---
Ore blinked, her lips trembling. "What's that? What did you see? Did he… did he kill him?"
Her father's jaw clenched, his hands slowly releasing Tolu's head. He straightened, his crimson eyes dimming but still sharp with authority.
"Yes," he said heavily, "he did. Although he didn't mean to. He doesn't even know what he's doing."
Ore gasped, looking at Tolu, who lay curled on the ground, his glowing indigo eyes now tired and flickering. "Then… how?"
Her father's gaze turned distant, troubled. "The skill he used… it's an ancient ability. A technique that drains an opponent's life force—sucking up their energy, making it his. Before the Great War, three hundred years ago, packs had members born with this gift. But I thought they were all extinct."
Ore's heart thudded in her chest. "Extinct? Then… you're saying Tolu is…?"
Her father cut her off, his tone low and grim. "He is one of them. An Ancient reborn."
The words sent chills through Ore's spine. She looked at Tolu—this boy she had marked, this boy she thought she could protect—and now, he was something more. Something dangerous. Something that hadn't walked the earth in centuries.
Her father turned away, his voice firm but uneasy. "This changes everything."
Ore's eyes narrowed, confusion battling with fear. "What do you mean… this changes everything? What changed?"
Her father looked back at her, his expression carved from stone, but for the first time, there was something else in his voice—hope.
"The chances of winning this war," he said slowly, "have increased by a whole lot."
Ore blinked, stunned. "Because of him?" She glanced at Tolu, still weak on the ground, his breaths uneven. "He doesn't even know what he is yet."
Her father nodded. "Exactly. He doesn't know. He doesn't understand his power. But if he can awaken it fully…" He paused, his crimson eyes narrowing with determination. "…then for the first time in centuries, the Ajibade family has an Ancient on its side."
Ore's father let go of Tolu's head, his expression grim but steady. He turned to his daughter, voice low and edged with disappointment.
"I'm still furious you used the Àdéùn eléjè," he said, "but I'll let it slide… because you've hit a gold mine."
Ore shifted uneasily. "So what now?"
"Keep him away from Jide's lackeys," her father said firmly. "I can't risk word of this getting out before he matures."
"But, father," Ore pressed, "he's important. Shouldn't the other packs know there's hope? We're in an alliance—"
Her father cut her off with a sharp look. "Rumors say there are ways to draw an Ancient's blood essence. To create half-ancients… false ones."
Ore's eyes widened, horror flashing across her face. "You mean… someone could drain him?"
"I'm tempted myself," her father admitted with a bitter chuckle, "but my pride won't let me stoop that low. Besides…" He glanced at the unconscious Tolu, softening slightly. "He's basically my son-in-law now. Thanks to the Àdéùn eléjè, my grandchildren would be true Ancients. With them, our clan could reclaim its lost domain."
Ore felt her cheeks burn at his words. "Father…" she muttered, flustered.
Her father's gaze hardened again. "From today, he is your husband and you are his wife. It might not be fair to him, but it's better than letting others use him as a lab rat. Don't tell him yet… but sooner or later, you may need to carry his child. That will bind him to you, give you leverage if he ever questions your loyalty."
Ore froze, stunned. "That's too soon—"
"Life isn't fair," her father interrupted, his tone final. "But this is the best way to protect him… and our pack."
He bent down, lifting Tolu's limp body with ease. "Come. Let's take him home."
Ore swallowed hard, following silently, her heart pounding with a mix of fear, shame, and a strange flicker of hope.
Ore walked beside her father in silence, her eyes fixed on Tolu's unconscious form in his arms. The rain had stopped, leaving the night air damp and heavy.
Her thoughts churned. I know what I did was wrong… but at least I can protect you now. Things are getting better.
Her gaze lingered on his face, peaceful despite the scratches and dried blood. A small smile tugged at her lips as another thought slipped in, unbidden. I wonder if our first child will be a boy or a girl…
She hugged her arms around herself, almost embarrassed by her own thoughts, and quickened her pace to match her father's.
Her father's steady footsteps echoed in the silence. Without looking back, he suddenly said, "It's probably a girl. That's how it's been in the Ajibade family for generations."
Ore's eyes widened, heat rushing to her cheeks. "Stay out of my head!" she snapped, embarrassed.
At that, her father finally turned his head slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You think too loud," he said simply, then faced forward again, walking as if nothing had happened.
Ore pressed her lips together, blushing even harder, but deep down she felt a strange comfort in the words.
---
The Ajibade household was unnervingly quiet.
Tolu's eyelids fluttered open to an unfamiliar ceiling. For a moment, he lay still, listening to the distant hum of rain dripping outside. Then, slowly, he pushed himself up, blinking at the walls around him. The shelves, the little trinkets, and most telling of all—the framed pictures of Ore smiling at different ages.
"This… is her room," he muttered under his breath, a chill settling over him.
He swung his legs over the bed, wincing at the dull ache running through his body, and forced himself to stand. Every step out of the room felt heavy, his bare feet padding softly against the wooden floor as he ventured down the hallway.
The house opened into a spacious living room, and that's when he froze.
There, seated on the couch with casual dominance, was a man. Remote in one hand, the television casting flashes of light across his sharp features. His aura was suffocating, an invisible weight pressing against Tolu's chest.
The man turned his head slowly, and in that moment Tolu's breath caught—his eyes glowed a deep, terrifying red.
"So…" the man's voice carried both annoyance and authority, "…I finally meet my daughter's husband."
Husband?
Tolu's blood ran cold. His heart slammed in his chest as he stared, wide-eyed, at the father of the girl who had marked him. He had faced claws and fangs, but somehow, this was far more terrifying.
And in that instant, Tolu realized this meeting was going to change everything.