The moon hung low, heavy and watchful, as Aria wandered the academy's quieter paths. She wasn't supposed to be out after curfew, but the restless energy in her chest wouldn't let her sleep. Kieran's distance in training still gnawed at her, like an unspoken weight pressing down on her lungs.
The cobblestone walkway wound toward the older part of Mooncrest, where moss-covered arches and forgotten statues lined the path. She'd discovered this area only once before, when she'd gotten lost after evening drills. It felt different tonight—quieter, colder.
Her steps slowed as she reached the farthest archway. Beyond it was a small courtyard, overgrown with ivy, the air thick with the scent of damp earth. Something glimmered faintly at the center, catching the moonlight like a beckoning hand.
Aria frowned, moving closer.
The glimmer came from a small, smooth stone half-buried in the dirt. Unlike the dull gray rocks scattered around it, this one pulsed faintly, as though there were a heartbeat trapped inside.
She crouched, brushing soil away with careful fingers. The moment her skin touched it, the glow flared—bright enough to make her flinch back. The warmth from the stone seeped into her palm, winding up her arm like threads of fire.
She gasped silently. The sensation wasn't painful… but it was alive.
Images flickered in her mind—too fast to grasp:
A wolf standing on a cliff beneath a blood-red moon.
A silver chain snapping apart.
A man's voice, deep and urgent, saying her name.
Her breath quickened. She stumbled back, but the stone's glow didn't fade. It was as if it had chosen her.
A sudden rustle made her turn sharply.
Someone was watching.
A shadow shifted behind the ivy-covered wall, just at the edge of her vision. She caught the gleam of eyes—golden, unblinking—before they vanished.
Aria's pulse thundered in her ears.
She tucked the glowing stone into her pocket, the warmth still pulsing against her skin, and rose to her feet.
Back in her dorm room, she sat on her bed, pulling the stone out again. It was still glowing faintly, casting pale light across her hands. She traced the strange markings etched into its surface—shapes like runes, though not any she recognized.
Why had it reacted to her?
Why did it feel like… it was waiting?
She pressed it into her palm, and again the warmth flared, curling up her wrist. This time, she thought she felt something—like a thread tugging at the very center of her chest, pointing somewhere unseen.
Elsewhere in the academy
Celene stood before her study window, fingers wrapped around her teacup.
Her gaze wasn't on the moonlit courtyard—though she knew exactly where Aria had been.
"Interesting," she murmured.
In her hand, a parchment lay open, detailing an old prophecy: The Silent One shall awaken the Stone, and the Stone shall awaken the Alpha.
Her smile was slow, dangerous.
"It seems," she said to the empty room, "the game has truly begun."
Aria's fingers tightened around the stone, as if letting go would mean losing something she didn't yet understand.
She curled under her blanket, stone clutched to her chest, and tried to will her thoughts to slow. But the images it had burned into her mind refused to fade—the cliff, the blood moon, the voice that had spoken her name.
She didn't recognize it.
And yet, somehow… she did.
Across the academy
Kieran's head jerked up in the middle of grading combat evaluations.
For a moment, the air in his office felt… charged. The faint hum that slid through his senses wasn't physical—it was primal, ancient. He felt it in the marrow of his bones, the same way a predator feels a shift in the wind before prey bolts.
Something had awakened.
And it was calling to him.
He closed his eyes, trying to block it out, but instead the pull intensified, winding through his chest and sinking into his heartbeat. Every instinct screamed that it was tied to her.
He pushed back from his desk, jaw tight.
Celene's warning echoed in his mind.
Stay away from the girl.
He could. He should. But…
The stone's pulse—if that's what it was—thrummed again, and with it came a flash in his mind: Aria's wide eyes, moonlight spilling over her hair.
Back in her room, Aria traced the glowing runes with her thumb. The warmth was almost soothing now, but she could feel the invisible thread pulling at her, stretching somewhere deep within the academy grounds.
She whispered a thought in her mind, not sure who she was speaking to: What are you?
The stone pulsed once in reply.
Somewhere in the shadows outside her window, golden eyes gleamed—watching.
The stone's glow pulsed again, steady and rhythmic, like the heartbeat of something alive.
Aria's breath hitched.
Her fingers itched to drop it, to let it clatter to the library floor and pretend she'd never touched it. But another part of her—the part that had grown sharper and more defiant since coming to Mooncrest—tightened her grip instead.
It was warm now, the heat radiating into her palm. Almost… comforting.
The softest hum resonated in the air around her. At first she thought it came from somewhere deeper in the library, but then she realized—it was coming from the stone itself.
She glanced over her shoulder. The library's long, shadowed aisles were empty. The faint scent of dust and old parchment hung in the air, undisturbed. No one had followed her down here.
At least, not yet.
Aria slid the stone into her pocket, though the light didn't fade. It seeped faintly through the fabric, casting a muted glow against her hip.
A floorboard creaked.
Her head snapped up, heart slamming against her ribs. The noise came from the far side of the library, where the spiral staircase led to the restricted archives.
She waited, ears straining. Silence again.
You're imagining things, she told herself. Still, she began moving toward the exit, her steps careful and quiet.
The stone's hum grew stronger.
Halfway to the door, a shadow moved in the corner of her eye—tall, sharp-shouldered. Her stomach lurched.
"Kieran."
His name wasn't a question, but her mind reeled all the same. The Alpha instructor stepped into the dim lamplight, golden eyes catching the glow of the stone. His gaze sharpened instantly.
"What is that?" His voice was low, clipped.
Aria froze, her instinct to shield the object from sight. She didn't answer—couldn't—but the way her fingers curled protectively over her pocket was answer enough.
Kieran took a slow step toward her.
"That doesn't belong here." His tone was colder now, threaded with something she couldn't quite read—fear, maybe.
She shook her head, a small, defiant motion.
The golden in his eyes darkened. "Aria, I'm not asking."
She backed away, and his jaw flexed. "You don't understand what you're holding."
The stone pulsed again—once, twice—and then flashed with sudden brilliance, bathing the space in white-gold light. Aria flinched but didn't drop it. The warmth spread up her arm, into her chest, and she swore for the briefest moment she heard voices.
Whispers.
Kieran was in front of her in two strides, his hand closing around her wrist. The moment his skin touched hers, the stone's light flared brighter—too bright.
Both of them stilled.
Aria's heart pounded. The heat from the stone was now searing, but she couldn't let go.
Kieran's expression shifted, the cold edge faltering for a second as if he'd felt something too—something not entirely unwelcome.
Then footsteps echoed down the main aisle.
The light snapped out. Darkness swallowed the library again, save for the faint flicker of lanterns.
Kieran released her wrist reluctantly, turning toward the sound. "Hide it. Now."
Aria didn't need telling twice. She shoved the stone deep into her satchel just as the library doors opened.
Two enforcers stepped in, their black-and-silver uniforms stark against the shadows. The taller one scanned the room, gaze lingering on them. "Alpha Thorne. We heard… strange energy readings here."
Kieran's tone was calm, but there was steel beneath it. "The library is under my supervision. You'll find nothing."
They exchanged a look but didn't challenge him. "If anything unusual turns up, you'll report it."
"Of course."
They left, and silence returned, heavier than before.
Kieran turned back to her. "You're coming with me."
She stiffened but didn't move.
"Aria, this isn't a request."
Something in his voice—urgent, unyielding—told her this stone had just changed everything.