Alpha Ash didn't knock.
The stone temple walls shattered inward as his wolf form exploded through the protective wards like a storm let loose from hell. He was fury made flesh—eight feet of muscle, claws, and raw power. His golden eyes burned with a singular purpose:
Find her. Kill anyone in the way.
The robed guards moved to attack. One shifted mid-air, too slow to react before Ash's claws ripped straight through his chest. The body hit the stone floor with a sickening crack.
He moved like smoke and thunder, tearing through every spell-woven defense they'd laced around the place. No one would keep her from him. Not anymore.
Every step closer, the bond screamed in his veins.
Aria.
Somewhere deep beneath the temple, she was on her knees. Her breath was shallow, her skin slick with sweat. The bloodstone now burned above her heart, fused to her skin like a second soul. The power inside her was waking — wild, ancient, and merciless.
The red-robed woman staggered to her feet, blood trickling down her face. "So the Alpha comes crawling," she spat. "Too late."
Aria forced herself up. "You're wrong. He's never late… when I need him."
Then it hit — the howl.
A deep, primal sound tore through the cavern, shaking the ceiling. The woman flinched. Aria didn't.
And then he appeared.
Ash's wolf form stormed through the broken barrier like a nightmare. His fur shimmered silver under the flickering torchlight, his eyes locked only on her. But when he saw the bloodstone in her chest, something in his gaze changed — pain, rage, and… fear?
The woman laughed, stepping between them. "It's no use, Alpha. You're already cursed. She's not just your mate now. She's your ruin."
"You talk too much," Ash growled, voice rough even through the shift.
He lunged.
The chamber exploded into chaos. Ash collided with the woman mid-spell, their magic clashing in wild flares of red and gold. Flames licked up the walls. Runes pulsed and shattered. The battle was brutal—his fury against her darkness.
Aria stumbled back, the force of their fight pressing her against the far wall. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The bloodstone glowed hotter, brighter. Her hands shook.
Something was waking up inside her — something that wasn't her.
She tried to scream, but the sound turned into a crackle of energy. Her vision blurred as silver light poured from her fingers. She wasn't controlling it anymore.
She was being consumed by it.
The red-robed woman caught sight of Aria. "No. Not now—"
But it was too late.
A surge of light erupted from Aria's chest. A blast that silenced the battle, swallowed the fire, and shattered every remaining rune in the temple.
Everything went white.
When the light faded…
Ash was on his knees, gasping for breath.
The woman was gone. Not dead—vanished.
And in the center of the chamber stood Aria, no longer shaking. Her hair lifted slightly as if carried by wind. Her eyes—once soft brown—now glowed a piercing silver.
Her voice echoed in the stillness.
"She's awake."
Ash's breath caught. "Aria…?"
She blinked once. Slowly.
And smiled — but it wasn't her smile.
The Alpha's Untamed Bond – Written by Denice Richkid