. But she held her ground, summoning every shard of strength left inside her. This was no longer just about survival—it was the last stand, the moment where everything would change.
The flames inside her blazed hotter, brighter, and with a cry that was both rage and hope, she surged forward, meeting Seryna’s charge head-on.
The world narrowed to heat, light, and the roar of battle.
Ariana’s pulse thundered in her ears as the clash intensified. Every strike from Seryna was like a storm crashing against her defenses, but Ariana refused to break. The silver fire coursing through her veins flared with each heartbeat, burning away the shadows that sought to consume her. She felt the weight of all she had become pressing down—noble daughter, reluctant warrior, bearer of ancient power—and she let it fuel her.
Kael moved beside her like a shadow forged from light. His blade sang through the air, cutting arcs of shimmering brilliance that met Seryna’s dark magic head-on. His eyes locked with hers for a moment—a fierce, wordless promise that whatever happened, they would face it together. That connection grounded her in the maelstrom, making the impossible feel possible.
Seryna hissed, fury contorting her face. “You think your flames can burn me? You have no idea what darkness truly is.”
With a cruel smile, she unleashed a wave of shadows that surged forward like a living tide, black tendrils twisting and writhing with malice. Ariana barely had time to raise her arms as the fire flared outward, a shield of shimmering silver light that crackled and hissed where shadow met flame.
The impact sent a shock through the ground, shaking loose dust and broken stones. The air thickened, the space between light and dark blurring, vibrating with the collision of two forces far older than either of them.
Pain flared suddenly in Ariana’s side—a searing slash of shadow magic meant to cut deeper than flesh. She gasped, stumbling back, but Kael was there in an instant, deflecting the next attack with a roar of frustration.
“Hold on, Ariana,” he growled, eyes blazing. “You’re stronger than she knows.”
She swallowed the burning ache and steadied herself. No, not just stronger. She was something new, forged from the fire of her ancestors and the fierce love that had anchored her to this moment. With a fierce cry, she thrust her hands forward, sending a pillar of silver flame roaring upward, burning through the shadow like dawn breaking the longest night.
Seryna screamed in rage and pain as the darkness around her withered, retreating like a broken wave. Ariana pressed forward, every ounce of power pulsing through her limbs, every heartbeat a drum calling her onward.
The final strike came not from Kael’s blade or Seryna’s magic—but from Ariana herself, a roaring surge of silver fire that enveloped the battlefield in blinding light.
When the glow faded, Seryna lay on the scorched earth, her power shattered, her menace ended.
Breathless, Ariana sank to her knees, the fire within her flickering like a dying star, but still alive.
Kael knelt beside her, his hand warm on her shoulder. “You did it.”
