Book 1: The Luna’s Curse

The Burning Path

The storm broke just as the first light touched the mountains.

Kael led the way down the ridge, his wolf prowling beneath his skin, ready to tear apart anyone who crossed them. Aria followed close behind, her hood drawn low, the mark on her wrist glowing through the fabric. It pulsed like a heartbeat — steady, warning, alive.

Frostkeep was still miles away, hidden behind jagged peaks, but the air had already changed.

The wind carried ashes.

“Stay close,” Kael ordered. “If you feel the fire again, tell me.”

Aria’s breath clouded in front of her. “And if it’s too late to tell you?”

“Then I’ll stop you before you burn yourself alive.”

There was no softness in his tone, only the weight of a promise he meant to keep.

⸻

By midday, they reached the ravine. The snow there was melted into black slush, the trees charred and broken. Dead silence stretched between the rocks — the kind that came after a m******e.

Aria knelt, brushing her fingers over the ground. The ash pulsed faintly under her touch. “This was Moonfire,” she whispered.

Kael’s gaze darkened. “Yours?”

She shook her head. “No. But it answers to me.”

As if on cue, the mark flared. Silver light rippled across the valley, dancing like ghosts. The air shimmered, and for a heartbeat, she saw them — the fallen wolves, their spirits flickering through the snow like embers.

Their pain hit her like a blade.

Kael grabbed her shoulders. “Aria! Look at me!”

She couldn’t. The fire poured through her veins, too much, too fast — the goddess’s voice whispering inside her head.

You cannot stop what was promised.

Her power burst outward, a surge of blinding light that cracked the earth. The shockwave threw Kael back, snow and ash swirling around them.

When the light faded, Aria stood in the center of a smoking ring. Her eyes glowed silver. The mark on her wrist burned like molten metal.

Kael rose slowly, blood streaking his temple. “You could’ve killed us.”

“I didn’t mean to,” she gasped. “I couldn’t stop it—”

“You didn’t want to,” he said quietly.

Her head snapped up. “That’s not true.”

He took a step closer, voice rough. “Every time you use that power, she takes more of you. How much are you willing to give before there’s nothing left?”

Aria met his gaze, the fire fading from her eyes. “As much as it takes to save you.”

Something in him broke then — not visibly, but deep enough to show in the way his breath caught. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face, his touch trembling with restraint.

“You’ll burn for me,” he murmured. “And I’ll burn with you.”

The words hung heavy, both vow and warning.

⸻

As night fell, they camped beside the frozen lake. Kael kept watch, silent, staring into the flames. Aria sat across from him, the reflection of the fire dancing across her silver mark. Between them, the air shimmered — fragile, charged, inevitable.

And somewhere beyond the mountains, the goddess watched — waiting for the moment when love would tip the prophecy into war.