"No!" Aria screamed, jerking backward as Kael reached for her again. "I won't go with you!"
But her body betrayed her. The mate bond pulled her toward him like a rope around her heart, making her stumble forward even as her mind screamed to run.
Storm was pacing in her head, growing more agitated by the second. *Something's not right,* Storm growled. *His scent is wrong. There's magic here. Dark magic.*
Kael's golden eyes narrowed. "You don't have a choice. You're mine now."
"I belong to no one!" Aria's voice cracked with emotion. The years of being treated like dirt, of being blamed for Lyra's death, of being called worthless—it all boiled over at once. "I'm not some prize you can just take!"
Power exploded out of her without warning.
The trees around them groaned and bent away from her as if pushed by unseen hands. Flowers bloomed instantly at her feet, growing so fast they seemed to be reaching toward her. Even the rocks began to glow with a soft silver light.
Kael stepped back, his eyes wide with shock. "Impossible," he whispered.
*Now we run!* Storm yelled.
Aria didn't need to be told twice. She spun around and ran as fast as her legs could take her, crashing through the forest toward the rogue camp. Behind her, she could hear Kael shouting orders to someone, but she didn't look back.
When she burst into the camp, everyone stopped what they were doing. Martha was stirring a pot over the fire. Three other rogues were sharpening weapons. A group of children were playing with sticks. They all turned to stare at her.
"The Alpha's here!" Aria gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Kael Thorn is in the forest. He says I'm his mate, but something's wrong with him. Storm says—"
"Storm?" Martha's ladle clattered to the ground. "You named your wolf?"
"She told me her name," Aria said, confused. "Isn't that normal?"
The silence that followed was so complete that Aria could hear her own heartbeat. Everyone was looking at her like she'd grown a second head.
"Aria," Martha said slowly, "most wolves don't talk to their people on the first day. Most don't talk at all for weeks."
*Tell them about the power,* Storm urged. *They need to know what's coming.*
"There's more," Aria said, her voice shaking. "I think I have some kind of magic. The trees moved when I got angry, and the flowers—"
A low whistle came from behind her. She turned to see Tom, one of the older rogues, pointing at her feet. Everywhere she'd stepped, flowers were blooming. Not just any flowers—silver ones that glowed softly in the dim light. They made a perfect trail from the forest edge to where she stood.
"Blessed Luna," muttered Sarah, a rogue woman with scars across her face. "She's got forest magic."
"That's impossible," Martha snapped. "Forest magic died out centuries ago. Only the old families had it, and they're all gone."
But even as she spoke, more flowers bloomed around Aria. The glow was getting brighter, and she could feel power humming under her skin like lightning.
*They're scared,* Storm observed. *Good. Let them be scared. We are not the weak little girl they thought we were.*
"What does this mean?" Aria asked, looking around at the frightened faces. "Why is everyone acting like this is bad?"
Tom cleared his throat. "Forest magic is tied to the old prophecies, girl. The ones about the bloodline that's supposed to unite the packs or destroy them all."
"That's just stories," Aria said, but her voice sounded uncertain even to herself.
"Is it?" Martha stepped closer, her eyes hard. "Your sister died by a forbidden river. Your father cast you out for no real reason. And now you show up with powers that haven't been seen for centuries, mated to the most dangerous Alpha alive." She shook her head. "This isn't coincidence, girl. This is destiny."
Before Aria could answer, Storm started howling in her mind—not with fear, but with longing. *Home,* Storm whispered desperately. *We need to go home. The pack lands are calling us.*
Aria gasped as images filled her mind. She saw vast forests and crystal streams. She saw a massive house built into the mountainside. She saw wolves running together under the moonlight, their howls echoing across the valleys.
"The Shadow River Pack," she breathed. "I can see it. Storm is showing me their territory."
"That's impossible," Sarah said. "You've never been there."
But the pull was getting stronger. It felt like someone had tied a fishing line to her soul and was reeling her in. She took a step toward the forest, then another.
"I have to go," she said, her voice dreamy and distant. "Something's calling me there."
"Don't be stupid!" Martha grabbed her arm. "If you go to that pack, they'll use you. Your power, your bloodline—they'll turn you into a weapon."
*Or they'll kill us,* Storm added grimly. *Forest magic makes people nervous. Especially Alphas who like to be in control.*
But the pull was too strong. Aria could feel it in her bones, in her blood. The Shadow River Pack wasn't just where her mate lived—it was where she was supposed to be. Where she'd always been supposed to be.
She pulled free from Martha's grip and started walking toward the trees again.
"Aria, stop!" Tom called after her. "You don't know what you're walking into!"
She paused at the edge of the trees and looked back at the only home she'd known for ten years. These people had been cruel to her sometimes, but they'd also kept her alive. And now she was about to leave them forever.
"I have to," she said softly. "I can feel it, Tom. This is bigger than just me being someone's mate. Something important is happening, and I'm part of it."
*More than part of it,* Storm corrected. *We're the center of it.*
As if to prove Storm's point, the silver flowers at Aria's feet suddenly blazed with light. The glow spread outward like ripples in a pond, making every plant in the camp shimmer and luminous. Everyone gasped and stepped back.
But the most shocking thing wasn't the magic. It was Martha's face. For just a moment, her cruel mask cracked, and underneath was something that looked almost like... recognition.
"You know something," Aria said, staring at the older woman. "You know what's happening to me."
Martha's face went blank again, but it was too late. Aria had seen the truth.
"Who am I really?" Aria demanded. "And don't lie to me. I can feel the power getting stronger every second. If you don't tell me the truth, I might lose control."
As if summoned by her words, Kael's voice echoed through the trees behind her. "Aria! You can't run from fate forever!"
The rogues all looked terrified now. Martha's face had gone white as snow. And in that moment of silence, Storm whispered the words that made Aria's blood run cold:
He's not alone. There are at least twenty wolves with him. And they're not here to talk.