Aria’s hands were still trembling.
She could feel the sticky warmth of the creature’s blood on her skin, a deep, inky black that didn’t smell entirely like blood should. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears, a rapid, panicked rhythm that she struggled to control.
Dante wiped a smear of blood from his mouth, his sharp blue eyes scanning the shadows where the creature had disappeared. His body was tense, poised like a predator waiting for another attack.
But none came.
The forest had fallen eerily silent, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Aria exhaled shakily, tightening her grip on her dagger. “That thing…” She swallowed hard. “It wasn’t a wolf.”
Dante didn’t look at her. “No.”
She turned to him, her pulse still hammering. “Then what the hell was it?”
Dante didn’t answer right away. His jaw clenched, his gaze distant, as if he were putting something together in his head.
Finally, he murmured, “Something worse.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
The way it had spoken to her, the way it had smiled—like it knew her.
"You were supposed to be ours."
The words slithered through her mind, cold and suffocating.
She shook her head, trying to clear it. “We need to go. Now.”
Dante nodded, his expression unreadable. Without another word, they turned and disappeared into the trees, moving swiftly through the darkened forest.
But even as they ran, Aria couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still watching them.
Waiting.
By the time they reached the Moonstone Pack’s borders, the sun was beginning to rise, casting a dull orange glow over the towering walls of the estate.
They had barely stepped onto pack land before a pair of warriors emerged from the tree line, their weapons drawn, eyes flashing with suspicion.
Then—recognition.
The tension in their shoulders didn’t fade, but they lowered their weapons slightly.
“Alpha Sebastian wants to see you,” one of them said.
Aria wasn’t surprised.
Neither was Dante.
They shared a glance before following the warriors through the pack grounds, the weight of what they had just seen settling heavily between them.
By the time they reached the war room, Aria’s body was thrumming with exhaustion, but she shoved it down. She didn’t have time to be tired.
Not when everything had just changed.
Sebastian stood at the head of the long wooden table, his green eyes sharp and unreadable. Kai leaned against the far wall, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his golden eyes burning with an emotion Aria couldn’t quite place.
They both looked furious.
The second they walked in, Sebastian spoke.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Aria exhaled. Here we go.
She didn’t bother pretending she didn’t know what he meant. “We had to go.”
Sebastian’s jaw ticked. “Had to?” His voice was calm, but she could hear the storm beneath it. “You left in the middle of the night. Without telling anyone. After we specifically agreed that we needed to move as a unit.”
Dante didn’t flinch. “We found something.”
Sebastian’s gaze snapped to him, his green eyes flashing dangerously. “That doesn’t change the fact that you—”
“We were attacked.”
The words left Aria’s lips before she could stop them.
The room stilled.
Sebastian went silent.
Kai’s expression shifted instantly.
Dante exhaled sharply, running a hand through his silver-streaked hair. “Not just by warriors.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”
Aria’s throat tightened. She met his gaze head-on.
“There was… something out there. Something not wolf. Not human. Something else.”
Sebastian frowned. “What do you mean?”
Kai pushed off the wall, his gaze suddenly sharper, more alert. “Like Lucian?”
Aria hesitated. Then shook her head. “No. Worse.”
Dante’s voice was quiet. “It moved too fast. Its eyes—gold, but wrong. Its claws—longer, sharper. It spoke, but… it didn’t sound human.”
Sebastian’s brows furrowed slightly, but his expression remained unreadable. “And?”
Aria swallowed hard. “It told me I was supposed to be theirs.”
The air in the room grew heavy.
Sebastian’s grip on the table tightened. Kai’s jaw clenched.
Dante exhaled. “It knew what she was, Sebastian.”
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then—
Sebastian let out a slow breath. When he spoke, his voice was lethal.
“We need to find out where it came from.”
Aria exhaled, forcing herself to stay calm. “That’s exactly what we were trying to do.”
Sebastian’s green eyes burned into hers. “And next time, you’ll do it under my command.”
She clenched her jaw but didn’t argue.
Because no matter how much she hated to admit it, he was right.
They weren’t dealing with just the Shadow Order anymore.
They were dealing with something worse.
And whatever it was, it wanted her.
The meeting lasted for hours. Plans were made, defenses reinforced, warriors called in from every corner of the pack.
By the time Aria was finally able to step outside, the sky was turning dark again, casting long shadows over the estate.
She inhaled deeply, trying to clear her mind.
She had barely taken two steps when she felt him.
Kai.
She turned slowly, her heart skipping a beat at the look in his eyes.
Anger. Frustration. And something else.
Something raw.
“You were gone,” he muttered.
She blinked. “Kai—”
He shook his head. “No. You don’t get to do that.” He stepped closer, his golden eyes flashing. “You don’t get to just disappear, then walk back in like nothing happened.”
Her throat tightened. “I had to go.”
His jaw clenched. “I know. And I hate that I understand why.”
Her breath caught.
Because this was different.
Kai was always the one making jokes, the one smirking, teasing, pushing buttons.
But now?
Now he just looked… tired.
Like he had spent hours waiting, worrying, wondering if she was ever coming back.
“I don’t know what I would have done if—” He cut himself off, exhaling sharply. “Next time, take me with you.”
She blinked. “What?”
Kai shook his head, his voice rough. “You don’t run alone. Not anymore.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
She wanted to argue. Wanted to say she wasn’t running.
But maybe…
Maybe she still was.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “Okay.”
Kai studied her for a moment longer before exhaling, running a hand through his hair. “Damn it,” he muttered. “You’re going to be the death of me, Aria.”
She smiled.
And for the first time in a long time, it felt real.
Because for all the chaos, all the unknowns, all the battles still ahead…
She wasn’t alone.
And that?
That was everything.