Chapter 25

Aria

The forest was humming with anticipation.

If I could give it an emotion, I would say it was excited.

By dawn, more had arrived.

Scattered wolves, healers, and witches from distant regions, drawn by whispers carried on the wind, emerged from the trees in small groups—some ragged and worn, others alert and cautious. All of them came with stories, rumours, and names spoken in reverence or fear.

They came for me.

The lost heir. The Nightshade daughter. The wolf the forest chose.

Sera greeted them quietly, measuredly. She always seemed to know who could be trusted. Her presence commanded not just respect but something more—awe. Reverence. The old magic had weight again, and it moved through her like a tide.

I stood at the center of it all, the crest stitched into my tunic glowing faintly in the fading light. My hair was braided by the wind and woven with wildflowers again—the forest’s quiet blessing.

They didn’t kneel.

But they watched me with hope.

And that was heavier than any crown.

We travelled for hours more before Sera raised a hand and stopped us. The sun was low, staining the world in gold and violet. A clearing stretched out before us—a pool of moonflowers ringed with standing stones that pulsed faintly underfoot.

"This is the place," she said simply. "We begin the ritual tomorrow night. I need the evening and the next day to collect what is needed. The others will help."

I nodded, heart pounding. Tomorrow. Whatever lay locked inside me, whatever my mother gave her life to protect, would be called forth. I would not flinch.

I could not falter.

Not now.

Sera left with two of the younger witches, disappearing into the trees with whispered chants and satchels of bone and stone. The camp remained behind. There were small fires, no tents, and a kind of quiet reverence for what was coming.

That everything was coming together as the goddess planned.

Ronan found me as I sat alone on a flat rock overlooking the treeline. The stars were starting to rise.

He didn’t speak at first, just stood nearby, arms crossed, gaze distant.

"We won’t travel tomorrow," he said finally. "But after that, we continue toward the ruins. Once we reach your family’s land, we begin rebuilding. Slowly. Carefully. The summit draws near. We need a seat of power before it does."

I looked at him. "The summit?"

Corren joined us then, slipping into the circle of firelight like a shadow. "Every leader, power wielder, council member, and Alpha from every pack. Called to court by the High Council of the Thorne Kingdom. The summit begins with the Moonlight Ball. Alliances forged and promises made at this gathering can sway kingdoms and shift the balance of power across the realm. It is a powerful event."

Ronan nodded. "If you attend, and you should, you do so as the Nightshade heir. The lost princess. The rightful Queen. That alone will shift the tides."

I let out a long breath. "Advice?"

Ronan gave a short smile. "Speak clearly. Stand tall. Be yourself. And never show them your fear."

Corren leaned against a stone, his expression more serious. "Rumors have already reached from the court. They say the King rejected his fated mate in public—and then refused every Luna candidate the council pushed forward."

I turned slowly. "He refused?"

Truthfully I knew nothing about Kael. But part of me had assumed that maybe he had rejected me because he had someone else in mind.

"Told the council," Ronan added, "that he intends to repair the bond. To claim his true mate."

A sad laugh escaped me.

I didn’t mean for it to. But it spilled out, unsteady and aching.

I rubbed my chest where the bond still pulsed.

Talon appeared at the edge of the circle. He studied me for a long moment, then asked gently, "Do you still feel him?"

I nodded. "It felt broken at first. Like something sharp and jagged. Like part of my soul was being ripped to shreds. But it never faded. It hasn't gone away."

Silence followed. A heavy silence that spoke to how everyone felt about my rejection.

Then Talon asked what they were all thinking. "Would you consider mending it? Uniting the kingdoms?"

I looked into the fire.

My voice was quiet but firm.

"I want to say no. I want to be certain. Say that I could never give him another chance. But I’m not. Not yet. I don’t want war. I don’t want to see innocents bleed. But I will not bind myself to cruelty. Not for peace. Not for power."

They didn’t argue. No one did.

They just sat watching me intently, absorbing my words. My truths.

I continued. "I would rather marry for love. For trust. For the kind of bond, my mother died protecting. But I care about our people. All of them. And if my choice decides whether they live or die in a war... then I have to be sure."

Corren nodded slowly. "That’s what a queen sounds like."

"Now, why are you unsure of what to do at the summit." He added with a mocking elbow to my side. "Keep saying things like that, and no one will stand a chance against you."

Talon sighed before saying. "He is not a bad guy... Kael. He isn't bad. Blind sometimes. Unaware. Focused on his power. But not inherently bad."

I nodded, processing everything.

But he continued. "But regardless of who he is, he hurt you. And he doesn't deserve you. So don't think you have no choice but him. Anyone would be lucky to be chosen by you. To be mated to you."

The sincerity of his voice and the weight of his words had me looking up at him. Something flickered in his eyes that I couldn't name. Wasn't sure I was ready to acknowledge.

I gave my best smile, even though it felt heavy. "Thank you."

We sat in silence for a while.

Not just with grief. Or strategy. But with the fragile hope that maybe, just maybe, we could still forge something new from the ashes.

Tomorrow, I would begin.

I would tear down the last wall inside me.

And rise