The scent of rain hovered in the air—sharp, electric.
Kael stood on the north tower, staring out over the forest, his arms crossed and jaw clenched tight. The sky was bruised with storm clouds. A storm was coming—and it wasn't just the weather.
His wolf was restless beneath his skin, pacing. Snarling. Not at the enemy outside their gates—but at the one hiding inside.
Riven's words echoed in his head.
"It matched her signature."
Kael didn't want to believe it. Couldn't. He knew Aria better than anyone now—every look, every breath, every heartbeat that echoed through their bond.
And yet…
That pendant she wore—the one the seer gave her—had cracked. Not shattered, not drained. Cracked.
Which meant the force she was meant to suppress was starting to leak through.
He'd seen her lose control once before. That night in the woods, when fire danced across her skin and the shadows fled from her fury. It had been breathtaking… and terrifying.
But it hadn't been evil.
Whatever power lived inside her wasn't born from darkness—it was old. Wild. Feral. Like them.
Still, someone was trying to twist it. To awaken it. That part haunted him.
The traitor wore the crest.
That narrowed it down to fewer than ten wolves.
His lieutenants. His council. His own blood.
Kael growled low in his throat and pushed off the railing.
He wasn't going to wait for another attack. This time, he'd find the rot and tear it out himself.
---
The War Room was lit with torchlight, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
Five wolves stood before him: Riven, Lyra, Tomas, Captain Jarek, and Helios—his cousin, and his second-in-command during the Border Wars.
Each one bore the Crimson Fang crest over their heart.
Each one had his trust.
Until now.
"You're probably wondering why I called this meeting," Kael began, voice low but sharp as a blade. "There's a traitor among us. One who accessed a blood-locked scroll. One who left my Beta for dead. One who's feeding our enemy from within."
Eyes narrowed. None of them moved.
"I want magical signatures pulled. Now. All of you." He looked to the mage scribes waiting at the side of the chamber. "Begin the scan."
Riven didn't flinch. Lyra rolled her shoulders. Helios raised a brow, but said nothing.
One by one, the scribes pulled threads of magic from each wolf, recording their energy signatures. The process took only minutes, but the silence stretched like wire between them.
Kael crossed his arms, staring each of them down.
Helios stepped forward once the scans were done. "You think we betrayed you?"
"I think someone's been in my sanctum," Kael growled. "That means either my blood—or someone clever enough to mimic it. Which points here."
Helios smirked. "Would I really be dumb enough to leave a trail?"
"Would a traitor attack Darion and not kill him?" Kael shot back. "They wanted him to suffer. Not die. That's personal."
Tension rippled through the room.
Then Riven spoke. "Helios and Darion hated each other. It's no secret."
Helios growled. "Because he wanted to be your Beta and I got the job."
"Enough," Kael snapped.
He turned to the scribes. "Compare the energy signatures. See if any match the one captured at the War Room."
The scribes bowed and moved toward the spell-crystals. Light pulsed as ancient runes shifted.
Kael watched the magic twist and form until—
A match blinked red.
"Signature match confirmed," the lead scribe said. "It belongs to…"
Everyone leaned forward.
"…Captain Jarek."
The room exploded in movement. Warriors leapt forward. Jarek reached for his dagger, but Riven was faster. He slammed Jarek into the wall, blade pressed to his throat.
"I didn't do it!" Jarek barked. "I swear on the goddess!"
"The spell doesn't lie," the scribe said coldly.
Kael stepped forward. "Talk. Now."
Jarek shook his head. "I wasn't there. Someone… someone used it. I gave blood for a healing ritual last week. It's stored in the sanctum. Anyone could've used it!"
"Who had access?" Riven demanded.
Jarek's eyes darted. "I—I don't know. Acolytes. Scribes. Maybe even—"
A blast shook the chamber.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Kael's head snapped toward the hall. Screams echoed.
The pendant. Aria.
His blood turned to ice.
"Riven, with me!" he roared. "Everyone else, secure the gates!"
He shifted mid-run, bones snapping and reforming as his wolf took shape—a towering beast of obsidian fur and molten gold eyes.
Faster than thought, he tore through the halls, his claws gouging stone. The scent of fire hit him before he saw it.
The door to his chamber was blown off its hinges. Smoke curled through the hallway.
He shifted back, bursting inside—just in time to see Aria floating in the center of the room, her eyes glowing white-gold, hair whipping in an unseen wind.
Magic crackled around her like a storm barely contained. Her hands were lifted. The cracked pendant lay shattered on the floor, twitching as if alive.
"Aria!" he shouted.
Her head turned toward him—slowly.
But the eyes staring back weren't fully hers.
"Alpha," she said, her voice doubled. "You shouldn't have come."
He stepped closer. "Fight it, Aria. Whatever it is—don't let it in."
"You don't understand," the voice said. "I am already here."
Then her body spasmed, and the glow faded. She collapsed.
Kael caught her just before she hit the ground.
"Aria," he whispered, brushing hair from her face. Her skin was hot—too hot. Her heartbeat thundered unnaturally. "Come back to me."
Her lips parted.
"Kael…" she rasped. "I saw it. The gate… It's opening."
Kael's eyes widened.
"Where?"
Aria shivered. "The eastern cliffs… There's blood there. And a mark."
Kael held her tighter, rage boiling in his chest.
Whoever had activated the ritual was calling the shadows.
Trying to open the veil.
Trying to unleash the thing inside her before she was ready.
But they'd made one mistake.
They thought Kael would let her break.
They had no idea.
He would burn the world before he let her be taken.