Aria's POV
We have three hours, I say, checking the time. That's not enough to plan a rescue
Then we don't plan, Zane interrupts. We train. Fast.
Train for what? A suicide mission?
No. Darius steps forward, his eyes glowing silver with visions. I've seen this. Multiple futures branch from this moment. In some, you walk in unprepared and die. In others, you survive because you knew what you were capable of.
I don't know what I'm capable of, I protest.
Exactly, Cael says. Which is why we're going to show you. Right now.
They drag me outside despite my protests. Dawn is still two hours away. The lake reflects moonlight, peaceful and calm. I'm about to walk into a trap, and they want me to train?
This is insane, I mutter.
Welcome to your new life, Lyra calls from the porch. I'll make coffee. You're going to need it.
Zane shifts into his massive black wolf and circles me. I stumble back instinctively.
Don't run, Darius says. Your wolf is faster than his. You just don't know it yet.
He's the size of a car!
And you're a True Luna. Zane shifts back, standing before me completely unbothered by his nakedness. Stop thinking like prey. You're not weak anymore.
Something in his words strikes deep. I've spent my whole life being told I'm weak, broken, useless. My wolf disagrees.
Fine, I say. Show me.
The next hour is brutal.
Zane makes me shift over and over until I can do it in seconds. He attacks without warning, forcing me to react on instinct. Every time I hesitate, he knocks me down.
Stop thinking! he barks after I land hard for the fifth time. Your wolf knows what to do. Trust her.
I'm exhausted, bruised, and furious. When he lunges again, something inside me snaps.
I shift mid-dodge, my white wolf faster than I knew possible. My jaws close on his throatnot hard enough to hurt, but enough to make him freeze.
Victory.
Zane shifts back, and his smile is genuinely proud. There she is. The True Luna.
My heart does a weird flutter at his praise.
Good, Darius says, pulling me aside while Zane catches his breath. Now the hard part. Your prophetic dreams are manifesting. You need to control them, or they'll control you.
He makes me sit and close my eyes. Teaches me to reach for that ancient part of my mind where visions live.
Don't force it, he instructs. Let it come. See what wants to be seen.
Images flood my mind. I see Iron claw territory. See Finn chained in a basement. See Aurora standing over him, her eyes empty and dead.
But I also see something else a weakness in Morgana's magic. A way to break it.
I gasp, my eyes flying open. I saw how to save Aurora. There's a spell, ancient magic, but if we can break Morgana's hold
Focus, Darius interrupts gently. One crisis at a time. First, we save Finn. Then we worry about your sister.
He's right. I can't save everyone. Not yet.
Cael takes over next, leading me toward the cars. We're going for a drive.
We don't have time
We're making time. He opens the passenger door. Get in.
We drive into Seattle as the city wakes up. Cael points out various buildings, explaining which ones hide supernatural businesses.
That coffee shop? Vampire owned. The gym? Werewolf pack. The law firm? Witch coven. He glances at me. Power isn't just fighting, Aria. It's knowing who owes whom, who has leverage, who's desperate enough to make deals.
Why does this matter right now?
Because when we walk into that trap, you'll need allies. And allies come from knowing the game. He pulls over in front of a nightclub. Come on.
Inside, despite the early hour, supernatural beings fill the space. They all turn when I enter. My scent gives me away immediately.
A vampire approaches, his eyes hungry. A True Luna. How delicious
Cael's hand is around the vampire's throat before he finishes the sentence. This is my mate. Touch her, threaten her, even think about her wrong, and I'll burn your entire nest to ashes. Clear?
The vampire nods frantically. Cael releases him.
Now, Cael continues pleasantly, addressing the room. The True Luna needs an army in two hours. Who's willing to earn a favor from the most powerful being in our world?
Silence. Then one werewolf stands. Then another. Within minutes, twenty supernatural beings have volunteered.
See? Cael tells me as we leave. Power is making people want to help you.
Back at Bloodmoon territory, I'm dizzy from information overload. My three mates gather around me.
