Page 34 of Shadow's Claim

"When?" My voice comes out steadier than I feel.

"Now." All four of his arms flex with barely contained tension. "Under controlled conditions. With me present."

I nod, knowing better than to argue. That he's allowing this at all is unexpected—a concession I didn't think an alpha shadow demon would make regarding a former rival.

Kael watches as I dress, his glowing eyes tracking every movement with possessive intensity. I choose the loosest tunic I have, one that doesn't cling to the shadow patterns that now spiral across most of my body or the slight swell of my abdomen where our hybrid grows.

"He will try to manipulate you," Kael says as we exit our chambers. "To appeal to your former connection."

"I know." The memory of Constantin's purification toxin still burns fresh in my mind.

We descend through corridors I've never been permitted to access before—deeper into Kael's domain than even the secure chambers where he hid me during Constantin's attack. The walls seem to absorb sound here, creating unnatural silence broken only by our footsteps.

The detention level materializes before us, shadows parting like curtains to reveal a stark, clinical environment that contrasts sharply with the almost organic architecture above. Guards stand at attention as we approach—not regular security but elite shadow enforcers, their four arms holding weapons designed specifically for human containment.

"Lord Nightshadow," one acknowledges, shadows darkening around him in deference. "The prisoner is secured as ordered."

Kael nods, one hand settling possessively at the small of my back. "Maintain full surveillance. Alert protocols remain active."

A heavy door slides open, revealing a room divided by what appears to be glass but is likely something far stronger. On the other side sits Constantin—restrained but conscious, his face bruised but recognizable.

My breath catches in my throat. Seeing him here, now, brings a flood of conflicting emotions I'm not prepared for. This man was my commander, my lover, my fellow soldier in humanity's resistance. Now he's my would-be assassin, come to "cleanse" me of the life growing inside me.

Constantin's head snaps up as we enter, his eyes widening with recognition before narrowing with disgust as his gaze tracks the visible shadow patterns at my neck and wrists.

"Nova." His voice comes through speakers, raspy from disuse or screaming. "What has he done to you?"

Kael's hand tightens at my back, but he remains silent, allowing me this moment as agreed.

I step forward, acutely aware of the shadow patterns darkening beneath my skin in response to my emotional turmoil. "You came to kill my child," I say, the words raw and direct. "Not to rescue me."

Constantin's face hardens. "Child? That thing inside you isn't a child. It's a parasite. Shadow contamination." His eyes flick to Kael with undisguised hatred before returning to me. "We came to save you from it."

"By poisoning me." The words taste bitter on my tongue. "Without asking what I wanted."

"Look at yourself!" Constantin strains against his restraints, leaning forward with desperate intensity. "Those patterns on your skin, the way they respond to him—you think that's natural? You think that's still you? They're changing you, Nova. Corrupting you from the inside out."

The truth in his observation cuts deeper than I want to admit. I am changing—my body adapting to nurture shadow essence, my mind developing abilities I never thought possible. But his framing of it as corruption rather than evolution feels increasingly wrong.

"The resistance has written you off," Constantin continues, his voice dropping lower. "But I convinced them you could be saved. The purification protocol would have cleared the shadow essence from your system. You could have come home."

Home. The word echoes in my mind, conjuring images of underground bunkers, constant fear, and the endless, futile fight against powers we could never truly defeat.

"And what about what's growing inside me?" I ask, one hand moving protectively to my abdomen. "Did you consider its consciousness? Its right to exist?"

Constantin's expression transforms to one of utter revulsion. "Jesus, Nova, listen to yourself! It's manipulating you through biology. Classic parasite behavior—making the host protect it." His eyes track the movement of my hand with disgust. "The Nova I knew would have rather died than become a breeding vessel for these monsters."

Kael steps forward then, shadows gathering around his massive form with such density that the lights flicker. "Enough," he growls, the single word vibrating through the room with alpha command.

The shadow patterns beneath my skin respond instantly to his voice, darkening and spreading visibly even through my clothing. Constantin watches with horror as they move across my exposed skin like living ink.

"You see it now," he whispers, his voice breaking. "You're becoming one of them."

Before I can respond, Kael's hand closes around my arm, pulling me back toward him in clear possessive display. "She's evolving beyond what your limited human understanding can comprehend," he states, all four arms now positioned in dominant posture that broadcasts alpha territorial claim. "She carries the future—a bridge between our kinds that your primitive resistance fears because you cannot control it."

Constantin's laugh is bitter and broken. "There is no bridge. Only conquest. Only submission." His eyes meet mine with painful intensity. "I loved you, Nova. Enough to try saving you even after others said you were too far gone. I was wrong."

The admission sends a jolt through me—not of loss or regret, but of clarity. Constantin never came to save me. He came to save the idea of me, the Nova who existed before capture. The woman standing before him now, with shadow patterns beneath her skin and hybrid life growing inside her, is someone he can't accept.

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