The winged beast stood before the Moonspire gates, its fire-kissed wings half-folded and glowing like embers. It was unlike anything Aria had ever seen—wolf-like in shape, but its body flickered between flame and shadow, bones glowing beneath its skin as if carved from starlight. Its voice—low, ancient, and terrifying—echoed again.
“Choose your crown. Or it will choose you.”
Aria’s heart thundered. Kael stood tense at her side, his claws just beneath the surface. Warriors from the North surrounded them, but none dared approach the creature.
“Is it speaking to me or you?” Kael asked under his breath.
“Both of us,” Aria whispered, eyes locked with the creature’s.
The beast’s gaze fixed on her, its molten-gold eyes unreadable. “The flame awakens. The bone remembers. And the blood begins
