All Chapters of Shadow bound: The beast within : Chapter 141
- Chapter 150
182 chapters
Chapter 141: When Fire Breathes Again
The scream still echoed long after it faded. It clung to the walls of my mind like smoke, twisting through every breath I took. The air inside the basement had turned heavy, the lantern flickering as though it too feared what had been released.I couldn’t move at first. I just sat there on the cold stone floor, my chest heaving, sweat mixing with the ash on my skin. Every heartbeat felt wrong—too fast, too strong, as if something else had begun to beat alongside mine.When I finally forced myself to stand, the room looked different. The markings on the walls had stopped glowing, yet they still pulsed faintly, like embers refusing to die. The iron box lay open beside me, empty now, as though its purpose had been fulfilled.The seal was broken.And I had no idea what that truly meant.I stumbled toward the stairs, clutching the wall to keep my balance. My head pounded with a dull ache that wasn’t entirely my own. By the time I reached the top, the rain outside had stopped. The silence felt w
Chapter 142: What Remains of the Fire
The storm had passed, but the world outside Luca’s window still felt drenched in its memory. Puddles shimmered like broken glass under the pale morning light. The air was heavy—the kind that tasted like smoke and unfinished prayers. Inside the apartment, silence ruled, thick enough to hear the sound of his own thoughts scraping against it.Luca sat on the edge of the couch, a cup of untouched coffee cooling in his hands. His gaze lingered on the fire that had burned out hours ago, with only ashes and faint embers left behind. It reminded him of her—of Valeria—how every memory of her was fading, yet still warm enough to hurt.He had stopped trying to tell himself she was gone. The mind could lie, but the soul could not. He felt her in the empty spaces—the echo in the hall, the breath behind his shoulder, and the scent of lilies that came and vanished without warning.The night before, he had seen her again. Not in a dream, not in some fevered illusion—but in the reflection of a shattered
Chapter 143: The Locket’s Secret
The rain hadn’t stopped when Rian and I left the apartment. It followed us like a quiet warning, tapping against the windshield as we drove through the city. Morning blurred into gray, buildings looming like ghosts of a world that had forgotten color. Rian kept his eyes on the road, his silence louder than the sound of the wipers.I held the locket in my hand, feeling its weight. The metal was cold, but it pulsed faintly against my skin, as if something inside it still remembered warmth. Every few seconds, I caught myself rubbing my thumb over the photograph hidden within. My father’s face. The woman beside him. That resemblance I couldn’t explain.We didn’t talk for most of the ride. There was no point. Words felt useless when everything that mattered was already bleeding inside your head. When the car finally stopped, we were standing before an old government building—stone walls darkened with age, iron gates slightly rusted. The archives.Rian got out first. I followed, the rain soaki
Chapter 144: The Bloodlines of Fire
The rain followed us back to the city like an omen that refused to fade. By the time Rian and I reached the old estate, night had swallowed the skyline. The mansion’s windows glowed faintly through the downpour, casting fractured reflections over the wet pavement. Every flash of lightning felt like the earth remembering what it had buried.Rian parked in silence. The air between us was thick, the kind of silence that hums with everything unsaid. I still held the locket in my fist, feeling it burn faintly against my palm. Every few minutes it pulsed, like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to me.Inside, the hall smelled of smoke and old books. The fire crackled weakly in the grand room, throwing light across the portraits on the wall. My father’s eyes followed me from their frame, calm, unreadable.Rian shrugged off his coat and spoke first. “We can’t ignore this anymore. Whoever killed your father didn’t just want him dead—they wanted the bloodlines cut off. Completely.”I nodded slowly. “An
Chapter 145: The Vassari Heir
The city never really slept. Even after everything that had burned, rebuilt, and bled, Rome still pulsed under its own kind of heartbeat. Somewhere between its lights and shadows, I found myself standing in front of a mansion that looked too clean, too silent, and too alive to belong to anyone innocent.The Vassari estate.The name had circled through the underworld for months—old money, older secrets. But the truth ran deeper. The Vassari heir wasn’t just another enemy; he was tied to the blood that cursed my family. His father had been one of the men who watched mine die. And according to Mira’s last words before we split, he might hold the final key to breaking the curse or binding it forever.The air felt heavy. Rain gathered on the edges of my coat, and the scent of iron clung to the night.“Are you sure about this?” Rian asked quietly beside me. His tone had changed over the past weeks—less like a soldier, more like a brother trying to keep me from falling apart.“I’m done being sure
