The ruins loomed like broken teeth at the edge of the forest, jagged stone walls half-devoured by ivy and shadow. Long abandoned, the place reeked of death and iron.
Damien's wolf padded silently ahead, golden eyes burning like twin flames. Around him, the pack moved as one, their paws silent on the leaf-strewn ground. The air was thick with the acrid scent of gunpowder and the sharper tang of silver.
Aria trailed close, her human body trembling with a mix of adrenaline and fear. She knew Damien hadn't wanted her here his order through the bond had been absolute. But she couldn't stay behind. Not while a girl's life hung in the balance. Not while the hunters stalked so near.
"Stay behind me," Damien warned as they approached the shattered archway. His voice was low, gravelly with the strain of holding back the beast within.
Aria nodded, though inside her resolve was firm. She would not stand idle.
From inside the ruins came a muffled cry. Mira.
Every wolf stiffened. The sound of chains rattling followed, sharp against the stone.
Damien bared his teeth, a low growl building in his throat. She's alive.
But before they could rush forward, shadows moved. Hunters emerged from the ruins, a dozen men in black coats, armed with rifles tipped in silver.
The wolves snarled in unison.
A tall hunter with a scar across his cheek stepped forward, his smile twisted. "Well, well. The great Alpha comes running like a loyal dog." He raised his gun, the barrel glinting. "Pity you've walked right into the snare."
The standoff cracked like thunder.
A shot rang out.
The wolves leapt as one, fur and fangs colliding with steel and fire. The air filled with snarls, screams, and the metallic sting of silver. Damien lunged for the scarred man, their clash echoing through the ruins.
Aria ducked a strike, grabbing a fallen branch, using it to knock away a hunter's gun. Her heart pounded, instincts screaming louder than thought. She could feel something stirring inside her an ancient pulse, wild and electric.
Then she saw Mira.
The girl was chained to a crumbling pillar, her skin pale, a silver shackle burning into her wrist. Her eyes were wide with terror, but when they met Aria's, something passed between them plea, hope, desperation.
Aria sprinted toward her, weaving through the chaos.
A hunter blocked her path, raising a blade. She froze, certain death about to strike when a massive wolf slammed into the man, sending him sprawling. Lydia's silver-grey fur bristled as she snarled over the hunter's body.
"Go!" Lydia barked through the link, blood and fury in her eyes.
Aria nodded and dashed to Mira.
The girl whimpered as Aria knelt, tugging at the silver cuff. The metal seared her fingers, burning her skin. She cried out, but didn't let go. The pain only fueled the fire rising inside her.
Not enough. Not fast enough.
Her heart thundered. The bond to Damien pulsed, but something else surged through her veins wild, luminous, unstoppable. She pressed both hands to the cuff, closing her eyes.
And then, she felt it.
A heat, not of fire but of life itself, glowing from within. It poured out of her hands, a light that seeped into the silver, hissing as if the very metal recoiled. Mira gasped, the shackle loosening.
Aria's vision blurred, but she pushed harder, whispering through clenched teeth, "You're not theirs. You're ours."
The cuff cracked. With a sharp snap, it broke apart, clattering to the floor.
Mira collapsed into her arms, sobbing, trembling.
Aria cradled her close, the strange light fading from her palms. Her skin was raw and blistered, but Mira's wound where the silver had burned was already knitting closed.
She blinked, stunned. I… healed her?
Before she could process it, Damien's roar split the night. He stood above the scarred hunter, golden fangs bared, claws dripping with blood. Around them, the last of the hunters scattered, retreating into the shadows of the forest.
The battle was over.
But the pack's eyes weren't on Damien.
They were on Aria.
She still knelt with Mira clinging to her, the faint glow of healing fading from her hands. Wolves stared, jaws parted, their gazes heavy with awe and fear.
Lydia padded forward, shifting back into human form, her breath ragged. "What… what did you just do?"
Aria swallowed hard, her hands trembling. "I....I don't know."
Damien shifted, his chest heaving, his body smeared with blood and sweat. His golden eyes locked on hers, filled with something deeper than shock.
Recognition.
And terror.
"Aria," he whispered, voice shaking. "That power… it's not human."
The words echoed through the ruins, and for the first time, Aria wasn't sure if her gift was a blessing or a curse that could tear them all apart.