DEALS WITH DEVILS

Aria stared at the woman. "All of them?"

"Every single one." The woman crossed her arms. Confident. "The Council. The Alphas. The whole corrupt system. We're going to burn it down."

"You're insane."

"Maybe." The woman shrugged. "But I'm also your best option right now. So what's it going to be? Join us or die alone?"

 

 

Aria's mind raced, torn between suspicion and desperation. This was stupid. Obvious trap. But Kira was behind her, barely standing. Her own arm was bleeding through the bandage. As much as she didn't want to trust this woman, they needed food. Medicine. Somewhere safe. But what was she accepting?

And this woman was offering all of that.

"I need time to think."

 

 

"You don't have time." The woman gestured to the forest. "They're coming. Six packs. Maybe more. Tracking you right now. You've got maybe an hour before this place is surrounded."

Kira made a small sound behind her.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Aria asked.

 

 

"You don't." The woman smiled. "But you can feel it, can't you? Your Luna senses. Something's coming."

Aria hated that she was right. The forest felt wrong. Too quiet. Like everything was holding its breath.

"Who are you?" Aria asked.

"Maya. Second-in-command of the Nightfall Pack." She gestured to the two wolves behind her. "This is Jax and Remy. We're part of something bigger. Something that's going to change everything."

"The Nightfall Pack?" Aria had never heard of them.

"We don't exist. Officially." Maya took another step closer. "We're made up of wolves the system threw away. Omegas. Rogues. Cursed ones like you. We've been building in secret for five years. Waiting for the right moment."

 

 

"And I'm what? Your weapon?"

"You're a symbol." Maya's eyes were intense. "A Luna who survived rejection. Who's accessing power the Council thought they'd buried forever. You're proof that everything they've built is a lie."

Aria looked at Kira again. The girl was swaying on her feet. Exhausted. Scared.

She thought about Lyra's words. A Luna without wolves is just a woman with power. Find those who have been broken.

 

 

"If I come with you," Aria said carefully, "I'm in charge of my own decisions. No one tells me who to kill."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Negotiating. Good. I like that." She nodded. "Deal. You have autonomy. But you help us when we need you."

"And the girl stays with me. Non-negotiable."

"Fine."

Too easy. Every instinct screamed warning. This was definitely a trap. Was she really willing to risk everything?

 

 

But with Kira depending on her and nowhere else to turn, what choice did she really have?

"One more thing," Aria said. "I meet whoever's running this operation. Your Alpha or leader or whatever. Face to face. Before I agree to anything permanent."

Maya's smile widened. "Already planning to meet him. He's very interested in you."

Him. Of course.

"When?"

 

 

"Now." Maya turned. Started walking. "We've got transport waiting a mile north. Let's move before your hunters arrive."

Aria looked back at Kira. "Can you walk?"

The girl nodded. Barely.

They followed Maya and her wolves through the forest. Aria kept her guard up—hands ready, shadows stirring just under her skin.

 

 

After twenty minutes, they reached a clearing. Two black SUVs are waiting. Windows tinted. Expensive.

"Get in." Maya opened the back door of the first vehicle.

Aria hesitated, heart hammering hard enough to hurt. This was the point of no return. Once she got in that car, everything changed. She would be trapped.

Kira touched her arm. "Are we doing this?"

 

 

"Yeah." Aria helped her into the SUV. "We're doing this."

She climbed in after. Maya got in front. Jax drove. The second SUV followed behind them.

They drove in silence. While the forest passed by, Aria counted exits and memorized the route—just in case.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked.

"Our base. About an hour from here." Maya didn't turn around. "It's hidden. Protected by magic. The Council's never found it."

"Magic like what?"

 

 

"Old magic. The kind the Elders tried to erase." Maya glanced back. "You'll see."

Aria's mark was burning steadily now. Not painful. Just present. Like it was reacting to something.

Kira had fallen asleep against her shoulder. The girl’s weight was small but warm, childlike trust radiating from her even in sleep. Guilt and fierce protectiveness made Aria’s chest ache.

She couldn’t screw this up. She couldn’t let this kid down. Not again.

