The crisp morning air was laced with pine and dew as Aria stepped out of her cabin. A fog hung low over the ground, giving the camp an ethereal look. Her boots crunched quietly over gravel as she made her way toward the gathering square, where Kael had asked her to meet him before dawn.
She didn't know why.
But she obeyed anyway.
She always obeyed years of conditioning and abuse couldn't be scrubbed away with kind eyes and warm blankets. Her body still flinched at sharp sounds. Her breath still hitched when she passed men who walked too close.
But the fear didn't strangle her as tightly anymore.
Not here.
Not with him.
Kael was already there when she arrived, pacing slowly near the large stone map carved into the courtyard's center. He wore a dark coat lined with fur at the collar, his shoulders tense and his brows furrowed. He looked up the second she stepped into view, and his expression softened.
"Aria," he greeted. "Thanks for coming."
She nodded, curious.
He motioned for her to follow him. "There's something I want to show you."
They walked in silence through a narrow path leading out of the camp. The air grew colder as the forest thickened, and the sun had barely begun to rise through the trees. Aria was used to silence, but Kael wasn't. He filled it with stories small ones at first, then fragments of things from his childhood.
"Most of my people don't know this path exists," he said as they ducked beneath a low-hanging branch. "It's not marked on the camp routes."
She tilted her head.
"Why?" she signed, her fingers swift and confident.
Kael paused, surprised. Then he smiled faintly. "Because this path leads to something... sacred."
Ten minutes later, the forest opened into a hidden clearing surrounded by ancient stones. In the center stood a small pool, fed by a thin waterfall that spilled from the rocks above. The air shimmered faintly, as if charged with energy.
Aria blinked, stunned by the stillness of the place.
"This," Kael said, stepping beside her, "is the Heartspring."
She looked at him, unsure of the significance.
"It's where our ancestors first pledged allegiance to the Moon Goddess. It's said that the water here remembers the truth... even when wolves forget."
He glanced at her, as though reading the questions behind her eyes.
"I brought you here because I want you to know something," he said, his voice dropping. "Whatever your past holds, whatever pain you carry… it doesn't define you here."
She swallowed, feeling something catch in her chest.
"You're not broken," Kael added. "You're surviving. And that's a kind of strength most wolves will never understand."
For a long time, Aria just stood there.
Then she knelt beside the pool and dipped her fingers into the cold water. It sent a jolt up her spine—not pain, but something deeper. Like the water had recognized her. Accepted her.
Kael stood behind her silently, letting the moment stretch.
When she finally rose, there was a steadiness in her posture she hadn't had before.
He noticed.
And he said nothing, because he knew saying too much might undo the peace she had just found.
Back at camp, whispers had begun to circulate.
"She's the mute girl from the rogues, right?"
"Why is the Alpha giving her special treatment?"
"I heard she fought off three males by herself…"
"No one's that quiet unless they're hiding something."
Sera heard the gossip and growled low in her throat. She was seconds away from baring her teeth when another voice cut through.
"That's enough," said Luca, Kael's Beta. He stepped into the clearing his expression unreadable. "You've all got too much time on your hands if you're worrying about one girl who hasn't even spoken a word."
One of the warriors scoffed. "That's exactly the problem. She doesn't talk. She doesn't shift. No one knows anything about her."
Luca raised an eyebrow. "And yet she trains harder than half of you combined."
The group fell silent.
"I suggest you worry less about the girl and more about why Kael is doubling border patrols," Luca added, turning away.
That shut them up fast.
By the time Aria returned to the camp with Kael, the energy had shifted. She felt it like a prickle under her skin—stares, tension, questions no one dared ask to her face.
She hated it.
But Kael didn't seem fazed. If anything, he looked even more resolute.
"I need to attend to some pack matters," he said gently. "Will you be alright?"
Aria gave a curt nod.
"Good." He hesitated, then added, "Stay close to camp. Just in case."
Just in case what? she wondered.
That afternoon, while reading near the edge of the training grounds, Aria sensed a presence behind her. She turned, expecting Sera—or maybe Kael.
But it wasn't either.
It was a stranger.
He was young, probably no older than her, with pale hair and sharp, watchful eyes. He smiled without warmth.
"Hey," he said. "You're the mute, right?"
She frowned, standing slowly.
"I'm Dane. I heard you've been sparring with Kael."
Aria didn't respond.
He stepped closer. "That's a pretty big honor. Bet a lot of wolves are jealous."
Still no response.
"Just saying," Dane added, his voice lowering. "You should be careful who you make jealous around here. Not everyone's as forgiving as Kael."
Before she could react, a growl split the air.
Sera stepped between them, eyes blazing.
"Back. Off."
Dane raised his hands innocently. "Was just making conversation."
"Make it somewhere else," Sera snapped. "Now."
He backed away slowly, still smirking, then disappeared into the trees.
Sera turned to Aria. "You alright?"
She nodded stiffly.
"Dane's harmless, but he's got a big mouth," Sera muttered. "And his uncle was one of Ronan's lieutenants before the fall."
Aria stiffened.
She hadn't heard that name in days.
Sera caught the shift in her expression. "You know him, don't you?"
Aria looked away.
"You don't have to say anything," Sera said. "Just watch your back. If he's sniffing around, it's because he's already picked up the scent of something wrong."
That night, Aria sat alone on the roof of her cabin, knees tucked to her chest. The stars were sharp against the sky, and the air smelled like rain.
She hated feeling hunted.
She hated that even here even in this place that was supposed to feel safe,she still had to look over her shoulder.
But she wasn't going to run again.
Not this time.
Not when Kael had looked at her like she mattered.
Not when her hands had touched sacred water and come away clean.
And not when the ghosts of her past were circling closer.
Far from camp, Ronan crouched on a cliff's edge, watching the glow of Nightfang's torches in the distance.
He smiled to himself.
"They think they've protected her," he murmured. "But everyone has a past..And it always comes back to hunt them."