Kael had built a fire beneath the old watchtower ruins. It flickered low and blue, fed by stones that shimmered faintly with old magic. Aria sat across from him, wrapped in a blanket he'd pulled from his pack. Her mark still pulsed, but softer now—like it was healing.
She couldn't stop staring at him.
Not because he was beautiful—though he was, in a rough, wild way—but because he looked at her like she was more than a title.
More than a weapon.
More than the thing everyone else had started to see.
"Start talking," she said at last. "No riddles."
Kael nodded. "There's a prophecy in Selene's temple. A bloodline born once every few generations. Marked from birth. Blessed by Selene's own breath." He pointed to the crescent over her heart. "The Sacred Luna."
Aria looked down, rubbing it absently. "My parents thought it was just a birthmark."
"Most do," he said softly. "Until it wakes."
She looked up. "And Dorian? He knew?"
Kael's jaw flexed. "Yes. He went to a witch who dabbles in stolen prophecy. She told him how to find you—described your mark, your aura, your timeline. All of it."
Aria's heart twisted. "So none of it was fate."
Kael shook his head. "No. The mate bond between you two is real… but it was forced. Twisted into being with magic. He offered part of himself to tie it."
Aria felt sick. "Why?"
Kael's voice was tight. "Because his first mate died. And the witch promised him that with your power, he could bring her back."
Aria's breath caught. "He used me."
"Yes."
She stood, the blanket slipping from her shoulders. "So what now? If the bond's broken, I can leave?"
Kael hesitated. "It's cracked. But not gone. Blood-magic bonds don't just shatter. They have to be unmade."
"How?"
Kael looked up at her, something unreadable in his eyes. "You have to reject him. Fully. In body, soul… and magic. But once you do, it will tear. And it will hurt."
"I can handle pain."
He smiled faintly. "You'll be free. But he'll know the moment it breaks. He'll come for you."
She nodded. "Let him."
There was silence for a beat too long.
"You're not what I expected," Kael said, voice low.
"Good," Aria replied. "Because I'm done being what anyone expects."
Their eyes met.
No bond pulled them together.
But the fire between them didn't need magic.