The world steadied as the shadows lifted, but the air felt heavier—thicker, like every breath carried weight.
We weren't in the forest anymore.
Stone walls loomed around us, lit by flickering torches that barely pushed back the darkness. The floor beneath me was cold and uneven, carved from black rock. The faint sound of running water echoed somewhere beyond, like a river flowing underground.
Chains clinked softly as Aria shifted beside me. They had bound her wrists, not with steel, but with strands of some black, rune-etched metal that pulsed faintly, matching her heartbeat. Whatever it was, it kept her glow dimmed, her power smothered.
I tried to shift, to break the ropes biting into my arms, but the same runes crawled along mine. My wolf growled weakly in my chest—suppressed.
The door creaked open.
Lyra stepped inside, her violet eyes reflecting the torchlight. No guards followed her. She didn't need them. Power rolled off her in steady waves, not wild like Aria's, but controlled, coiled like a predator waiting to strike.
She studied us for a long moment before speaking. "You're probably wondering why you're still breathing."
I didn't answer. My focus was on the runes, searching for a weakness. There wasn't one.
Aria, however, lifted her head, her voice sharper than I'd expected. "What do you want from me?"
Lyra's smile was faint, but it held no warmth. "Not want. Need. You're carrying something, girl. The Veilborn. An old force, older than any pack. It feeds on wolves, bends them, turns them into shadows of themselves… unless its host learns to tame it."
Aria's jaw tightened. "And if I don't?"
"Then it burns through you," Lyra said simply. "Consumes your soul, spreads to the next host. A curse that never dies."
I felt my teeth grit. "Why tell us this? Why not just kill her if she's so dangerous?"
Lyra's gaze flicked to me, sharp as a blade. "Because, Alpha, I don't waste potential. Most who carry the Veilborn die before they learn control. But those who master it? They're unstoppable."
She crouched in front of Aria, her expression softening just slightly. "I can help you, Aria. I can teach you to control it, to live with it… instead of dying by it."
Aria's fingers tightened around the rune-chains. "And what do you get out of it?"
Lyra's smile returned, sharper this time. "Loyalty. When the packs rise against me—and they will—I expect the Veilborn's host to fight for my side."
Aria let out a quiet laugh, bitter and cold. "So I get to live… as your weapon."
Lyra tilted her head. "Or you can refuse and burn from the inside out. Your choice."
The room fell silent. The only sound was the faint hum of the runes, pulsing against our skin.
Finally, Aria's voice broke through the stillness, steady but low. "Fine. I'll train. But when I can control it… I walk out of here."
Lyra's smile widened. "Deal."
She rose, turning toward the door. Just before stepping through, she looked over her shoulder at me.
"As for you, Alpha… you'll stay close. She trusts you more than anyone. And if she loses control, you'll be the first thing she destroys."
The door slammed shut, plunging us into flickering shadows once more.
Aria didn't speak at first. Her silver-flecked eyes stared at the ground, distant. Finally, her voice broke the silence, soft and tired.
"Kael… what if I can't control it?"
I turned my head toward her, the rune-chains biting deeper into my skin. "Then we find a way anyway. Or we burn together trying."
For the first time since I'd met her, her expression cracked. Not fear. Not anger. Just a flicker of something that almost looked like hope.