The golden-eyed monster that looked like Alpha Magnus stepped through the hole in the wall.
But something was terribly wrong with him. His body rippled like water, changing between human and wolf and something else entirely. Power radiated from him in waves that made the air itself shake.
"Father?" Caden's voice came from the stairs, filled with shock and fear. But this wasn't Alpha Magnus. Not anymore.
"The transformation," the old creature with red eyes whispered. "It's happening too early."
"What transformation?" Aria demanded, her own power still burning around her like silver fire.
The Magnus-thing turned those burning golden eyes on her. When it spoke, its voice sounded like rocks grinding together.
"Mine," it growled. "My power. Give it back."
"I don't have your power!"
"Liar." The creature lunged at her with impossible speed.
Aria's senses exploded to life. Her eyes blazed brighter than they ever had before, turning from violet to pure silver light. The world around her changed, becoming crystal clear.
She could see everything. Every rogue wolf hiding in the dark. Every pack member asleep on the upper floors. Every heartbeat, every breath, every flicker of activity within a mile of the castle.
"There are forty-three enemies," she said, her voice echoing weirdly. "Twelve in the east wing near the children. Eight in the armory. Fifteen in the backyard. And eight more coming through the forest."
Everyone in the great hall froze. Rogues and the ancient creature stared at her with looks of shock and hunger.
"Impossible," one rogue breathed. "No Moon Wolf has had that kind of sight for three hundred years."
"She's stronger than we thought," another whispered.
The old creature's red eyes blazed brighter. "Perfect. Even better than I hoped."
But Aria wasn't finished. The silver light pouring from her eyes showed her more than just foes.
"Caleb is three hallways away, fighting two rogues," she continued, her voice getting stronger. "Cyrus is in the armory, surrounded but living. Caden is—"
"Right here," Caden said, coming into the great hall with his sword drawn.
His ice-blue eyes went wide when he saw her burning with power. "Aria? What's happening to you?"
"She's becoming what she was always meant to be," the old creature purred. "A weapon."
"I'm not a weapon," Aria growled.
Her power flared, and every rogue in the room took a step backward. Even the creature that looked like Magnus paused.
Through her improved vision, she saw something that made her blood run cold.
"The children," she gasped. "They're not just sleeping. The rogues poisoned them."
"What?" Caden spun toward the stairs.
"Don't." Aria grabbed his arm. "There are too many enemies between here and there. You'll never make it."
"Then what do we do?"
Aria's silver eyes sparked brighter.
The ancient Chronicle book in her tower room responded to her power, sending more information flooding into her mind.
Moon Wolves weren't just rare because of their strength. They were rare because of what they could do.
"I can save them," she said softly.
"How?"
"By doing something that's going to change everything."
She closed her eyes and reached out with her power. Not to harm this time, but to heal.
Silver light burst from her body, racing through the castle walls like lightning. Everywhere it touched, the rogue poison dissolved.
Pack members began waking up, confused but living. In the east wing, the children stirred from their evil sleep.
"Incredible," the old creature whispered. "She's reversing magic that took me decades to perfect."
But using that much power came with a cost.
Aria swayed on her feet, her vision blurred. "The effort is too much," she gasped. "I can't hold it."
"Then don't," Caden said, moving beside her. "Let us help."
"You can't. This is Moon Wolf magic."
"Maybe," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "But we're your friends. The bond connects us."
The moment he touched her, Aria felt his power flow into her body. The silver fire stabilized, getting stronger instead of weaker.
"That's not possible," the ancient creature growled. "Mate bonds don't work that way."
"Ours does," Caden said sadly.
Through the opening, Caleb appeared with his sword bloody from fighting rogues.
When he saw Aria blazing with power and Caden supporting her, something moved in his golden eyes.
"Brother," he said to Caden. "Move away from her."
"No."
"She's dangerous. Look at what she's doing to the house."
Silver cracks were spreading through the stone walls where Aria's power touched them. Not killing, but changing. Making them better.
"She's not dangerous," Caden answered. "She's magnificent."
Caleb's face twisted with pain and confusion. His wolf was yelling at him to join them, to help protect their mate. But his human mind fought against it.
"This is exactly what I was afraid of," he said. "She's too strong. She'll destroy everything."
"The only thing she's destroying is our enemies," Caden shot back.
Through her improved sight, Aria saw Cyrus fighting his way toward them. He'd heard her voice somehow and was coming to help.
But she also saw something else. Something that made her heart stop.
"Dorian," she whispered.
Her old friend stood in the courtyard, surrounded by rogues. But he wasn't their prisoner. He was giving them orders.
"What?" Caden followed her eyes, but he couldn't see through walls like she could.
"Dorian's working with them," Aria said, her voice breaking. "He's really betraying us."
The old creature laughed. "Did you think we could join the great Draven Pack without inside help? Your little omega friend was so easy to convince."
"Why?" Tears mixed with the silver light pouring from Aria's eyes.
"Because he loves you," the creature revealed. "And love makes people do terrible things."
Through the castle walls, Aria watched Dorian point toward the great hall. Watched him tell the rogues exactly how to find her.
"He thinks he's saving you," the thing continued. "Rescuing you from the big bad Alphas who want to chain you down. He has no idea what I really plan to do with you."
"Which is?"
The creature's smile widened, showing those needle-sharp teeth. "Take every drop of Moon Wolf power from your body. Leave you as empty and broken as he feels."
Rage burst through Aria like a volcano. Her power flared so bright that everyone in the room had to protect their eyes.
"You used him," she snarled.
"I used his pain. His jealousy. His desperate need to matter." The thing stepped closer, unafraid of her blazing aura. "All the ugly emotions your precious mate bond created."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? If you'd never linked with these Alpha boys, would your friend have felt abandoned? Would he have been so easy to manipulate?"
