CHAPTER 35
ALEXIA P.O.V
"Look, Mom and Dad, I was at the top of my class."
"You did well," the man said, patting the little girl's head.
"You are a brilliant little nutcracker."
The woman lifted her into her arms, her smile warm—so warm it made my chest ache with a strange, unfamiliar longing. It felt safe… peaceful.
But something about it felt… off.
I still couldn't see her face.
Like something—someone—was refusing to let me.
Then the smile shifted.
Cracked.
Blood slowly seeped from the corners of her lips, unnatural and wrong, staining that once-perfect warmth.
Her arms tightened around the child.
Too tight.
And then—
A whisper.
Not from them.
Not from anywhere I could see.
But it echoed all the same.
"She will rise… whether she remembers or not."
I jolted awake.
I sat up, drenched in sweat, my chest rising and falling like I had just been dragged out of deep water. My lungs burned, my head throbbed—and the damn alarm clock beside me rang loudly, stabbing into my ears.
Too loud.
Too sharp.
Too much.
I grabbed it and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall.
Silence followed.
But not really.
Because the ringing in my ears didn't stop.
These past weeks, I had been having strange dreams.
Not just strange—wrong.
They came and went as they pleased, leaving no clear meaning behind. No names. No faces.
Just fragments.
Like pieces of something bigger I wasn't allowed to see.
Or worse… something I had forgotten.
The people in my dreams never revealed who they were.
Something was blocking me.
Or hiding them.
And for some reason… it felt intentional.
Footsteps approached my door.
I quickly pulled the blanket over myself and pretended to sleep. I already knew who it was.
Wyatt.
And today, I was not in the mood.
This whole week had been exhausting. Training after training, pushing past limits I didn't even know I had.
Yesterday alone, he blindfolded me and made me catch objects just by sound. It was nearly impossible at first—he moved like a ghost—but somehow… I adapted.
Then he threw me into complete darkness and attacked without warning.
That one should have been impossible too.
But it wasn't.
Because somehow…
I already knew what to do.
Like my body remembered what my mind didn't.
"I know you're not sleeping."
I sighed under the blanket. "You know it's rude to enter someone else's house without permission."
"Not when that someone else gave me a key," he replied calmly. "Indirect permission."
I froze.
Right.
I did that.
At this point, I was pretty sure half the city had access to my house.
"Don't worry," Wyatt added. "We're not training today."
That got me sitting up immediately. "Why?"
He shrugged. "You're not the only one who gets tired. Consider it a break for both of us."
A smile spread across my face. "That's a relief."
"Have you found it?"
I leaned against my car, watching agents move in and out of my company building.
"Not yet, Raven," Pete's voice came through the phone. "But like you said, these people are good. Too good. Still… I might have something. You'll need to see it yourself."
"I'll be there."
I ended the call and walked toward the detective.
"Hello, detective."
"Good day, Miss Alexia."
"So? Any progress?"
As he spoke, I reached into his mind.
And then—
Nothing.
No thoughts.
No noise.
No resistance.
Just… emptiness.
I pulled back sharply, my heart racing.
That wasn't normal.
Humans always think.
Even nonsense.
Even fear.
But this?
It felt like something had been wiped clean.
Or worse…
Controlled.
I didn't wait for him to finish speaking. I turned and walked away.
Something was very wrong.
Inside the company, I headed straight to my office. Nadia walked in shortly after.
"How are you?" I asked.
"I'm fine," she said, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.
I nodded, though the feeling of helplessness crept back in.
I hated it.
Work was pointless right now.
Everything felt… bigger than me.
By the time I left, it was already dark.
Instead of going home, I found myself walking aimlessly until I stopped at a bridge overlooking the city.
The wind brushed past me as I stared into the distance.
In just one month, everything had changed.
My birthday.
What I am.
The blood.
The dreams.
The pain.
The stolen project.
And this growing feeling that something was coming.
Not just danger.
Something inevitable.
Like no matter what I did…
I was already walking toward it.
"Hello, pretty."
I turned to see Dylan.
"Hey."
"What are you doing out here alone?"
"Thinking. You?"
"Same."
I smirked. "So… thinking partners?"
"Nice to meet you, partner."
We both laughed.
"So what are you thinking about?" he asked.
"Work. You?"
"Trying to decide between pizza and a burger."
I laughed. "Go for the burger."
"Done. Now your problem."
"I doubt you can solve it."
"Try me."
We went back and forth until he suddenly asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
I laughed. "You really don't give up, do you?"
"Nope."
"No, Dylan. I don't."
"Yes!" he cheered.
"But that doesn't mean I want one."
"We'll see."
Later, he said quietly, "Sometimes… we don't have the power to stop what's coming."
I stilled.
"What's going to happen… is going to happen. It's fate."
Fate.
The word sank deep into my chest.
Because lately…
It didn't feel like I had a choice.
"I better get going," I said.
"Let me drive you."
"No need. I brought my car."
"Thought this was our bonding moment," he teased.
"Goodbye, Dylan."
"The plan was to get close to her, not flirt with her."
A tall man stepped out from the shadows behind Dylan.
Dylan chuckled, his expression shifting—something darker, sharper replacing the easy charm.
"Relax, Ryan. A little fun won't hurt."
His eyes gleamed.
"Besides… I'm already getting close."
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Poor thing."