Aria clutched the moonstone pendant as shouts rang through the night. Guards rushed past her window toward the fires at the forest edge. The attack had started just as Rowan Vale was about to reveal her true name.
"Miss Aria!" The door burst open and Selene appeared, her chestnut hair wild. "We need to get you somewhere safe!" They rushed down the stone hallway. Selene led her to a secret passage behind a tapestry. "How did you know about this?" Aria asked. Selene's blue eyes flickered with something unreadable.
"That doesn't matter now. Stay here until someone comes for you." Alone in the dark tunnel, Aria slid down against the cold wall. The pendant glowed softly in her palm, its blue light casting strange shadows.
Outside, she could hear howls and the clash of war. "Aria?" A deep voice called from the darkness. She jumped up, heart racing. "Who's there?" Dorian stepped into the blue glow of the pendant, his green eyes reflecting the light. The scar across his eyebrow pulsed weakly.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, scanning her from head to toe. "I'm fine. What's happening out there?" "Rogue dogs. They attacked the eastern line." Dorian moved closer, his presence solid and soothing. "Father thinks they were sent by the Syndicate." Aria remembers stories of the outlaw wolves who lived beyond pack borders. "Why would they attack us?" Dorian's jaw tightened. "I don't know, but I promise I won't let them near you."
The passion in his eyes made her heart flutter. He reached out, his fingers touching her cheek. "This bond between us I've never felt anything like it," he whispered. "When the ceremony happened, it was like finding a missing piece of myself." Aria couldn't help leaning into his touch. With Dorian, she felt safe, protected.
"But what about your brothers?" she asked. "They feel the same connection." His eyes darkened. "I'm the eldest. I'm meant to be Alpha after my father. The others will have to accept that."
"And if I choose one of them instead?" The scar on his brow glowed brighter. "You won't." A noise from the passage opening made them both turn. Dorian stepped in front of Aria protectively.
"It's just me," came Tobias's gentle voice as he approached, adjusting his glasses. "The attack has been stopped. It's safe to come out now." Dorian nodded curtly to his brother, then turned back to Aria. "I'll check the borders. Stay with Tobias." After Dorian left, Tobias offered Aria his hand.
"Let me show you something." He led her through the tunnel to a different exit. They emerged in the castle library, a huge room lined with books and scrolls. Moonlight streamed through tall windows, lighting dust motes dancing in the air. "This is my favorite place in all of Suncrest," Tobias said, his face relaxing. Aria had never been allowed in the royal library before. "It's beautiful."
Tobias pulled a leather-bound book from a shelf. "I've been studying triplet bonds since the ceremony. There's an old tale about a Luna whose soul was split into three parts." He opened the book to show illustrations of a woman surrounded by three wolf figures. "What happened to her?" Aria asked. "The text doesn't say." Tobias pushed his glasses up his nose. "But I'll keep looking for answers." Unlike the fierce intensity she felt with Dorian, Tobias gave her a sense of calm interest. His mind worked differently, seeing patterns where others saw chaos.
"Why do you think this happened to us?" she asked. Tobias's eyes met hers, thoughtful and kind. "Maybe some souls are too complex for just one bond." He reached for her hand, and when their fingers touched, Aria felt a spark of connectiondifferent from Dorian's but equally powerful. "I don't want to hurt any of you," she whispered. "I know." Tobias squeezed her hand.
"Whatever you decide, I want you to be happy." The library door creaked open. They pulled apart as Marcus strode in, his dark eyes taking in their joined hands. "Brother," he nodded to Tobias. "Mind if I borrow our Luna for a while?" Tobias paused, then stepped back. "She's not property to borrow, Marcus." Marcus grinned, tribal tattoos stark against his skin. "Figure of speech. I just want to talk."
After Tobias left, Marcus paced the library like a caged animal. "My brothers are playing it safe with you."
"And you're not?" Aria asked. He stopped in front of her. "I think you deserve the truth. This link is dangerous for all of us." "Dangerous how?" Marcus pointed to the moonstone pendant she still clutched. "That stone is part of something bigger. Something Rowan Vale isn't telling us."
Aria frowned. "How do you know about the pendant? Rowan just gave it to me tonight." A shadow crossed Marcus's face. "I have my sources." He stepped closer, his energy wild and unpredictable. Where Dorian made her feel protected and Tobias made her feel understood, Marcus made her feel alivea rush of excitement and danger. "Come with me," he said suddenly, taking her hand. "Where?" "To see what we're really fighting for." Marcus led her through secret passages until they reached the castle roof.
The night spread before them, stars scattered across the sky. In the distance, she could see the forest where the attack had happened, strands of smoke still rising. "Our pack has enemies on all sides," Marcus said. "Dorian wants to follow custom. Tobias wants to learn it. But neither method will save us."
"What will?" Aria asked. Marcus turned to her, moonlight highlighting the sharp lines of his face. "Someone who isn't afraid to break the rules. To become something new."
His hand reached for hers, and when they touched, fire seemed to race through her veins. The third piece of her soul answering to his call. "I feel it too," he mumbled. Below them, movement caught Aria's eye.
A cloaked figure was slipping from the house toward the forest. In the moonlight, she recognized Elias Crow. "What's he doing?" she whispered. Marcus's eyes narrowed. "Nothing good. Elias has always wanted power." "Should we follow him?" "No." Marcus pulled her back from the edge.
"There's something you should know first. About your father." Aria's heart skipped. "What about him?" "Years ago, Sebastian made a blood pact with" The roof door burst open. Dorian and Tobias rushed out together. "There you are," Dorian growled at Marcus. "Father's looking everywhere for you." Tobias spotted Aria's worried expression. "What's wrong?" Before she could answer, a howl split the nightlong, low, and chilling. All three brothers tensed. "That's the border alarm," Dorian said. "The rogues are back." Marcus's face hardened. "I need to join the defense." "We all do," Tobias agreed. Dorian turned to Aria.
"Stay here where it's safe." The brothers moved toward the door, but Aria called after them. "Wait! Marcus, what were you going to tell me about my father?" The three brothers traded looks. "Later," Marcus promised, then they were gone. Alone on the roof, Aria clutched the moonstone ring tighter. Each brother had woken something different inside herprotection, wisdom, and wildness. Three pieces of her heart pulling in different ways. Movement in the backyard caught her eye. Her father Sebastian was meeting someone in the dark.
As they stepped into moonlight, Aria gasped. It was Rowan Vale, and from her high vantage point, she could see them arguing furiously. The seer pointed toward the forest, then straight up at her. Sebastian looked up, his face horrified when he spotted her.
The moonstone in her hand suddenly burned hot. Aria dropped it with a cry. When it hit the stone roof, it cracked revealing a small scrap of paper inside. With shaky fingers, Aria unfolded it. Written in ancient script were words that made her blood run cold: "The daughter of the Ruby Wolf shall return. Three will join, one will betray."