ARIA POV
I crashed through the trees, my lungs burning. The howls behind were getting closer.
"Keep moving," I whispered to myself, holding the map Lucien had given . It was marked with blood now—my blood—from the cut on my palm where I’d grabbed a thorny branch to pull myself up a steep hill.
My father’s words still echoed in my head. War was coming. Tonight. But I couldn’t trust him. I’d run away instead, and now strange wolves were chasing .
They weren’t from Darius’s pack. Their sll was different—wilder, older sohow. Part of the Forgotten Packs, maybe?
A growl ca from my right. Too close. I spun around just as a huge gray wolf lunged at from between two trees.
I didn’t have ti to think. My body moved on its own. I dropped to the ground, feeling the wolf fly over . My hands hit the dirt, claws extending from my fingers.
Wait—claws?
My wolf was right there, just under my skin, giving her power. I didn’t need to fully shift to use it.
The gray wolf recovered quickly, looping back. Two more wolves erged from the trees—one black, one brown—their eyes sparkling with hunger.
"I don’t want to fight you," I said, backing away. "I’m just passing through."
The gray wolf snarled, showing teeth as long as my fingers. They weren’t here to talk.
The black wolf charged. I side-stepped and slashed with my claws, catching its shoulder. It yelped in pain and surprise.
"She has Moon Alpha blood," one of them said in my head.
Wait—I could hear their thoughts?
I didn’t have ti to wonder about it. The brown wolf struck from behind. I spun and kicked out, connecting with its chest. The wolf flew backward, crashing into a tree.
Power rushed through . This wasn’t like normal wolf strength. This was sothing else. Sothing old.
"Take her alive," a voice ordered from sowhere in the forest. "She’s the one we’ve been waiting for."
The gray wolf lunged again. This ti, its teeth caught my arm. Pain burst through as it bit down hard.
I scread, my wolf roaring inside . I hit the wolf’s nose with my free hand. It let go with a yelp.
Blood poured from the bite marks on my arm. I pressed my hand against the cut, but it was deep. Too deep.
The world turned sideways. My legs felt weak. Blood loss. Not good.
"Surround her," the voice ordered. "She’s weakening."
Five more wolves stepped into the clearing, making a circle around . I backed against a tree, trying to stay standing.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"The Moon Alpha returns," one of them said in my head. "We’ve waited centuries."
My knees buckled. I slid down the tree stem, leaving a sar of blood on the bark. The trees spun around .
I was going to die here, alone in the woods, hunted by dogs I didn’t even know.
A roar split the air—deep, strong, and familiar.
The wolves around turned toward the sound. A massive silver wolf burst into the area, its eyes glowing blue with rage.
Kael.
He moved like lightning, tearing into the closest dog with teeth and claws. The others struck him all at once, but he was too fast, too strong. Two wolves fell instantly, whimpering in pain. The others backed away, unsure.
"Leave," Kael’s voice bood in my head. "She is protected."
The remaining wolves paused. The gray one, clearly their boss, stepped forward.
"She belongs with the Forgotten Packs," it growled. "Not with shadow-tainted blood."
Kael’s responding snarl made even shiver. "She chooses her own path."
The gray wolf looked at , then at Kael. "This isn’t over." With a flick of its tail, it turned and disappeared into the trees. The others followed.
Kael watched them go, then rushed to my side. His form shimred, and suddenly he was human again, kneeling beside .
"Aria," he said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. "Let see."
I moved my hand from the wound. Blood instantly poured out. Kael’s face went pale.
"It’s bad," I whispered.
"You’ll be okay," he said, pulling a strip from his shirt to wrap around my arm. "I found you in ti."
"How did you find ?"
"I felt your pain," he said softly. "Through the bond."
I looked at him. "But Lucien said—" "I know what Lucien said." Kael tied the homade bandage tight. "There’s a lot we don’t understand about what’s happening."
My head felt light. "I think I’m going to pass out."
"Not here." Kael slipped one arm under my knees and the other behind my back. He lifted as if I weighed nothing. "We need to get sowhere safe. Those wolves will be back with troops."
As he carried through the trees, my head resting against his chest, sothing strange happened. Images flashed in my mind—but they weren’t my mories.
I saw myself through Kael’s eyes. The mont he first noticed across the pack grounds. The night of my birthday when the bond sparked. The look on my face when I challenged his father.
"You’re in my head," I whispered.
Kael looked down at , shocked. "You can see my thoughts?"
"So of them. How is this possible?"
He shook his head. "The ties are changing. Growing stronger."
"Where are Jaxon and Lucien?"
Pain flashed across Kael’s face. "Darius has Lucien. Jaxon is trying to free him."
My heart clenched. "We have to go back."
"No. You’re hurt, and the Forgotten Packs are hunting you. We need to reach Silver Creek first."
"But Lucien—" "Can handle himself." Kael’s jaw clenched. "Trust , I don’t like leaving my brothers either."
The trees thinned out. Ahead, I could see a small cabin set among pine trees.
"Is that Silver Creek?" I asked.
"No. It’s a safe house. We’ll rest here tonight, then continue at dawn."
As Kael carried toward the cabin, a chill ran down my spine. Sothing wasn’t right.
"Wait," I whispered. "Sothing’s wrong."
Kael stopped. He sniffed the air, his body tensing.
The cell door opened. A woman stepped out—tall, with silver-streaked dark hair and eyes that looked exactly like mine.
"Mom?" I gasped.
She smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. "Hello, Aria."
Kael set down gently but kept his arm around my waist to support .
"You’re alive," I said, tears filling my eyes. "All this ti..."
"I had to stay away to protect you," she stated. "But now it’s ti."
"Ti for what?"
She looked past . "They’re here."
I turned to see wolves appearing from the trees behind us—dozens of them, from all directions. At their middle stood my father, Dominic.
"You led them here," I charged Kael, trying to pull away from him.
"No," Kael said firmly. "I would never betray you."
My mother stepped closer. "No one betrayed you, Aria. This was always the plan."
"What plan?"
She took my hand. "The union of the packs. The rise of the Moon Alpha."
The wolves around us bowed their heads. Even my father lowered his eyes.
"I don’t understand," I said.
"The triplets aren’t your mates, Aria," my mother said softly. "They’re your guards. The bond you feel isn’t a sexual bond—it’s sothing much older. Sothing from before the packs were split."
Kael’s arm tightened around . "She’s losing too much blood. We need to fix her wound first."
My view blurred. The last thing I saw before sleep took was my mother’s face, tears streaming down her cheeks as she whispered, "I’m sorry for what cos next."
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