The night was heavy with silence as Aria sat by the window of the room the alpha had ordered her to stay in. The walls were made of stone, ancient and worn, much like the secrets this place held.
She couldn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the blast of power, the fear in the alpha's eyes, and the dead wolves at her feet. Something inside her had changed—and it frightened her. She wasn't just marked by the Shadow Alpha.
She was something else entirely.
A soft knock broke the silence. Before she could respond, the door creaked open, revealing someone she hadn't expected—Nira, the healer of the Shadow Pack. Older, wise, and always silent in the presence of the alpha, Nira now looked at her with cautious eyes.
"You have questions," Nira said, stepping inside. "I don't have all the answers, but I know the past. And I know who you are."
Aria stood, her breath catching in her throat. "Who I am?"
Nira motioned for her to sit, then pulled out a small leather-bound book from beneath her cloak. "Your mother was not just a sacrifice, child. She was born of the bloodline of the Lunaris, the original ruling bloodline of the shifter world. A royal bloodline believed to be extinct after the War of Shadows."
Aria's heart pounded. "My mother? She was one of them?"
"She was the last of her kind. She hid among humans to protect you. But you were always meant to return here—meant to awaken what lies dormant."
Aria's hands trembled. "And the alpha? What does he have to do with all this?"
Nira's gaze darkened. "He's cursed because of your bloodline. Because long ago, the Lunaris turned on the dark packs. He is bound to protect you by the very curse that destroyed his family. But if he loves you... if the bond completes..."
She hesitated.
"He dies."
Aria's breath left her like a punch to the chest.
"No," she whispered. "That can't be true."
"It is the balance," Nira said gently. "Love between your blood and his brings ruin. And yet the bond has already begun."
Tears welled in Aria's eyes. "Then what do I do?"
Nira stood, sadness in her voice. "You survive. You learn to control your power. And when the time comes, you must choose: save him or save the world."