Night didn't fall gently—it collapsed.
One moment, Shadowfang territory glowed with the lingering gold-and-silver light of the Feral Rite. The next, the sky dimmed as if a giant hand smothered the moon.
Wolves stiffened across the Obsidian Circle. Their ears twitched. Their eyes narrowed. Their hackles rose.
Ariana felt it first—
a cold, oily pulse sliding across the edges of her new bond.
Kian reacted immediately.
"Ariana. Behind me."
His voice was low, almost a growl. Instinct tugged at her to obey, but the new power humming beneath her skin made her step beside him instead.
Kian's jaw flexed—but he didn't pull her back.
He felt it too: she wasn't fragile anymore.
The shadows at the tree line thickened, swirling as unnatural wind dragged the branches inward. The air chilled. The scent hit Ariana like a slap.
Rot. Smoke. Blood.
Shadowmourn.
A tall figure stepped forward first—draped in black armor marked with jagged silver runes that warped the air around them. A mask covered their face, all except two sharp obsidian eyes.
They radiated the cold confidence of someone who believed they won before the fight even began.
"Shadowfang Alpha," the figure said, voice smooth as poisoned silk. "Return what belongs to us."
Kian's wolf snarled—but Ariana beat him to it.
"She doesn't belong to you."
Her voice was sharper than she expected. Confident. Commanding.
The figure tilted their head, amused.
"Oh, but she does. The girl's magic is marked, woven with our spell. She's the vessel we created."
Ariana's blood went ice cold.
Kian stepped forward, muscles trembling with pure fury.
"Try to take her," he said, voice turning into a threat that vibrated the ground.
"I dare you."
Shadowmourn didn't flinch.
Instead, they lifted a gloved hand and snapped their fingers.
The forest behind them exploded into motion.
Ten figures emerged—hooded, masked, their bodies flickering in and out of the shadows like half-formed nightmares. They moved without sound, without scent—abominations hallowed from wolf flesh.
Shadowmourn hybrids.
The pack growled as one.
Ariana felt the bond flare—fear, anger, protectiveness roaring through every wolf connected to her. The intensity was dizzying, exhilarating, terrifying.
But then—
something inside her clicked.
Her feet steadied.
Her breath deepened.
Her magic surged.
Not chaotic this time.
Not wild.
Focused.
Kian caught the change instantly.
"Ariana," he murmured without taking his eyes off the enemy, "stay with me. I'm synced to you."
She nodded once.
"I won't let them touch the pack."
Kian's lips twitched—not quite a smile, but close.
"Good girl."
Heat rushed through her, but this was not the moment.
---
The first hybrid attacked.
It launched straight at Ariana, claws outstretched, body flickering like a glitch in reality. Ariana's instincts screamed, and her hand snapped up—
A shield burst from her palm, gold and violent.
The creature struck it and was blasted backward across the clearing, hitting a tree so hard bark exploded.
The pack froze.
Even Kian blinked.
Ariana stared at her hand.
"What the hell—?"
"You're channeling the pack's energy," Liora breathed. "No Alpha-Empath has done that in centuries."
Kian didn't get the luxury of awe.
The next hybrid was already mid-air.
He shifted—half-wolf, half-man—silver fur ripping through his skin as he moved faster than Ariana had ever seen. His claws slashed through the hybrid's throat, leaving it dissolving into black smoke.
All at once, the clearing exploded into war.
Shadows lunged, wolves tackled them. Snarls and magic lit up the night.
Ariana moved on instinct, golden energy swirling around her fingertips like flame. She dodged a swipe, spun, and thrust her palm forward—
A lance of gold shot through a hybrid's chest.
It shrieked and crumbled.
A second hybrid approached from behind. She didn't see it—but Kian did. He caught the creature mid-pounce, throwing it to the ground and crushing its neck with one twist.
"Ariana! On your left!"
She spun—
Too slow.
The hybrid's shadowy claw sliced across her shoulder.
Pain flared—hot, sharp, nauseating.
Her knees buckled.
Kian roared, the sound ripping from him raw and unrestrained. Wolves surged to shield her, forming a circle around Ariana as she pressed her hand to the wound.
The masked Shadowmourn leader laughed softly.
"So fragile. So incomplete."
Ariana lifted her head, eyes blazing with fury.
"I'm not incomplete.
I'm evolving."
For the first time, the leader paused.
Ariana stood, magic rising behind her like a storm. The pack's fear, pain, rage—they flowed into her, fueling her power instead of overwhelming it.
The ground vibrated.
The air crackled.
Gold streaked across her skin like lightning.
Kian stared at her, awe-struck.
"Ariana… your eyes."
"What about them?" she rasped.
"They're glowing."
She didn't get to process that.
Shadowmourn lunged.
But this time, Ariana didn't react with instinct—
she reacted with control.
She slammed her palms to the ground.
A shockwave of golden force burst outward in a massive ring, sending every hybrid flying, shredding them into smoke and ash. Trees bent. Rocks cracked. The air screamed from the pressure.
When the light faded, only two figures still stood—
Ariana.
And the Shadowmourn leader.
They tilted their head slowly.
"Interesting."
Then they dissolved into shadow, escaping like mist caught in wind.
Kian was instantly at Ariana's side, catching her as her knees buckled for real this time.
"Ariana—hey—stay with me—look at me—"
Her vision blurred, but she managed a weak smile.
"I didn't… black out this time."
Kian held her face between his hands, eyes wide with fear and pride and something deeper.
"You scared the life out of me."
"Get used to it," she whispered. "I think it's part of the job."
He huffed a breath—almost a laugh—before pulling her against him, holding her tight despite the blood soaking her shoulder.
Behind them, the pack gathered, staring with a mixture of awe and newfound reverence.
Liora stepped forward.
"Kian… Ariana just defeated an entire Shadowmourn strike unit alone."
Kian didn't look away from Ariana.
"I know."
He lifted her into his arms carefully.
"We're heading back to the den. She needs healing."
Ariana blinked up at him.
"Kian… They said something. About being a vessel. What does that mean?"
His jaw clenched.
"I don't know," he said quietly. "But I swear to you—we'll find out."
"And when we do?"
He looked down at her, silver eyes blazing with promise and fury.
"We end them."