ARIA POV
The earth answered me.
Stones ripped from the ground and flew at Draevon like spears. He dodged, but barely. His eyes went wide with shock.
"Impossible," he snarled. "You're untrained. You shouldn't be able to—"
I didn't let him finish. Rage burned through me—hot and pure and uncontrollable. Kael was bleeding on the ground. My mate was dying.
My mate.
The words felt right in a way nothing else ever had.
I slammed my hands down, and the ground cracked open beneath Draevon's feet. He stumbled backward, cursing. His dogs rushed forward to attack me.
But Garrett was faster.
My brother—fully changed now, covered in silver fur with glowing eyes—crashed into the first wolf like a hurricane. His claws tore through metal like paper. He fought with wild, desperate power.
"Aria!" Elder Thorne grabbed my arm. "You need to fix the king! The bond will let you!"
"How?" I screamed. I didn't know what I was doing. I'd never used magic before in my life.
"Touch him! Channel your power through the bond!"
I ran to Kael and dropped to my knees beside him. Blood soaked his shirt. So much blood. His golden eyes were half-closed, his breaths shallow.
"Kael," I whispered, putting my hands to his chest. "Stay with me. Please stay with me."
His eyes focused on my face. "Aria... run. He'll kill you..."
"I'm not running." I closed my eyes and reached for that power inside me—the one that had been sleeping my whole life. "I'm not leaving you."
Heat rushed through my hands. Golden light poured from my hands into his wound. I felt the curse fighting back—dark, twisted magic that wanted to destroy him.
But I was better.
The bond between us blazed like fire, burning away the darkness. I felt his pain, his fear, his resolve to protect me even while dying. And I poured everything I had into saving him.
The wound healed. The black lines faded. Kael gasped and sat up, whole again.
"How did you—" he started.
Draevon's roar cut him off. "Enough!"
The Wolf Alpha stood in the middle of his circled wolves, his face twisted with fury. "You think you've won? You've just declared war, Lion King! Every wolf in my territory will hunt you both!"
"Then let them come." Kael stood, pulling me up with him. His voice was steady and cold. "I'll destroy anyone who threatens my mate."
"Your mate?" Draevon laughed cruelly. "She's real! A slave! The other Alphas will never accept her as queen! They'll tear your kingdom apart!"
"Let them try." Kael's arm wrapped around my waist, protective and possessive. "Aria is my mate, my queen, and anyone who challenges that challenges me."
More wolves poured from the dark. Twenty. Thirty. Too many.
Garrett backed toward us, bleeding from a dozen cuts. "We're surrounded."
Kael's lion roared—a sound so loud and strong it shook the ground. "Fall back! All of you! Or I'll kill every wolf here!"
"You're outnumbered, Kael!" Draevon smiled. "Even a king can't fight an entire pack!"
He was right. We were stuck.
Then I felt it—a rumble beneath my feet. Not from my power. From something greater. Something old.
The ground split open.
But not where I'd ordered. This was different. Massive roots burst from the ground, thick as trees, wrapping around Draevon's wolves and lifting them into the air. They screamed and fought, but the roots held firm.
"What is this?" Draevon shouted. "What are you doing?"
"It's not her." Elder Thorne's speech was filled with awe. "It's the land itself. The earth knows her as the true Luna. As queen."
The roots didn't hurt the wolves—just held them, trapped and powerless. Even Draevon was caught, lifted off his feet, unable to escape.
Kael stared at me. "Aria... did you know you could do this?"
"No." My voice shook. "I'm not doing it. It's just... happening."
"The prophecy," Thorne whispered. "A Luna of Two Bloodlines. Human and beastman. Earth and flesh. She doesn't just control magic—she IS magic."
Draevon fought against the roots, his face purple with rage. "This isn't over! I'll find a way to destroy you both! The prophecy says you'll either save the realm or doom it—and I'll make sure it's doom!"
"Guards!" Kael's voice rang out. Royal guards—lions in armor—rushed from the sale house. "Arrest Lord Draevon for attempted murder of the crown. Hold him until trial."
The guards pulled Draevon from the roots and chained him. He fought, yelling threats, but there were too many of them.
As they dragged him away, he locked eyes with me. "You think you've won, little Forgotten? This is just the beginning. There are others like me. Powerful others who want Forgotten Ones dead. They're coming for you. And when they do, your dear mate won't be able to save you."
Then he was gone, his voice fading into the night.
The roots slowly retreated into the earth, gentle as they'd been fierce. The ground shut itself like nothing had happened.
Silence fell.
I looked at my hands. They were shining softly, covered in dirt and blood and power I didn't understand.
"Aria." Kael turned me to face him. His golden eyes were focused, worried, but also filled with something warm. "Are you hurt?"
"No. But Garrett—" I looked for my brother and found him slumped against a wall, back in human form, naked and bleeding.
"He needs a healer," Thorne said, already moving toward him. "And you both need rest. The power drain from that display must be huge."
He was right. Now that the danger was past, tiredness crashed over me like a wave. My knees buckled.
Kael caught me before I fell. "I've got you," he whispered, lifting me into his arms like I weighed nothing. "You're safe now. Both of you are safe."
"Draevon said others are coming," I whispered against his chest. "Others who want to kill us."
"Let them come." Kael's voice was strong. "I'll face forces for you. I'll burn the whole land down before I let anyone hurt you."
I should have been scared. Should have been swamped. But wrapped in his arms, feeling the mate bond humming between us, I felt... safe.
For the first time since the raid, I felt safe.
"Take us home," I whispered.
Kael's arms tightened around me. "Home," he agreed softly. "To the house. To where you belong."
As he carried me toward a huge carriage with royal symbols, I looked back one last time.
The auction house stood quiet. Empty. The place where I'd been sold like property.
But I wasn't property anymore.
I was a queen.
And somewhere in the darkness behind us, I could swear I heard Grandmother's voice one final time, proud and clear: Now you remember who you are, little one. Now you remember.
The carriage door closed. Kael sat beside me, Garrett was laid carefully on the opposite seat, and Elder Thorne climbed in last.
"To the palace," Kael told the driver. "And don't stop for anything."
As the carriage rocked forward, Garrett's eyes flickered open. He looked at me, then at Kael, then at our joined hands.
"So," he said sadly, "my sister is marrying the king. That's... unexpected."
I started to laugh. Then cry. Then both at once.
Because everything was different now. Everything had changed.
And I had no idea if that was great or terrifying.
Maybe it was both.