Chapter 171

The Shattered Vow

The wind howled across the training grounds like a wounded beast, carrying with it the sharp bite of winter. Dawn hadn’t fully broken yet, but the sky was a pale smear of gray, the kind of morning that felt heavy with unspoken warnings. The pack grounds were usually alive at this hour—warriors training, omegas preparing the morning meals, patrols switching shifts—but today, a strange stillness sat over everything. A silence that felt unnatural.

Aria felt it the moment she stepped outside.

Her heart thudded faster, her instincts prickling. Ever since the vision in the Moon Temple, her senses had become sharper—too sharp sometimes. She could feel energy before she saw movement, feel emotions before words were spoken. And right now? She felt distress, fear, uncertainty… rolling through the pack like a low, trembling wave.

Kael fell into step beside her, his jaw tight, his eyes scanning their surroundings.

“You feel it too,” he said quietly. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,”