The air in the ceremonial cave was thick with incense, ash, and ancient magic.
Kael knelt shirtless before the altar, blood smearing his forearms, his eyes locked on the flickering obsidian flame in front of him. This wasn't the fire of the mortal realm—it was the Spirit Flame, born from a fragment of the Moonstone and fed only by alpha blood and soul-will.
"You're certain?" Riven asked behind him, voice taut.
"No," Kael said. "But I'm doing it anyway."
The shaman, a gaunt woman named Ieva, stood at the edge of the ritual circle, her arms wrapped in black runes. Her face was obscured by a silver veil, her voice the sound of wind scraping bone.
> "Once the ritual begins," she said, "your body will sleep. But your soul will descend into the flame. You may not return whole."
Kael didn't flinch.
"Good," she hissed. "Now bleed."
He drove the blade across his palm again and slammed it down onto the rune stone. His blood hissed as it touched the obsidian, and the flame surged with a sudden roar.
The cave trembled.
Then—silence.
Kael's eyes rolled back.
And the world fell away.
---
The vision realm was endless fire.
No sky. No ground.
Only shifting flame that burned without heat—blue, gold, and black at the edges.
Kael stood barefoot, clothed only in shadows. The air here pulsed with intent, like something ancient and aware was watching him.
No. Not watching.
Stalking.
"Show yourself," Kael growled, his voice echoing in the void.
The flame stirred.
From its center, something began to form.
A figure—tall, lean, and wrapped in smoke and silver light—emerged from the fire. No eyes. No mouth. Just a jagged silhouette that shimmered like a mirage.
But Kael knew what this was.
The entity. The spirit.
The thing Aria said had kissed her soul.
And claimed her as its mate.
"I know who you are," Kael said coldly. "And I'm here to take her back."
The thing tilted its head.
> "She was never yours to take," it whispered. Its voice wasn't sound—it was sensation. Like cold fingers sliding over Kael's spine.
He stepped forward. "She's mine by bond. By choice."
> "Choice?" The thing chuckled, and the fire rippled. "You think what you share is choice? She was born to awaken me. She carries my flame in her blood. I've waited centuries for her. You are nothing but… a placeholder."
Kael's eyes glowed gold.
His wolf surged beneath his skin, snarling.
"You touch her again, and I will rip you from every corner of her soul."
The spirit's form shifted—closer now. It moved like smoke, too fast to follow, suddenly behind him, beside him, inside his head.
> "You can't protect her from herself," it whispered. "She wants me. She dreams of me. She calls to me."
A sudden image flashed in Kael's mind—Aria, standing in the fire, eyes glazed with power, her lips parting in a moan as invisible hands caressed her throat.
He roared, lashing out with claws made of flame.
The spirit reeled, reforming several feet away.
> "She is waking," it said calmly. "You cannot stop what she is becoming."
Kael gritted his teeth, trying to steady the fury in his chest. "Maybe I can't stop her power—but I can stop you."
He focused.
Summoning every ounce of his will, he called on the old alpha rites—the sacred vow of protector and mate.
> "By the blood of my ancestors," he intoned, "I claim guardianship of her soul. You have no right."
The fire screamed.
The entity hissed.
But the shadows shivered.
Something resisted.
> "You dare bind her to you?" the spirit snarled. "She is more than your Luna. She is the gate. You bind her, and you destroy everything she is!"
"I'd rather see the world burn," Kael growled, "than let you consume her."
The flame surged between them.
And then—the spirit stilled.
Its form solidified—into a male figure. Pale skin. Black hair. Silver eyes that looked too much like Aria's. He wore a smirk that did not belong to a human being.
> "You want to know the truth, Alpha?" he said, voice now dripping with mockery. "You're not her mate. You're her trial. Her test."
> "If she can choose you over me, then maybe there's hope for her."
Kael clenched his fists. "Why her? Why not another?"
The spirit stepped forward.
> "Because only she can open the gate. And only I can survive what's on the other side."
The flames darkened. The pressure in the air grew unbearable.
> "But go ahead," the spirit said softly. "Keep pretending you can save her. Just know this…"
He leaned in close, his breath like winter.
> "Every time you touch her… every time she moans your name… she remembers me."
Kael let out a furious growl and lunged—but the fire exploded, hurling him backward.
Darkness closed in.
---
He woke choking.
His body convulsed on the altar, smoke pouring from his mouth, his back arched in agony.
Riven and Ieva held him down as the final tremor passed.
His eyes fluttered open.
And the first word he whispered was, "Aria."
---
Later, Kael stood outside her chambers, his knuckles white as he resisted the urge to tear the door off its hinges.
She was inside.
Safe.
Sleeping.
But he could feel it now—the mark.
Subtle.
Invisible to all but those who had seen the spirit face-to-face.
There was a brand etched into her aura.
A claim.
Not physical. Not sexual.
Something deeper.
Older.
And if he didn't find a way to break it soon…
He wouldn't just lose her.
He'd lose the war that hadn't even started yet.
Aria bit her lip, whispering into the shadows. "Why didn't they kill me?"
> "Because they needed you. All of them. To contain the gate. To carry its key."
She rose, her bare feet padding silently across the cold stone floor toward the mirror.
The birthmark on her chest glowed faintly in the dark.
The first seal.
> "It's breaking," the voice said. "One by one. And when they're all gone…"
"I'll be free?" she asked.
The voice didn't answer.
Instead, it purred with anticipation.
> "You'll be complete."