The river carried them through the valley, the icy water pulling at Aria’s limbs, making every stroke toward the shore feel like a battle of its own. Her lungs burned as she fought against the current, her body already exhausted from the fight on the rooftop.
Dante was the first to reach her, his strong arms wrapping around her waist, dragging her toward the shallows. The moment her feet hit solid ground, she collapsed onto the muddy bank, gasping for breath.
The others emerged seconds later—Cassian, Lucian, and the surviving prisoners—soaking wet, bruised, but alive.
The air smelled of damp earth and blood, the distant fire from the outpost still sending up thick plumes of black smoke.
Aria rolled onto her side, coughing up river water.
Dante knelt beside her, his breath ragged. “Well,” he muttered, running a hand through his drenched hair, “that was the dumbest thing we’ve ever done.”
Cassian, still dripping, let out a short laugh. “You’re welcome.”
Lucian shook the water from his silver hair and shot them both a look. “We don’t have time for this. The Shadow Order will send trackers.”
Aria pushed herself up, her body aching. “Then we need to move.”
She turned to the freed wolves—her people now, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Some were still struggling to stand, their bodies weakened from whatever experiments they had endured, but their eyes burned with determination.
“We keep moving,” she told them. “No stopping until we’re safe.”
Cassian nodded. “There’s a hideout about fifteen miles west of here. We can regroup there.”
Fifteen miles. Through enemy territory.
Dante exhaled sharply, shaking water from his hands. “Fantastic.”
Lucian turned toward the freed prisoners, scanning their injuries. “Can they make it?”
One of the wolves—an older man with sharp gray eyes—gritted his teeth. “We’ll make it.”
Aria nodded, something tightening in her chest.
These wolves had been tortured, experimented on, treated like nothing more than lab rats. And yet, they were standing.
They were ready to fight.
Aria turned toward the others. “Then let’s go.”
And with that, they disappeared into the trees.
The forest was thick, the undergrowth making every step a challenge. They moved in near silence, their breaths heavy, the sound of distant howls too close for comfort.
The Shadow Order was hunting them.
Aria could feel it.
Lucian led the way, his posture tense, his silver eyes scanning every shadow. Cassian stayed near the rear, keeping an eye on the freed wolves. Dante remained at Aria’s side, his dagger still clutched tightly in his hand.
An hour passed. Then two.
The tension only grew.
Finally, Cassian called out, his voice hushed. “We need to stop.”
Aria turned, frowning. “Why?”
He gestured toward one of the freed wolves—a young woman, barely more than a girl. She had collapsed against a tree, her breathing ragged, her face pale.
“She won’t make it at this pace,” Cassian said grimly.
Aria’s jaw tightened. “We can’t stop for long.”
Lucian nodded. “Five minutes. No more.”
The group sank to the ground, their exhaustion weighing on them. Aria crouched beside the young woman, offering her water.
She took it with shaking hands. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Aria’s throat tightened.
She hated this.
Hated that these wolves had suffered for so long, and she hadn’t known.
She felt Dante’s gaze on her. “This isn’t your fault,” he murmured.
She looked at him, something bitter rising in her chest. “Isn’t it?”
Dante exhaled sharply, but before he could respond, Lucian stiffened.
Aria felt it an instant later.
A shift in the air.
A whisper of movement.
And then—
A low growl from the trees.
Lucian’s silver eyes flashed. “They found us.”
Aria spun around, her pulse spiking.
Figures emerged from the darkness—too many. Their eyes gleamed in the dim light, their bodies moving like shadows.
Soldiers. Hunters.
And at the center of them—
A woman.
Tall. Pale. Her dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders, her crimson eyes locked onto Aria like she already owned her.
Lucian’s breath was sharp. “Selene.”
Aria’s blood ran cold.
Selene.
The Shadow Order’s second-in-command.
She had only heard rumors—stories of a woman who had never lost a hunt.
Selene smiled. “You made this difficult, little wolf.”
Her voice was smooth, almost bored.
Aria tightened her grip on her daggers. “Sorry to disappoint.”
Selene sighed. “It wasn’t disappointment. More… annoyance.” She tilted her head. “You are important, Aria. More than you realize. You belong to us.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
She could feel her packmates tensing behind her, feel the weight of their exhaustion, the knowledge that they were outnumbered, outmatched.
Lucian stepped forward, his voice cold. “She’s not going with you.”
Selene let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, Lucian. You were always such a disappointment.”
Lucian’s entire body went still.
And that was when Aria understood.
Selene wasn’t just some high-ranking officer in the Order.
She knew Lucian.
Personally.
Intimately.
Aria’s grip on her dagger tightened. “If you think I’m going to surrender, you don’t know me at all.”
Selene sighed. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Then she snapped her fingers.
The soldiers moved.
It was instant.
One moment, they were still. The next, they were attacking.
Lucian met them first, slamming into the nearest soldier, tearing through him like paper.
Cassian was already moving, his blade slicing through the air.
Dante grabbed Aria’s wrist, pulling her backward just as a soldier lunged at her. She twisted, driving her dagger into his ribs.
Blood sprayed.
Another came from behind.
Aria spun, using the momentum to flip him over her shoulder.
But there were too many.
Selene was still standing at the edge of the fight, watching.
Waiting.
She wasn’t here to fight.
She was here to see if Aria would survive.
Aria snarled.
She wasn’t just going to survive.
She was going to win.
Dante shouted her name.
She turned just in time to see a soldier swing a blade at her.
She barely dodged.
Lucian was bleeding.
Cassian was pinned.
Selene was smirking.
Something inside Aria snapped.
Heat surged through her veins, her vision blurring, her pulse hammering against her ribs.
Selene’s smirk faded.
Aria could feel it—the power rising beneath her skin.
Something old. Something terrifying.
A roar ripped from her throat.
The world exploded.
A shockwave rippled through the trees, sending soldiers flying.
Aria’s vision flickered—shadows and light twisting around her.
And then—
Selene’s voice.
Soft. Reverent.
“Oh,” she whispered. “Now this… this is interesting.”
Aria barely had time to process the words before darkness rushed in, swallowing her whole.