POV: Aria
"Your mother didn't die in a rogue attack. And neither did mine."
The words hang in the air between us. Elena—my grandmother, apparently—stands in the doorway with wolves surrounding the cabin. The silver light fading from my eyes leaves me dizzy and confused.
But one thing burns clear in my mind: I saw the truth. In that moment when my power exploded, I saw everything.
"Get away from her," Damon growls, stepping between me and Elena. His body is tense, ready to shift and fight even though we're outnumbered twenty to one.
He's protecting me. Again. The boy who spent years tormenting me is now willing to die for me.
Elena raises her hand. "Peace, young Alpha. I'm not here to hurt my granddaughter. I'm here because her power just announced itself to every supernatural creature within a hundred miles. Including your father."
My stomach drops. "What?"
"True Luna power is like a beacon when it first activates fully." Elena steps into the cabin, and her wolves stay outside—a small mercy. "Every Alpha, every witch, every creature that feeds on magic felt that pulse. Rowan will know exactly where you are within the hour."
"Then we run," Damon says immediately.
"You can't outrun him. Not anymore." Elena looks at me with those eerie silver eyes. "But you can fight him. With my help."
"Why should we trust you?" I ask. My voice shakes, but I force myself to stand. "You claim to be my grandmother, but you let me suffer for eighteen years. Where were you when my parents treated me like garbage? When Damon—" I stop, the memories choking me.
Elena's expression softens. "I was searching for you. Rowan hid you well—changed your birth records, paid off officials, used magic to mask your scent. I only found you three days ago when your wolf emerged and broke through his spells."
"Convenient timing," Damon says sarcastically.
"It's the truth." Elena moves to the window, scanning the forest. "Rowan killed my daughter Catherine—your mother, Damon—because she discovered he was murdering True Lunas. She threatened to expose him to the werewolf council. So he hired rogues to make it look like a random attack."
The confirmation of what I saw hits me like a punch. "He killed his own mate?"
"He never loved her. He only mated her because she was a True Luna, and he thought he could control her power through the mate bond." Elena's voice turns hard. "He was wrong. Catherine was too strong. So he eliminated her and spent years making sure no other True Luna survived to challenge him."
"My father is a monster," Damon says quietly. "I already knew that. What I need to know is what you want from us."
Elena turns to face us both. "I want to help you destroy him. You have the power, Aria. And you have the claim to leadership, Damon. Together, you can take down Rowan and reform the pack before his corruption spreads further."
"I don't want to destroy anyone," I say. "I just want to be left alone."
"They won't leave you alone. Not ever." Elena's words are blunt. "Your power makes you a threat to every corrupt Alpha in existence. They'll hunt you, use you, or kill you. The only way to survive is to fight back."
The cabin suddenly feels too small, too hot. Everything is moving too fast. Three days ago, I was planning to run away and live a quiet life somewhere far from Crimson Ridge. Now I'm supposedly some kind of werewolf royalty with a grandmother I never knew existed and enemies I never asked for.
"I need air." I push past Elena and stumble outside.
The wolves surrounding the cabin watch me but don't move. They're all big, scarred, dangerous-looking. But their eyes hold respect, not threat.
Damon follows me out. "Aria, wait."
"Wait for what?" I spin to face him. "Wait for your father to find us? Wait for more people to tell me my entire life has been a lie? Wait for—"
"Wait for me to explain." Damon catches my wrist gently. "Please."
I want to pull away. Want to run again. But the mate bond tugs at me, and I'm so tired of fighting everything.
"Explain what?" I ask.
Damon takes a shaky breath. "Why I became the monster who hurt you."
We walk away from the cabin, just far enough that Elena's wolves can't hear us. Damon sits on a fallen log, and after a moment, I sit beside him. Not too close—I'm not ready for that yet.
"After my mother died, my father changed," Damon starts. "He'd always been strict, but he became cruel. He said Mom died because she was soft. Because she cared about the wrong things—omega welfare, pack happiness, mercy." He stares at his hands. "He told me that if I was like her, I'd end up dead too."
"So you became like him instead," I say quietly.
"I was twelve and terrified. Every time I showed kindness or weakness, he punished me. Beat me until I learned to hide anything soft inside me." Damon's voice cracks. "You reminded me of her, Aria. The way you helped people even when it cost you. The way you stayed kind when everyone was cruel. I was terrified that if I was like you—if I let myself care—I'd die just like she did."
Understanding crashes through me like a wave. "So you tried to kill that part of yourself. And I became your target."
"Yes." Damon looks at me with pain written all over his face. "I hurt you because I was too broken to see that my father was wrong. That strength and kindness aren't opposites. That you can be both."
