We didn't speak on the walk back to camp.
Aria's arm trembled faintly at her side, her hand clutched tight around her wrist where the mark now burned. The black lines etched into her skin twisted like veins, pulsing faintly with each beat of her heart. Every few steps, I caught her jaw tighten as if she were fighting back a wave of pain—or something worse.
By the time we reached the edge of the Shadowfang camp, she looked paler than I'd ever seen her.
"Sit," I said quietly as we ducked into the dim tent we'd been given. "Let me see it."
She hesitated, her silver-flecked eyes narrowing. "You can't fix this."
"Maybe not," I said, crouching in front of her, "but I can keep it from killing you."
She finally extended her arm. The mark had spread since we left the clearing, curling further up toward her elbow, the lines faintly glowing like embers. When my fingers brushed near it, her breath hitched—not from pain, but because the mark pulsed harder, reacting to me.
Aria jerked her arm back. "It's… feeding. I can feel it. Every time I suppress the glow, it digs in deeper."
Before I could answer, the tent flap opened. Lyra strode in, her violet eyes landing on Aria's arm instantly.
"So… the Veil has taken notice."
Aria's claws flexed instinctively, her glow sparking faintly beneath her skin. "You knew about this thing?"
Lyra tilted her head, her smile thin. "I suspected the Veilborn would draw attention eventually. That mark isn't just a wound, little wolf. It's a beacon. And now? They'll all come looking."
Aria rose to her feet, her glow flaring in her veins despite her effort to control it. "Then cut it off. Burn it out. I don't care what it takes."
Lyra chuckled, low and cold. "Oh, if it were that easy… I'd have carved it out myself by now." She stepped closer, her gaze sweeping between us. "But perhaps… this is an opportunity."
Her words lingered like smoke as she turned toward the tent flap. "Rest. Tomorrow, you'll be sent out again. The beacon will do its job… and we'll see what answers come looking for us."
She left as silently as she came, the flap swaying closed behind her.
Aria stood still, her breathing uneven. The glow beneath her skin flickered erratically, the mark pulsing harder now that Lyra had named it for what it was.
She turned toward me, her voice low. "It's calling to something. I can feel it. Kael… if I lose control before we figure out what this thing is…"
I didn't let her finish. I stepped closer, gripping her shoulders. "Then I'll be here. Like always."
Her eyes met mine, silver swirling faintly as her breath steadied. For a moment, the mark stopped pulsing. The tent fell silent, save for the faint sound of her breathing.
And then, somewhere beyond the walls of the camp, a howl broke the quiet. Not a wolf's call. Something deeper. Older.
The mark flared, scorching hot against her skin.
And I knew… whatever it was calling, it had found us.