The night pressed heavy over Ravencrest, as if the very stars were holding their breath. The echoes of distant howls rolled across the forest, layered with tones Aria had come to recognize wolves loyal to Damien, and others whose allegiance lay elsewhere. Somewhere beyond those trees, Viktor prowled with his wolves and human allies, plotting, waiting. And here, within the heart of Ravencrest, doubt spread like rot.
Aria sat on the stone steps outside the infirmary, her arms wrapped around herself. Her body still carried the ache of her near-execution, her lungs remembering the sting of smoke from the Trial by Fire. But it wasn't the pain that unsettled her it was the silence of the pack. Wolves who once greeted her with wary curiosity now passed her without a glance, or worse, with narrowed eyes and curled lips. She had gone from an outsider to a curse, the spark that ignited war.
The infirmary door creaked open. Damien stepped out, leaning heavily against the frame. His golden eyes were dimmed by exhaustion, but his presence still carried the weight of an Alpha. When his gaze fell on her, something softened.
"You shouldn't be out here," he murmured, his voice low. "The Council isn't blind. They'll use even your silence as proof you don't belong."
Aria looked up at him, heart clenching. "Then let them. I'm tired of being judged for breathing."
Damien descended the steps, each movement strained, but deliberate. When he reached her, he sat beside her, the warmth of his body radiating against the night chill. For a moment, they said nothing, only listening to the restless hum of the forest.
Finally, Damien spoke. "The Council doesn't trust me anymore. Some believe I've lost sight of the pack's survival because of you."
Her breath caught. "And… do you believe that too?"
He turned to her sharply, eyes blazing. "Never. You are not my weakness, Aria. You are the reason I still have the strength to stand."
The words struck deep, unraveling the fear she had tried so hard to bury. Yet behind them lingered a shadow because strength wasn't enough to win loyalty, not when wolves whispered of betrayal in dark corners.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Lydia approached from the edge of the clearing. Her steps were brisk, her expression tense. She bowed her head briefly to Damien before speaking.
"They're restless," she reported. "Half the patrol won't take orders without questioning them. I overheard Kaelen speaking with three betas they're considering breaking away, forming their own circle."
Damien's jaw clenched. "Shattered loyalties," he muttered. "Exactly what Viktor wants. He doesn't need to kill us all if he can divide us first."
Aria's pulse quickened. "Can't you remind them what's at stake? Show them they still need you?"
Damien's lips curved in a bitter smile. "An Alpha's power isn't only in strength. It's in trust. And trust is harder to win back than a war."
The silence that followed was heavy. Wolves were creatures of bond, of instinctive loyalty but once that loyalty cracked, it spread like broken glass, cutting everything it touched.
Aria stood, unable to bear the weight of inaction. "Then I'll do it," she said firmly. "I'll prove to them I belong. I'll prove that this pack isn't broken because of me."
Damien's head snapped toward her. "Aria no. They don't want proof, they want a scapegoat. If you stand before them, they'll tear you down to feel united against something."
Her hands trembled, but she lifted her chin. "Maybe. But if I run, if I hide, then Kaelen and the rest are right I don't belong here. I won't live as their ghost of blame."
For a long moment, Damien only stared at her, golden eyes unreadable. Then, slowly, his expression softened, pride mingling with fear. "You're braver than most wolves I've known."
The tension broke only when a howl split the night. Not Viktor's, not Damien's but one of their own, close to the heart of Ravencrest. Lydia's head whipped toward the sound, her eyes narrowing. "That came from the assembly grounds."
Aria's breath hitched. "The Council?"
Damien rose to his feet, his body taut with urgency despite the pain still etched into his movements. "They're calling the pack together."
---
The assembly grounds burned with firelight, wolves gathering in thick, tense clusters. Murmurs rippled like currents through the crowd, sharp and accusing. Kaelen stood at the center, flanked by other elders, his silver hair glinting in the flames. His voice rang out, commanding silence.
"Our Alpha falters," he declared. "Our borders weaken, our enemies strengthen, and still Damien shields the human girl who brought this curse upon us."
A growl surged from the crowd, low and simmering. Aria felt every eye cut toward her as she and Damien stepped into the circle. Her heart hammered, but she forced her steps to remain steady.
"She is no curse," Damien growled, his voice carrying the weight of his lineage. "She is my mate."
The word struck the crowd like lightning. Gasps echoed, wolves stiffening, others baring teeth in disbelief. To claim a mate outside the bloodline was more than rebellion it was a rewriting of tradition.
Kaelen's smile was sharp, cruel. "Then you admit it. You admit your bond to her has blinded you. You would risk all of Ravencrest for a girl who does not share our blood, our history, our fate."
Aria's chest tightened, but before Damien could speak, she stepped forward. Her voice shook at first, but steadied as she forced the words out.
"You're right I'm not one of you. I wasn't born into your blood, your rituals, or your war. But I didn't choose this bond. It chose me. The moon chose me. And if I have to bleed for this pack to prove I belong, then I will."
The murmurs swelled, shock mixing with uncertainty. Wolves glanced at one another, some with suspicion, others with reluctant respect.
Kaelen sneered. "And what can you bleed, girl? What strength do you have that will keep the hunters from our throats? That will keep Viktor from tearing us apart?"
Aria's fists clenched. Fear clawed at her throat, but she remembered Damien's words, remembered the way the fire had not consumed her during the trial. She lifted her voice, clear and defiant.
"I survived the Trial by Fire when you wanted me ash. I faced hunters when you hid in shadows. And I will stand at Damien's side when Viktor comes. If that is weakness, then maybe strength isn't what this pack needs anymore."
A hush fell. Even Kaelen's expression faltered for a moment, the certainty in his silver eyes flickering.
Damien stepped forward, placing himself at her side. His voice rumbled with Alpha authority, cutting through the silence.
"You ask what kind of Alpha I am? I am the Alpha who will fight with her. Who will fight because of her. And if any wolf here doubts me, then step forward and challenge me now."
The challenge hung in the air like a blade. The crowd shifted, restless. Some lowered their heads, unwilling to meet Damien's gaze. Others exchanged furtive glances, hesitation gnawing at them.
But no one stepped forward.
Not yet.
---
Later, as the crowd dispersed in uneasy silence, Aria and Damien remained at the fire's edge. She trembled as the adrenaline faded, but when Damien caught her hand, she realized her choice had already been made.
"Whatever comes," she whispered, "I'm staying. I won't run from this. From you."
Damien's golden eyes glowed softly in the dying firelight. "And I won't let them break us. Not Kaelen. Not Viktor. Not even fate itself."
The bond pulsed between them, fierce and unshakable. For the first time, Aria wasn't simply swept into Damien's world she chose it, with all its shadows and all its fire.
But in the darkness beyond the flames, unseen eyes watched. And somewhere, Viktor smiled.