ARIA POV
I lunged for the book, but Kael pulled it away with a smirk. My fingers grabbed empty air.
"Give it back!" I shouted, my heart racing. "That belonged to my mother!"
Kael's eyes burned into mine, that strange red flicker appearing and going so quickly I almost missed it. The same red I'd seen in Lucien's eyes. The same red from the image of Alpha Darius.
"Your mother," Kael said slowly, "wasn't who you think she was."
Lucien stepped between us, still shirtless, the moon-shaped scar on his chest glowing slightly in the dim light. "Kael, this isn't you talking. Fight it."
Kael laughed, but it sounded wrong—hollow and cruel. Nothing like the controlled, cold Kael I knew.
"Always the hero, little brother," he sneered. "Always trying to save everyone."
He flipped through the book, stopping at a page marked with a red ribbon. "Did you read this part yet, Aria? About how your mother was no ordinary wolf?"
My throat tightened. "Stop it."
