The pale silver light from Aria's glowing mark cast dancing shadows across the Moonfire Hall. Every rune on the wall hummed softly in response, like ancient whispers awakening after centuries of silence.
Aria lay on the cushioned bench, breath still shaky, her chest rising and falling unsteadily.
Ronan knelt beside her, hands braced on the stone floor, head bowed in something that looked like—
Fear.
Real fear.
Aria had seen Ronan angry.
She had seen him cold.
She had seen him protective.
But this?
This was different.
"Ronan…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "What's wrong?"
He lifted his head slowly, and she saw it clearly:
He was shaken.
"The Devourer called you Moonbreaker."
His voice was quiet, rough, like he had been forced to swallow something sharp.
"Yes," Aria whispered. "What… what does it mean?"
He inhaled deeply, as if steadying himself before revealing something he wished wasn't true.
"Moonbreaker is a prophecy title," he said. "An ancient one. Older than the First Luna. Older than Frostfall. One we hoped would never be spoken again."
Aria's heartbeat quickened. "Why?"
Ronan sat back on his heels, eyes shadowed. "Because the Moonbreaker was foretold to be the most powerful Moonborn in history. A force capable of reshaping the wolf world forever."
Aria swallowed hard. "Reshape how?"
He hesitated—and that terrified her more than anything.
"Ronan," she pressed. "Tell me."
He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, they glowed faintly with Alpha power.
"The Moonbreaker," he said slowly, "is destined to either unite the wolf world… or destroy it."
Aria froze.
The words hit her chest like physical blows.
"Destroy it?" she echoed.
Ronan nodded grimly. "The ancient text says:
'Where she walks, kingdoms tremble. With her rise comes the breaking of an age.'"
"I—I don't want to break anything," Aria whispered. "I'm not dangerous."
"You're not," Ronan said quickly. "But power doesn't care about intentions."
Tears stung her eyes.
"Ronan… I didn't ask for this. I didn't want any of this."
He reached up, gently wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"I know," he murmured. "None of this is your fault. Destiny chose you long before you were born. All you can do now is choose how you face it."
Aria's chest tightened painfully.
"And the Devourer?" she whispered. "Why did it use that name?"
Ronan's jaw clenched. "Because the Moonbreaker is the only being capable of destroying it permanently."
Aria sucked in a sharp breath. "Me? Fight something like that? I don't even know how to use my power."
"That's why we will train," Ronan said firmly. "Why I won't let you face any of this alone."
Aria looked down at her glowing wrist.
It pulsed softly, as if responding to the tension in the room.
"Ronan," she whispered, "was this bond between us… always supposed to happen? Or is it just part of the prophecy?"
Ronan's breath caught, and for the first time since she met him, she saw him falter.
"It wasn't supposed to be you," he admitted quietly. "Or anyone. I never planned to bond."
Aria's heart twisted. "So… I'm a mistake?"
"No," Ronan said immediately, voice sharp. He reached forward and cupped her face. "Don't ever say that. The bond doesn't make mistakes. It chooses with purpose."
"Then why does everyone act like I'm the beginning of the end?" she whispered.
"Because you're powerful," Ronan said. "And power scares people more than monsters do."
⸻
The Stranger Returns
Before Aria could respond, the torches around the Hall flickered violently.
Ronan stiffened, standing instantly. "Not again…"
A soft thud echoed outside, followed by hushed voices. Ronan moved toward the door, muscles coiled with tension.
"Stay here," he ordered.
Aria tried to sit up. "Ronan—"
"Aria, please."
That word—please—
He never said it. Not like that.
She stayed.
Ronan cracked open the stone door.
A figure stood in the hallway.
Tall.
Dark-haired.
Golden-eyed.
The stranger.
Ronan's growl shook the room. "I warned you about entering my fortress."
The stranger lifted both hands calmly. "I'm not here to fight."
"You shouldn't be here at all."
"I have to be," the stranger said. "The Devourer moved faster than expected."
Aria leaned forward. "You knew it was coming tonight?"
He nodded grimly. "I tried to warn you. But the moon is shifting sooner than the old prophecies said. The creature awakens fully when the blood-moon cycle begins."