Chapter 146: The Blood That Binds
The ruins looked different in the light. Dawn stretched across the broken city like a bruise healing under pale gold. Smoke curled from the ashes of what had once been a home, and the wind carried the scent of rain that never came. Luca stood at the edge of the cracked stone path, staring at the charred skeleton of the old estate, the same one that haunted his dreams every night.Rian walked beside him, quiet as always. His eyes flicked between the ruins and the faint glimmer of light along the horizon. For a moment, neither of them spoke. There were too many ghosts here, too many memories buried beneath the rubble.“This is where it happened, isn’t it?” Rian finally asked, his voice low.Luca nodded once. He didn’t trust his voice. His throat felt dry, and the words that formed in his mind—every one of them—felt too fragile to speak aloud.He took a step forward. The crunch of ash beneath his boots echoed through the silence. Every step he took brought him closer to the center of the cou
Chapter 147: The Memory Beneath the Fire
The old study still smells like my father—ink, cedarwood, and a faint trace of smoke that time never managed to erase. I push the door open slowly, letting the hinges creak as if the house itself remembers me. Dust hangs in the air, catching the light from the cracked window in soft motes that shimmer like ghosts.It’s been years since I came here. I used to stand at that desk, barely tall enough to see over it, while he scribbled notes into his leather-bound journals. I thought he was immortal then—untouchable, steady as the earth beneath our feet. Now the room feels like a grave that refuses to let go.I run my fingers over the edge of the desk. The wood is rough, worn by years of use, and still stained with the faint circle where his glass of whiskey used to sit every night. I remember the way he would tap that glass twice before speaking, a signal that whatever came next would matter. I wish I had listened more.The drawers are locked, but the key lies where it always did—hidden bene
Chapter 148: The Mirror’s Call
The night air tastes like iron. Cold and heavy, thick with the scent of rain that never quite falls. The city is quieter at this hour—too quiet. Even the hum of the street lamps feels distant, muffled, like the world is holding its breath.Grace wanted to come with me, but I told her no. This was mine to face. My father’s words haven’t stopped echoing in my head since I read them—destroy the mirror, or it destroys you.It’s strange how something so small, so fragile-looking, can hold the weight of an entire bloodline.The old path leading to the ruins of our family home is still there, overgrown with ivy and cracked from years of neglect. Every step I take stirs old dust and memories—the laughter that once filled these halls, the heat of the fire that ended it all, and the echo of my father’s voice calling my name through the smoke.When I reach the clearing, the air shifts. It’s colder here, like the earth itself remembers what happened. The ground still bears scars from the night everyt
Chapter 149: The Echo in Her Voice
The morning came heavy, thick with fog and the taste of smoke that didn’t belong to this part of the city. I woke before dawn, heart racing, without knowing why. The air around me felt wrong—like something in the world had shifted while I was asleep.The room was quiet. Too quiet. Luca’s side of the bed was cold.For a moment, I lay still, staring at the ceiling, the echo of a dream fading from my mind—one I couldn’t fully remember. All I knew was that someone had called my name. A voice that didn’t sound human. A voice that sounded like grief itself.I got up slowly, the floorboards creaking beneath my feet. The apartment felt different today—as if it had aged overnight. There was dust in the corners that hadn’t been there before, and the light through the curtains carried an odd tint, pale and cold.I found Luca standing by the window, his back to me. He hadn’t changed out of his clothes from last night. His hands rested against the glass, knuckles white, and his eyes looked distant—lik
Chapter 150: The Guilt He Carried
I didn’t sleep that night. I couldn’t. The room was too full of ghosts. Every tick of the old clock echoed like a heartbeat that wasn’t mine, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw him—my father—standing in the doorway with that same expression of quiet disappointment that used to slice right through me.I sat by the desk until dawn, the pendant resting in my palm, the letter open beside me. I had read it so many times the words had burned themselves into my memory. “You must never let them find you.” The problem was… I didn’t even know who they were anymore. Enemies? Fate? Myself?The first light of morning crept through the curtains, laying a thin gold line across the floorboards. Grace had fallen asleep on the couch across the room, her head tilted to one side, her hair spilling across her face like a halo. She looked fragile in the half-light. Peaceful. For a moment, I almost envied her.I turned the pendant over again, tracing the engraving with my thumb. To protect the one who carr