ARIA'S POV
The silver arrow vibrates in the tree where my heart should be.
Time stops. Everyone stares at the arrow, then at the forest where it came from.
"Who. Fired." Dante's voice is deadly quiet.
The Silvercrest warriors look at each other, confused. The Nightshade wolves tense, ready for another attack.
But I know. I saw the flash of blonde hair. Saw the familiar stance of someone who's been training with a bow since childhood.
Vivienne. My sister just tried to kill me.
"It came from your side," Kael snarls at Dante, moving in front of me again. His body shields mine completely. "Your wolves are trying to kill her."
"That's impossible," Dante snaps. "We're here to retrieve her, not—"
Another arrow flies.
This one aims straight for my head. Kael's hand shoots up, catching it inches from my face. The silver tip gleams—pure silver, designed to kill wolves instantly.
Designed to kill me.
"DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!" Kael roars.
Chaos erupts. Nightshade wolves form a protective wall around us. Silvercrest warriors scatter, trying to find the archer.
Dante shifts and runs toward the forest, howling orders. His warriors follow, searching the trees.
But I know they won't find her. Vivienne is too smart. She's already gone.
"Inside. Now." Kael grabs my hand, pulling me toward a massive structure I didn't notice before—a fortress carved into the mountain itself. "Move!"
We run. Nightshade wolves surround us, creating a living shield. More arrows rain down, but they're hitting Silvercrest wolves now too. Whoever's shooting doesn't care who dies.
They just want me dead.
We crash through massive wooden doors. Kael slams them shut, and suddenly we're in a huge stone hall filled with Nightshade pack members.
Everyone stares at me. Dozens of hostile eyes watching the Silvercrest wolf in their home.
"Theron!" Kael barks. "Lock down the fortress. No one in or out until we know what's happening."
"On it." Theron shifts and disappears down a corridor.
Kael finally releases my hand. The loss of contact makes the mate bond ache.
"Someone get her clothes," Kael orders. A young woman rushes off.
I'm still naked, covered in blood and dirt, shaking from adrenaline and shock. My sister tried to kill me. Twice. In front of witnesses.
"Why?" I whisper.
Kael looks at me. "Why what?"
"Why did you protect me?" My voice breaks. "You thought I was a spy. You were giving me back to them."
Something flickers in his eyes. Guilt? Regret?
"I was testing them," he says quietly. "Testing whether they really wanted you back or wanted you dead. When that arrow flew, I had my answer."
"You... tested them?" Anger flares. "You used me as bait?"
"I saved your life," Kael corrects. "If I'd kept you, we'd be at war right now. Dante would've attacked. If I gave you up, I could see their true intentions. And I was right—someone in Silvercrest wants you dead badly enough to risk killing you in front of both packs."
He's right. I hate that he's right.
The young woman returns with clothes—simple pants and a tunic. I dress quickly, grateful to not be naked anymore.
"Who was shooting?" Kael asks.
I close my eyes. Don't want to say it. Don't want to believe it.
"Aria." His hand touches my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Who?"
"Vivienne," I whisper. "My sister."
Shock crosses his face. "You're sure?"
"I saw her." Tears burn my eyes. "She hugged me this morning. Told me to be brave. And then she tried to kill me."
Kael's jaw clenches. "Why would your own sister—"
"I don't know!" The tears spill over. "I don't know why my father sent me to die, why my brother smiled about it, why my sister—" My voice breaks. "Why does my entire family want me dead?"
Kael pulls me against his chest. I should fight. Should push him away. He's the enemy. The monster who killed my packmates.
But his arms are warm and strong and right now he's the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
"There's something they're not telling you," Kael murmurs into my hair. "Something about you they're afraid of."
"I'm weak," I sob. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
"No." His hand tilts my face up. "Look at me, Aria."
I meet his ice-blue eyes.
"You're not weak," he says firmly. "Weak wolves don't survive what you survived. Weak wolves don't have violet eyes."
I freeze. "What?"
"Your eyes." Kael's thumb brushes my cheek. "They're violet. Do you know how rare that is?"
"It's just... a color."
"It's a mark," Kael says. "A bloodline marker. I need to speak with Elder Mira—she'll know what it means."
Before I can ask more, Theron bursts back in. "Silvercrest has retreated. Dante took his warriors back across the border."
"Did they take casualties from the arrows?"
"Three dead. Two wounded." Theron's eyes cut to me. "Someone on the Silvercrest side was shooting their own wolves to get to her."
The room goes silent.
"This wasn't a retrieval mission," Kael says slowly. "It was an assassination disguised as one."
"But why?" I ask desperately. "What did I do?"
"You were born," says a creaky old voice.
Everyone turns. An ancient woman hobbles into the hall, leaning on a gnarled walking stick. Her eyes are clouded with age, but they lock onto me with laser focus.
"Elder Mira," Kael says respectfully.
The old woman ignores him, moving closer to me. She reaches up and touches my face with trembling fingers.
"Violet eyes," she breathes. "I thought I'd never see them again."
"What do they mean?" I demand.
Mira's smile is sad. "They mean you're Moonborn, child. The last of an ancient bloodline everyone thought extinct. The most powerful Alphas to ever walk these lands."
I laugh. Can't help it. "That's impossible. I'm the weakest wolf in my pack."
"No." Mira's grip tightens on my face. "You're dormant. Suppressed. Someone bound your power before you could access it."
"Who would—" I stop. Remember my mother's face when I shifted late. The relief in her eyes. "My mother."
"To protect you," Mira says. "Because Moonborn wolves are hunted. Feared. Your family didn't send you to die because you're weak, child. They sent you to die because once your power awakens, you could destroy them all."
The world tilts.
"How do I wake it up?" Kael asks.
Mira looks at him, then at me. Her smile turns knowing.
"Through the mate bond," she says. "When she completes it with her true mate. When she accepts him fully—body, mind, and soul. Only then will her true power surface."
The mate bond pulses between us, hot and demanding.
"No," I whisper. "I can't—"
"Your family knows," Mira interrupts. "Why do you think they sent you here? Why do you think your sister tried to kill you today? They know you found your mate. They know what that means."
Kael's hand finds mine again, fingers lacing through my own.
"How long do we have?" he asks Mira.
"Before what?"
"Before they come back to finish the job."
Mira's expression goes grim. "Not long. They'll attack with everything they have. Because a Moonborn Alpha bonded to the Nightshade Alpha?" She looks between us. "That's not just power. That's the end of their reign."
Horns blast outside. Warning horns.
Theron runs to the window. "It's Silvercrest! They're attacking the southern border!"
"Already?" Kael snarls.
"Not just Silvercrest," Theron says, his face pale. "They've got rogues with them. Mercenaries. At least a hundred wolves."
Kael's hand tightens around mine. "They're not waiting. They're coming for her now."
"Let them come," I say, surprising myself. "I'm done running."
Kael looks at me, something like pride in his eyes.
"Then we fight," he says. "Together."
The horns blast again. Closer this time.
And through the window, I see them—a wave of wolves pouring toward the fortress. More than I've ever seen. An army.
My father isn't taking chances.
He's sent everyone to kill me.