Aria's power weakened as doubt crept into her heart. Had her new life really hurt Dorian that badly?
"Don't listen to him," Caden said quickly. "He's trying to break your concentration."
"Smart boy," the thing purred. "But not smart enough."
He raised his hand, and dark magic shot toward Caden like a spear.
Aria moved without thought. She threw herself between them, taking the full force of the attack. Dark magic crashed into her silver fire, causing an explosion that shook the entire castle.
When the light faded, Aria lay slumped on the floor. Her eyes still glowed, but weakly now.
"Aria!" Caden dropped to his knees beside her.
Through her failing vision, she saw Caleb take a step toward them. His golden eyes blazed with rage at seeing her hurt.
"You want her?" the old creature called to him. "Come and take her. If you're strong enough."
Caleb's control finally snapped. His wolf burst to the surface, transforming him in seconds. But this wasn't a normal shift. Power poured off him in waves, almost as strong as Aria's.
"Impossible," the thing breathed. "Alpha magic doesn't work that way."
"It does when bonded to a Moon Wolf," Aria whispered from the floor.
She'd changed them. All three boys. The mate bond hadn't just connected them to her power—it had awakened something ancient in their DNA.
Caleb's wolf was huge, with golden fur that seemed to glow from within. When he howled, the sound broke windows throughout the castle.
But before he could attack, new voices echoed through the great hall.
"Enough," Alpha Magnus roared, striding through the main doors with Luna Seraphina and a dozen pack fighters.
Except the Alpha looked different too. Older. More tired. Like something important had been drained from him.
"Father?" Caleb's wolf form turned toward the Alpha, confusion in its golden eyes.
"Not your father," the ancient creature said with pleasure. "Not anymore."
Magnus fell to his knees, gasping for breath. "He stole part of my life force," the Alpha managed to say. "Used it to create that duplicate you saw earlier."
"Where is it now?" Caden demanded.
"Hunting the children," Luna Seraphina said, her face pale with fear. "It's not just a copy. It has all of Magnus's memories, all his power. And it thinks the children are threats to its power."
Aria fought to sit up, her silver eyes blazing brighter despite her injuries.
"I can track it," she said. "My power can find anything with Alpha magic."
"The effort will kill you," Caden argued.
"If I don't try, it will kill them." She closed her eyes and reached out with her remaining power.
Through her enhanced sight, she found the Magnus-duplicate stalking through the children's area. It had already reached the nursery.
"It's there," she gasped. "Right now. Going after the babies."
Caleb's huge wolf form howled again, this time with pure parental rage.
"Go," Aria told him. "Caden and I will handle things here."
"I'm not leaving you with that thing," Caleb's wolf somehow managed to speak.
"You have to. The children need you more than I do."
For a moment, Caleb paused. His golden wolf eyes met her silver ones. Then he nodded and raced from the great hall, moving faster than any wolf should be able to.
"How touching," the old creature sneered. "Such great sacrifices. Such beautiful doom."
"What do you mean?" Caden raised his sword.
"I mean this was all part of the plan." The creature's smile widened. "Separate the brothers. Weaken the Moon Wolf. Create chaos and confusion."
"Plan for what?"
"For this." The thing raised both hands, and every rogue in the castle began howling at once. Not attack screams. Summoning howls.
"What are they calling?" Aria whispered.
But she already knew. Her improved sight showed her something moving in the deep forest. Something ancient and hungry, reacting to the rogues' call. Something that made the creature's earlier copies look like puppies.
"The real Alpha," the thing purred. "The one who's been sleeping in the woods for a thousand years. The one who made the first Moon Wolves."
"That's impossible," Luna Seraphina breathed. "The Primal Alpha is just a legend."
"Legends have a way of coming true," the creature responded. "Especially when you feed them enough power."
Through the broken walls, a roar echoed across the mountains. So deep and strong that it made the earlier sounds seem like whispers.
"It's awake," the creature said with pleasure. "And it's coming here."
"Why?" Aria struggled to her feet, her strength flickering like a dying flame.
"Because it can sense you, little Moon Wolf. Its own creation, finally strong enough to be worth eating."
The roar came again, closer now. Trees began falling in the distance as something huge moved through the forest.
"How long do we have?" Caden asked coldly.
The thing tilted his head, listening to sounds only he could hear.
"Minutes," he said happily. "Maybe less."
"Then we need to evacuate—"
"No," Aria interrupted, her silver eyes blazing with sudden resolve. "We need to fight."
"Against a Primal Alpha? That's death."
"Maybe," she said, power starting to build around her again. "But it's the only way to save everyone."
Through her improved sight, she saw Caleb fighting the Magnus-duplicate near the nursery. Saw Cyrus finally breaking free from the armory and running to help. Saw pack members throughout the castle waking up and preparing to protect their home.
And in the courtyard, she saw Dorian watching the castle with tears running down his face.
"He's starting to understand," she whispered.
"What?" Caden moved beside her.
"Dorian. He's realizing what he's done. What's really going to happen."
"Too late for regrets," the old creature said. "The Primal Alpha doesn't distinguish between friend and enemy. It devours everything."
Another roar shook the mountains. This time, Aria felt something respond deep in her chest. Power she'd never accessed before. Power that recognized the coming threat.
"It made us," she said softly. "The first Moon Wolves. We're its children."
"Which is why it can unmake you just as easily," the creature responded.
"Or," Aria said, her eyes burning brighter than ever before, "why we're the only ones who can stop it."
The castle walls began to glow with silver light as her power reached levels she'd never dreamed possible.
Outside, something returned her call with a roar that shattered every remaining window in Moonhold. The final fight was about to begin.