Silence stretches between us. Part of me wants to scream at him that understanding doesn't erase years of torture. But another part—the part connected to him through the mate bond—feels his genuine regret like it's my own.
"Your father destroyed both of us," I finally say.
"Yeah. He did."
We sit there as the moon rises higher. The mate bond hums between us, quieter now but still present. For the first time since it snapped into place, the bond doesn't feel like chains. It feels like... possibility.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," I admit. "You broke something inside me, Damon. Made me believe I was worthless for so long that I still don't know who I am without that voice in my head."
"I know." Damon turns to face me. "And I'll spend however long it takes trying to fix what I broke. I'm not asking you to accept the mate bond right now. I'm not even asking you to forgive me. I'm just asking for a chance to prove I can be better than what my father made me."
I study his face in the moonlight. He looks exhausted and vulnerable and nothing like the cold bully who made my life hell. The mate bond whispers that he's telling the truth, that his regret is real.
"One chance," I say softly. "But if you hurt me again—"
"I won't. I swear on my mother's memory, I won't." His voice is fierce with conviction.
The moment stretches between us. The mate bond pulls tighter, humming with approval. This close, I can smell him—pine trees and thunderstorms and something uniquely Damon. Despite everything, despite all the years of hatred, my wolf whispers: Mate. Ours. Safe.
"Can I...?" Damon reaches out slowly, giving me time to pull away.
I should pull away. Should maintain distance. Should protect what's left of my broken heart.
But I don't move.
His hand cups my face gently, like I'm something precious instead of something he spent years destroying. The touch sends sparks through my entire body. The mate bond sings with joy.
"I'm going to kiss you now," Damon whispers. "If you don't want me to—"
I kiss him first.
It's soft and tentative and nothing like I expected. His lips are warm, and the mate bond explodes with relief, flooding us both with a feeling like coming home after being lost for years.
When we break apart, both of us are breathing hard.
"We shouldn't have done that," I say, but I don't move away.
"Probably not." Damon's voice is rough. "But I'm not sorry."
"Me neither," I admit.
We sit there in the moonlight, just existing together. The mate bond settles between us, content for the first time. For a moment—just one perfect moment—everything feels like it might actually be okay.
Then Damon's phone buzzes.
He checks it, and I watch his expression turn from soft to stone-hard in seconds.
"What?" I ask, dread pooling in my stomach.
"Message from my father." Damon's voice is flat. "He's calling an emergency pack meeting tomorrow night. He's announcing a new date for my mating ceremony with Vivian."
My heart stops. "When?"
"Three days from now." Damon looks at me, and I see desperation in his eyes. "He's moving it up. He knows about us—about the mate bond. He's trying to force me to complete a bond with Vivian before..."
Before we can complete ours. Before Damon has a choice.
"You have to go back," I whisper. "If you don't show up, he'll know you're with me."
"I'm not leaving you here alone with Elena. We don't know if we can trust her."
"She's my grandmother."
"So? My father is my father, and look how that turned out." Damon stands up, pacing. "There has to be another way."
But before either of us can think of one, Elena appears through the trees. Her face is grim.
"They're coming," she says. "Rowan's trackers. They're ten minutes out, maybe less. We need to move now."
"Where?" Damon demands.
"Shadow Mountain. My den. It's the only place Rowan can't reach you."
"That's three hours away," I say. "We'll never make it."
Elena's smile is sharp and dangerous. "We will if you use your True Luna power to teleport us there."
I stare at her. "I can't teleport. I don't even know how to control my power!"
"You don't have to know. Your instincts will take over when you're desperate enough." Elena grabs my hand. "Trust me, granddaughter. Or stay here and let Rowan's wolves tear you apart. Your choice."
Through the trees, I hear howls. Getting closer.
Damon takes my other hand. "Whatever you decide, I'm with you."
The mate bond flares between us, and suddenly I can feel his absolute trust. His willingness to follow me anywhere, even into the unknown.
I close my eyes and reach for the power that activated earlier. It's there, vast and terrifying and ancient. I have no idea what I'm doing.
But I have to try.
Silver light explodes around us. The world tilts sideways. I hear Damon shout my name, feel Elena's grip tighten on my hand—
Then everything goes black.
When I open my eyes, we're somewhere completely different. A massive cave lit by glowing crystals. Dozens of wolves stare at us from the shadows.
And standing directly in front of me, smiling like he expected us, is my father Marcus.
"Hello, daughter," he says. "Elena, thank you for bringing her straight to me. Our deal is complete."
Elena releases my hand and steps back. "Nothing personal, child. But your power is worth more than sentiment."
The betrayal hits me like a knife to the chest.
We walked straight into a trap.