The ruins lay silent in the early dawn, heavy with smoke and the scent of old blood. Ariana sat perched on a broken column at the edge of the collapsed vault, her hair a wild halo in the pale sunrise. The air around her still pulsed with raw magic — hers now, not Kael's.
She watched Lucian pace the ruined courtyard like a restless black panther, the tips of his claws glinting every time he flexed his hands. The shredded sleeve of his shirt revealed a trail of fresh cuts, dark against his skin.
He caught her staring. "You're supposed to be resting."
"I'll rest when I'm dead."
"That's the plan for Kael, not you, Thorn."
She tried to suppress her grin but failed. It felt good to grin again, after everything. "Why are you stalking the stones? You look like a caged animal."
He flashed her a sharp smirk. "Maybe I am."
She hopped down, boots crunching through shards of old runes. Her wolf bristled inside her chest, as if it could still taste the echo of the crown's power. She reached Lucian and poked a finger into his chest, ignoring how solid he felt.
"You can stop glaring holes into the dirt. The crown's gone, the wraith's buried, the mark's broken. We're free."
Lucian's eyes flicked to hers, golden and serious. "Free is never free, Thorn. Kael will know. He'll come."
A chill crept up her spine — but it didn't feel like fear. It felt like hunger.
"Good," she said softly. "Let him."
---
The wind carried a new scent then — wolves. Familiar, but wrong. A ripple of tension ran through Lucian as he grabbed Ariana's wrist, pulling her behind the crumbled wall of an old pillar. She didn't resist, even as his claws brushed her pulse point.
"Pack," he murmured, eyes narrowed toward the dark tree line. "Kael's hounds weren't enough. Now he sends his pet enforcers."
They emerged from the mist like ghosts: half a dozen wolves, big, sleek, cold eyes reflecting the dawn. At their center, a man stepped forward — tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair tied at the nape and Kael's cruel beauty carved into his face like a mirror.
"Thorn," Lucian growled, "stay behind me."
She shoved at his arm, rolling her eyes. "Your protective thing is cute but useless."
The lead wolf-man's lips curled. "Lucian Blackthorn. And the rejected mutt herself. How generous of you to crawl out of hiding."
Ariana bared her teeth. "Funny. We were just talking about how to kill you."
The pack enforcer ignored her. His cold gaze stayed locked on Lucian. "Alpha Kael demands her return. She belongs to him."
Something dark coiled inside Ariana's chest at the word — belong. She stepped forward, ignoring Lucian's low warning growl.
"Did your Alpha tell you what he did?" Her voice carried in the clearing, sharp and clear. "He spat out his bond like it was nothing. He threw me to the dirt and told me I'd never be anything without him."
A laugh bubbled up, bright and wild. "Guess he was wrong."
The enforcer's eyes flicked to her, pupils narrowing. "You are marked by the crown's blood. You will submit."
Lucian's voice dropped to a savage whisper in her ear, his breath warm on her neck. "Ready to prove you're more than his castoff?"
She didn't answer with words. She shifted. It wasn't graceful, not yet — her bones cracked, her skin split, fur rippled down her arms. Silver threads of power shimmered in her claws as her wolf burst out like moonlight cracking the dark.
The enforcers hesitated. One took a step back. The lead wolf snarled. "Kill the rogue. Bring her back alive."
They lunged as one.
---
The first wolf slammed into Lucian — claws on claws, teeth snapping inches from his throat. Lucian twisted, slammed an elbow into the enforcer's ribs, and ripped a chunk of fur and flesh free with his teeth. He spat the blood to the ground, eyes gleaming.
Ariana's vision tunneled as her wolf took over — Lyra's voice in her head a soft, vicious purr. Hunt them. Break them. We're nobody's prey.
She ducked under a lunging wolf, claws slicing through its hamstring. Another enforcer caught her shoulder, teeth sinking in. Pain flared red — Ariana roared, twisted, and tore out his throat with her fangs. Blood sprayed across the cracked stones.
Behind her, Lucian was a black hurricane, his claws and fangs a blur. Two enforcers piled on him — he slammed one into the broken wall, snapping its spine, then caught the other by the muzzle and wrenched its jaw until it hung limp.
A wolf tackled Ariana from the side. They rolled across the dirt, teeth snapping. She caught its muzzle in both hands, her claws glowing faintly with that silver power still inside her. She forced its jaws shut, staring into its frightened eyes.
"Tell Kael," she snarled, voice half-human, half-wolf, "his little mutt doesn't crawl anymore."
She crushed its throat and let the corpse fall.
---
They stood in the aftermath, breathing hard. Four bodies lay crumpled. Two of the surviving wolves limped away, whimpering, tails tucked. The leader was down, pinned under Lucian's claws.
Lucian's lip curled back from his fangs. "Run home. Tell him the Thorn bites back."
The enforcer spat blood. "This is not over."
Ariana leaned down, her claws brushing his cheek. "No. It's just beginning."
Lucian let him go. The battered wolf stumbled off, dragging himself into the mist. Ariana wiped the blood from her jaw, her chest heaving.
Lucian stared at her, his eyes dark and wild. "You felt that, didn't you? What's inside you now."
She flexed her claws, watching the faint silver glow fade. "The mark's gone but the power stayed. It's mine now. Ours."
He stepped closer — too close. His hand rose, brushing a smear of blood from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"You're dangerous, Thorn."
A slow grin tugged at her lips. "So are you."
His breath ghosted her lips. For a heartbeat she thought he'd close that final inch — his eyes flicked from her eyes to her mouth and back. But then a rustle in the trees broke the moment. Lucian cursed, his claws flexing.
"They'll keep coming."
Ariana stepped into his space, tilting her chin up. "Then we keep fighting."
Lucian's mouth curved into a wolf's grin — all teeth and promise. "And when you're ready to take your throne—?"
She looped her claws into the collar of his ruined shirt, pulling him down until his forehead bumped hers.
"I won't take a throne," she whispered. "I'll build a new one."
He huffed a laugh — a warm, raw sound. "Good girl."
Ariana rolled her eyes. "Don't push it."
---
They stood together in the clearing as the dawn bled gold through the trees — two wolves, battered but unbowed. Somewhere deep in the ruins behind them, the heartbeat of the old crown was gone — but something older had awakened instead.
And for the first time in her life, Ariana felt it: not Kael's claim, not a crown's chain — but her own power, coiled tight and ready to strike.
She looked at Lucian, her rogue prince, her chaos and her shield. He caught her grin and returned it, fangs glinting.
"Ready for lesson eight, Thorn?" he asked.
She bared her teeth, her wolf prowling just under her skin.
"Bring it."