Ronan blocked the stranger's view of Aria. "Then speak quickly and leave."
"I will," the stranger said. "But Aria needs to hear this."
Ronan snarled. "You don't speak her name."
The stranger's lips curved slightly—not in mockery, but in something like resignation.
"You can't protect her from knowledge, Alpha King. She is Moonbreaker. And the world will come for her whether you approve or not."
Aria stood—legs weak, but steady enough. "Ronan… let him speak."
Ronan clenched his jaw.
But he stepped aside.
The stranger's golden eyes softened faintly when they landed on her.
"You've already felt it, haven't you?" he asked gently. "The pull. The visions. The pain."
Aria nodded.
Ronan growled. "Keep your distance—"
"Ronan," Aria whispered, touching his arm lightly. "It's okay."
The stranger continued. "The Devourer touched your mind tonight because your awakening is nearing its midpoint."
Ronan stiffened. "Midpoint? Already?"
"Yes," the stranger said. "And when the midpoint passes, the bond between her and her mate will become unbreakable."
Aria's breath caught.
Ronan didn't breathe at all.
"Are you saying," Ronan growled, "that if the bond seals now—"
"She could die," the stranger finished. "Or worse."
Aria's pulse raced.
"Worse?" she whispered.
"You could lose yourself," he said quietly. "Moonborn energy is ancient. Wild. If your human side collapses under the strain, the Moonborn part takes control."
Ronan stepped closer to her immediately. "That will not happen."
The stranger looked at Ronan—almost with pity.
"Not even you can stop the bond, Alpha King. Only she can hold it back."
Aria swallowed hard. "How?"
"You must learn control," the stranger said. "You must learn what being Moonbreaker truly means."
Ronan growled. "She will learn from me."
"You can teach her to fight," the stranger admitted. "To command. To lead."
Then his golden eyes softened, and he looked at Aria again.
"But only another Moonborn can teach her to survive the awakening."
Ronan stepped forward, fury blazing. "You will not touch her—"
Aria grabbed Ronan's sleeve. "Wait."
Ronan turned, eyes burning with instinctive protectiveness. "Aria—no."
She met his gaze, heart hammering. "He's right. You said it yourself… no one knows anything about Moonborn blood anymore."
Ronan looked away, the muscle in his jaw ticking.
"I trust you," Aria whispered. "But I need answers too. Answers no one else can give me."
Ronan exhaled slowly.
Painfully.
Like each word she spoke carved something out of him.
The stranger bowed his head slightly. "I don't want to take her from you. I want to help her stay alive."
Aria stepped closer, gripping her glowing wrist.
"Tell me the truth," she whispered. "Why me? Why am I Moonbreaker?"
He met her eyes, expression aching.
"Because you were born with the potential to destroy the Devourer," he said. "And because prophecy always chooses the one least prepared."
A tear slid down Aria's cheek.
"But why did the Devourer call my name?" she whispered. "Why did it know me?"
The stranger's answer chilled her.
"Because you are the only one capable of ending it," he said softly. "And because fate has chosen you as its opposite."
Ronan tensed. "Opposite?"
"Light against darkness," the stranger murmured. "Moon against shadow. Moonbreaker against Devourer."
Aria's knees weakened.
Ronan caught her instantly, pulling her against his chest.
The stranger watched with an unreadable expression.
"You must prepare her," he said. "Or Frostfall will fall. And the world with it."
Ronan held Aria close, voice low and fierce.
"I will teach her everything. She doesn't need you."
The stranger sighed.
"Then may the Goddess watch over you," he said. "Because she will need more than your strength."
He vanished down the corridor before Ronan could stop him.
Silence fell.
Aria trembled against Ronan, exhausted and overwhelmed.
"Ronan," she whispered, "I'm afraid."
He wrapped his arms around her tightly—secure, grounding, protective.
"I know," he said softly. "But fear doesn't control you, Aria."
His grip tightened.
"You control it."
Her wrist pulsed—warm, steady.
Her fear quieted.
And for the first time since becoming Moonborn…
She believed him.