Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

H elheim

Hades

I stared down ay my mark. Pure instinct had taken over and I'd marked her as my mate. I could feel her every thought, her every emotion and my heart swelled.

She was mine now.

A primal surge of fury and protectiveness tore through me, more powerful than anything I had ever felt. It was as if something deep inside me snapped, as if a part of my soul that had been waiting, dormant for this exact moment. There was no longer any doubt in my mind. She belonged to me, and I was going to make sure the world knew it.

Her blood sang to me, her heart now beating in rhythm with mine, and I knew there was no turning back. She was marked and claimed, and the world would know it. Nothing could sever the connection between us now.

Not now.

Not ever .

She was my mate, my queen, my everything. The idea of anyone else touching her, of anyone else even thinking they could have her, sent a growl rumbling through my chest. No one else would ever come close. No one else would ever dare.

Aria was mine, and I would protect her, cherish her, and keep her by my side for the rest of eternity. This was my vow, my promise to her and to myself. She was the missing piece of my soul, and now that I had her, I would never let her go.

Then the tingling sense of magic prickled all around me and everything changed. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I stiffened.

The air around us thickened, charged with an ancient energy. The floor trembled beneath my feet, and for a moment, everything seemed to stand still, as if the very world was holding its breath.

And then, with a thunderous boom, the chamber was engulfed in a tremendous flash of light. The force of it was staggering, blinding, as if the very essence of the prophecy had come to life in that single, explosive moment. The light was pure and fierce, and as it washed over us, I could feel its power coursing through my veins, resonating with magic.

I looked down at Aria, and my breath caught in my throat as I realized what was happening. Her body was beginning to glow, a soft, radiant light that seemed to pulse from within her, growing brighter and more intense with each passing second. Her eyes fluttered open, and I saw them widen in shock as the transformation began to take hold.

The light lifted her gently from my arms, raising her into the air as if she were weightless. I stepped back, watching in awe as the power of the prophecy claimed her, molding her into something more—something divine.

Her skin, already fair, became like porcelain, smooth and flawless, almost glowing with a soft inner light. The surface of her flesh pulsed with violet sigils of dark magic. Her features sharpened, but in a way that only enhanced her beauty, turning her face into something ethereal and otherworldly. Her eyes gleamed with a vibrant golden and amethyst light that seemed to hold the very essence of the heavens. Her ears lengthened into sharp elfish points and I held my breath.

And then, from her back, wings began to unfurl—large, magnificent wings that stretched out with a grace and power that took my breath away. The feathers were pure white, but at the tips, they darkened to a deep, rich violet. The wings fluttered once, twice, sending ripples of light cascading through the air as they settled around her, framing her in a halo of luminescence.

She hovered there, suspended by the magic that had transformed her, her beauty now transcendent, like something from a dream.

She'd become an angel of the light and the dark all wrapped into one.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stared up at her, overwhelmed by the sight before me.

I knew what was happening. The prophecy was coming to pass and there was nothing either of us could do to stop it. I glanced down at the altar, seeing the stark red of the blood of the four Dragonborne mates mingling together in a swirling pool of crimson, and everything started to make sense.

The prophecy had been fulfilled.

The barriers between the realms would fall. The power to dominate all five realms would be ours—mine—if I chose to take it. But as I looked at Aria, her ethereal beauty glowing with a light that seemed to cleanse the very darkness around us, I realized something profound.

I didn't want to rule over them all anymore.

The thirst for power, the ambition that had once driven me, now felt like a distant memory, overshadowed by something far greater. The prophecy had promised dominion, but what I craved now was not control over the realms—it was her.

My queen, my one true mate.

The barriers between realms could fall, and the world could bend to my will, but what did it matter if I didn't have her by my side?

Aria was all that mattered. Her safety, her happiness, her love. She had become my everything, and as I stood there, the weight of the prophecy heavy on my shoulders, I knew that I would gladly give it all up for her.

For my little thief. My angel of light in the darkness.

She descended slowly, her wings folding gracefully behind her as her feet touched the floor. I reached out to her, my hand trembling as I took hers in mine, the warmth of her skin soothing the wild thrum of my heart. She was still Aria, but there was a strength in her now, a power that made her seem untouchable, like a goddess who had descended to walk among mortals.

"Aria," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "You're… incredible."

For the first time, I felt truly at peace. She was my anchor, my reason, and I knew that as long as she was by my side, nothing else mattered.

"I don't care about ruling the realms," I said, more to myself than to her, my voice trembling with the weight of the revelation. "Let the barriers fall, let the world change… all I want is you, Aria. My queen, my mate, my everything."

No throne, no crown, nothing could ever compare to the gift I had been given—the love of my queen. And that was the only power I needed.