 

 

They drove for exactly fifty-three minutes. Then, I turned off the main road onto a dirt path that looked unused. The SUVs pushed through overgrown vegetation until they reached what appeared to be a solid rock wall.

Maya got out. Walked to the wall. Pressed her hand against a specific spot.

The wall shimmered. Then disappeared.

Illusion magic.

 

 

Behind it was a massive compound. Buildings. Training grounds. Wolves everywhere. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.

"Welcome to Nightfall," Maya said.Aria stared. This wasn't just some ragtag group of rogues—it was an army.y.

They drove through the gates into the compound. Wolves stopped what they were doing to stare at the vehicles. At Aria, through the window.

Word had spread. They knew who she was.

 

 

The SUV stopped in front of the largest building. Stone and wood. Old but maintained.

"He's waiting inside." Maya opened Aria's door. "Just you. The girl stays here."

"No." Aria's voice was hard. "She comes with me or I don't move."

Maya sighed. "Fine. But she stays quiet."

 

 

They walked into the building. Inside was cooler. Darker. Lit by torches instead of electricity. Symbols carved into the walls. Old magic humming in the air.

A guard led them down a hallway. Through a set of heavy doors.

The room inside was huge. A war room. Maps covering the walls. Tables covered in documents. And standing at the center, looking at a map of pack territories—

A man. Tall. Built like a fighter. Dark hair. Sharp features. Maybe thirty.

He turned when they entered.

 

 

His eyes were gold. Wolf eyes. But there was something else there. Something that made Aria's mark burn hotter.

"Aria Nightshade." His voice was smooth. Controlled. "I've been waiting to meet you."

"You have me at a disadvantage," Aria said. "You know my name. I don't know yours."

He smiled. "Marcus. Alpha of the Nightfall Pack. And—" He paused. "Your mother's younger brother. Your uncle."

 

 

For a heartbeat, everything spun. The world titled and a cold wave crashed through her, leaving her barely able to breathe.

"What?" Aria couldn't breathe. "That's not—my mother didn't have—"

"She did. Me." Marcus moved closer. "She kept me hidden. Protected me from the Council. When she died, I disappeared completely. Built this." He gestured to the compound. "Been waiting twenty-two years for you to survive the seal breaking."

 

 

Aria's head was spinning. "You're lying."

"I'm not." Marcus pulled something from his pocket. A photograph. Old. Faded. Two children. A girl with silver hair and a boy with dark hair. "This is us. Before the Council marked her. Before they tried to destroy our bloodline."

 

 

Aria stared at the photo. The girl looked like her. Same eyes. Same mark on her shoulder.

"Why didn't you find me?" Her voice cracked. "Why didn't you help me?"

"I couldn't." Marcus's face was hard. "The seal would've killed you if anyone with Luna blood got too close. I had to wait. Let you suffer. Let them break you. Until the seal cracked on its own."

"You let me go through that alone."

 

 

"Yes." No apology in his voice. "And now you're powerful. Strong enough to help me finish what your mother started."

"Which is?"

"Destroying the Council. Freeing every Luna they've suppressed. Taking back the power they stole from us three centuries ago." Marcus's eyes burned. "Your mother died trying to protect you. I'm going to make sure her death meant something."

 

 

Conflicting feelings battered her. She wanted to scream, to cry—to believe and doubt him at once. Could she ever trust the family she'd just learned about? Could she be a killer for a cause she barely understood?

"Why should I trust you?"

 

"Because you don't have anyone else." Marcus's voice was brutal. Honest. "Your pack abandoned you. Your mate rejected you. The Council wants you dead. But I'm offering you family. Purpose. A chance to make them all pay."

 

 

Kira's hand found Aria's. Squeezing.

Aria looked at this man claiming to be her uncle. At the compound full of wolves. At the maps showing every pack's territory.This was bigger than she'd thought—way bigger than she could have guessed.r.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

Marcus smiled. "I need you to be what they fear most. A Luna who can't be controlled."

"I'm already that."

 

 

"No. You're a scared girl with power she can't control." Marcus moved to the table. Pointed at the map. "I'm going to train you. Make you unstoppable. And then we're going to hit them where it hurts."

