The ridge was silent but for the ragged breathing of wolves and the low crackle of dying fires. Blood stained the earth, dark against the pale stone. Wounded howls carried through the night, but Aria barely heard them. The commander’s words still rang in her ears, coiling through her mind like a curse.
You already carry us inside you.
Her hand trembled against her chest as though she could claw the truth out from under her skin. But no matter how fiercely she tried, she couldn’t stop the chill spreading through her veins.
Killian’s presence loomed beside her, steady and protective, but when his hand brushed her arm, she flinched. The memory of the Veil leader’s smirk replayed in her mind. It wasn’t Killian she doubted—it was herself.
“Aria,” he said, voice rough. His storm-grey eyes se
