Aria’s wolf rose within her, silver fire whispering through her veins. For the first time, she didn’t push it down. She let it hum beneath her skin, her eyes glowing faintly as she stepped forward.
“No,” she said softly, her voice carrying through the ruined hall. “I won’t.”
The pack held its breath. The Alpha’s mate, the rejected wolf, the secret fire—standing against the Beta in a circle of ash and blood.
And as the night pressed in around them, one truth became clear.
The fight for the pack’s soul had only just begun.
The circle held its breath. Wolves, warriors, elders, even those too bloodied to stand—all eyes locked on Aria as she stepped into the broken ring.
Ash crunched beneath her bare feet. The ruined hall seemed to close in, the air heavy with smoke, fear, and the weight
