ARIA POV
I slammed my hands against the ground, and silver light burst outward like a shock wave. The dark spirit shrieked and fled to the edge of the clearing.
"How did you do that?" Mira gasped.
I shook my head, just as surprised as she was. "I don't know. I just... felt it."
Luna Elena helped me to my feet. "Your power is getting stronger. But it won't hold the spirit back for long."
The shadowy figure paced at the tree line, its eyes glowing red in the darkness. Other shapes moved behind it—more ghosts, waiting.
"We need to get back to the pack," Alpha Darius said. His face looked older now, worn with the weight of his secrets. "There are protections there that can hold these spirits at bay."
"You want us to trust you now?" I asked, my voice shaking. "After everything you've done?"
"He's right," Lyra said grudgingly. "The pack grounds have old wards. We'll be safer there than anywhere else."
