ARIA'S POV
The howls are getting closer.
I force myself to stand, even though my legs shake and my body feels like it's been through a meat grinder. Expelling Celeste took everything I had. My wolf is exhausted, my power reserves nearly empty.
But empty doesn't mean broken.
I've been empty before. Every time Rowan looked through me like I wasn't there. Every time Finn called someone else Mommy. Every time I poured love into a void and got nothing back.
Empty just means there's room to fill yourself back up.
The first wolf breaks through the trees—one of Celeste's soldiers, eyes wild with confusion. Without their leader's presence controlling them, they're disorganized. Dangerous but directionless.
"Where is she?" the wolf snarls, shifting to human form. A young male, barely twenty. "Where's Luna Celeste?"
"Gone." I meet his eyes steadily, and he flinches at whatever he sees there. "I kicked her out of my head. Now it's just me."
"Then you'll die in her place." He lunges, but he's clumsy. Emotional.
I sidestep, and my body moves on instinct—Magda's ten-minute lesson somehow embedded in my muscles. My hand catches his throat mid-leap, and I slam him into the ground hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.
"I don't want to hurt you," I say quietly. "But I will if I have to. Go home. This fight is over."
"It's not over until you're dead!" He struggles, but my grip is iron. "Lady Celeste promised us power. Freedom from the pack hierarchy. You took that away!"
"Celeste promised you lies." I squeeze just enough to make my point. "She was using all of you. Just like she used me. Just like she used Rowan. Do you really want to die for someone who saw you as a tool?"
Doubt flickers in his eyes. But before he can answer, ten more wolves pour into the clearing.
I release the young male and face them. Ten against one. I'm exhausted. Barely standing. But I plant my feet and let my wolf rise to the surface.
Not fully. I don't have the strength for that. But enough that my eyes glow amber and power radiates from me in waves.
"Last chance," I say, and my voice carries Primordial authority that makes them all pause. "Walk away. Go back to your packs. Tell them Celeste is gone and this war dies with her."
"Or what?" An older female steps forward, scarred and battle-worn. "You'll kill us all? You can barely stand."
She's right. But she doesn't need to know that.
"I'm a Primordial wolf who just expelled a possession curse through sheer will." I bare my teeth in something that's not quite a smile. "Do you really want to test how much fight I have left?"
For a long moment, no one moves.
Then the young male I pinned speaks up: "She's right. Lady Celeste is gone. I can't feel her presence anymore. What are we even fighting for?"
"For revenge!" the scarred female snaps. "She killed our Luna—"
"Your Luna tried to possess me!" My roar echoes through the trees. "She murdered my parents when I was seven years old! She spent six years poisoning my mate bond and turning my son against me! She used all of you as pawns in her game! So don't you dare talk to me about revenge!"
The raw pain in my voice makes several wolves step back.
"I'm done being a victim," I continue, softer now. "Done letting people use me. Done apologizing for existing. And if you want to keep fighting, then come. But know that I'm fighting for my son now. And there is nothing—nothing—more dangerous than a mother protecting her child."
Silence falls over the clearing.
Then, one by one, the wolves turn and leave. Not all of them. But enough. The scarred female glares at me with pure hatred, but even she backs away when two of her packmates grab her arms and pull her into the trees.
Soon, I'm alone again.
My legs finally give out, and I collapse. Victory, but at what cost? Darius is gone, hunting for Finn. Magda might be dead. Rowan—I don't even know where Rowan is.
And Celeste's consciousness might be expelled from my body, but she's not dead. I felt her presence scatter into the forest. She'll regroup. Find another body. Come back stronger.
This isn't over.
I force myself to stand again. Every muscle screams in protest, but I ignore it. Finn needs me. Even if I have to crawl to the Ashford Pack house, I'm getting my son back.
I take one step. Then another. Each one is agony, but I keep moving.
Then I smell it.
Blood. Fresh and coppery. Coming from the direction Darius ran.
No. Please, no.
I run, fear lending me strength I didn't know I had left. I follow the scent of blood through the trees, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I find Darius in a ravine, human form, bleeding from a dozen wounds. But he's alive. Conscious. And clutched against his chest, terrified but unhurt, is Finn.
My son.
"Mama?" Finn's voice is small, confused. He's been crying—I can smell the salt of his tears. "Is it really you?"
"Yes, baby." I slide down the ravine, my body screaming in protest. "It's really me."
"The lady with the black eyes said you weren't my mama anymore. Said you were someone bad." Finn's lower lip trembles. "But Darius said she was lying. He said you were fighting to come back to me."
"I was." I reach them, and Finn throws himself into my arms. I hold him so tight, breathing in his scent—my son, my baby, finally back where he belongs. "I'm so sorry I left you."
"Are you staying now?" He pulls back to look at me with those gray eyes so much like Rowan's. "Or are you still temporary?"
The question breaks my heart and fills it at the same time.
"I'm not temporary," I promise. "I'm your mama. Forever. And no one—not Celeste, not your father, not anyone—is going to take me away from you again."
Finn's face crumples, and he starts sobbing. Not sad sobs. Relief. Like he's been holding his breath for years and can finally exhale.
I look at Darius over Finn's head. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." Darius grimaces, pressing a hand to his side. "I had to fight through five of Celeste's wolves to get him. The pack house is crawling with her supporters. And Rowan—"
He stops, his expression grim.
"What about Rowan?" Fear coils in my stomach.
"He went after Celeste." Darius meets my eyes. "After you expelled her, she fled to the old hunting cabin. Rowan followed her alone. That was twenty minutes ago. I haven't heard from him since."
"Then he's probably dead." The words should hurt more than they do. "Celeste wanted him dead anyway. He served his purpose."
"Aria." Darius struggles to sit up. "If Rowan dies, the Ashford Pack falls into chaos. Celeste's supporters will seize control. They'll come after you and Finn to eliminate all threats to their power."
He's right. I know he's right.
But I'm so tired of saving people who never saved me.
"Mama?" Finn's voice pulls my attention. "Is Daddy going to die?"
I look at my son—five years old, scared, confused, still hoping his father might actually care about him.
And I realize I don't have a choice.
Not because I love Rowan anymore. Not because I forgive him. But because Finn deserves a father, even if that father is an idiot.
"No," I say finally. "Your daddy's not going to die. Because I'm going to save him."
"You can barely walk," Darius protests.
"Then I'll crawl." I stand, settling Finn on my hip. "Stay here with Darius. I'll be back soon."
"Aria—"
But I'm already moving, heading toward the old hunting cabin. Toward the place where my heart shattered. Toward the mate who threw me away.
I'm not doing this for Rowan.
I'm doing it for the little boy who shouldn't have to lose both parents in one night.
The cabin comes into view, and I smell it immediately: blood, magic, and something burning.
The door hangs open, and smoke pours out.
I step inside and freeze.
Celeste stands in the center of the room, her body half-corporeal—a ghost wearing stolen flesh. She's possessing someone new. Someone male. Someone familiar.
Rowan.
And his claws are pressed against his own throat, ready to tear it out.
"Hello, Aria," Celeste purrs through Rowan's mouth, his eyes glowing black. "Ready for round two?"