The burning started in her sleep.
Not pain, exactly—but heat, like something beneath her skin was trying to force its way out. Aria bolted upright, sweat clinging to her temples, her chest heaving. The mark over her heart blazed white-blue in the moonlight, pulsing like a heartbeat of its own.
What is happening to me?
She stood shakily, catching her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes glowed—faintly, unnaturally.
Not wolf.
Not just human.
She tore the necklace from her bedside, staring at it. Her instincts screamed now—this was part of it. A chain disguised as a gift.
She stumbled outside into the pre-dawn light, trying to breathe. Everything around her felt too loud—like the forest itself was alive and murmuring.
And then she felt it: a presence.
Not Dorian.
Someone else.
A figure stood at the treeline, half-shadowed. Tall, lean, with wild dark curls and sharp, golden eyes that reflected the rising moon.
Her wolf stilled.
Not in fear.
In recognition.
He didn't speak right away.
When he finally stepped forward, it was with reverence, not caution.
"You shouldn't be able to feel me," he said. "Not with the bind still in place."
Aria backed up instinctively. "Who are you?"
"A friend," he said calmly. "And someone who's been looking for you for a long time."
He stopped a few feet from her, then looked down—directly at her mark. His jaw clenched. "It's true. Selene really did choose you."
Her throat tightened. "How do you know about Selene?"
"Because I serve her. I was raised in her forgotten temple, trained to find the Sacred Luna. And you, Aria… You were hidden. Bound. Almost lost."
She blinked. "Bound?"
He nodded. "The mate bond you feel—it's not pure. It was forced. Tethered with blood magic. I can smell it on you… and on him."
Aria's heart thundered. "No. No, I would've known—"
"You felt it," he said gently. "You just didn't know what it was. That pressure. That fatigue. Your wolf going silent. He's been feeding off your power since the moment the bond was sealed."
Something inside her cracked.
"Dorian…" she whispered.
The rogue—no, the guardian—stepped closer. "Let me help."
She hesitated… then nodded.
He knelt and pressed his fingers lightly to her mark.
"It'll hurt," he warned. "It has to."
Then he whispered something in a language older than the forest itself.
Pain ripped through her chest like a brand, and she fell to her knees. The mark seared with white fire, light flaring so brightly it lit the trees around them.
She screamed—but not in fear.
In release.
The world exploded in white.
And when it cleared—her wolf was awake.
Fully.
Breathing.
Alive.
She collapsed into the grass, gasping. The man caught her before she hit the ground.
He looked at her, reverent and stunned. "You're more than Sacred," he murmured. "You're destined."
Aria, still shaking, looked up at him. "Who are you?"
He smiled. "Name's Kael."
She felt her chest pull toward him, just for a second.
Not like the bond.
Something different.
Something real.