The full moon rose above the Academy walls, whole and unbroken.
The Veil held.
No monsters stepped through.
No gods demanded her soul.
There was only the sky, and the wind, and the steady rhythm of her heart—no longer caged, no longer haunted.
Just hers.
***
The courtyard had been cleared.
Not for war.
But for a vow.
A ceremony as old as the packs, older still than the titles they clung to. One born from instinct, strengthened by choice. A bond not forced by blood or arranged through legacy.
A true bond.
Aria stood beneath the moonlight in black and silver, no crest on her shoulders, no insignia at her throat. Her hair was down. Her marks glowed faintly—not from magic, but memory.
Across from her stood Kade.
No armor.
No blade.
Only truth in his eyes and a promise on his br
