The beast moved first.
Its roar split the forest, low and guttural, shaking the mist into restless swirls. Aria braced the jagged branch against her shoulder like a spear, her breath coming fast and uneven. Every instinct screamed to run, but her legs locked in place.
The creature lunged.
Time fractured into heartbeats. She threw herself sideways, rolling across wet leaves as the monster's claws carved deep furrows where she had stood. The ground shuddered beneath its weight. Aria scrambled up, clutching the branch with white-knuckled desperation.
It turned, eyes burning like twin coals. Saliva dripped from its jaws, sizzling as it struck the forest floor. The smell of rot and sulfur filled her nose.
This isn't just an animal, she realized. It's something wrong. Something cursed.
The beast charged again. Aria raised the branch and thrust with all her strength. Wood splintered against hide like stone, tearing shallowly into its shoulder. The monster howled, enraged more than wounded, and backhanded her with a swipe of claws.
She flew, crashing against a tree trunk. Pain exploded through her ribs. Her vision blurred with stars.
"Get up," she gasped, choking on her own breath. "Get up, Aria."
Somewhere, deep in her chest, the bond throbbed. Damian. His pulse slammed against hers, wild, furious. She could almost hear his voice, though she knew he wasn't there: Fight. Don't you dare give up.
The beast stalked closer, its massive paws silent despite its size. Each step crushed fallen branches into dust. Its breath steamed in the cold night air.
Aria's hand closed around a sharp stone near her knee. Blood trickled down her temple, but she forced herself upright. She had no claws. No fangs. No wolf inside to save her. Only her will.
When the beast lunged again, she twisted aside, slamming the rock into its snout. Bone cracked. The creature reeled back with a furious screech.
Aria staggered to her feet, heart hammering so violently she thought it might burst. "I'm not dying here," she hissed. "Not tonight."
---
Outside the gates, Damian felt it.
Her pain slammed through him like a blade to the gut. His knees nearly buckled. For one terrifying heartbeat, he thought the bond had snapped—that she had fallen.
But no. She lived. Hurt. Bleeding. But alive.
He pressed his fists into the stone wall of the gates until his knuckles split, the copper tang of his blood sharp in the night air. Rowan stood behind him, silent, though his face was tight with worry.
"Alpha—"
"She's fighting," Damian growled. His voice was thick, raw. "I can feel her."
"Then trust her," Rowan said softly. "If you go in, the pack will turn. You'll lose everything. Let her prove them wrong."
Damian's golden eyes burned, fixed on the forest's black silhouette. Trust her. The words were easy to speak but tore him apart. Because every instinct in him—the Alpha, the wolf, the man—was screaming the same command.
Protect her.
---
The fight dragged into chaos.
Aria's arms ached, every breath stabbed her ribs, but she refused to fall. Again and again, the beast lunged, and again and again she barely dodged, her makeshift weapons snapping, splintering, shattering.
She was slower now. Her legs felt like lead. When the beast clipped her shoulder, hot pain seared down her arm. Blood slicked her fingers.
She stumbled backward into a clearing. The mist parted just enough for moonlight to fall across the ground. Her eyes widened.
A ring of old stones jutted from the earth, carved with runes she didn't understand. In their center, the ground dipped into a shallow hollow—almost like an altar. The air shimmered faintly above it, thick with power.
The beast hesitated at the circle's edge, snarling but not entering. Its eyes glowed brighter, furious, but its body stayed just outside.
Aria staggered into the ring, gasping for air. Whatever this place was, the monster feared it. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her bleeding arm.
For the first time since entering the woods, silence fell.
Her chest rose and fell, ragged. Her entire body trembled. Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't let them fall. Not yet.
"Damian…" she whispered, barely a sound. The bond pulsed in response, warm against her agony. A thread of strength when she had none left.
The beast circled, growling, testing the invisible barrier. But it didn't cross. Not yet.
Aria's eyes drifted to the runes. They seemed to shimmer, alive under the moonlight. Her fingertips brushed one, and a shock of energy jolted through her. The mark pulsed like a heartbeat.
The forest whispered again, but different this time. Not mocking, not luring. Guiding.
She pressed her palm flat to the stone. Power thrummed up her arm, into her chest, sinking deep into her bones. Her breath caught. The mist itself seemed to shift, curling toward her, listening.
The beast roared, enraged by whatever force had stirred. It clawed at the circle's edge, desperate to break through.
Aria rose, swaying but unbroken. For the first time, she didn't feel entirely powerless. Something had awakened. Something older than the pack, older than the Trial.
She lifted her chin, blood streaking her face. "You don't scare me anymore."
The runes glowed faintly. The beast recoiled, snarling.
And Aria knew—this was only the beginning.
---
The second night bled toward dawn.
Exhaustion tugged at her limbs, but she refused to collapse. She stayed within the circle, watching as the beast prowled just beyond, its red eyes unblinking. It was waiting, patient and cruel.
She didn't know if the runes would hold forever. But she knew one thing: she had survived.
One night down. Two to go.
And somewhere beyond the trees, Damian's heart beat with hers, wild and unyielding.
---