POV: Aria
The morning after the funeral, something inside me split.
It wasn’t the grief, though that still coiled in my chest. It wasn’t even the memory of Kael’s hand in mine as we stood before the fire, pretending like we weren’t both waiting for the curse to twist again. No, this was different. It was colder.
Like something ancient had stirred in my blood, and now it was watching me from within.
I didn’t tell Kael. He was still asleep when I slipped out of the Alpha den, his brow furrowed even in rest. I wanted to kiss his forehead, whisper that I was okay. But I wasn’t. Not even close.
I took the forest trail alone, my bare feet silent over the pine needles. I needed to think. To breathe. But halfway down the path, I collapsed.
The world spun.
And then—a vision.
A woman stood i
