ARIA'S POV
"Prepare for war."
Kael's words echo in my head as chaos erupts around me.
Nightshade wolves pour into the hallways, shifting and snarling, preparing to defend their home. From my pack. Because of me.
"Aria, stay here," Kael commands, already moving toward the door.
"No." I grab his arm. "If they're here because of me, I should—"
"You should stay alive." His eyes flash gold—his wolf rising. "That's the only thing that matters right now."
"Kael—"
"Please." The word stops me cold. An Alpha doesn't say please. But Kael's looking at me like I'm the most important thing in the world. "I can't fight knowing you're in danger. I need you safe."
Before I can argue, he's gone, Theron right behind him.
The door slams shut.
I hear the lock click from the outside.
"No!" I run to the door, yanking on the handle. "You can't lock me in here! Kael!"
No answer. Just the sound of wolves running, growling, preparing for battle.
My father is out there. My brother. My whole pack.
Coming to kill me.
Or drag me back to Silvercrest to die there instead.
I pace the room like a caged animal, my wolf clawing inside me, desperate to get out. To fight. To do something.
An explosion rocks the fortress.
I stumble, catching myself on the wall. What was that?
More explosions. Closer now. The walls shake.
They're not just attacking. They're trying to bring the whole fortress down.
I run to the window. Fire lights up the night sky. Wolves clash below—black Nightshade wolves against the silver and brown of Silvercrest.
And there, in the center of it all, my father in his massive Alpha wolf form, bigger than any other wolf on the field.
Except Kael.
They're circling each other, snarling, seconds away from a fight that could kill them both.
I can't watch this. Can't stay locked in this room while wolves die because of me.
I grab a chair and smash it against the door.
The wood splinters but the door holds.
Again. Harder.
The door cracks but doesn't break.
"Come on!" I scream, hitting it again and again until my hands bleed and the chair breaks apart completely.
The door stays locked.
I slump against the wall, breathing hard, feeling completely useless.
Weak. Pathetic. Broken.
My father's words. Dante's words. The whole pack's words.
Maybe they were right all along.
Hours pass.
The sounds of battle fade. I don't know who won. Don't know if Kael is alive or dead.
The mate bond is quiet. Too quiet.
My chest feels tight. Wrong.
"Please be okay," I whisper to the empty room. "Please."
Finally, as dawn breaks, I hear footsteps outside.
The lock clicks.
I scramble to my feet, ready to fight or run or—
It's not Kael.
A young woman opens the door, carrying a tray of food. She won't meet my eyes.
"Where's Kael?" I demand. "Is he—"
"The Alpha is fine," she says quickly. "He's dealing with the aftermath. He said to bring you food."
"I don't want food. I want answers. What happened? Did Silvercrest retreat? How many died?"
She flinches at my questions like I hit her. "I don't know. I just bring food."
She sets the tray down and practically runs out.
The door stays unlocked this time.
I stare at it for a long moment. Then I walk through.
The hallway is empty. Quiet. The stone walls are scorched in places from the attack.
I start walking.
I need to see. Need to know what my presence here cost these wolves.
The fortress is like a maze—long corridors, stone staircases, doors that all look the same. But I follow the sound of voices, the smell of smoke and blood.
I turn a corner and almost run into two Nightshade warriors.
They freeze when they see me.
"Silvercrest trash," one of them mutters.
My wolf rises, ready to snap back, but I force her down. I can't fight everyone here.
"Excuse me," I say, trying to walk past them.
The bigger one steps in my way. "Three of our packmates died last night. Because of you."
Guilt slams into me. "I'm sorry. I never wanted—"
"Your wants don't matter." He leans closer, eyes hard. "You brought death to our doorstep. The Alpha may protect you, but the rest of us see what you are. A traitor. A curse."
"I didn't ask for any of this!"
"And we didn't ask for you." He spits at my feet. "But here you are. Hiding behind our Alpha while we bury our dead."
They walk away, leaving me standing there, shaking.
I keep walking.
More wolves see me. More whispers follow.
"That's her."
"The Silvercrest wolf."
"Why is she still here?"
"The Alpha should have killed her."
A she-wolf with scars across her face steps directly into my path. "My mate died fighting your pack last night," she says, voice cold. "Look me in the eye and tell me you're worth his life."
