I recalled the day Aria initially selected me—her eyes ablaze with great will, her voice solid as she said we would face destiny together. I told her at that moment that I would always be by her side, shielding her from every darkness and every treachery. Now as I was staring into the night, that vow kept repeating in my head, giving me nearly unbearable pressure. The world was changing, and if I kept my promise, I had to discover a power within me that went beyond my own constraints.
My mind racing with ideas and recollections, I started to pace around the edge of the woodland. From the early days when our pack was entire and free from deceit, to the terrible nights of betrayal that left us broken and bleeding, I remembered every second of our trip. Every memory was a scar, a memento of the cost we paid to survive. Still, in those wounds I saw a ray of hope—a promise that, should we be ready to accept our actual selves and allow our love and allegiance lead us over the shadows.
