The land screamed before the sky did.
It was not a sound Aria heard with her ears, but one that clawed its way through her bones, through the marrow of her wolf, through the ancient magic braided into her blood. The Citadel's wards flared without command, silver light rippling across stone and sky, reacting to a presence that did not belong to this era.
Aria woke with a sharp breath.
Her eyes snapped open.
For a moment, darkness surrounded her. Then the chamber walls lit with flickering silver as the protective wards surged like frightened living things.
Her wolf slammed against her consciousness.
Awake.
Alert.
Terrified.
Damien was awake instantly.
Years of war and responsibility had trained him to wake at the slightest disturbance. He was already sitting upright, his hand reaching for her before she fully realized she was shaking.
"What is it?" he demanded.
His voice was calm, but his aura had already begun to flare.
Aria swallowed hard.
