TRUTH IN THE MOON WELL
The vortex of silver energy spun violently, bending reality around them. Lykos’s wolf roared inside him, a low, guttural growl that shook the very air. His claws extended, gripping the edge of the Moon Well’s stone as he fought the pull of the vortex.
Aria’s small form floated in the center, trembling, her hands stretched toward the swirling fragments of her soul. Every heartbeat she had—borrowed, fragile—was now visible in the flashes of silver light. Each pulse felt like sand slipping through an hourglass.
Lykos’s eyes narrowed. He could feel the threads of her life, the bond between them, stretching, threatening to snap. Every instinct screamed: protect. Save. Do anything to keep her alive.
“Hold on, Aria!” he shouted, voice raw. “I’m right here! I will not le
