LOGINDamon’s POVThe scent led me straight to the warehouse. It clung to the air long before I reached the entrance; faint, strained, but unmistakable.Aria.My steps didn’t slow, but everything else inside me sharpened. The world narrowed into a single point of focus, every instinct aligning toward one
Aria’s POVMy head throbbed before I even opened my eyes.It wasn’t a normal ache. It felt like my skull had been split open and stitched back together with dull wire, every pulse of blood dragging against it. My throat was dry, my tongue heavy, and when I tried to move my hand, nothing responded th
Damon’s POV“Lock down every exit,” I snapped, my voice cutting through the packhouse like a whip. “No one leaves. No one enters. I want patrols on every boundary line now.”Guards scattered instantly, fear in their posture even before obedience. Good. Fear meant speed.Behind me, Mira caught up, br
Aria’s POVThe archive smelled the same as always; old parchment, ink, and dust that never fully left the shelves no matter how often they were cleaned. It should have been boring. Safe, even but my mind wasn’t calm.Not after Alina. Not after the way the room had turned on me in seconds. Not after
“You’re acting like one.”A pause. Then she sighed, almost disappointed. “I just don’t want you blinded.”I stepped closer. “I see her clearly.”Something flickered across her face then—quick, but there. And then she smiled again. “I hope you’re right,” she said gently. “I really do.”She turned to
Damon’s POVThe office doors hadn’t even fully closed behind Thorne when I felt her presence before I saw her.Alina.She never announced herself like everyone else. No knock that waited for permission. No hesitation. Just certainty, as if the space already belonged to her before she stepped into it
“Few have,” I replied, refusing to let his derision shake me. “It’s rare. The last occurrence was over five decades ago. The texts are stored in the lower archives.”Elder Maelis stepped forward, her silver brows drawing together in dawning comprehension. “The Lunar Codex,” she murmured, almost to h
Aria’s POV“Stop!”It echoed across the clearing, slicing cleanly through the sacred chant and scattering the fragile stillness like shattered glass. For one suspended heartbeat, no one moved. The moonlight held steady, the ceremonial cord gleaming between Damon and Lyra as if even it were waiting t
Damon wore formal black tailored close to his broad frame, silver threading along the cuffs and collar catching the moonlight with restrained brilliance. The fabric accentuated the strength in his shoulders, the deliberate confidence in his posture. His dark hair had been drawn back neatly, revealin
Aria’s POVBy nightfall, every candle had been lit, every silver tray aligned, every silk ribbon drawn taut beneath careful hands. The pack house no longer resembled a home but a shrine built for spectacle, and I moved through it in the uniform Lyra had gifted me, the ivory fabric brushing softly ag







