Storm clouds brewed on the horizon as Aria and her allies returned to the base camp. Thunder rolled across the sky like an omen, matching the unease in her chest.
The betrayal still lingered—Lira, someone Aria had begun to trust, had sold them out to Mircella for the promise of power and safety. It wasn't just the deception that cut deep—it was the proof that her rising light attracted both loyalty and jealousy.
Drenched from the sudden rain, Aria stormed into the command tent, where Kael and Raekon were already waiting.
"She was feeding them information from the beginning," Raekon growled. "The missed supplies, the sudden attacks. It all makes sense now."
Kael looked at Aria, his jaw tight. "She went straight for your throat, Aria."
"I trusted her," Aria said, her voice cracking. "She knew about the scroll, the relic we're looking for. She could've told Mircella everything."
Kael stepped close, his voice low and careful. "We'll fix this. We'll strike before Mircella can use the relic against us."
---
Later that night, Aria sat in her tent alone, drying her hair by firelight. Her thoughts drifted—unwanted—to the past.
To a time when her father would sit by the fire with her, telling stories of their ancestors. A powerful Luna who led her people into battle without fear. A time before Mircella. Before the fire. Before her life became a war.
She could almost hear his voice again.
"There will come a time, little wolf, when the world will ask more of you than you believe you can give. And you'll give it anyway."
Tears stung her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.
Kael entered silently, as if sensing the ache in her heart. He knelt beside her.
"She would've killed you," he said, referring to Lira.
Aria turned, meeting his eyes. "I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of failing them."
Kael reached out, brushing a lock of red hair from her cheek. "You're not failing anyone."
She leaned into his touch. And this time, when his lips brushed hers, she didn't pull away.
Their kiss was deep, molten, born of shared pain and fire. Clothes were shed in urgency, breaths became gasps, and the heat between them burned brighter than the storm outside. Kael's hands traced every scar, every curve. Aria clung to him like he was the only solid thing left in her world.
Their bodies moved as one, each thrust drawing soft cries from her lips, her name whispered between kisses. It was more than passion—it was a promise.
When they collapsed together beneath the furs, tangled and spent, Kael murmured, "I won't let anything happen to you."
Aria whispered back, "I'll fight with you. No matter what comes."
---
The next morning, Raekon summoned them early. A scout had returned with word that Mircella's army had acquired an ancient relic—the Eye of Aros, capable of enhancing blood magic tenfold.
"She's going to use it during the next blood moon," Raekon said. "That's in five nights."
Kael clenched his fists. "If she performs the ritual with that kind of power..."
"She'll be unstoppable," Aria finished.
"We need to find the counter-relic," Raekon said. "The Mirror of Vale. According to legend, it was hidden by your father before the war."
Aria's breath caught. "Then I know where to look."
---
They journeyed into the mountains that day, through treacherous cliffs and icy passes. At night, they camped in caves and told stories beside quiet fires. Kael remained close to her side, but there was a new softness in his gaze—a tenderness that made her heart ache in the best way.
On the fourth night, they found the tomb.
Aria knelt before the stone door, her fingers brushing the runes carved in the rock. Her father's crest—the twin wolves of Vale.
She whispered a prayer, and the door opened.
Inside, the Mirror waited. A shard of glowing crystal suspended above a pedestal.
When she touched it, memories flooded her—her father's final battle, her mother's tears, and her own awakening beneath a sky stained with fire.
She collapsed.
Kael caught her.
When her eyes opened, they glowed silver.
"I remember everything now," she whispered.
"You're ready," he said.
But in the shadows, someone else watched.
A girl with feral red eyes.
And she smiled.
To be continued...