ARIA POV
I woke up gasping, scratching at my throat as if drowning. The voice from my dreams still echoed in my head, calling me to the Moon Chamber.
"Easy," Kael said, his warm hand steadying my shoulder. "You're safe now."
We were in Elder Malin's house, a small room filled with the smell of burning herbs and old books. The three triplets stood around me, their faces tight with worry. Mira sat by the window, keeping watch.
"How long was I out?" I asked, my voice rough.
"Three hours," Lucien said. "Your birthmark has been... changing."
I looked down at my shoulder and nearly screamed. What had once been a small crescent moon was now a complex pattern that spread across my collarbone—a circle with three moons inside.
Elder Malin shuffled into the room, his old face serious. He carried a wooden box made with symbols I somehow recognized.
"The Moon Alpha awakens," he said, his voice stronger than I'd ever heard it. "And just in time."
"In time for what?" I asked.
