Kael's POV
The ground didn't just crack—it shattered.
Massive stone slabs erupted upward like teeth, throwing wolves and dirt into the air. I shifted mid-leap, grabbing Finn before he fell into the widening chasm that split the clearing in half.
"What the hell is that?" Thorne shouted from above, his wings beating frantically.
I had no answer. Because what rose from the hole shouldn't exist.
A temple.
An entire stone temple was rising from beneath the forest floor, ancient and covered in vines and moss. Carved columns pushed through the earth. Massive stone doors—sealed for who knew how long—groaned as they tilted upward.
And covering every surface were golden markings identical to the ones on Mira's arm.
"The Lost Temple," Raith breathed, still clutching Mira in the tree. His face had gone pale. "The legends were true."
Elder Soren recovered first, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Seize her! She's activated the temple! The prophecy—"
"NOBODY MOVE!"
The command didn't come from any of us.
It came from the temple.
The massive stone doors burst open with a sound like thunder. Golden light poured out—so bright I had to shield my eyes.
A figure stepped through.
No—not a figure. A woman.
She looked ancient and young at the same time, with hair that couldn't decide if it was white or gold, and eyes that swirled with colors I didn't have names for. Her skin was marked with the same glowing vines as Mira's, but hers covered her entire body like a living tattoo.
"The Marked One has returned," the woman said, her voice echoing with power that made my wolf whimper and flatten his ears. "And you filthy beasts dare to fight over her like scraps of meat?"
Everyone froze. Even Soren looked terrified.
"Who are you?" Draven demanded, the only one brave or stupid enough to speak.
The woman's multi-colored eyes fixed on him. "I am Zara. The last Guardian of the Lost Temple. And I have been waiting two hundred years for her." She pointed at Mira. "For the Healer who would wake me from my eternal sleep."
Mira made a squeaking sound. "I didn't mean to wake anybody! I don't even know how I did that!"
Zara's stern expression softened slightly. "Your Sigil awakened when you entered this world, child. The temple felt your power and called me back from the spirit realm to guide you." She looked at the rest of us with obvious disgust. "Though I see you've attracted every testosterone-poisoned male within a hundred miles."
"They tried to claim her," I said, before I could stop myself. "I was trying to protect her."
"You were trying to keep her for yourself, wolf." Zara's eyes bore into mine. "Don't pretend your motives are pure. I can smell your mate-bond from here. It reeks of desperation."
Heat flooded my face. She was right. The second Mira had touched me in the forest hours ago, my wolf had screamed MINE with such intensity I'd nearly lost control.
The pack-bond I thought had died with my family—mother, sisters, infant nephew—had roared back to life the moment her small hands pressed against my fur.
I'd felt her life force flow into me, warm and bright and right. Felt the empty, screaming void inside my chest fill with her presence.
She was my mate. My Luna. The other half of my soul.
And I'd known her for less than a day.
"The bond is real," I said quietly, meeting Zara's knowing gaze. "Whether I wanted it or not."
"And what does SHE want?" Zara gestured to Mira. "Have any of you bothered to ask?"
Silence.
Raith carefully lowered Mira to the ground. She stumbled slightly, then straightened, lifting her chin in that stubborn way that made my heart ache.
"What I want," Mira said slowly, "is to understand what's happening to me. This morning—or whenever it was—I died in a hospital fire. Now I'm in a world where animals turn into people, everyone wants to own me, and apparently I woke up an ancient temple by accident." She looked at Zara. "Can you explain ANY of this?"
Zara smiled, genuine warmth crossing her ageless face. "Smart girl. Finally, someone asks the right question." She beckoned. "Come, child. Enter the temple. I will show you the truth of what you are."
Mira took a step forward.
Every male in the clearing tensed.
"Wait," I said, unable to stop myself. "How do we know you won't trap her in there?"
Zara's eyes flashed dangerously. "Because unlike you beasts, I actually care about her wellbeing. The Healer's Sigil comes with great power and greater danger. If she doesn't learn to control it, it will consume her from the inside out within a month."
My blood went cold. "Consume her?"
"The Sigil feeds on life force," Raith said quietly, his face grim. "It's why Healers are so rare. Most who receive it die within weeks, burned up by their own power."
"And you didn't think to MENTION that?" I snarled at him.
"I was trying to get her somewhere safe before explaining the horrifying details!"
Mira swayed on her feet. "I'm going to die? Again?"
"Not if I train you," Zara said firmly. "The Lost Temple holds the knowledge of every Healer who came before you. Their wisdom, their techniques, their mistakes. I can teach you to harness the Sigil instead of letting it destroy you."
"How long will training take?" Mira's voice was small, scared.
"Months. Maybe years."
"I don't have years! You just said I have a month!"
"To learn the basics, yes. The rest will come with practice." Zara extended her hand. "But we must begin immediately. Every moment we waste is another moment the Sigil burns through your life force."
Mira looked at me. Actually looked at me, her honey-brown eyes searching my face for... something. Reassurance? Permission?
I wanted to grab her. Hide her. Keep her safe in my den where nothing could hurt her.
But this wasn't about what I wanted.
"It's your choice," I said, the words cutting like knives. "Whatever you decide, I'll respect it."
She blinked, surprised. Then her expression softened. "Thank you."
She turned back to Zara and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll come with you. But—" she held up a finger, "—these guys get to check on me. Regularly. Because I don't know you either, and for all I know you're just another person trying to use me."
Zara laughed, a sound like bells. "Wise and cautious. Good. You'll need both to survive." She gestured to the temple entrance. "Come. We have much work to do."
Mira walked toward the glowing doors.
Elder Soren moved to follow. "The Council demands—"
Zara waved her hand and Soren flew backward, slamming into a tree. "The Council demands NOTHING. The Marked One is under my protection now. Any who challenge that will face the full wrath of the Guardian's magic."
The golden markings on the temple flared bright. The very air crackled with power.
No one else moved.
Mira paused at the threshold, looking back one last time. Her eyes found mine in the crowd.
"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," she said.
Then she smiled—small and scared but trying to be brave—and it destroyed me.
She stepped through the doors.
They slammed shut behind her with a boom that shook the earth.
The golden light vanished.
And every male in the clearing lunged forward at once.
"MIRA!"
But the doors wouldn't budge. Not even with Draven's full tiger strength ramming against them.
The temple had taken her.
And we couldn't follow.
Raith shifted to serpent form, examining the doors. "These markings... they're a seal. Only someone with the Healer's Sigil can open them from either side."
"So we wait?" Thorne demanded. "We just wait out here while she's trapped inside with a stranger?"
"She's not trapped." Finn pointed.
I followed his gaze.
A small window had appeared near the top of the temple, glowing softly. Through it, I could just make out Mira's silhouette.
My wolf settled slightly. She was alive. Safe. Visible.
But then her silhouette moved.
And doubled.
No—tripled.
Four Miras. Five. Six.
More and more shadows filled the window until I couldn't tell which one was real.
"What is that?" I whispered.
Raith's face had gone deathly pale. "The Trial of Echoes. She's facing her past lives."
"Her WHAT?"
"Every Healer who wore the Sigil before her. Their memories, their deaths, their pain." Raith's voice shook. "They'll test her. Judge her. And if she fails..."
"If she fails?" My heart stopped.
"Then the Sigil will choose a new host. And Mira's soul will be trapped in the temple forever."