Darian’s POV
Dawn came grey and cold.
The ruins of the Nightfang temple sat in the valley like a broken tooth, half-swallowed by earth and time. Wards hummed under my skin, old Forsaken magic woven through stone and snow. Every pack member was in position. Silent. Ready.
I didn’t like it.
Not the plan. Not the way Aria looked at me before she walked into that temple alone. Like she’d already made peace with not coming back.
“Hold the line,” I told Marcus. My voice was low. “If she gives the signal, close it. Fast.”
He nodded. “And if she doesn’t?”
“Then I go in.”
He didn’t argue. He knew I would.
Inside, Aria moved like a ghost through the collapsed corridors. The Moonstone glowed faint at her throat, blue against the dust and bloodstains. She was using the bond to