I can't. I can't say anything.
She shoves past me hard enough that I stumble into the wall.
Nobody helps me up.
I want to disappear. Want to shift and run and never stop running.
But where would I go? Silvercrest wants me dead. Nightshade hates me. I'm completely alone.
I find a staircase and climb until I can't hear voices anymore. Until I reach a door that opens onto a balcony overlooking mountains I don't recognize.
The cold air hits my face.
I walk to the edge, gripping the stone railing.
This is what my life is now. Hated by everyone. Blamed for deaths I didn't cause. Trapped in a place where even the mate bond can't make people accept me.
The tears come before I can stop them.
I cry for the wolves who died last night. For the pack I lost. For the family that never loved me. For the girl I used to be who thought if she just tried hard enough, she could earn their respect.
I cry until there's nothing left.
"Crying won't change anything."
I spin around so fast I almost lose my balance.
An old woman stands in the doorway. Ancient. Her face is lined with years, her hair pure white, but her eyes—her eyes are sharp and knowing.
"Who are you?" I demand, wiping my face.
"Elder Mira." She walks toward me slowly, like she's approaching a scared animal. "Keeper of histories. Watcher of signs." She tilts her head, studying me. "And you, child, are far more than you know."
"What are you talking about?"
"Your eyes." She steps closer. "Violet. Like moonlight made solid." Her hand reaches out, stopping just short of touching my face. "I've only seen eyes like that once before. A lifetime ago. Before Silvercrest hunted them all to extinction."
My heart pounds. "Hunted who?"
"The Moonborn Alphas." Elder Mira's voice drops to barely a whisper. "Wolves blessed directly by the Moon Goddess herself. The most powerful creatures to ever walk these mountains."
I shake my head. "That's a myth. A story."
"Is it?" She pulls back her sleeve, revealing a mark on her wrist—a crescent moon surrounded by stars. "I was there the night they burned. Watched Silvercrest slaughter entire bloodlines. I was just a child, but I remember." Her eyes meet mine. "I remember the violet eyes. The silver wolves. The power that made the earth shake."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you have those eyes, Aria Silvercrest." She says my name like it means something. "Because your wolf is silver. Because when I felt your presence enter this fortress, I knew. The bloodline survived."
"No." I back away. "I'm the weakest wolf in my pack. I can barely shift. I'm nothing like—"
"You're suppressed." Elder Mira's voice is fierce now. "Someone bound your power. Locked it away so deep you never knew it existed. That's why you shifted late. Why you've always felt broken." She steps closer. "But power like yours can't stay hidden forever. Eventually, it breaks free."
"When?"
"When you complete the mate bond."
The words hang in the air.
"That's why they sent you to die," she continues. "Your father knows. Has always known. The moment your power awakens, you become a threat to his rule. To everything Silvercrest has built."
My legs feel weak. "How do you know this?"
"Because the Moon Goddess herself sent me dreams. Showed me violet eyes on a battlefield. Showed me two Alphas—one broken, one lost—finding each other in war." Her smile is sad. "She chose Kael as your mate for a reason, child. He has Moonborn blood too. Diluted, but present. Together, you're meant to restore what was destroyed."
"I don't want to restore anything!" My voice cracks. "I just want to survive!"
"Survival isn't enough anymore." Elder Mira's hand finally touches my shoulder. "Not for you. Not for what's coming."
"What's coming?"
She opens her mouth to answer.
Then her eyes go wide. Terrified.
She grabs my arm, nails digging in hard enough to hurt. "It's happening already. Faster than I thought. You need to find Kael. Now."
"What? Why—"
"Because your sister is here."
My blood runs cold. "Vivienne? That's impossible. She would never—"
"Not to save you." Elder Mira pulls me toward the door. "To kill you. Before your power awakens. She knows what you are. Has always known. And she's brought something with her. Something ancient and dark and—"
An explosion tears through the fortress.
Not fire this time.
Magic.
Dark, twisted, wrong magic that makes my wolf howl in terror.
"Too late," Elder Mira whispers. "She's already started the ritual."
"What ritual?"
The old woman's eyes meet mine, and I see my death reflected there.
"The one that will steal your power and transfer it to her," she says. "And it requires your blood."