Aria's POV
If you step on my foot one more time, Nightshade, I'm freezing your legs off.
Try it, Frost, and see what happens.
Both of you shut up before I throw you off this mountain.
I was ready to throw myself off the mountain.
We'd been climbing for three hours. The northern mountains were steep, cold, and treacherous. And the three Alphas behind me had done nothing but argue the entire way.
How much farther? I asked Theron, who was leading.
Another hour. Maybe less if these two stop acting like children.
Kade growled. Zander's eyes flashed with ice-blue light.
I mean it, I snapped, spinning around. If you three can't work together for one day, how are we supposed to stop Morgana?
That shut them up. For about five minutes.
Then Kade had to say, When this is over, we're going back to Shadow Fang
We're not having this conversation again, I cut him off.
We climbed in blessed silence after that.
Finally, Theron stopped at what looked like a solid rock wall. We're here.
There's nothing here, Zander said.
That's the point. Theron pressed his hand against the rock. Elder Thea doesn't want visitors.
The rock shimmered and dissolved like mist, revealing a cave entrance.
My Lycan stirred inside me. She recognized this place somehow. Or the power coming from it.
Stay behind me, Kade said, moving in front.
I'm not a child
No, but you're the one Morgana wants. His voice was firm. Let us check for threats first.
I hated that he was right.
We entered the cave. It was bigger than it looked from outside, lit by crystals that glowed with soft light. The air felt... old. Powerful.
Hello? I called out.
I've been waiting for you, child.
An old woman emerged from the shadows. She was tiny, barely five feet tall, with silver hair that fell to her waist and eyes that seemed to look right through me.
But the power radiating from her was massive.
Elder Thea? I whispered.
She smiled. Your mother was my best friend. You have her eyes.
My throat tightened. You knew my mother?
I knew both your parents. Kieran and Seraphina were the finest Lycans I ever met. Thea's expression turned sad. When they died, part of me died too.
They were murdered, I said. By my uncle Marcus.
I know. I was supposed to be there that night, to perform the ceremony for your first birthday. Thea's hands clenched. But Seraphina sent me away. She had a vision she knew what was coming. She told me to run, to hide, to wait for you to awaken.
A vision?
Lycans have gifts beyond shifting. Your mother could see possible futures. Thea looked at me intently. She saw this moment. You, standing here with your three mates, preparing for war.
The three Alphas stirred behind me.
Three mates, Thea continued, looking at them. Good. You'll need all three to survive what's coming.
Why three? Zander asked. Regular wolves only have one mate.
Because Aria isn't a regular wolf. She's a Lycan more powerful than any Alpha. Thea gestured for us to sit. A Lycan's power is immense. Without balance, it would consume them. Three mates provide that balance. Three different energies to ground one very powerful soul.
It made sense in a way nothing else had.
Marcus and Morgana, I said. They worked together to kill my parents?
Yes. Marcus was jealous of his older brother. He wanted the pack, the power, the throne. Morgana wanted Lycan blood for her dark magic. Thea's voice turned bitter. On your first birthday, while the pack celebrated, they struck. Morgana killed your parents with a spell. Then she cast a suppression spell on you designed to hide your Lycan nature until your twenty-third birthday.
Why wait? Kade demanded. Why not just kill Aria as a baby?
Because the spell required living Lycan blood to maintain itself. If Aria died, the spell would break and everyone would know what Marcus had done. Thea looked at me. He kept you alive, powerless, as his servant. A constant source of blood for the spell, hidden in plain sight.
I felt sick. He's been using my blood for twenty-three years?
Small amounts. You never noticed. But yes. Thea reached out and touched my hand. I'm sorry, child. I should have protected you. But I was afraid. Marcus threatened to kill anyone who knew the truth. I've been hiding here for over two decades, waiting for the spell to break.
And now it has, Theron said. So what's Morgana's next move?
Thea's expression turned grim. The Ritual of Eternal Dominion. It's ancient, forbidden dark magic. If completed, it grants the caster immortality and the power to control the minds of every wolf in North America.
My blood ran cold.
What does she need? I asked.
Three things. Thea counted on her fingers. First, the blood of a fully awakened Lycan. Second, the deaths of that Lycan's three bonded mates during the ritual. Third, a lunar eclipse to channel the moon's power.
The three Alphas tensed.
When's the eclipse? Kade asked.
Three weeks, Thea said. Twenty-one days from now.
Twenty-one days. Less time than I'd thought.
Can we stop it? I asked.
Maybe. But first, you need to master your Lycan abilities. Thea stood. You can shift, yes. But that's just the beginning. Lycans have powers regular wolves don't. Enhanced strength, speed, healing. And elemental magic.
Elemental magic?
Each Lycan has an affinity for one element. Your mother controlled water. Your father controlled earth. Thea looked at me. We need to discover yours.
How long will training take?
Weeks. Months, usually. Thea smiled. But you don't have months. So we'll do it the hard way. Starting now.
Wait, Zander said. You said twenty-one days. That's not enough time
It'll have to be. Thea's voice was steel. Because if Aria isn't strong enough when Morgana comes for her, you'll all die. And every wolf in North America will become Morgana's slave.
Silence fell.
Then we start training, I said. Now.
Thea nodded approvingly. Your mother would be proud. Come.
She led me deeper into the cave. The three Alphas followed.
We reached a large chamber with a pool of water in the center. The walls were covered in strange symbols that glowed.
This is where we'll unlock your full power, Thea said. But I must warn you it will hurt. Your Lycan has been suppressed for twenty-three years. Forcing her to emerge fully will be... painful.
I can handle pain.
We'll see. Thea gestured to the pool. Step in.
I approached the water. It looked normal, but power hummed beneath the surface.
I stepped in.
The water was ice cold. Then burning hot. Then
Pain exploded through my entire body.
I screamed.
Aria! Kade lunged forward but Thea blocked him.
Don't interfere! This is necessary!
The pain intensified. It felt like my bones were breaking, my skin tearing, my very soul being ripped apart and rebuilt.
I fell to my knees in the water, screaming.
Through the agony, I felt something awakening inside me. Not just my Lycan. Something more. Something ancient and powerful and terrifying.
Silver light erupted from my skin, so bright I couldn't see.
Then I heard it.
A voice. Not Thea's. Not any of the Alphas'.
My mother's voice.
Aria. My darling daughter. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to guide you. But I left you something. A gift. My power. And a warning.
Mom? I gasped.
Morgana isn't working alone. There's another. Someone close to you. Someone you trust. They're feeding her information. Watching you. Waiting to betray you.
Who? Who is it?
I couldn't see their face. But trust your instincts, my love. And remember the greatest power isn't strength. It's
The voice cut off.
The light vanished.
I collapsed in the water, gasping.
Strong arms pulled me out. Kade. He held me against his chest, his heart racing.
What happened? he demanded. What did you see?
I looked up at Thea. My mother. I heard my mother's voice.
Thea's eyes widened. That's... that shouldn't be possible. The dead don't speak
She did. I struggled to sit up. She said Morgana has a spy. Someone close to me. Someone I trust.
The three Alphas looked at each other.
Who? Zander asked.
She didn't know. But they're watching us right now. I looked around the cave, suddenly paranoid. Someone here is going to betray us.
Impossible, Theron said. Only the five of us know where we are.
Then it's one of us, I said quietly.
The words hung in the air like poison.
Five people in this cave. Me, three Alphas, and Elder Thea.
One of them was a traitor.