The fire crackled between them, casting long shadows over the clearing. Aria sat with her knees tucked to her chest, eyes flicking between Lucien and Ronan. She still wasn't sure if this was real—if they were real.
Lucien had started the fire with a flick of his fingers, no wood required. Ronan had killed a charging rogue wolf with nothing but a growl and a single punch.
And Aria… had watched with wide eyes and a thundering heart.
> "You've gone quiet," Lucien said, smirking across the flames. "Processing, or plotting escape?"
She shot him a glare. "Don't tempt me."
Ronan chuckled, leaning back against a tree. "You're strong. Stronger than you know. That's why the Goddess gave you two mates instead of one. You'll need us both."
"I didn't ask for either of you."
Lucien's grin faded. "No one asks for fate."
Silence stretched between them. The forest was alive with night sounds, but all Aria could hear was the blood rushing in her ears.
She had two mates now. One vampire. One werewolf. And apparently, she was a rare hybrid that could unravel both their worlds.
Her heart ached with confusion—and something else she couldn't name.
"I'm going back," she said suddenly, standing up.
Ronan's head snapped up. "Back where?"
"To the pack house."
Lucien's brows rose. "You want to go back to the people who rejected and enslaved you?"
"I want answers. My father—if he ever cared at all—owes me the truth."
Ronan stepped forward. "You go back there now, and you might not walk out. Your stepmother isn't just cruel. She's afraid of you."
"Good," Aria said coldly. "She should be."
Lucien let out a low whistle. "There's the fire."
---
They escorted her as far as the pack's northern border before stopping.
Ronan caught her arm. "If things go wrong, howl. I'll come."
"I'm not a wolf," she snapped, pulling away.
"Then scream," Lucien said with a wicked smile. "But try not to get yourself killed. I'm rather fond of you already."
She didn't respond. Her heart was a storm of grief, fury, and curiosity. Her bare feet touched the soil of her pack again, but it felt different now—like stepping into the mouth of a beast.
No one saw her slip into the servants' corridor. She moved like smoke, guided by something she didn't understand. Her old room was empty. Cold. The scars on the wall still there.
Then she heard voices—her father's and Lady Yara's—in the office.
> "She survived the rejection," Yara hissed.
> "It's not possible. Damon rejected her. She should've lost her mind."
> "She's not normal. I told you—her mother's blood was cursed. She's awakening. The spell is wearing off."
Aria froze.
Spell?
Yara continued, "If she remembers who she is, if she finds her powers—"
> "Then she becomes unstoppable," her father finished.
The floor creaked beneath Aria's foot.
Silence.
> "Did you hear that?" Yara's voice sharpened.
Aria bolted.
She didn't get far.
Hands grabbed her from the shadows. A sharp sting bit into her neck, and the world tilted once more.
---
Darkness.
Dreams.
This time, the moonlit woman in her visions held out a hand—and Aria took it.
A rush of heat flooded her body. Her bones ached. Her blood sang.
> Your wolf is only one voice. You carry three. Let them rise, child of fire and night.
---
When Aria opened her eyes, she was chained to a stone floor deep underground. Her skin burned. Her heartbeat thundered. Her fingers twitched—and a flame erupted in her palm.
She wasn't afraid anymore.
She was becoming.