POV: Kael
I couldn’t sleep.
Not with Aria curled beside me, her breathing soft, her body still, and her soul… loud.
Even in sleep, she was glowing.
Not metaphorically—literally.
A faint silver shimmer pulsed beneath her skin, more intense with every passing hour. Her wolf was back, yes. But it was different now. Wild. Feral. Wiser than its years.
And something else had come with it.
The Echo Bride.
Or at least the part of her that was anchored in Aria now, digging roots into our bond.
I wanted to believe the worst was over.
But that would’ve been a lie.
Because the Goddess hadn’t intervened yet.
And when she did, I feared she wouldn’t come as a savior.
She’d come as an executioner.
⸻
At sunrise, I slipped from our room and went to the only place I could think of.
The Standi
