MasukAria’s POVThe kiss lingered.I hadn’t realized how tense my body was until Astra’s hand slid gently over mine.The healer’s words still echoed in the back of my mind, but the moment no longer felt like a medical decision. It now felt… personal.Astra didn’t push me. He paused every few seconds, almost as if checking whether I was still comfortable.His lips brushed mine again, slow and patient. The bond between us reacted instantly, the mark at my neck warming as our wolves stirred.“You’re thinking too much,” he murmured.“Maybe,” I admitted quietly.His thumb brushed lightly across my wrist.“You don’t have to.”Slowly, the tension left my shoulders. Astra lowered his forehead against mine, his breath warm against my skin.“Tell me if you feel weak,” he said.“I will.”But the truth was, I didn’t feel weak.Not the way I had before.The bond between us had already begun to mend the fractures inside my wolf. Every time he touched me, I felt something inside my chest settle more firm
Aria’s POVAt first, I thought I was still dreaming.Everything felt distant. My body lay somewhere far away, as if I were floating just above it. I could feel warmth around me of soft blankets, the faint scent of herbs, and the steady pulse of another wolf nearby.Even half-conscious, I recognized Astra. The bond between us was no longer fragile but deep inside my chest like a second heartbeat.But something else lingered.Small voices.“…Mommy…”“…we came…”The memory slipped through the haze.Then the weight in my mind lifted, and my eyes opened.The ceiling came into focus. It was Astra’s residence, the healing wing.I was alive.I inhaled carefully. The pain that once filled my chest had faded. The mark at my neck pulsed faintly, Astra’s strength flowing through it like a quiet current.My wolf stirred. Weak, but awake.“Good,” I whispered.The door opened.Astra stepped inside, stopping for half a second as if confirming I was truly awake.“You’re awake.”“Yes.”He crossed the r
Astra’s POVCharles found the photo in the morning.I knew because I heard Charlotte gasp from the next room, followed by hurried footsteps and Charles’s voice dropping into that quiet, proud tone he used when he thought he had discovered something first.I hadn’t slept. Aria’s condition had worsened again overnight. The strength from my mark had steadied her briefly, but her wolf was still fading beneath the surface. Every breath she took was labored.So I didn’t stop them but stood just outside the doorway, watching.Charles sat cross-legged on the rug, holding the photograph carefully. It was one of the few I had kept of Aria before the fire. Her hair loose, her expression turned slightly away, as if caught mid-thought.Charlotte knelt beside him, her hair a soft mess.“That’s really her?” she whispered.Charles nodded. “Look at her eyes.”“They look like yours.”“No. Mine looks like hers.”Charlotte touched the edge of the photo gently. “She’s pretty.”“She’s our mother,” Charles
ARIA's POVAstra's kiss left me dazed.And when our lips came apart, I found myself clinging to him weakly, "What was that for?" I whispered.He ran his hand softly across my cheek, "I don't know. I suppose every part of me has been yearning for you all day. I spoke to the tribe's doctor.""Oh." I whispered as he helped me sit on the bed. I didn't need him to elaborate on why he needed to see the healer. He's been looking for every way to help me find a solution to my life force fading away. "What did the doctor say?" I asked, trying to be hopeful. But the pain in my bones kept reminding me that I was running out of time."I think there's a way to make you stronger…but I don't know if you'll be comfortable with it."Hope -the fickle thing- sparked up in my heart immediately."Tell me. I think I'm willing to do anything.""Well-" Astra began and ran a hand over his hair, "The doctor believes I can share some of my strength with you using our mate bond. But for that to happen… I have
Aria's POV Astra’s voice didn’t waver. “Years ago, when you went to the Spirit-walker, you paid a price far greater than you realized.”“I gave blood,” I said slowly. “And my eggs.”“Yes,” he replied. “And part of your wolf essence.”My breath caught. “My… wolf?”“When you agreed to the exchange, she followed you,” he said quietly. “By instinct.”My pulse roared in my ears.“Your essence neutralized the venom in my blood,” Astra continued. “It only worked because the bond already existed. You were my mate.”Mate.The word settled deep in my chest.“You remember that night,” he went on. “You knew he would die if you didn’t agree. You believed that was everything.”My chest tightened.“But it wasn’t,” he said. “Your eggs were fused with my essence, my blood, my wolf. That’s how the children were conceived. They were always ours.”Silence stretched between us.“You were never told,” Astra said, regret finally breaking through. “I thought hiding the truth was the only way to protect you
Aria's POV I didn’t realize how badly I was shaking until Astra tightened his hold on me.At that instant, everything I had been forcing down broke loose. My wolf, stretched raw and exhausted, finally sagged back into my chest. The world tilted, then steadied, anchored by the sound of his heartbeat beneath my ear.I was alive.The corridor lights flared as ward after ward reactivated, scent and sound rushing back all at once.Felix lay crumpled where Astra had thrown him, pinned by runes etched into the floor. His arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, blood soaking through his sleeve where I had bitten him. He was conscious now, eyes glassy with pain and disbelief.He laughed hoarsely when he saw me in Astra’s arms.“So,” he rasped. “You chose her anyway.”Astra looked at him. The shift in the air was immediate. Even injured, and restrained, Felix felt it. His laughter died.Astra’s voice was calm.“You wanted to restore things to how they were,” he said. “So you convinced yourself







