The horn's echo rolled through the stone corridors of Frostfall like thunder.
Low.
Ominous.
Ancient.
Aria felt the sound vibrate through her chest, mingling with the faint pulse coming from her Moonborn mark. Her breath hitched.
Ronan's posture changed instantly — straightening, sharpening, shifting into something primal and commanding. He looked every bit the Alpha King in that moment, carved from power and winter.
"What does that horn mean?" Aria whispered.
Ronan didn't hesitate.
"An intruder has crossed the outer boundary."
Her stomach dropped. "A rogue?"
"No." His voice hardened. "Rogues don't trigger the horn. This is something intelligent… something powerful."
A chill ran down her spine. "Someone like me?"
Ronan didn't answer. His silence was an answer.
Without another word, he took her hand — not gently, but firmly, urgently — and pulled her into stride beside him.
"Stay with me," he ordered. "Do not fall behind."
Aria nodded quickly, trying to match his pace as they moved through a series of hallways that seemed to spiral upward through the mountain fortress.
Wolves rushed past them — both in human and wolf form — all heading toward the front gates. Their faces were tight with tension, eyes sharp.
Aria felt every whisper brush against her like cold wind:
"Moonborn…"
"…the Alpha brought her here…"
"…this can't be a coincidence…"
"…trouble follows her…"
She tried not to shrink into herself.
Ronan must have sensed it — she felt his hand tighten around hers briefly.
"You're not to blame," he murmured, low enough that only she could hear.
Aria swallowed, fighting a wave of guilt.
"Then why does it feel like I am?"
He didn't answer — but the look he gave her held something like concern. Maybe even something softer.
But the moment shattered when they reached the top of the fortress walls.
⸻
The Gates of Frostfall
The wind cut through Aria's cloak, icy and sharp. Snow swirled beyond the massive iron gates, which were reinforced with silver spikes and carved runes. Torches blazed along the wall, casting flickering light over dozens of armed wolves.
Ronan stepped forward, pulling Aria behind him protectively. A group of guards bowed their heads.
"Alpha," one said breathlessly. "He refuses to identify himself."
"He?" Ronan's voice deepened.
"A single male," the guard confirmed. "He walked through the blizzard as if it were nothing. We tracked him from the ridge."
Aria peered out between the iron bars.
A figure stood at the entrance.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dark hair plastered with snow.
Eyes glowing faintly gold.
Not a rogue.
Not human.
Something in Aria's chest tightened.
Her wrist pulsed faintly, reacting to his presence.
Ronan stiffened. "A wolf."
But the guards looked uneasy.
"Alpha…" one whispered, "he's not from any known pack."
Ronan's voice sharpened. "Open the gate — but slowly."
Aria grabbed his sleeve instinctively. "Wait — is that safe?"
He looked at her, and for a moment, the warrior in him softened.
"I won't let him near you."
The reassurance hit her deeper than it should have.
The heavy iron gates creaked open.
Wind rushed in. Snow swirled violently. The stranger stepped forward.
Even through the storm, he moved with eerie calm — footsteps silent, posture relaxed, as if he walked into someone's home rather than an armed fortress.
Ronan's wolves bristled.
"Stop there," Ronan commanded.
The stranger lifted his head.
Aria gasped softly.
He was… young. Maybe mid-twenties. His features were sharp and striking — not as cold or severe as Ronan's, but strange in a way she couldn't name.
His eyes — golden and haunting — locked onto hers instantly.
Aria froze.
Her wrist throbbed painfully.
The stranger's lips curled almost imperceptibly.
"Moonborn," he said quietly.
Every wolf behind Ronan reacted instantly — some snarling, some gasping, some stepping in front of their Alpha.
Ronan moved faster than all of them.
He stepped in front of Aria, blocking her entirely.
"You will not speak to her," he growled.
The stranger tilted his head. "Protective already? Interesting."
Aria peeked around Ronan's arm despite fear coiling in her stomach.
"Who are you?" Ronan demanded.
