ARIA POV
Blood covered my hands as I pressed them against Mira’s chest. Her breathing ca in short, painful gasps.
"Stay with !" I begged as her eyes fluttered closed. "Mira, please!"
Around us, the battlefield was a nightmare. Bodies everywhere. Wounded wolves calling out for help. The humans from Shadow Division had attacked with weapons I’d never seen before – guns that fired silver bullets that exploded inside their targets.
"Luna, we need you over here!" soone shouted frantically.
I looked up to see Darius, the forr Alpha, bent over a young wolf. The boy couldn’t have been more than sixteen. His chest barely moved.
"I can’t leave Mira," I said, tears running down my face.
Lucien appeared beside , his clothes torn and bloody. "I’ll take care of her. Go."
Our eyes t, and through our bond, I felt his steady support. Even in this horror, he was my rock.
I nodded and ran to the hurt boy. As I knelt beside him, the sll hit – silver poisoning. The people knew exactly how to hurt us.
"What’s his na?" I asked Darius.
"Liam. He’s from the northern border police," Darius answered, his voice tight with worry.
I put my hands on Liam’s chest. The silver light that had helped us beat Elira was now just a flicker inside . I’d used almost all my power destroying the tablet.
"I don’t know if I can help him," I whispered.
Darius looked at , his eyes desperate. "You’re our Luna. If anyone can, it’s you."
I closed my eyes and looked deep inside for any power I had left. Just when I thought there was nothing, I felt a tiny spark – not silver like before, but golden. Warm. Different.
"What is this?" I murmured, confused.
As if in answer, the spark grew. The warmth spread up my arms, through my chest, and into my fingers. My hands began to glow with golden light.
"Aria!" Kael yelled from sowhere behind . "The humans are gathering! We need to move!"
I ignored him, focused on the golden power flowing through . When I put my glowing hands to Liam’s chest, the boy gasped. His back arched, and then, amazingly, the wound began to close. The silver poison ca from his skin like tiny silver beads, floating away on the wind.
"How are you doing that?" Darius asked, eyes wide.
I shook my head. "I don’t know."
As soon as Liam’s breathing steadied, I moved to the next injured wolf. And the next. Each ti, the golden light grew stronger, brighter. I could feel it feeding on sothing – not my energy, but sothing else entirely.
Jaxon appeared, carrying another hurt pack mber. "Aria, you look... different."
I caught my image in a puddle of water nearby. My eyes had changed color – from their normal brown to a bright gold that matched the light flowing from my hands.
"It’s the Goddess," Elder Malin said, appearing seemingly from nowhere. "She has blessed you with healing powers."
A helicopter roared overhead, its lights sweeping the battlefield. We all ducked automatically.
"We can’t stay here," Kael said, his words urgent. "Those humans will be back with reinforcents."
"But we can’t move all the wounded," I argued, pointing to the dozens of injured wolves around us.
"We won’t have to," a voice said.
We all turned to see Elira standing at the edge of the clearing. Though her clothes were torn and she looked tired, she stood tall.
"What are you doing here?" Lucien growled, stepping protectively in front of .
"I’m not your enemy anymore," Elira said quietly. "Those people are. And I know where we can hide."
"Why should we trust you?" I asked.
"Because I’ve been fighting the Shadow Division for years," she responded. "Why do you think I wanted the tablet? I was trying to protect us all."
Before I could reply, Mira cried out in pain. I rushed back to her side. The golden light flowed into her wound, but this ti, sothing was wrong. The light flickered, struggling against so unseen force.
"What’s happening?" I gasped.
Elder Malin knelt beside , inspecting Mira carefully. "The silver has reached her heart. Your new power isn’t enough."
"No!" I cried, pushing more golden light into her. "I won’t lose her!"
Suddenly, I felt three warm bodies pushing against . Kael on my left, Jaxon on my right, and Lucien behind , his arms wrapped around my hips. All three of my mates, backing .
"Take our strength," Lucien whispered.
"All of it," added Kael.
"Whatever you need," Jaxon finished.
Their energy flowed into through our ties – Kael’s steady power, Jaxon’s wild spirit, and Lucien’s deep, calm strength. The golden light grew impossibly bright, engulfing Mira completely.
When it faded, her wound was gone. Her eyes fluttered open.
"Did we win?" she asked softly.
I laughed through my tears. "Yes and no."
More helicopters appeared on the horizon. Their flashlights swept across the forest, getting closer.
"We need to move. Now," Elira urged. "I know a number of caves under the mountain. They’re lined with a special ore that stops human technology. We’ll be safe there."
"And why should we believe anything you say?" Kael demanded.
Elira’s eyes hardened. "Because I just spoke with one of their leaders. The Shadow Division doesn’t just want to catch us. They want to experint on us. Starting with you, Luna."
A chill ran down my spine. "? Why?"
"Because of that," she pointed to my hands, still glowing with golden light. "Your powers. They’ve been watching us for months. They know what you can do, and they want it for themselves."
Lucien pulled closer. "Then they’ll have to go through us first."
As if on cue, a bullet whizzed past my ear, hitting the tree behind . Rifle fire exploded from the forest’s edge.
"They’re here!" Jaxon shouted, shoving toward the cave opening Elira had indicated.
"Get the wounded inside!" I ordered, the golden light bursting around like a shield.
As my pack ran for safety, I stood my ground, the golden light expanding into a do that deflected the oncoming bullets. But I could feel it weakening with each hit.
"Aria, co on!" Lucien yelled from the cave entrance.
I backed toward him slowly, keeping the shield as best I could. Just as I reached the cave, sothing sharp hit my shoulder. Pain burst through .
"Aria!" All three of my mates cried out at once.
I stumbled into the cave, falling into Lucien’s arms. The golden light flickered and died. Looking down, I saw a small dart sticking out of my shoulder.
"What is that?" Lucien asked, fear in his voice.
As he pulled it out, I felt a strange coldness spreading from the cut. My view blurred. My legs gave out.
"Sothing’s wrong," I whispered as darkness crept in from the edges of my sight. "I can’t feel my powers anymore."
The last thing I saw before awareness slipped away was a human in black tactical gear stepping into the cave entrance, a cruel smile on his face.
"Target acquired," he said into his radio. "The Luna is ours."
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