ARIA POV
I woke to screams and smoke. My head throbbed as I pushed myself up from the cold stone floor. Through the haze, I saw Lucien's body, still and pale, with Kael and Jaxon kneeling beside him.
"He's breathing!" Jaxon called out. "But barely."
Relief rushed through me, but it didn't last long. A loud crash echoed through the chamber as part of the ceiling fell nearby.
"We need to get out of here!" Mira shouted, helping Elira to her feet.
But before we could move, a dark figure emerged from the swirling dust. Alpha Darius stood tall, his eyes burning with hate. In his hand, he held a blade unlike any I'd seen before—curved and old, with symbols that glowed an eerie blue.
"The Blade of Severing," Elira gasped. "Where did you get that?"
"I've had it all along," Darius growled. "Hidden for the day I would need to cut the final ties."
My blood ran cold. I'd heard stories of the Blade—a weapon that could cut magical bonds, even mate ties blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.
