The house shook for several seconds before going still. Everyone froze, looking at Aria's glowing mark. Alpha Thorne dropped her arm like it burned him. His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Lock her in the training room," he ordered. "Now." Guards emerged from nowhere, grabbing Aria's arms. The triplets moved at once, making a wall between her and the guards. "Don't touch her," Kael growled, his Alpha voice making the guards step back. "She attacked Lyra," Alpha Thorne snapped. "She's dangerous." "I didn't attack anyone!" Aria cried.
"Lyra grabbed me and something just... happened." "Lies!" Lyra shouted, putting a hand to her bandaged head. "She used magic against me!" Elder Vaughn stepped forward, his white eyes glowing softly. "The girl speaks truth," he said, his voice echoing weirdly. "I see it in the threads of fate." Alpha Thorne paced, his strong frame tight with anger. Finally, he stopped. "The trials are delayed," he stated. "First, we need to understand what we're dealing with." He pointed at Aria. "If you want to stay in this pack, you will train. Learn control. Prove you're not a danger." "Train?" Aria asked. "I'm an omega. We don't train." A wicked smile curved Alpha Thorne's lips. "You're either an omega who needs to earn her place, or something else entirely. Either way, you train." He turned to his kids. "Dax will teach her to fight. Kael will teach her pack rules. Ren will test her endurance." The triplets traded surprised looks.
"And Lyra," Alpha Thorne added, "will teach her how to be a proper Luna." "WHAT?" Lyra shrieked. "I refuse to teach this—this creature anything!" "You will do as I command," Alpha Thorne growled. "Or leave this pack forever." Lyra's face flushed red, but she dropped her eyes. "Yes, Alpha." "Training begins now," Alpha Thorne said. "Dax, take her." Dax nodded once and gently took Aria's arm. "Come with me." As they left, Aria caught Moira's words echoing in her mind: Tonight, when the blood moon rises, meet me at the Moonstone Temple. How would she escape for that meeting? Dax led her through the mansion to a big room with padded floors and weapons racks along the walls. Sunlight streamed through high windows. "This is where we train young Alphas," he explained, removing his jacket. "Never omegas." "Then why me?" Aria asked. Dax's gray eyes studied her. "Because you're not what you seem." He walked to a rack and chose two wooden practice swords. "Here," he said, throwing one to her. Aria caught it oddly. "I've never held a weapon before." "Show me your stance," Dax directed. She tried to mimic fighters she'd seen, spreading her feet and holding the sword in front of her. Dax shook his head. "Your balance is wrong," he said, moving behind her. His hands gently adjusted her shoulders, then her hips. "Like this." His touch sent sparks through her body. The mark on her wrist pulsed. "Now," he stepped back, "try to hit me." "Hit you? But you're—" "Stronger? Faster?" His lips curled slightly. "Try anyway." Aria swung the wooden blade awkwardly. Dax easily stepped away. "Again," he said. "Don't think so much." She tried again.
And again. Each time, Dax ducked without effort. "You're holding back," he noted. "Why?" "I don't want to hurt anyone else," she revealed. "What happened with Lyra scared me." Dax moved closer. "That power came when you felt threatened. We need to understand it." "By making me attack you?" "By making you trust yourself," he amended. "Close your eyes." Hesitantly, Aria followed. "Now," his voice came from different places as he moved around her, "feel the room. Feel your body. Forget what you were told about being weak." "Omegas are always weak," she whispered. "Are they?" His voice was closer now. "Or is that just what Alphas want them to believe?" Something in his words struck her. Had she always accepted being weak because that's what she was told? "Now," Dax said softly, "I'm going to attack. Defend yourself." Aria's eyes flew open. "What?" But Dax was already moving.
He swung his practice sword straight at her shoulder. Her body responded before her mind could catch up. Her wooden blade met his with a crack that echoed through the room. The contact should have knocked her down. Instead, she held strong. Dax's eyes widened. "Again," he said, stepping back. This time he moved faster, hitting from the left. Again, she blocked without thinking. "More," Dax ordered. He attacked in a flurry of movements, each strike accurate and powerful. Aria blocked every one, her body suddenly knowing what to do. When she finally thrust back, Dax barely avoided the tip of her wooden sword. They both froze, breathing hard. "How did I do that?" Aria whispered. Dax stared at her with new respect. "No omega could fight like that. Not on their first try." "Then what am I?" Instead of answering, Dax went to a small chest in the corner. He removed a strange metal bracelet. "Hit this," he said, holding it up. "Why?" "Just do it." Aria tapped the ring with her wooden sword. Nothing happened. "Harder," Dax pushed. She struck it strongly. Still nothing. "Now," Dax said softly, "think about how you felt when Lyra threatened you.
That fear, that anger. Feel it again and strike." Aria closed her eyes, remembering Lyra's cruel grip, the threats, the feeling of being trapped. Her wrist began to burn. She swung hard. The moment her wooden blade hit the band, silver light flashed between them. The bracelet glowed bright blue. "I knew it," Dax whispered. "Knew what?" Aria asked, backing away from the burning metal. "This bracelet was made with moonstone. It only responds to certain bloodlines." Dax's eyes met hers. "Royal bloodlines." Before Aria could ask more, the training room door burst open. Ren walked in, his golden eyes taking in their flushed faces. "My turn with little moonflower," he stated. "Father says I'm to take her running." "We're not finished," Dax protested. "Orders are orders, brother." Ren winked at Aria. "Besides, you've hogged her long enough." Dax paused, then slipped the still-glowing bracelet into his pocket. "We'll continue tomorrow," he told Aria. "Practice what I showed you." As Ren led her away, Aria glanced back. Dax was looking at the bracelet in his hand, his face troubled.
"Did my serious brother actually make you sweat?" Ren teased as they walked outside. "He's a good teacher," Aria answered carefully. "And what did he teach you?" Ren stopped, suddenly serious. "The truth about who you are, perhaps?" Aria's heart skipped. "What do you mean?" Ren leaned closer, his normal playfulness gone. "I saw the light from under the door, Aria. The same light that threw Lyra across the yard." "I don't understand what's happening to me," she revealed. "None of us do." Ren touched her marked wrist gently. "But tonight, after moonrise, I'll help you slip away to find answers." Aria looked at him in shock. "How did you—" "I have my ways," he whispered. "And unlike my brothers, I want you to choose freely, even if it's not me." Before she could answer, Kael's voice called from across the lawn.
"Enough whispering," he said, joining them. "Father wants updates on her training." "Just starting," Ren answered smoothly, dropping Aria's hand. As they argued about the training plan, Aria noticed Lyra watching from a window, her face twisted with hatred. And beyond her, barely visible through the glass, stood Elder Vaughn. He pressed a finger to his lips, warning her to quiet. In her pocket, the charm Moira had given her began to warm against her thigh. Tonight, she would find answers. Tonight, everything would change. But as the sun began its fall, Aria couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching her from the shadows of the forest. Something old and hungry, waking at last.