Aria looked at the bone dagger, her hands shaking. Who had left it? Was it Moira? Or someone else? A knock at her door made her quickly hide the box under her pillow. "Come in," she called, expecting Kael again. Instead, Liora rushed in, her ginger hair bouncing. "Aria! Are you okay? Everyone's talking about what happened at dinner!" "I'm fine," Aria said, glad to see a friendly face. "How's Ren?" Liora's smile faded. "His scars are deep, but he'll heal. I've been treating him all morning." She paused. "He asked about you." Something flashed across Liora's face—pain, maybe jealousy? "I should visit him," Aria said. "No time for that," a deep voice interrupted. Elder Vaughn stood in the doorway, his silver hair gleaming, white eyes glowing. Aria had only seen him from afar during pack meetings. Up close, his power was overwhelming. "Leave us," he told Liora. The redhead squeezed Aria's hand before rushing out. The moment the door closed, Elder Vaughn's eyes locked onto hers. "You're bleeding." Aria touched her face. "It was just a dream." "No dream makes you bleed," he said, repeating Kael's words.
"The Goddess is trying to reach you." "The Goddess?" Elder Vaughn moved closer, his tall body looming over her. "They're taking you to the Moonstone Temple tonight." It wasn't a question. Aria nodded. "Three paths lie before you, child," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But only one leads to survival." A chill ran down Aria's spine. "What do you mean?" "The triplets are not what they seem." The Elder's white eyes flickered to the window, as if checking for spies. "And neither are you." "Everyone keeps saying that," Aria said, anger building. "What am I, then?" Instead of answering, Elder Vaughn pulled something from his pocket—a small crystal bottle filled with silvery liquid. "When the moon reaches its peak tonight, drink this," he instructed. "All of it. Before any blood is spilled." "Blood?" Aria let out a gasp. "What kind of ritual is this?" "One as old as the packs themselves," he answered. "Kael tries to strengthen his claim through ancient magic. Dangerous magic." Aria took the vial, her fingers shaking. "Why are you helping me?" Elder Vaughn's face softened for a moment. "I made a promise long ago, to protect the daughter of the moon." "Daughter of the—" "Silence!" he hissed, suddenly alert. "Someone comes." Heavy footsteps approached in the hall. "Meet me at the temple before the others arrive," Elder Vaughn whispered quickly. "One hour before moonrise. Come alone." He moved to the window with surprising speed for his age and slipped out just as the door burst open. Alpha Thorne stalked in, his strong frame filling the doorway. "Who were you talking to?" "No one," Aria lied, holding the vial in her pocket. "Just... thinking aloud." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Pack your things. You leave for the temple in one hour." "Yes, Alpha," she answered humbly. After he left, Aria pulled out her small bag. What should she take to a blood ritual? Her fingers touched Ren's amber charm still around her neck. It felt warm, comfortable.
As she packed, her mind raced. Elder Vaughn, Moira, the strange note, the bone dagger—too many secrets swirled around her. A soft tap at her window made her jump. Dax crouched on the ledge outside, his gray eyes fierce. She opened the window. "What are you doing here?" "Making sure you're safe," he said, slipping quietly into the room. "Things have changed. Lyra has fled her confinement." "What? How?" "Beta Rayne helped her," Dax explained. "They've fled the territory." Aria sat heavily on her bed. "Will they come after me?" "Eventually." Dax noticed the bag on her bed. "You're packing for tonight." It wasn't a question, but Aria nodded anyway. Dax reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather-bound book. "Take this. Hide it well." "What is it?" "Answers," he said simply. "But only read it when you're alone. Trust no one, Aria. Not even my brothers." "What about you?" she asked.
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Especially not me." Before she could answer, he moved closer, studying her face. "You've been bleeding." "Just a nosebleed," she lied. Dax's fingers gently traced her cheek, leaving a trail of heat. "Your eyes are changing," he whispered. "More silver than blue now." Aria's heart raced at his touch. The mate mark on her wrist pulsed, different from how it felt with Kael or Ren—deeper, darker, more strange. "What's happening to me?" she whispered. "You're awakening," Dax answered, his voice so low she barely heard it. "And when you're fully awake, everything will change." He pulled back suddenly. "Remember what I said. Trust no one. And whatever my father or Kael asks you to do at the temple tonight—resist." With that, he slipped back out the window as quietly as he'd come. Aria looked at the book in her hands. It was old, the leather cracked with age. When she opened it, she gasped. The pages were filled with strange symbols and pictures of three wolves circling a silver-eyed woman. A knock at her door made her quickly hide the book in her bag. "Time to go," Kael called. As Aria left her room, she felt the bottle in one pocket and the bone dagger in the other. Elder Vaughn's warning echoed in her mind: Three paths lie before you, but only one leads to life. Outside, three horses waited. Kael stood tall beside a black stallion, his green eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Where's Ren?" Aria asked, noticing only two brothers present. "Too injured to travel," Kael said, not sounding particularly upset about it.
"It will be just us three." Dax helped her onto a white mare, his touch lasting longer than necessary. "Remember," he whispered. "Resist." As they rode toward the forest, Aria looked back at the mansion. In an upstairs window, she glimpsed a figure watching—Liora, her hand pressed against the glass, tears running down her face. The sky clouded as they entered the forest. No one spoke. Aria felt the pressure of secrets weighing on her—Moira's warning, Elder Vaughn's vial, Dax's book, the strange bone dagger. Everyone wanted something from her, but what did she want? Survival, she decided. And truth. The forest path shrank. Ahead, stone ruins rose against the dusk sky—the Moonstone Temple. Ancient and menacing, it seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. "We're here," Kael revealed with satisfaction. As they dismounted, Aria noticed symbols cut into the stone archway—the same symbols from Dax's book. "One hour until moonrise," Alpha Thorne said, appearing from the darkness. "Prepare the omega." Aria's blood turned cold when she saw what he held—a silver ritual knife, its edge gleaming in the fading light.