Scarlet chains

Chapter 12---The man with orange hair

Nova sat in silence on the plush couch, still reeling from Dominic's last words not noticing how the servants looked at her in question, why would she be all friendly with their master the one most annoyed being Lucinda

Nova was oblivious she was worried. Her powers, gone. Her sister, threatened. And him… pacing like he hadn't just shattered her entire foundation.

But then—*bang bang bang*.

Three knocks echoed through the mansion like thunder.

Dominic's head snapped toward the door. "No one's supposed to—"

*CRASH.*

The front doors flew open.

A tall guy strode in, messy orange hair glowing under the chandelier, eyes blazing with rage.

Nova's heart skipped. "You…!"

He didn't look at her. His eyes were locked on Dominic.

"You absolute psycho," Orange Hair snapped. "You brought her here?! After what you did?!"

Dominic smiled darkly. "Nice to see you too, Cayden."

Nova blinked. *Cayden?*

Orange Hair—Cayden—walked straight past Dominic and knelt in front of her. "Nova. Are you okay?"

She nodded, stunned. "How do you know me?"

He looked into her glowing eyes. "Because I found you once before. And I swore I'd protect you if it ever happened again."

Dominic growled. "She's not yours."

Cayden stood. "She is, but she sure as hell isn't yours."

The tension sparked like static.

Nova stood slowly between them both. Powerless but furious." Start talking, both of you."

Nova folded her arms. "Start talking. Now."

Cayden didn't flinch. He looked her straight in the eye.

"You were stolen from me, your father then taken to a facility, you were then taken from that facility. Hidden from me. Not adopted. Not abandoned. *Hidden.*"

Nova blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Cayden stepped closer. "I was one of the people who went to find you after a power surge was felt coming from that facility. One night, alarms went off—flames everywhere. A child had triggered a power surge. That child… was you.But we didn't find you, you were already gone."

Her breath caught.

Dominic scoffed. "Tell her the rest, Cayden. About the test tubes. The bloodlines."

Cayden's jaw tightened. "She doesn't need to know *your* twisted version."

Nova's voice trembled. "What bloodlines?"

Cayden met her gaze. "You were born from forbidden love, a wolf and a vampire, by all rights you shouldn't have been born.Then at six months of age you were stolen from your parents then tried to make you into a weapon--- because you had blessings from hell and curses from heaven. Then your powers became unstable and you were dangerous."

Dominic added, smug, "Too bad she's more dangerous now than ever."

Nova stepped back, dizzy.

"I was… stolen?"

Cayden grabbed her hands gently. "You were *chosen*. Not by fate—but by design. And now they'll all come for you."

Nova's glow flickered again, faint but growing.

Dominic smiled darkly. "Let them come. She's mine."

---

Nova stared between them, heart thudding.

Cayden's expression darkened. "They didn't just hide you, Nova."

Dominic stepped back, crossing his arms as if enjoying the reveal.

Cayden's voice was low. "They *stole* you. From your father."

Nova blinked. "My father's dead—"

"No," Cayden said firmly. "Your *biological* father is *Cayden*,me,the King of Wolves. The most powerful Alpha in centuries."

Nova staggered.

"You were born with Alpha blood. But the Dominion Syndicate kidnapped you when you were two. They experimented on you for six years—trying to fuse wolf, vampire, and angel blood into one vessel."

Her throat tightened. "That was me…"

Cayden nodded. "You were *the experiment*."

Dominic chimed in, "Then someone stole her from *them* and dumped her in that filthy stepfamily's hands. Real classy."

Nova's hands trembled. "Why didn't anyone find me?"

"They tried," Cayden said. "But Dominion erased you completely. And now that you're showing signs of power again… *everyone's* watching."

Nova backed away, voice cracking. "I don't want to be some weapon. I just want my sister safe—"