You're stronger than you think, Zane says.
Smarter than you know, Darius adds.
And you're not alone, Cael finishes.
I look at each of them these three Alphas who've turned my world upside down in the best and worst ways.
Thank you, I whisper. For everything.
Don't thank us yet, Darius says grimly. We still have to survive the next few hours.
My phone buzzes. A new message from Aurora: One hour, little sister. Tick tock. Come alone or Finn dies.
I'm ready, I say, even though I'm terrified.
No, you're not, Lyra calls from the porch. She's holding something a small vial of glowing liquid. But you will be. I called in a favor. This is liquid moonlight. Drink it before you go in. It'll amplify your True Luna power for exactly one hour.
That's forbidden magic, Darius breathes.
So is resurrecting the dead, but Morgana did it anyway. Lyra shrugs. Fight fire with fire.
I take the vial. It's warm in my palm, pulsing like a heartbeat.
One hour of boosted power, I repeat. Then what?
Then you crash hard, Lyra admits. You'll be helpless for hours afterward. So make that hour count.
The sun breaks over the horizon. Dawn.
Time to go.
We pile into cars my three mates, Lyra, and the twenty volunteers from Seattle. An army to rescue one boy.
But Finn isn't just one boy. He's my brother. The only family member who ever loved me unconditionally?
As we drive toward Iron claw, Darius's hand finds mine. I've seen this future. It's dangerous. Painful. But we survive it.
All of us? I ask.
His silence is answer enough.
Who? I demand. Who doesn't make it?
The future isn't fixed, he says carefully. What I see is only one possibility.
DARIUS. Who dies?
He meets my eyes, and I see the truth in them. In most futures? You do.
The car goes silent.
No, Zane snarls from the driver's seat. Find another future. One where she lives.
I'm trying, Darius says, his voice breaking. But every path where she survives requires He stops.
Requires what? I press.
Sacrifice, he whispers. Someone has to die for you to live. And in every vision, that someone is one of us.
Cael's hand tightens on the steering wheel. Then that's what we do.
No! I shout. I'm not letting you die for me
It's not your choice, Zane says firmly. We're your mates. Protecting you is literally what we exist for.
That's not how this works
That's exactly how this works, Cael interrupts. We're pack now. And pack protects each other.
We pull up to Iron claw territory. The place looks abandoned. No guards. No patrols. Just eerie silence.
It's too quiet, Lyra mutters.
Definitely a trap, Cael agrees.
I uncap the vial of liquid moonlight. It smells like ozone and starlight.
Wait, Darius says suddenly, his eyes going distant. I'm seeing something new. A fourth option. But it requires
He cuts off, gasping. Blood drips from his nose a sign his visions are tearing him apart.
What? I demand. What do you see?
Your sister, he breathes. Aurora. She's not completely gone. Part of her is still fighting Morgana's control. If you can reach that part
An explosion rocks the car.
We're thrown sideways as something massive hits us. Metal screams. Glass shatters.
When I open my eyes, I'm hanging upside down in my seatbelt. Blood drips into my eyes.
Through the broken windshield, I see her.
Aurora. But not Aurora. Her eyes are black holes. Her veins pulse with dark magic. And she's smiling.
Hello, sister, she says in a voice that's layered with Morgana's. Did you really think we'd wait for you to come to us?
She raises her hand. Fifty Covenant wolves emerge from the forest, surrounding our destroyed cars.
You have something we want, Aurora continues. Your power. Your mates. Your life. We'll take them all.
Behind her, Morgana steps out of the shadows, dragging Finn by his chains.
My brother is barely conscious, beaten and bloody.
Choose, little Luna, Morgana says. Surrender yourself and your mates live. Fight, and watch everyone you love die screaming.
I meet my three Alphas' eyes. See the determination there. They're ready to fight to the death.
I drink the liquid moonlight in one swallow.
Power floods my body like lightning made of stars.
Wrong answer, I tell Morgana as my eyes blaze silver. You wanted the True Luna? You got her.