The night was restless.
The safehouse was silent, but Aria couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the power humming beneath her skin, like an untamed storm waiting to break free.
She sat by the window, staring out at the darkened treetops. The forest stretched endlessly, hiding them for now—but not forever.
Selene would come.
She always did.
A soft knock on the door pulled Aria from her thoughts.
She turned as Dante stepped inside, his blue eyes sharp even in the dim candlelight. He didn't say anything at first, just studied her.
“You’re awake,” he muttered, closing the door behind him.
Aria smirked. “So are you.”
Dante exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. “No one’s sleeping. Not really.”
She could believe that.
Sebastian was probably pacing somewhere, Kai likely brooding, and Cassian—well, he was probably enjoying the chaos in his usual reckless way.
Lucian…
Aria wasn’t sure.
Dante sat across from her, resting his elbows on his knees. “I saw what you did today.”
Aria stiffened. “And?”
Dante’s gaze flickered with something unreadable. “You’re different.”
Aria looked away. “I’m the same.”
Dante scoffed. “Bullshit.”
She didn’t argue.
Because he was right.
She had felt it in the forest. The shift. The way the power had obeyed her, no longer something foreign, but a part of her.
Dante leaned back, watching her carefully. “Does it scare you?”
Aria exhaled. “Should it?”
Dante shrugged. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
She thought about it.
About the way Selene had looked at her in the courtyard. Like she was something to be claimed.
Aria clenched her fists. “No. It doesn’t scare me.”
Dante studied her. “Then what does?”
She hesitated.
Not the power.
Not the Shadow Order.
Not Selene.
But the thought that one day…
She might become what they feared.
She swallowed hard. “Losing myself.”
Dante didn’t speak right away.
Then—he nodded. “Then don’t.”
His voice was so simple.
So sure.
Aria let out a breathless laugh. “That easy, huh?”
Dante smirked. “Of course not. Nothing about you is ever easy.”
She shoved his shoulder, and he grinned before standing up. “Get some rest.”
She wanted to argue.
But exhaustion was settling in.
Dante hesitated in the doorway. “We’ve got your back, you know.”
Aria’s chest tightened.
She nodded.
And for the first time that night, she let herself close her eyes.
The attack came at dawn.
Aria woke to the scent of smoke and blood.
The explosion shook the safehouse, sending a thunderous roar through the valley.
Shouts filled the air, followed by the clash of metal and the rapid crack of gunfire.
Aria grabbed her weapons and ran.
Outside, the world was on fire.
Shadow Order soldiers swarmed the clearing, moving in organized waves, cutting down anything in their path.
The safehouse defenses had been breached.
Sebastian was already in the fight, claws tearing through enemies as he barked orders to the others. Kai was beside him, a whirlwind of brutal efficiency.
Dante was on the roof, his crossbow picking off enemies with lethal precision.
Cassian’s wolves held the perimeter, but they were outnumbered.
And then—
A familiar figure stepped through the smoke.
Aria froze.
Selene.
Her crimson eyes gleamed, lips curling into something cruelly amused.
Aria’s pulse spiked.
Lucian appeared beside her, his silver eyes dark. “She’s here for you.”
Aria’s grip on her daggers tightened.
She wasn’t running.
Not this time.
Selene smiled. “You’ve been busy, little wolf.”
Aria stepped forward, every nerve in her body burning.
“So have you,” she shot back.
Selene laughed. “Oh, I never stop.”
Then—she moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Aria barely had time to react before Selene’s claws slashed toward her.
She dodged, twisting just in time, countering with a strike aimed at Selene’s throat.
Selene blocked it easily, her smirk never fading.
“You’re learning,” she murmured. “Good.”
Aria snarled, lashing out again.
This time, she felt it.
The power beneath her skin, coiling, waiting.
She let it in.
Not all of it.
Just enough.
The air around her crackled—a shockwave of energy exploding outward.
Selene’s eyes widened.
She barely had time to dodge as the force tore through the battlefield, sending soldiers flying.
Aria’s breath came hard and fast.
Selene let out a slow, pleased sigh.
“There it is,” she whispered.
Aria clenched her fists. “I’m not yours.”
Selene’s smirk widened. “Aren’t you?”
Then—she lunged.
The next clash was brutal.
Aria met her head-on, their blades sparking against each other.
Selene fought like a predator, every movement calculated, ruthless.
But Aria was faster now. Stronger.
And she wasn’t fighting alone.
Lucian struck from the side, his attack forcing Selene back.
Sebastian and Kai cut through the soldiers, pushing toward them.
Dante fired a shot—Selene dodged, but barely.
The tide of battle shifted.
For the first time, Selene wasn’t in control.
And she knew it.
Her crimson eyes flashed with something dark.
Then—she smiled.
“You’re stronger than I thought.”
Aria’s breath hitched.
Something was wrong.
Selene took a slow step back, her fingers curling in the air.
And then—
The world exploded.
A shockwave ripped through the battlefield, sending Aria and the others crashing to the ground.
Aria’s vision blurred.
She tried to move, but her limbs felt heavy.
Like something was holding her down.
Selene’s voice was the last thing she heard before darkness swallowed her whole.
"I’ll see you soon, little wolf."