The stranger ignored the question. His gaze swept over the fortress walls, the warriors, the glowing torches — unimpressed.
"I came for the girl," he said simply.
Aria's blood turned to ice.
"No," Ronan snarled. "You came to die."
Several wolves stepped forward, ready to attack.
The stranger lifted one hand lazily.
Ronan barked, "Don't engage!"
But his warriors froze — not from Ronan's order, but because the air itself shimmered around the stranger's hand.
A soft white spark.
A ripple.
A glow that mirrored the faint light of Aria's own mark.
Aria staggered back.
Ronan grabbed her shoulders protectively. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, though her legs felt weak.
The stranger lowered his hand, watching her closely.
"You feel it, don't you?" he asked.
Aria shook her head. "Feel what?"
"That we are the same."
Ronan snapped. "She is NOT the same as you."
The stranger's golden eyes gleamed. "She has Moonborn blood. So do I."
Shock tore through the wolves. Even Ronan stilled.
Aria's heart raced.
Two Moonborn?
She wasn't the only one?
"That's impossible," one guard breathed. "They were wiped out."
The stranger smiled faintly. "Stories rarely tell the full truth."
Ronan stepped forward, fury cold in his voice.
"If you're Moonborn, why come here? Why reveal yourself?"
"I came," the stranger said, "because she awakened."
His eyes flicked to Aria again.
The throb in her wrist intensified, forcing a gasp from her lips.
Ronan turned sharply. "Aria — stay behind me."
She nodded, gripping his arm.
The stranger's expression softened slightly — curious, not malicious.
"Your awakening was loud," he said. "Even from miles away, I felt it. A Moonborn with that level of resonance… it's rare."
Ronan growled, "Stay where you are."
But the intruder stepped forward anyway — not threateningly, simply with certainty.
"I am not your enemy, Alpha King," he said. "I came to warn you."
Ronan's voice became deadly calm. "Warn me of what?"
The stranger's gaze darkened.
"The rogues that attacked you were just the beginning," he said. "More are coming. And not only rogues."
Aria's breath hitched. "What do you mean?"
This time, his eyes met hers fully — and she felt a strange tug beneath her ribs, not like the bond with Ronan, but something old, something familiar.
"There are forces moving against the Moonborn," he said softly. "Against you. They want your bloodline extinguished. Permanently."
Aria stepped back in fear.
Ronan's arm immediately came around her, steadying her, shielding her.
The stranger watched the gesture with a faint, unreadable expression.
"You protect her well," he said. "Good. She will need it."
Ronan glared. "Who sent you?"
"No one," the stranger replied. "But I am the only one left who knows the truth. The Moonborn were hunted for a reason — and now that she has awakened, the hunters will rise again."
Aria's voice trembled. "Why… why me?"
The stranger's golden eyes softened.
"Because your mark," he whispered, "is the first true Moonborn mark seen in a hundred years."
Silence fell across the fortress wall.
Even the wind seemed to still.
Aria's knees nearly buckled. Ronan held her upright instantly.
The stranger took a quiet breath. "I have more to tell you. But not here."
Ronan responded with icy finality. "You are not entering Frostfall."
The stranger met his glare without fear.
"Then bring her to me."
"NO," Ronan snapped, his wolf rising beneath his voice. "She stays with me."
Aria felt something in the air shift — tension tangling like storm clouds ready to collide.
Two powerful forces.
Two wolves with ancient bloodlines.
And she was the center of the storm.
Finally, the stranger sighed quietly.
"Very well," he murmured. "I will wait. But know this — time is shorter than you think."
He stepped back into the snow, his form blurring into the storm until he vanished completely.
The gate slammed shut.
Ronan exhaled shakily — the first sign he'd been holding back emotion.
Aria turned to him.
"Ronan," she whispered, "who is he?"
Ronan looked into her eyes, something dark and fearful flickering beneath his calm exterior.
"I don't know," he said quietly.
"But if he's telling the truth…"
He touched her glowing wrist gently.
"…you're in far more danger than I realized.