"Where?"

"The Blackwater Pack." Marcus looked up. Met her eyes. "We're going to destroy the Alpha who rejected you. Make an example of him. Show every pack what happens when they try to suppress Luna power."

Aria's heart stopped.

Thorne.

 

 

He wanted her to help kill Thorne.

"Why Blackwater specifically?" Her voice was barely working.

"Because Thorne Blackwater is the Council's golden boy. Ruthless. Loyal. If we take him down, the whole system destabilizes." Marcus's smile was cold. "Plus, he hurt you. Publicly humiliated you. Don't you want revenge?"

 

 

Did she even want revenge? Part of her did. Part of her recoiled at what that would mean about her. How could she trust herself to make the right choice now?

Aria thought about that night. The rejection. The pain. Thorne's cold eyes were watching her break.

Yeah. Part of her wanted revenge.

But killing him? That was different.

"I need time," Aria said. "To think. To—"

 

 

"You have three days." Marcus straightened. "After that, we move on Blackwater with or without you. But I'd prefer with. Having the Luna he rejected kill him? That sends a message."

Aria's mark was burning so hot now that it hurt. "Three days."

"Good." Marcus gestured to Maya. "Show them to their quarters. Get them fed. Medical attention for both." He looked at Aria. "Welcome to the family."

 

 

They left the war room. Maya led them through the compound to a small building. Inside were two rooms. Simple but clean.

"Food will be brought in an hour. Medical team in thirty minutes." Maya looked at Aria. "Try not to run. We're twenty miles from the nearest town. You wouldn't make it."

She left.

 

 

Aria collapsed on the bed. Kira sat beside her.

"Are we safe here?" Kira asked quietly.

"I don't know." Aria stared at the ceiling. "I don't know anything anymore."

Her mother had a brother. She had family. And that family wanted her to help murder Thorne.

The mate bond might be broken, but it still ached. Still pulled at her. The thought of killing him made her sick.

 

 

But the thought of him suffering? Of him understanding what he'd done to her?

That felt good.

Aria closed her eyes. Three days. She had three days to decide who she wanted to be.

A girl looking for revenge? Or something else?

 

 

Thorne stood in the Forbidden Forest. The cave where Aria had been. Where Lyra had died.

The old witch's body was gone. Someone had moved it. Burned it probably.

But her blood was still there. And something else.

Magic. Lingering. Old magic that made his wolf uneasy.

"Alpha." Kieran appeared. Covered in dirt. "We found tracks. Leading north. At least two people. One injured."

 

 

"How long ago?"

"Six hours. Maybe less."

Six hours. She was getting farther away.

Thorne's phone rang. Unknown number. He answered.

"Alpha Blackwater." A male voice. Smooth. "I have something you want."

"Who is this?"

 

 

"Call me Marcus. And I'm currently hosting your rejected mate at my compound."

Thorne's blood went cold. "If you've hurt her—"

"I haven't. Yet." Marcus laughed. "But I wanted you to know. Wanted you to understand what's coming."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing from you. You've already given me what I needed." Marcus's voice went hard. "You broke her. Made her desperate. And now she's mine. In three days, I'm going to train her to kill you. And she's going to do it gladly."

"She won't—"

 

 

"She will. Because you made her believe she's worthless. And I'm going to show her she's a weapon." Marcus paused. "Thanks for the gift, Alpha. I'll make good use of her."

The line went dead.

 

 

Thorne stared at the phone. His wolf was going insane. Clawing. Screaming.

"Alpha?" Kieran's voice was cautious. "What happened?"

"Someone has her." Thorne's voice was dead. "Someone's using her against us."

"Who?"

 

 

"I don't know." Thorne looked at the forest. In the endless darkness. "But I'm going to find out. And I'm going to get her back."

"Why?" Kieran asked. "She's not your mate anymore. The bond is broken. Why risk everything for—"

"Because I was wrong." Thorne's voice cracked. Just slightly. "I made a mistake. And I'm going to fix it."

"How?"

Thorne thought about Aria's face in that photo. Powerful. Cold. Lost.

"Whatever it takes."