LOGINAriana’s POVThe howls followed me out of the temple.Thousands of wolves stood across the ruined battlefield.The moment I stepped forward, every sound died.Nobody moved.Nobody spoke.I looked at my hands.Silver markings ran from my fingers toward my arms. They glowed beneath my skin like living light.I touched my face.“What happened to me?”Kael stared at me.He looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe.“Ariana…”I looked at him.“What?”He swallowed.“You’re different.”Damien stood several steps away.His eyes moved over the silver markings, then toward the giant wolf behind me.He whispered my name.“Ariana.”I turned toward him.He could not say anything else.A horn sounded across the battlefield.The rogue soldiers dropped their weapons.One by one, they went down on their knees.Then the rogue king lowered his head.“My Queen.”A murmur moved through the army.“My Queen.”Enemy Alphas began backing away.“Retreat!”“Get the warriors back!”“Now!”They turned and ran
Ariana’s POVThe temple exploded into silver light.I screamed.The floor shook beneath my feet, and pieces of stone fell from the walls. I covered my head as another crack tore through the ceiling.Then I heard a voice.“Ariana!”My eyes flew open.“Kael?”He came through the broken entrance.Damien was right behind him.“Ariana!”Kael ran toward me.I tried to move, but my legs refused to obey.Silver flames moved around my body without burning me.Kael stopped a few steps away.His face changed when he saw my eyes.“Ariana…”I looked at him.But I did not know him.I saw a man standing in front of me.A man with dark eyes.A man who had held me while I cried.A man who had protected me.But his name would not come to me.Then Damien stepped forward.“Ariana.”Something inside me shook.I looked at him.His face blurred.Then memories rushed through my mind.His hands.His voice.Our wedding.His rejection.The night he looked at me and told me I was no longer his mate.I gasped.“D
Ariana’s POV“I am the part of you that you have been running from.”I stared at her.My heart pounded so hard that it hurt.“No.”The woman took one step toward me.I stepped back.“You are not me.”She smiled.“Then why do you feel my heartbeat?”I froze.A second heartbeat seemed to sound inside my chest.Thump.Thump.Thump.I pressed both hands against my body.“What are you?”“I am what your blood remembers.”“I don’t understand.”“You were never an ordinary wolf, Ariana.”Her eyes began to glow brighter.“You are Moonborn.”I shook my head.“No. My father was a Beta. My family was ordinary.”“Was it?”The temple disappeared.I gasped.Suddenly, I was standing inside a small room.I knew it.My old home.But this was years ago.I saw my father.He was younger.He was holding a baby.Me.My little fingers were wrapped around his thumb.I watched him smile down at me.“My little moon,” he whispered.My breath caught.I had never heard him call me that.A woman stood beside him.Sh
Ariana’s POVThe sky turned black.Not dark.Black.One second, the battlefield was filled with fire, wounded wolves, and the sound of warriors shouting.The next, every sound died.I looked up.My heart stopped.A huge silver moon appeared above us.It was so large that it seemed close enough to touch.Then a voice rolled across the battlefield.“Ariana Vale.”My knees almost gave way.I knew that voice.The Moon Goddess.Her voice shook the ground beneath my feet.“The final trial begins now.”“No,” I whispered.Kael rushed toward me.“Ariana!”Damien moved at the same time.“Get behind me!”I barely heard them.My silver wolf rose inside me with a power that made my bones ache.Silver marks spread across my skin.I pressed a hand against my stomach.“My baby…”The Moon Goddess spoke again.“Your child is safe.”I released a breath.“And Kael?” I asked.My voice shook.“And Damien?”No answer came.I looked around.Both men were staring at me.Kael reached for my hand.“I’m here.”D
Ariana’s POVI sensed the danger a fraction of a second too late.My massive silver form remained focused on the enemy warriors pressing toward me from the front.My was attention divided across a dozen different threats simultaneously as the battle raged violently around every side of my position.Then I heard Damien’s desperate scream.I turned instantly, my ancient instincts finally recognizing the danger approaching from behind, but time seemed to slow completely as I watched everything unfold with horrifying, inevitable clarity.Selene lunged forward, her silver blade gleaming dangerously beneath the moonlight, aimed directly toward my exposed side.Before the blade could reach me, before I could properly react or defend myself against this sudden, devastating attack, Damien threw himself directly between us.The blade sank deep into his body instead.“No!” I screamed and my voice carried raw, primal agony that echoed powerfully across the entire battlefield.Damien staggered bac
Damien’s POV The fortress grounds erupted into complete, devastating chaos within moments. Warriors from every direction surged forward, steel clashing violently against steel, screams and roars echoing endlessly through the moonlit darkness surrounding us. Blackwood warriors, having arrived precisely as reinforcements according to my earlier request, joined seamlessly alongside Kael’s Lycan forces. Both armies fought together despite months of complicated tension that had previously defined our relationship completely. Enemy Alpha alliances continued pressing forward from multiple directions, their combined forces significantly outnumbering our own defensive positions. And rogue warriors loyal to their desperate King fought with reckless abandon, apparently determined to capture Ariana regardless of the overwhelming reverence most had displayed only moments earlier. I fought viciously beside Kael, both of us positioned protectively near Ariana’s massive silver form, neither o







