The next morning arrived wrapped in a heavy, electric tension—one Ariana felt before she even opened her eyes. Shadowfang territory seemed to hum, as if the very air knew something dangerous and sacred was approaching.
Kian was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, boots laced, shoulders tight. His wolf was close to the surface, silver eyes faintly glowing.
Ariana pushed up on her elbows.
"Why do you look like you're about to fight the moon?"
He exhaled slowly.
"Because tonight… we are."
That didn't ease her confusion at all.
"Kian… what's happening?"
He stood, jaw ticking in that way that meant he was trying not to show worry.
"Your magic is growing too fast. The bond is strengthening too fast. If we don't stabilize it, it could burn you out from the inside."
Her stomach dipped. "Burn me out?"
"You'd live," he said quickly, stepping closer and brushing a thumb over her cheek. "But you'd lose your connection to the pack. To me."
That hit far harder than she expected.
"So what do we do?"
Kian swallowed.
"There's a rite. An old one. The Feral Rite. It forces the wolf and the magic to sync."
He hesitated.
"But it's dangerous. And intimate. Very intimate."
Heat curled low in her stomach, but she kept her voice steady.
"What kind of intimate?"
Kian dragged a hand through his hair. "Instinct. Touch. And… you'll see everything in me. The wolf. The darkness. The parts I never show anyone."
His pulse beat fast beneath the skin of his throat.
"And you'll have to trust me completely."
Ariana stepped closer, placing her palms on his chest.
"I already do."
His breath hitched.
---
Later, the pack gathered around the Obsidian Circle, a stone clearing older than the territory itself. Moonlight poured in even though it wasn't night—a strange, shimmering glow that made the air ripple.
Liora handed Ariana a thin obsidian blade.
"You'll mark your palm with this. A blood offering to awaken what sleeps inside you."
Ariana took it, steady. "And Kian?"
Kian removed his shirt, revealing the Shadowfang crest branded over his heart—a mark of leadership, power, and sacrifice.
"I let the wolf take control."
As if summoned by the words, silver light rippled across his skin. His eyes brightened into molten silver. His voice deepened.
"Ariana… once this begins, I can't hold anything back. If you want to stop—say it now."
She shook her head.
"I'm not running."
The pack fell silent.
Ariana drew the blade across her palm. Heat flared instantly—not pain, but power. Her blood hit the circle's stone, glowing gold.
Kian inhaled sharply, his wolf reacting instantly to her magic.
Then the Rite began.
Wind surged. Leaves spiraled upward. The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Kian's wolf surged through him, not full shift, but something between—feral, powerful, undeniably alpha. His aura slammed into Ariana, raw and electric, and her magic flared back in answer.
She gasped, knees weakening as the bond snapped open wider than ever before.
Images, emotions, instincts—all of him—flooded her senses. His fear of losing her. His desire. His rage toward Shadowmourn. His loyalty. His longing.
It was overwhelming, intimate, breathtaking.
Ariana staggered, but Kian caught her, his hand gripping the back of her neck, grounding her.
"Breathe with me."
She did. Their heartbeats synced—slow at first, then faster, louder, until it felt like the world beat with them.
Magic snarled out of her, golden and fierce.
Kian's wolf met it, silver and wild.
The two forces collided—then wrapped around each other.
A shockwave burst outward.
Ariana cried out, her magic surging upward, ripping through the treetops in a burst of light. Kian pulled her against him as if anchoring her with his body alone.
Her vision blurred—gold and silver spiraled together, tightening, weaving something new inside her.
Then everything went still.
Kian's forehead pressed to hers, chest heaving.
"Ariana… your magic… it changed."
She blinked, heart still racing.
"What does that mean?"
He swallowed, awe etched into every line of his face.
"It means the Rite worked. You're not just connected to me now."
His fingers trembled as they brushed down her arm.
"You are connected to the entire pack."
A shock passed through her.
Liora stepped forward, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Kian… she didn't just sync with you. She awakened the Alpha-Empath bond. The rarest in wolf history."
Ariana frowned. "That sounds… intense?"
Liora smiled slowly.
"It means you're not just our future Alpha's mate."
She bowed her head.
"You are becoming something far more powerful."
Kian's thumb brushed her cheek again.
"My equal."
For the first time, Ariana felt it—an echo of every wolf in the pack, faint but warm, recognizing her.
Welcoming her.
But beneath that warmth… something cold slithered at the edges of her mind. A presence that didn't belong to Shadowfang. A whisper.
Her magic shuttered.
Kian sensed it instantly. "Ariana? What is it?"
She stepped back, pulse pounding.
"I felt something."
"Someone?" Kian's voice sharpened.
Ariana nodded.
A dark whisper flickered again.
Shadowmourn.
The Rite had awakened the bond…
But it also awakened those who had been hunting her.
"Kian…" she whispered, dread curling in her stomach.
"They know where I am."
His wolf snarled, low and dangerous.
"Let them come," Kian growled, stepping in front of her, silver eyes blazing.
"This time… they'll face both of us."