The den was silent—eerily so.
Ariana leaned against the wall, the pain in her shoulder burning like fire. Kian had gently wrapped it in a healing salve, his hands lingering just long enough for heat to surge through her chest. She had wanted to protest, but the bond screamed in protest of her hesitation.
"You pushed yourself too far," Kian murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "Don't ever do that again."
"I had to," she whispered, wincing as the salve sizzled on the cut. "If I didn't—"
"Someone would have died," he finished for her. His wolf growled low, the warning vibrating through the den.
Ariana's gaze fell to the ground. "I can't keep losing control. Every time I use my magic… it feels like I'm on the edge of burning out."
Kian crouched beside her, fingers brushing hers. "That edge isn't weakness. It's growth. You survived the Feral Rite. You survived the Shadowmourn strike. The bond with me? It's stabilizing you."
Her heart fluttered at his words, and the heat between them flickered again—intense, almost painful in its closeness. "I feel everything now. Every wolf in the pack… your anger, your fear… it's all tied to me."
"And that's why we're stronger," he said softly, voice low enough that it rumbled through her chest. "Because you're not alone."
The den door creaked. Liora stepped in, eyes sharp as always. "Alpha, you need to see this."
Kian rose, taking Ariana's hand in his, grounding her even as her pulse raced with curiosity and worry. They followed Liora outside, the full moon hanging high above the den. Its light was unnaturally bright tonight, silvery beams cutting through the trees like daggers.
At the edge of the clearing, an object glimmered faintly in the moonlight. Ariana's pulse quickened. It was… a box. Black obsidian, etched with silver runes—the same kind she had seen in Varyn's lair.
Liora knelt beside it. "We found this buried near the old ruins. It was hidden decades ago… but the runes react to her."
Ariana's fingers itched. The bond pulsed violently. She could feel the power emanating from the box, twisting in harmony with her own magic.
Kian's jaw tightened. "Don't open it yet. I don't know what it contains."
She swallowed hard. "It's calling to me… I can't ignore it."
Without another word, Ariana pressed her palm to the runes. Energy surged instantly through her arm, warm, sharp, alive. The lid trembled and lifted with a hiss of displaced air, revealing a small crystal orb, glowing faintly gold.
The moment she saw it, memories flashed in her mind—shards of a past she hadn't known she'd lived:
A man and woman, elemental magic burning around them. A shadow looming. A scream. A broken lullaby.
Her parents.
And the orb.
It pulsed like a heartbeat—her heartbeat.
Ariana gasped, clutching the crystal to her chest. The bond roared. Kian's eyes widened.
"It's… you," he said in a whisper. "It's part of you."
She nodded, tears stinging. "It's my legacy. My parents… they left this for me. Not just to remember them… but to protect the pack. To protect me."
Liora knelt, hands folded in awe. "Alpha… this is older than Shadowfang territory. This is… elemental magic at its purest."
Ariana's eyes flicked to Kian. "Then… I've been hiding power I didn't even know I had."
He lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against his chest, where the bond throbbed violently. "And now you know. Together… we can control it."
Ariana's pulse quickened, warmth flooding her chest. But then a shiver ran down her spine—the familiar icy whisper curling at the edges of her mind.
Shadowmourn.
The orb pulsed violently in her hands, as if warning her. The past had answered, and the threat was far from over.
Kian's wolf growl rumbled through her. "They'll be back," he said. "And next time, they won't come alone."
Ariana nodded, eyes fixed on the crystal. "Then we prepare. And this time… we'll be ready."
The bond pulsed. Strong. Fiery. Unbreakable.
And somewhere, hidden in the shadows, Varyn watched.
The war was far from over.