LOGINAria POVBy the time my legs finally decided they’d had enough, the fire had burned lower and steadier, the wild dancing easing into softer rhythms and low laughter. My chest still rose fast, my skin warm, my hair a mess I didn’t even bother fixing.I escaped the circle with a breathless laugh and made my way toward the edge of the clearing.Raiden was sitting on a fallen log, watching the fire like it held old memories only he could see. I dropped down beside him with a tired sigh that came straight from my bones.“Okay,” I said, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. “I officially can’t feel my legs anymore.”A corner of his mouth lifted. “I warned you.”“No, you didn’t,” I shot back, then softened. “But… thank you. For this.”He turned his head slightly, eyes settling on me. Not the fire. Not the people. Me.“They’re amazing,” I continued, nodding toward the pack. “Your people. They’re so… at ease. No tension. No fear. Everyone just fits.” I searched for the rig
Aria POVTime moved strangely after that.One moment I was on my knees in the training ground, shaking and glowing and wondering if I’d just imagined the wolf behind me—and the next, I was standing in warm water, steam curling around my shoulders, replaying everything with a smile I couldn’t seem to wipe off my face.My first day.And I hadn’t failed.Kaida definitely showed herself during training.I washed the dust from my skin, braided my hair loosely, and stared at my reflection for a long moment afterward. I looked the same… but I felt different. Stronger. Lighter. Like something inside me had finally stretched awake.I was still smiling when a knock came.“Aria,” Raiden’s voice called from the other side of the door. “Come to my chamber.”My heart skipped.His chamber?“Uh—okay,” I replied, hoping my voice didn’t betray the way my stomach fluttered.By the time I reached his chambers, the evening light had softened the fortress halls, gold bleeding into shadow. I hesitated for h
Darius POVSomething inside me snapped.“Selene,” I said sharply, turning back to her, my voice low and dangerous. “Would you disobey your alpha?”The room went deathly quiet.Lyra stiffened behind me.Selene didn’t flinch. Not even a little.She met my gaze calmly, sadly even, and shook her head once. “You would do nothing to me,” she said. “Not because you can’t—but because you know I’m right.”That only made my anger burn hotter.“I am trying to save you,” she continued, her tone softer now, almost weary. “From yourself. Let that mysterious man try whatever tricks he claims to have. If he fails, then at least your hands will not be stained with things you cannot undo.”Lyra exhaled sharply. “Didn’t I say the same thing?” she muttered. “But no. No one ever listens to me.”I clenched my jaw so hard it ached.Enough.Without another word, I turned and stormed out of Selene’s chambers. The air felt suffocating, my thoughts louder than my footsteps. Anger buzzed through my veins, sharp
Darius POVAfternoon bled slowly into evening, the sun sinking low enough to cast long shadows across the stone walls of the fortress. I stood by the balcony, hands resting on the cold rail, jaw tight, thoughts louder than the wind brushing past my ears.I had dismissed the mysterious man hours ago.Come back another time, I’d told him. Not because his offer didn’t tempt me—but because it did. Too much. I needed space to think, to weigh what kind of monster I was willing to become to get what I wanted.Behind me, I heard the faint shuffle of movement.Lyra.She stood a few steps away, wrapped in a loose cloak that hid most of the bandages, but not the stiffness in her posture. Not the way pain still clung to her no matter how hard she tried to mask it.Silence stretched between us.It pressed.Finally, I turned to her.The sight of her—really looking this time—twisted something unpleasant in my chest. Her face was paler than usual, her eyes dulled by exhaustion. Aria’s flames hadn’t j
Aria POVI hesitated for just a heartbeat longer—then I looked around.I don’t know what I expected to see. Fear. Suspicion. Distance.But none of that was there.Instead, there were nods. Soft smiles. Quiet approval. One of the women I’d teased earlier gave me a small thumbs-up like we were old friends. Kael met my eyes from across the ground and tapped two fingers to his chest in silent respect. Even the older warriors—scarred, hardened men—watched me with something that looked a lot like pride.My throat tightened.I hadn’t realized how badly I needed that.I turned back to Raiden, my smile coming easier now, steadier. “I’m ready,” I said, surprising even myself with how sure my voice sounded. “We should continue.”His eyes searched my face—not questioning, not doubting—just making sure. When he seemed satisfied, he gave a slow nod.“All right,” he said quietly.I drew in a deep breath, centering myself the way he’d taught me. My feet found the ground again. Solid. Present. Real.
Aria POVHours had passed and I still refused to sit still.Not because Raiden forced me to follow him around the fortress—but because I wanted to. Everywhere he went, I went too. The halls, the courtyards, the towers overlooking the borders. I trailed him like a shadow with a mind of its own, curious and restless, drinking in every detail of this place that was slowly starting to feel… familiar.Too familiar.At some point, he stopped in the middle of a corridor and turned to me, one brow lifting in that calm-but-knowing way of his.“You should rest,” he said. “Training starts soon.”I smiled sweetly. “I’m not tired.”He studied my face like he was trying to decide whether to argue or surrender. He chose the latter with a quiet sigh.“Stubborn,” he muttered.I beamed. Compliments sounded better coming from him.Now, as we stepped into the training grounds, the air felt different—charged, alive. The open space stretched wide, ringed with stone and packed dirt underfoot. Weapons lined







