CHAPTER SIX : WHISPERS OF THE PAST

The past is never dead. It’s just waiting to be unlocked.

The night after the Hunt, Ava couldn’t sleep.

Even with the doors bolted, even with her dagger tucked beneath her pillow, she felt watched. Not by the five heirs—but by something older. Something deeper.

It wasn’t fear that kept her awake.

It was the pull.

A soft whisper beneath her skin. A call. A memory that didn’t belong to her… but felt like hers.

By morning, the Academy halls buzzed with rumors.

“She outran all five,” someone whispered near the training yard.

“She was marked,” another added, eyes wide. “The Bond reacted.”

“She’s already choosing,” one girl sneered. “Typical Moon-Blessed.”

Ava ignored them all—until she saw the white envelope on her bed.

It wasn’t there before.

No scent. No sound. Just... there.

She unfolded it carefully, heart pounding.

Ava,

If you’re reading this, then the Moon has awakened you.

You must trust no one—especially not the heirs.

They will love you. They will betray you.

You were not chosen by accident. You were created.

And when the Blood Moon rises again, you must decide who dies.

— Your mother, Lyria Pierce

The note slipped from Ava’s hand.

Her mother was dead. Murdered in a fire when Ava was ten. Everyone said it was rogue wolves. Everyone lied.

Created?

Her pulse thudded.

That word changed everything.

Later that day, in Combat Hall, the next Trial was announced.

Trial Two: Restraint.

Each alpha had to pair with Ava in turn—to “train” her. To test her control. To see if the Bond obeyed her... or overwhelmed her.

She would fight them.

Alone. One by one.

And the one who made her lose control—of her emotions, her powers, or her instincts—would be punished.

The Academy elders called it a lesson.

Ava knew better.

It was a trap.

First Pairing: Cassian Vale.

He grinned when he entered the ring, shirtless, armed only with twin blades.

“Been waiting for this,” he said. “Let’s see if you can keep your hands off me.”

Ava lunged first.

Their blades clashed, fast and brutal. Sparks flew. She ducked, twisted, struck again. Cassian was fast—but she was faster.

“You fight like a storm,” he gasped, breathless. “Wild. Untamed.”

She growled and slammed her elbow into his ribs.

He laughed. “Gods, I like you.”

She flipped him flat on his back.

“Try liking me from the floor,” she muttered.

Second Pairing: Kian Voss.

He didn’t smile. He didn’t speak.

The moment they began, a freezing wind swept through the room.

Kian didn’t attack her body.

He attacked her mind.

Images flooded her—visions of herself crumbling, bleeding, failing. A whisper in her head:

You are not strong enough. You will never be enough.

Ava fell to her knees.

Then remembered her mother’s letter.

You were created.

She stood, shaking, raised her hand—and unleashed a blast of Moonfire straight at Kian’s feet.

The illusions vanished.

Kian blinked. “Interesting.”

Third Pairing: Silas Thorn.

He stood across from her like a mountain. Still. Quiet.

They circled.

No words.

Then he struck—clean, efficient, brutal. Ava barely blocked the blow. His fist grazed her cheek; she countered with a knee to his gut.

They grappled, breath hot, bodies close.

And then—Silas stopped.

His hand hovered over her heart. “You’re trembling.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“No,” he said softly. “You’re feeling too much.”

He stepped back, letting her win.

Ava didn’t understand.

Until she saw the faint red burn on his chest—the shape of her mark, glowing faintly on his skin.

Fourth Pairing: Lucien Ashbane.

The match was over before it began.

He didn’t touch her.

He just whispered: “Your mother was part of the Shadow Court, wasn’t she?”

Ava froze.

Lucien smirked. “That’s how you were created.”

The bond flared in her veins.

She couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t see.

She lost control.

Magic exploded from her hands—silver fire spiraling across the chamber.

Lucien didn’t dodge. He absorbed it.

Like he’d been waiting for it.

When the smoke cleared, Ava stood shaking.

Xander’s voice echoed: “She’s lost control. Lucien wins this round.”

Lucien bowed mockingly. “Guess I hit a nerve.”

Ava clenched her fists. “You don’t win anything.”

But the mark on her neck was blazing.

And something inside her… was changing.

Back in her room, Ava read her mother’s letter again.

This time, she noticed the second sheet, hidden behind the first.

It was older. Torn. Scrawled in shaky ink.

The Blood Moon comes early.

He will try to claim you before the bond completes.

But remember, Ava—only love can destroy fate.

Outside her door, one of the alphas stood listening.

And he wasn’t alone.